Wicked Warrior

by Morgan, Winter;

  Other books by Winter Morgan:

  An Unofficial Gamer’s Adventure series

  The Unofficial League of Griefers Adventure series

  The Lost Minecraft Journals series

  The Unofficial Minecrafters Academy series

  The Unofficial Minetrapped Adventure

  Tales of a Terrarian Warrior

  Book One: Attack of the Goblin Army

  Book Two: Snow Fight

  Coming soon:

  Book Four: Martian Invasion

  This book is not authorized or sponsored by Re-Logic, Inc., Teh Gamez, Inc., 505 Games, Engine Software, or any other person or entity owning or controlling rights in Terraria, or its characters, name, trademarks, or copyrights.

  Copyright © 2017 by Hollan Publishing, Inc.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

  Sky Pony Press books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com.

  Sky Pony® is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation.

  Visit our website at www.skyponypress.com.

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

  Cover design by Brian Peterson

  Cover illustration by Amanda Bracken

  Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-2195-1

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-2197-5

  Printed in Canada

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: Follow the Instructions

  Chapter 2: I’m Not Your Guide

  Chapter 3: Bad Nurse

  Chapter 4: Try Again

  Chapter 5: We Can Be Heroes

  Chapter 6: I’ve Got My Eyes on You

  Chapter 7: There’s No Stopping Us

  Chapter 8: Under a Blood Moon

  Chapter 9: Total Eclipse of the Heart

  Chapter 10: Life is a Party

  Chapter 11: Hard Luck in the Hallow

  Chapter 12: Old Friends and Enemies

  Chapter 13: Goals

  Chapter 14: The Attack of Skeletron Prime

  Chapter 15: Strength in Numbers

  Chapter 16: Buckets of Bolts

  Chapter 17: Choices

  Chapter 18: After Party

  Chapter 1:

  FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS

  Miles looked back at the village and stared at the setting sun casting its last sliver of light onto the rooftops. He could hear the muffled hum of his friends’ voices in the distance. Miles was annoyed at himself, because he had just left, and homesickness was already setting in. He recalled Sarah lovingly cutting his hair and John gifting him a potion of healing, and he missed them both. Miles expected he’d crave the comforts of home, and knew there were many sacrifices involved in becoming a warrior, but he hadn’t expected to be this heartbroken about leaving. The sunset and darkness settled in. Miles took a deep breath, as two zombies spawned in the distance. He wanted to sprint back to his house, but he knew he must face this challenge.

  Grabbing armor from his inventory, Miles proceeded, striking one of the zombies with a sword. The zombie jumped, missing the blow, and lunged toward Miles. Using all of his might, Miles struck the zombie repeatedly, destroying it while dodging an attack from the other zombie. With a final strike from his sword, Miles destroyed the second zombie. He picked up the drops, a shackle and zombie arm that they had dropped on the ground, and placed both rewards in his inventory.

  Fresh from his victory over this undead mob of the night, Miles felt confident that he would be able to defeat The Destroyer. He paused, scanning the distance for any other hostile mobs that lurked in the thick of the night. Miles had to stay focused and strategize the best ways to defeat lethal mobs, while constantly looking for ones that might surprise him. He turned in all directions, taking one last look back at the village and although nobody could hear him, he called out, “Goodbye friends. I promise to make you proud. I will defeat The Destroyer.”

  Before he left, Isabella had said, “Miles, I can’t wait to hear all of your tales about slaying impossible beasts when you return home as a hero.”

  Even Cedric the wizard believed in Miles, telling him in a rather lengthy monologue that he was certainly sure Miles would achieve ultimate success in Terraria and would return home with a Buckets of Bolts achievement. “You will achieve greatness, my friend. I look forward to seeing you arrive home with an inventory full of achievements.”

  Miles had gasped. “Buckets of Bolts! To get that I’d have to defeat The Destroyer, The Twins, and Skeletron Prime, do you really think I can do that?”

  Cedric nodded. “Of course. You can do anything.”

  Miles didn’t want to disappoint his friends, but he also knew that this wasn’t an easy task. He reminded himself that even if he didn’t receive the Buckets of Bolts, his friends would still like him. They cared about him because of who he was, not what he achieved. As Miles thought about his friends, he spotted three new zombies lumbering toward him.

  Miles fearlessly raced toward the zombies, slaying the first one with his sword and obliterating it. The other two zombies were stronger and trickier to battle. The bald zombies dripped with blood, and Miles tried not to stare at their gruesome faces as he struck the beasts with his sword. The zombie clawed at Miles with a disembodied limb, and the strike left Miles’s energy very low. One more attack from the zombie and Miles would respawn in his bed.

  Miles lunged toward the zombies, slamming his sword into their green flesh. He let out a sigh when both of the bald zombies were destroyed, and grabbed their two dropped zombie arms. He sipped a potion of healing to regain his strength and walked further away from his town. Miles knew he had to summon The Destroyer soon, before the night was over. If he just followed the instructions, soon he’d spawn this mechanical mob. Miles looked through his inventory, making sure he had all of the ingredients to summon The Destroyer.

  “Rotten chunk,” Miles remarked as he pulled it from his inventory. He remembered obtaining the rotten chunk when he defeated the Eater of Souls. Miles told himself that The Destroyer was no different than the Eater of Souls, which he defeated. Although he had Autumn by his side during that battle, he knew he could annihilate The Destroyer alone. Or at least he thought he could.

  “Soul of the Night,” Miles pulled out another ingredient needed to summon The Destroyer. He had obtained this drop when he defeated Corruptors. He knew all of these battles were helping him to prepare for this intense war with The Destroyer.

  Miles needed one more item to craft the mechanical worm. He looked through his inventory, but it wasn’t there.

  Miles was irritated. “How am I missing a lead bar?” He paced as he looked through his inventory for what felt like the millionth time. His heart beat fast and his eyes swelled with tears. There was no way he’d be able to summon The Destroyer that night unless he was able to get his hands on a lead bar. He knew he’d have to mine for it, but he wasn’t sure where he’d find a mine.

  Walking further from home, he searched for a mine to gather his last item needed to craft a mechanical worm. Miles walked past trees thick with leaves, and saw a hole behind the bark of one of the trees.

  “A cavern!” He exclaimed. “What luck!”

  Miles sprinted toward the cavern, almost tripping ove
r a chest that sat by the cavern’s entrance. “This is really my lucky day.” Miles opened the chest hoping to find a treasure, but the minute he leaned near it, he unleashed a piercing scream, “Oh no!”

  The chest opened by itself. Miles jumped back as a large tongue protruded from the inside, and the chest leapt at Miles. It opened and closed like a mouth as it cornered Miles against the cavern’s entrance.

  “A mimic!” Miles screamed, clutching his sword. He looked up at three blocks that stood nearby. As he raced toward the blocks and climbed to the top, Miles wondered who had left them there. He grabbed a copper bow from his inventory and shot arrows at the mimic, but it wasn’t losing strength.Miles hoped he had enough arrows to battle the mimic. He stood atop the blocks, and aimed the arrows at the mimic until it was destroyed.

  “I can do this,” Miles said as he slowly walked toward the cavern’s entrance. He went down the stairs, and made his way into the dark and creepy cavern in search of a lead bar. He took a deep breath and as he walked inside, a giant bat flew past his head. Miles let out a yelp, and aimed his arrow at the winged pest that had flown too close to his head. The bat hid in the corner of the cavern.Miles ran his hand along the wall, trying to find it. He worried that the bat might be feral and its bite would destroy him. The cavern’s wall was smooth and he wondered if the bat had flown out. Miles was about to put the arrow away and get his pickaxe when the bat flew past again. With one arrow, he skillfully destroyed the bat, picking up the coins it dropped.

  When the bat was destroyed, Miles felt confident enough to trade the arrow for a pickaxe. He walked farther into the cave, until he found a patch where he could mine for a lead bar. The success of his battles with the zombies, mimic, and bat helped Miles feel more confident. He was finally beginning to get used to being alone and enjoying the solitude. As he banged his pickaxe against the hard surface, Miles almost fell over in shock when he heard a voice call out.

  Chapter 2:

  I’M NOT YOUR GUIDE

  “Are you my guide?” a man with red hair and glasses and wearing a green jacket, asked him.

  “Excuse me?” Miles held his pickaxe. He knew he could use the pickaxe as a weapon if he needed.

  “I’m Owen. Are you my guide?” the man questioned again.

  “No, I’m not anyone’s guide. And anyway, there are no guides in hardmode.”

  “What? I’m in hardmode? What’s that? My guide Kyle never told me about it.” He spoke rapidly, as if he was trying to get all of this information out in one breath. “I was defeating this crazy monster that had two bulging eyes and the sharpest teeth I’ve ever seen when all of a sudden I must have done something incredible because the crazy monster was gone and I landed here. I can’t find Kyle anywhere. I just figured you were my new guide.”

  “I think you’re talking about the Wall of Flesh,” Miles said. “You defeated it. I hate to tell you this, but once you defeat the Wall of Flesh, you never see your guide again.” Miles wanted to tell him about his own guide and how much he still missed him, but he thought it was better to stick to the basics.

  “What? So now I’m in a totally new world? Where’s Bunny?”

  “Who’s Bunny?” asked Miles.

  “She’s my friend and a serious party girl. She loves glitter and parties and having a good time. I even built her a house,” explained Owen.

  “If you built her a house, she’s followed you to this world, along with anyone else you built a home for, with the exception of your guide. You’ll just have to find her. Or she’ll find you.”

  “Man, I’m going to miss Kyle. He was so smart. He taught me everything I know,” Owen said, as two bats flew close to his head.

  Miles shot an arrow at the bats, but missed. A bat flew past his head and Miles jumped back. As he fumbled with the arrow, Miles was ready to accept defeat from the feral bats. Miles backed away as he bat’s mouth opened and it flew in for the bite. Miles closed his eyes, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes, “What happened? Where’s the bat?”

  “I destroyed it,” said Owen.

  “Where’s the other bat?” asked Miles.

  “I destroyed that one, too,” Owen replied.

  “Wow, impressive. Kyle must have been an amazing teacher,” Miles said and pulled out his pickaxe, pounding at the ground.

  “What are you looking for?” asked Owen. “And can I help?”

  “That’s nice of you, but I’d like to be alone.” Miles didn’t look up as he dug a hole.

  “I want to work with you, can I? I’m very helpful. And you can be my unofficial guide.”

  “I’m not a guide, not even an unofficial one. I am trying to become a warrior, and this is something I have to do on my own,” Miles wiped sweat from his brow.

  “Don’t you think it’s easier to dig a hole with two people? I’m telling you, I’m very useful. I will help you become the best warrior. In fact, Kyle told me I’m a very good partner because I’m a great listener.”

  “If you’re such a good listener, you should listen to my words.” Miles enunciated each word rather slowly. “I don’t need any help. I want to be alone.”

  Owen shrugged. “Okay, I know when I’m not wanted. Thanks for letting me know there isn’t a guide in hardmode.” Owen’s tone was sarcastic as walked away and called out,“You’ve been very helpful.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Miles as the hole grew deeper and he could only see Owen’s feet. Miles spotted a chest near Owen. He watched Owen stand next to it. Miles screamed, “Don’t open it!”

  Owen didn’t hear Miles. He reached down to open the chest, and cried out, “Help!”

  Miles jumped out of the hole and sprinted toward Owen. Owen was battling the mimic, and within seconds he had annihilated the tricky mob.

  “Wow!” Miles marveled. “You know you’re an amazing fighter, right?”

  “Am I?” Owen questioned. “I had no idea.”

  “Before you arrived. I was almost destroyed by a mimic. They are really hard to fight,” explained Miles.

  “So, do you want me to stick around?” Owen stood by the cave’s exit.

  “I have no idea why someone as skilled as you would even want to burden themselves with a partner,” said Miles.

  “I like having a friend. I get lonely on my own. Also, everything is better when you have more people involved.”

  Miles understood what Owen was saying, but he also knew that in order to grow, you had to go out on your own. This was a choice Miles had made, and he wasn’t going to let this new person change his plans. Miles said, “You seem really awesome, but I want to be on my own.”

  Owen said, “I get it,” and then paused. “Can I ask you why you’re digging a hole? I’m really curious. Are you looking for buried treasure?”

  “No,” Miles chuckled, “nothing that interesting. I’m mining for lead. I need a lead bar to craft a mechanical worm to summon The Destroyer.”

  Owen pulled out a lead bar from his inventory and handed it to Miles. “I hope this helps you.”

  “Thanks, dude! This is awesome,” Miles exclaimed. “Are you seriously just giving this to me? Do you want to trade anything?”

  “Nope,” Owen said. “You can have it. And good luck, okay? I hear The Destroyer is really fierce. Kyle told me many stories about mechanical mobs. They can be very lethal.”

  “Wow, I can’t believe he told you about mobs, but failed to mention that he would be destroyed once you defeated the Wall of Flesh.”

  “I think he knew me really well, and that I’d never battle that crazy beast if I knew it would be the end of him,” said Owen.

  Miles remembered what a hard choice he had to make when he decided to battle the Wall of Flesh, and understood why Kyle never mentioned that fatal fact to Owen.

  Miles held the lead bar in hand. The sun was going to come up soon, and he had just a short window of time to summon The Destroyer. He stared at the lead bar in disbelief. He couldn’t believe how kind Owen was.

  Miles
said, “Owen, this means a lot to me. Honestly, I can’t thank you enough. If you ever need help with anything, let me know.”

  Owen shook his head and mumbled something Miles couldn’t make out. As Owen walked off in the darkness, Miles pulled out a pair of rocket boots and put them on to prepare for his battle with The Destroyer. The boots would give him the speed he needed to fight. Miles quickly crafted the mechanical worm, and summoned this mighty mechanical mob.

  A message popped up alerting Miles that vibrations were shaking the world of Terraria. Within seconds a circular red-lit probe was shooting lasers as it flew toward him. Miles was struck by the lasers, and grew very weak.

  “Help!” he screamed, suddenly hoping Owen was still in earshot, but nobody arrived.

  As The Destroyer, the largest worm he had ever seen, lunged toward him, Miles had to battle this beast on his own. Despite his earlier protests, Miles realized he needed all the help he could get.

  Chapter 3:

  BAD NURSE

  Miles wished he had wings. His rocket boots gave him some advantages—the speed and the height—but if he could soar up to the sky he was sure he’d defeat The Destroyer. There was no way around it; rocket boots weren’t as good as wings. The long worm moved swiftly as it shot a never-ending shower of red lasers at him. Miles eyed the Destroyer, taking in the enormity of this mob, as he dodged lasers. When a laser struck his leg, Miles sipped a potion of regeneration as he shot the beast with his Palladium Repeater.

  As another barrage of lasers flew in his direction, Miles jumped from the lasers with the aid of his boots. They made him run super fast, but it was useless; they weren’t helping. He ran into another cluster of lasers, which weakened him.

  The Destroyer unleashed a harsh clicking noise and the lasers set off loud explosions. Miles wanted to cover his ears, because he didn’t like the piercing sound. Miles was both overwhelmed by the size and the noise emanating from this mechanical mob.

  “Help!” Miles called out again. There was no response.