The Phantom Virus

by Mark Cheverton

  “Get up here, you idiot!” Hunter yelled.

  Skidding to a stop, the User-that-is-not-a-user glanced over his shoulder. He could see the army’s archers lined up behind blocks of cobblestone, all of them firing down upon the spiders. Gameknight pulled his horse around and raced for the line of defenders.

  “Wolves, follow!” he shouted.

  The furry creatures immediately pivoted and moved up the mountainside right behind the User-that-is-not-a-user. When he reached the defensive line, he dismounted and gave his horse to one of the younger NPCs, who was already holding the reins of a dozen other mounts. Drawing his enchanted bow, he added his own arrows to the storm.

  The spiders charged up the mountainside despite the deadly rain coming down upon them. They tried to zigzag to avoid the arrows, but there were so many of them it was hard for the archers to miss. But even with all the damage the archers were doing, there were too many monsters approaching, and if they stood their ground, Gameknight knew they were doomed.

  “We need to fall back,” he said to Crafter, who had appeared at his side during the battle.

  “Agreed.”

  “Have the old and the young move up higher on the mountain,” Gameknight explained. “Then take half the archers and form a new defensive line.” He looked up the mountainside. “I see something that looks like a hollow or cutout on the side of the mountain. Head for that.”

  “But how are you going to keep the spiders back?” Crafter asked. “If we take half the archers with us, you’ll be overrun.”

  “I have an idea that will buy us some time,” Gameknight said with a smile.

  Crafter nodded, then turned and started giving orders, moving people and horses up the slope. Digger moved forward and took half the archers up the hill while the remaining ones kept firing.

  Gameknight moved between two villagers and started firing his enchanted bow. Flaming arrows streaked down toward the spiders, igniting the fuzzy creatures. He could see additional flaming arrows coming from the left and right side of the defensive line; Gameknight knew these would be coming from Hunter and Stitcher. But even with all their arrows, the spiders were getting closer and closer.

  Some of the NPCs were stepping back, moving away from their cobblestone blocks. Gameknight could see they were getting scared as the black wave of claws and fangs drew closer.

  “Stand your ground!” Gameknight yelled, his voice filled with confidence. “We have to give those above us time to get set. We cannot retreat. This is the day when we say NO MORE to Herobrine’s monsters!”

  The villagers heard the confidence and defiance in his voice and took a step forward. They fired their bows even faster, trying to chip away at the wall of spiders that was moving up the mountainside.

  “Gameknight, they’re getting closer!” Hunter yelled from the far end of the defenses. “We need to do something soon.”

  “Don’t worry, I have an idea.”

  “Am I going to like it?” she asked.

  “Absolutely,” he replied.

  Leaning to the left, Gameknight whispered his plan to the NPC beside him.

  “Pass it on,” he said to the villager, and then turned and told the villager on his other side the same thing.

  In minutes, the remaining defenders knew what to do and were waiting for the signal. The spiders were now within four blocks of their defensive line. Gameknight could almost count the hairs around their furious, hateful eyes.

  “Gameknight, if they get any closer, I’ll be wearing this spider as a hat!” Hunter yelled.

  “OK, everyone ready?” the User-that-is-not-a-user yelled. The villagers grunted their affirmation. “NOW!”

  As one, the warriors all pulled out buckets of water and dumped them before the spidery mob. The water flowed down the mountainside and carried the monsters back down the hill as it rushed down, setting them back a dozen blocks, if not more.

  “Everyone up the hill!” Gameknight yelled.

  The NPCs turned and ran. When they reached the cutout, the archers started firing again. This time, it was all of them, thirty archers firing down on all the advancing monsters.

  Turning from the battle, Gameknight looked at the hollow they were standing in. It looked like a massive hole had been carved out of the mountain from above. The ground was rough and uneven, most of it covered with grass. Clearly, this was not something cleared out by pickaxes; it was something else. Far overhead, there were long rows of cobblestone that stretched straight out from the mountainside and extended high over the recession. It looked as if the cutout was even with the end of these overhead stone structures. It reminded him of when Gameknight and his sisters had dropped dog treats down on their dog, Barky the Physics Dog, from the branches of a tall tree in their backyard. The ones that Barky missed shattered on the ground, creating a circle of doggie-treat dust beneath the tree limb that was eventually licked up.

  Maybe we could do something similar here, he thought.

  Pulling out blocks of cobblestone, Gameknight moved to the edge of the alcove and started placing blocks on the ground in a line that extended out into the open air. Carefully standing on the edge of the rocky line, he placed block after block until the single-block path extended far out from the mountainside. From the end, Gameknight could look down and see the spiders directly below him.

  “Gameknight, what are you doing?” Digger asked.

  “I’ll explain later,” he replied. “Just build what I’ve built. Get a bunch of villagers to do it, too."

  Putting away his pickaxe, Digger motioned to a group of villagers, then pulled out a stack of cobblestone and began mimicking his friend. In no time, they had a dozen long rows of stone sticking out from the side of Olympus Mons.

  The spiders looked up at Gameknight and Digger as they advanced up the hill, ignoring the rain of arrows that was falling upon them.

  “Anyone with TNT, get on the end of the cobblestone,” Gameknight said.

  The NPCs put away their bows and moved carefully out onto the stony lines.

  “Now, place blocks of TNT on the side and light them,” the User-that-is-not-a-user directed.

  Leaning over, Gameknight put a block of TNT on the side of the cobblestone, then lit it with a redstone torch. The cube started blinking, and as it did, it fell down from the ledge, landing among the spiders. It exploded, tearing into the monster horde with a flaming vengeance. As he watched, more blinking cubes fell onto the monsters and detonated. The spiders were thrown in all directions, their bodies flashing red.

  “Keep placing the TNT!” Gameknight yelled.

  They put the red-and-white striped blocks down as fast as they could, dropping countless bombs on the terrifying monsters. The explosives devastated the mob, tearing HP from the fuzzy bodies without remorse. The spiders tried to push forward, but with every advance, the blocks of TNT smashed the spiders with a relentless fist.

  As the explosives fell, they carved a deep hole in the mountainside. Gradually, it began to fill with XP and spider silk as the TNT smashed the attacking spider army to shreds. In minutes, only a handful of the monsters remained.

  “Warriors, draw swords and attack!” Crafter yelled.

  The wolves howled with angry excitement as they shot down the mountainside ahead of the warriors.

  “Leave one alive,” Gameknight said as he leapt off the cobblestone.

  With his two swords drawn, he bolted down the hill and crashed into the spiders, slashing to the left, then swinging to the right. He was sure the spiders knew they were defeated, but they made no attempt to flee. They continued the fight, even though now they were the ones outnumbered.

  Finally, only one spider remained. The lone monster had backed into the newly-formed recession in the side of Olympus Mons. It was exhausted, and the NPCs could tell its HP was nearly depleted.

  Gameknight put away his iron sword and pulled out his shield. With his diamond sword in his right hand, he approached the monster. The spider looked up at the User-that-
is-not-a-user with complete hatred in its multiple eyes.

  “You cannot sssstop ussss,” the spider hissed. “Shaivalak will be ready for you.”

  “Tell us where your queen is and we will spare your life,” Gameknight said.

  The spider laughed, then clicked her mandibles together.

  “You are no match for Shaivalak,” the spider said, her eyes beginning to dim. “The queen issss ready to call more sssspiderssss at the flick of a sssswitch. You will not sssstop what hassss already begun.”

  Gameknight took another step closer and began to speak, but the monster leapt straight at him, her wicked curved claws extended. He raised his shield, letting the spider smash against the protective rectangle, then hit her with his sword. She disappeared with a pop, leaving behind more XP and silk.

  “What do you think she meant by that?” Gameknight asked Crafter, who stood behind him.

  “A flick of a switch? Maybe it’s a command block thing?” Crafter said.

  Gameknight nodded.

  “We have to find Shaivalak and stop Herobrine’s timer as quickly as we can,” Gameknight said.

  “But where do we start looking?” Stitcher said. “The tunnel that leads to his timer could be anywhere.”

  “I think you all need to come up here,” a voice said from above.

  Gameknight looked up and saw Herder leaning over the edge of the cutout, his long black hair hanging down over his face. They ran up the hill to find he had retreated all the way to the back of the cutout. In the shadows, Gameknight hadn’t noticed the sign placed on a stone block. Right next to it was a hidden tunnel entrance that curved its way behind a wall of rock and into the bowels of the Mons. Without the sign, which was hard enough to see, they never would have noticed the tunnel.

  “What does the sign say?” Gameknight asked.

  “It’s too dark, I can’t see it,” Herder said.

  Digger pulled out a torch and placed it against the rock wall. Gameknight leaned forward. He could tell by the cracks in the sign that it was ancient; it had clearly been here for a long, long time. As he read the words, the User-that-is-not-a-user was confused.

  “It says ‘GK was here.’ But how is that possible?” Gameknight said.

  “Have you been here before?” Crafter asked.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user shook his head.

  “I’ve never seen Olympus Mons before, much less this sign and hidden tunnel,” he explained. “This is all new to me.”

  “Well, I think this is a good a place to start our search as any,” Hunter said. “And it already has the GK sign of approval.” She smiled.

  “OK,” Gameknight replied. “Then let’s go.”

  Reaching up to adjust his armor, the User-that-is-not-a-user pulled out a torch and stepped into the passage. As he moved through the narrow tunnel, Gameknight imagined all the villages that were counting on him to find Herobrine’s timer and stop it from destroying everything. The thought of all those lives depending on him made him shudder with fear.

  If only I’d stopped him sooner, Gameknight thought as he plunged into the darkness.

  CHAPTER 20

  INTO THE DARKNESS

  Gameknight moved through the narrow opening in the rock, glancing up at the ancient sign as he entered the passage, confused. The tunnel was only one block wide and two blocks high. It extended four blocks straight into the mountain before it turned to the left, then to the right, then left again, zigzagging deep into the rock. With the multiple turns, the light from outside was easily blocked, making the torch in Gameknight’s hand the only source of illumination.

  After more turns, the tunnel finally led them to a large room that looked to be some kind of gathering chamber. It was roughly square with a flat stone floor and walls that were poorly shaped. It was wide, at least twelve blocks across and another twelve blocks deep, but its height was shocking. The ceiling must have been at least twenty blocks high and was barely visible in the torchlight. At the far end of the room was a single redstone torch. It lit an opening that was likely a continuation of the passage. The crimson light showed quartz blocks that had been placed over the opening in a large arc. They had been placed every so often along the arc, creating the likeness of a huge mouth, the quartz blocks forming monstrous teeth. The tunnel on the far side looked as if it were leading down the fictitious creature’s throat.

  “This must be Herobrine’s work,” Crafter said. “No other person in Minecraft would try to make a tunnel appear so purposely terrifying.”

  Gameknight nodded his head. Turning, he looked at all the villagers that stood in the tunnel behind him, the torches held by many of the NPCs casting circles of light across their uncertain boxy faces. There were probably fifty villagers with them. Some were armored, but not enough; some held swords, but many only had shovels and hoes. Fortunately, all had bows, which had been decisive in the last battle. But in the narrow confines of these tunnels, Gameknight thought grimly, archers would be relatively ineffective.

  How can this ragtag army defeat Herobrine’s monsters and at the same time stop whatever trap he has planned for Minecraft? Gameknight thought.

  “Well?” Hunter asked.

  Gameknight looked at her, confused.

  “Are we gonna go in and say hello?” she continued. “Or are we just staying out here and admiring the scenery?” Hunter gave Gameknight a mischievous grin.

  “Yeah, we’re going in,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied with a sigh.

  “Finally,” Hunter replied and took a step forward.

  Gameknight suddenly realized that something was wrong. Reaching out, he grabbed the back of her armor and jerked her back.

  “What’s the deal?!” she exclaimed.

  “Wait,” Gameknight replied. “This is too easy … I don’t trust it.”

  “Would some monsters make you happier?” Hunter asked.

  Gameknight ignored her questions and looked at the room. There was something here he didn’t like. He could feel it, but couldn’t see it, not yet. Pulling out a block of stone, he turned and faced Crafter.

  “Do you have a rope with you?” he asked.

  “Of course, I always have one,” Crafter replied. “My great-uncle Farmer once said …”

  "Crafter, not now. Just give me the line.”

  “Oh. Sorry, here you go.”

  Gameknight took the rope and tied it to a block of stone.

  “Everyone stand back,” Gameknight said as he started to swing the block around in a circle.

  Spinning it faster and faster, he launched the block into the cave entrance, the rope stretching out into the passageway ahead. The stone landed with a thud on the sandy floor.

  “That was exciting,” Hunter said sarcastically. Stitcher punched her in the arm.

  “Hunter, be nice,” the younger sister chided. The older just smiled.

  Gameknight ignored the two girls and focused on the block of stone. Slowly, he pulled on the line and dragged the stone toward the entrance. It scraped and tumbled across the ground, the sounds echoing off the passage walls.

  “This is interesting,” Hunter said, “but …”

  Before she could finish the sentence, an explosion shook the walls as blocks of TNT detonated around the tunnel opening, tearing a massive hole in the ground. Sand and rock flew through the air as a ball of fire blossomed to life and lit the chamber with a momentary flash of light. Gameknight fell backward as the force of the blast shoved him in the chest, falling into the stout form of Butch, who stood right behind. Fortunately, no one was hurt; the explosion had been deep within the chamber. It had been a trap, probably been meant to kill any intruders—like them.

  A hand reached down to Gameknight. Reaching up, he took it and stood, facing Butch, Crafter at his side.

  “Apparently we were expected,” Butch said through gritted teeth.

  Crafter nodded as he looked from the butcher to Gameknight999.

  “How are we going to get through these tunnels if they’r
e rigged with traps?” Gameknight asked.

  “Don’t worry,” Butch said. “A trapper came with us from the last village. They can lead us through.”

  “What?” Gameknight asked, but his question was stopped by Butch’s upheld hand.

  “Trapper, come forward,” Butch yelled. “We need your skills up here.”

  They could hear confused voices from the back of the army as one of the NPCs moved forward.

  “What’s a trapper?” Gameknight asked. “I’ve never heard of them.”

  “A trapper is a person that sets traps to catch game,” Butch explained. “They don’t necessarily use arrows or swords, but tricks and snares to catch animals for the village. They have the keenest eyesight so that they can find the best place to put a snare, and have the most nimble of fingers so that they can build their traps. Trappers are rare, but very useful.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting him,” Gameknight said.

  Butch laughed.

  The NPC pushed through the crowd and finally came to the front. Gameknight was surprised to find that it was a girl about Hunter’s age, with long blonde hair flowing down her back and shoulders. Her bright blue eyes bore right into Gameknight; they rivaled Crafter’s in shocking beauty and intensity. Her smock was a grass green with a brown stripe the color of tree bark running down the center. Butch gave Gameknight a wry smile as he introduced the newcomer to him.

  “Gameknight999, this is Trapper,” Butch said. “She is famous among the villages in this section of Minecraft for being the best trapper around. If anyone can see the traps that lie waiting for us, it’s her.”

  Trapper’s square cheeks turned red as she blushed over the introduction.

  “Thank you, Butcher, but I’m just a trapper like all the rest. I’m nothing special,” she said.

  “We’ll be the judge of that,” Butch replied. “Please, lead the way.”

  He held his hand out, gesturing to the tunnel entrance. Stepping past him, Trapper climbed through the newly-formed crater that spanned the room. Gameknight followed close behind the young woman, placing a torch near the dark opening to allow everyone to see. As he stepped into the passage, he glanced up at the quartz teeth that hung overhead and shuddered.