Confronting the Dragon

by Mark Cheverton

  “Keep shooting,” Gameknight yelled. “Just keep shooting.”

  Turning his head, the User-that-is-not-a-user glanced at the light-crafters. They looked terrified. Having never seen battle nor the charge of an angry mob of monsters, they were understandably consumed with fear.

  “Grassbrin,” Gameknight said, “now.”

  “Yessss,” the light-crafter replied as he moved up to the front rank of archers.

  “Let him though,” Mason commanded. “Archers on the flanks, keep firing.”

  Grassbrin stepped forward and put his hand down onto the grassy blocks at his feet. Closing his eyes, the NPC breathed in deep then let the air out in a low hissing stream as he extended his crafting powers into the grass.

  Nothing happened

  “They’re getting closer,” someone yelled.

  “Archers, shoot faster,” Mason bellowed. “Swordsmen get ready to charge.”

  “No . . . not yet,” Gameknight yelled. He then knelt next to Grassbrin and whispered in his ear. “You can do it.”

  The light-crafter nodded and took in an even bigger breath, his chest heaving, then let it out again in a slow stream. This time, Gameknight noticed the light-crafter’s hands glowing a soft emerald color. The glow spread from his hand into the soil, then flowed across the grassy blocks like a surging tide. Where the glowing wave touched, grass blades started to sprout.

  “Gameknight, the spiders are getting closer,” Stitcher said. “We have to pull back.”

  “Not yet!”

  And then the grass started to grow.

  Long green blades stretched up from the blocks all across the field, becoming longer and longer. The spiders tried to push through the web of green blades, but the long grass started to get tangled in their black hairy legs. The dark monsters charged forward anyway, but as the strands grew longer their legs became ensnared in a mesh of green until they could no longer move.

  The spiders were stopped.

  “Now!” Gameknight yelled.

  The swordsmen charged forward with their weapons drawn, a jubilant cheer coming from the army. They slashed at the helpless arachnids, reducing them to glowing balls of XP and spools of string in minutes.

  “Trees . . . NOW!” Gameknight yelled.

  A group of mounted soldiers rode forward. They were fully armored but held no weapons. As they rode, they placed seedlings in the ground, small trees planted in two rows. The warriors rode out until they started seeing skeleton arrows streak through the air and land nearby, then rode back quickly filling in the lines of seedlings with more baby trees.

  As the riders returned, Gameknight could hear a screechy cackling sound that made him shiver.

  Erebus . . . he was here.

  Scanning the collection of monsters, he could see the tall creature off to the right. His dark red skin was the color of dried blood and stood out against the bone white skeletons and mottled green creepers. With blazing red eyes, the King of the Endermen glared across the battlefield at Gameknight.

  “I see our friend is here,” a voice said next to him.

  It was Crafter.

  Stitcher appeared next to Crafter, her bow in her hand, arrow notched.

  “Who is that?” she asked, pointing at the blood red creature with her bow.

  “That’s one of the monsters that took your sister,” Gameknight said, his voice shaking with fear.

  She growled and said something under her breath. Gameknight could feel the anger and hatred flow from the young girl. She wanted to run out there and assault the creature, but knew it was foolish to attack an enderman by yourself out in the open; that would likely mean her death. Instead, she squared her shoulders and faced the monster horde that was preparing to charge.

  “Treebrin . . . NOW!” Gameknight yelled.

  The tall, lanky light-crafter stepped forward, his long arms swaying side to side as if being blown by some unseen breeze. Kneeling, he drove his hand deep into the soil. Grasping the roots of one seedling, he drew in a long breath, then slowly let it out. The ground around his wrists started to glow a deep brown as his code-crafting powers flowed from root to root. And in an instant, the trees sprouted to full grown spruces, forming a funnel shape that would draw the monsters together. A group of soldiers then pulled out blocks of dirt and hastily constructed a set of steps that led up to the leafy canopy, giving access to the tops of the trees.

  “Does everyone have some little presents for the monsters?” Gameknight asked. Nodding blocky heads answered him back. “Then go, and keep your heads down.”

  A group of thirty soldiers surged forward, each wearing diamond armor, a striped black and red block in their hands. They ran up the steps to the treetops then spread out across the trees. At the same time, the monster horde charged forward.

  “Quickly . . . get those blocks out there,” Mason yelled. “Archers . . . supporting fire . . . NOW!”

  A stream of arrows streaked through the air as the warriors climbed to the top of the trees. Having been placed close together, they were able to move from treetop to treetop without any risk of falling. Gameknight could see the soldiers hopping across the leafy canopy as the monster army surged forward between the two rows of trees. The moaning of the zombies filled the air as they shuffled forward, the clattering of bones added to the symphony of terror. Some of the skeletons tried to shoot at the warriors on the treetops, but the bushy trees offered excellent cover from their pointed barbs.

  As they ran, they threw blocks of TNT on the ground before the charging horde. The striped blocks stood out in stark contrast within the thick grass; they were easy to see.

  “MORE!” Gameknight shouted to those in the treetops.

  The air had now become a blur of arrows flying through the air, some raining down upon the NPC warriors, others falling on the monster horde. Screams of pain echoed through the army as skeleton arrows found flesh. He knew people were dying behind him, but he had to wait until all the monsters were within the trap.

  “Taunt the monsters!” Gameknight yelled.

  The soldiers instantly responded, lobbing jeers and insults at the approaching horde. The taunts made the monsters growl and run a little faster. They could see the bouncing slimes spring faster through the air as the few remaining spiders sprinted forward, leading the charge. At the back of the horde, Gameknight could see zombie-pigmen charging forward, their golden swords shining bright under the light of the ruby sun overhead. One of the pigmen was nearly a head taller than the rest, his body covered with shining gold armor. This monster had a look of vile hatred on its half-pink/half-rotten face; this monster was dangerous.

  An arrow zipped past Gameknight’s ear and sank into some poor NPC behind him. Screams of pain sounded in his ear as two more arrows sped past him . . . then the screams stopped.

  Another dead because of me, he thought, and anger started to bubble up from within.

  “Almost there,” Gameknight yelled. “Swordsmen, get ready.”

  “Gameknight . . . Gameknight, let me help . . . help,” a stammering voice said from behind.

  It was Herder.

  “Not now,” Mason snapped. “You were ordered to watch the animals. This is a place for men, not animal tenders. Now GO!”

  “Almost there . . .”

  More of the monsters entered the avenue of trees. There must have been at least a hundred of them . . . too many. If they broke through their front ranks, they would spread through their forces and kill hundreds.

  This better work, Gameknight999 thought as ripples of fear started pushing the puzzle pieces apart within his mind.

  More arrows zipped by, tearing into arms and chests. Screams of terror and pain filled his ears.

  He started to imagine what might happen if his plan were a failure, all of the innocent lives that would be lost because of his failure.

  No . . . concentrate! Focus on THE NOW, not on the WHAT-IF!

  And then the last of the monsters entered the gauntlet of trees.

/>   “NOW . . . FILL IN THE BACK!” Gameknight screamed.

  The warriors all ran across the treetops and piled blocks of TNT at the entrance of the tree-lined field. Gameknight saw one of the warriors fall from the tree and land amidst a group of zombies. He disappeared in a flurry of dark zombie claws and then was gone. The other warriors ignored their fallen comrade and dropped their blocks at the tree-lined entrance. Gameknight then pulled out his enchanted bow and notched an arrow.

  Aiming high up into the air, he loosed the arrow.

  The flaming projectile streaked through the air like a meteor, its blazing tip being watched by all the NPCs. Magical flames clung to the tip of the arrow as it flew, the enchanted bow making the arrow a flaming projectile. Some of the monsters at the front of the horde slowed to watch it arc gracefully overhead. It was almost beautiful, the way the magical blue flames trailed off the barbed tip.

  And then it landed amidst the twenty blocks of TNT behind the monsters.

  As the blocks started to blink, Gameknight fired more flaming arrows at the striped blocks nestled within the long grass near the front of the approaching army.

  The monsters at the head of the charge instantly saw what was happening and tried to turn around, but couldn’t. The mass of monsters at their backs continued to push them forward toward the flashing blocks of death. A look of panic covered the rotten zombie and bony skeleton faces. But there was nothing the creatures could do but be pushed toward their fate.

  And then the ground erupted with thunder.

  Blocks of dirt flew into the air as the TNT detonated. The explosion caused a chain reaction, igniting more blocks. Creepers were triggered by the fiery blasts, adding their own explosive lives to the chaos. Those monsters near the back tried to run forward, away from the explosions, but then the TNT at the front ignited. The TNT turned into balls of fire as the explosions rippled through the monster horde. Now, fiery chain reactions rippled from both ends of the monster army, slowly making their way to the center as the explosive wave tore a great gash into the flesh of Minecraft.

  Skeleton bones and gunpowder rained down from the sky as the last of the explosions lit up the landscape. Tiny slimes fell to the ground as the TNT crushed their parents again and again, dividing repeatedly until only the smallest slime remained.

  “Now, swordsmen forward,” Gameknight yelled, handing his enchanted bow to Stitcher and drawing his sword.

  “FOR MINECRAFT!” he yelled.

  Charging ahead, the User-that-is-not-a-user jumped into the massive crater that now sat between the two rows of trees. His mind was a blur of anger and revenge. He’d seen so many die today, innocent people that would rather be tending a field or building a house, but instead they were here on the battlefield, dying. Moving on autopilot, Gameknight swung his enchanted diamond blade in great deadly arcs. He cut down a surviving zombie, then slashed at a skeleton, then chopped at a spider. Spinning, he ducked an incoming arrow, then sprinted toward a skeleton that was notching another. Before he could get there, another warrior crashed into the monster, slashing at it with an iron sword. In an instant the creature was just a pile of bones.

  “FOR MINECRAFT!” came a deafening battle cry from behind. It made the ground shake with its ferocity.

  Looking behind him, he could see the entire army surging forward. A sea of angry faces ran forward, all of their intense eyes focused on the surviving monsters that struggled in the crater. They flowed past Gameknight like an unstoppable tide, falling on the monsters with reckless abandon. There were still a lot of them on the field of battle, but the NPCs now had numbers on their side.

  And then the moans of the zombie-pigmen echoed across the landscape. Looking up, Gameknight could see a mass of the half-alive, half-dead creatures running down into the crater, their razor sharp golden swords held out before them. At the head of the charge was the large zombie-pigman commander. His shining sword swung in great arcs, tearing through iron armor as if it were not even there. Gameknight could see a purple sheen rippling across the blade and could tell that it was enchanted. Archers fired arrows at the creature, but they bounced harmlessly off his armor as an iridescent glow rippled across it as well.

  The golden monster was tearing a mighty gash through their army, destroying all challengers that came before him. He was like an unstoppable force of nature.

  I have to do something, Gameknight thought as he dodged under an incoming arrow. The monster is going to kill countless NPCs. What do I do . . . what do I do?

  And then Mason was there. The big NPC charged into the monster horde, slashing through a group of skeletons and kicking zombies from his path. He headed straight for the monster, a wedge of NPCs at his back.

  Gameknight could see ranks of archers moving out of the crater behind the zombie-pigmen that were following their leader, attacking them from behind. They had the monster horde surrounded!

  And then the massive zombie-pigman general and Mason met. Their swords clashed together with the sound of thunder. Gameknight killed off the last of the stragglers that were nearby, then moved slowly toward the two battling giants. The pigman general swung his mighty golden blade down, hoping to hit Mason on the head, but the big NPC was too quick, and sprang to the side just in time. But instead of moving with the slow, plodding motion of a zombie, this monster general was fast. Springing upward, he spun around, reaching out with his golden sword, raking it across Mason’s chest.

  The big NPC flashed red.

  Gameknight could see that this was a skilled warrior, the zombie moving with a unexpected grace. He had to get there to help Mason, but his feet seemed to plant themselves into the shattered ground.

  Mason moved back, then readied his next attack.

  “That all you have, zombie-pigman?” Mason taunted. “I’ve seen better from your Overworld cousins.”

  The monster gave off a moaning sound that was filled with anger and rage, then charged forward, its shimmering sword swinging wildly. Mason blocked the attack with his own sword, then spun and sliced at the monster’s legs, scoring a hit that made the zombie flash red. The creature moaned then leapt forward, his blade held high overhead. He brought it down onto Mason’s armored shoulder, making the big NPC flash red again.

  Rolling away from the monster, Mason turned and faced the rotting creature.

  “I used to think you zombie-pigmen were dangerous,” Mason said as he smiled at the monster, “but I think the baby slimes of the Overworld are better fighters now.”

  Mason laughed at the zombie-pigman general, then turned and faced his own troops that were finishing off the last of the monsters on the battlefield.

  “One more left, then all these failures will be erased from this land,” the big NPC yelled, holding his sword up high. His troops cheered.

  The zombie-pigman wailed and charged forward. Mason spun and dodged to the side as the golden sword came down, just grazing his arm. Spinning slowly, Mason attacked, but his strike was easily blocked. The zombie then stabbed forward, catching the NPC in the side.

  He flashed red again.

  Then the zombie-pigman charged forward, his sword moving in great sweeping arcs, smashing relentlessly down upon Mason.

  Flash . . . red.

  The zombie’s sword then became a blur as he attacked with a speed that would have been thought impossible. His golden sword shot toward Mason again and again, pushing the big NPC back. Some of the warriors moved toward him to help, but Mason commanded them to hold their ground.

  “This is my fight,” Mason said to the army with a smile. “You boys just sit down and enjoy the show.”

  “You are near death, and yet you talk as if you are going to win,” the zombie-pigman said in a moaning voice. “I may not survive this day, but I will surely kill you before I go.”

  Mason looked at the half-rotten face of the zombie and stared into the cold dead eyes, then smiled.

  “Your death will be meaningless and insignificant, just like your entire race,” Mason tau
nted. “You have infected this world long enough. The creator banished you to the Nether after the Joining because your kind are pathetic and useless. You are not worthy of my sword.”

  And then Mason did the unthinkable; he threw his iron sword to the ground.

  The zombie-pigman screamed a moaning cry of rage and ran forward, his mind completely overwhelmed with crazed fury. And as he swung his golden sword toward Mason, the big NPC pulled out an enchanted diamond sword and parried the attack. Now it was Mason that moved faster than anyone thought possible. His shimmering diamond sword slashed at the rotten creature, slashing at his side, then cutting into his chest plate, then smashing his leggings. Mason spun and cut at his sword arm, then stabbed at his side.

  The golden armor finally gave up the last measure of its strength and disappeared. Underneath, they could see the exposed ribs on one side, a healthy pink side on the other. Mason charged forward and slashed at the ribs, cutting into them with a ferocity that shocked the monster. The zombie-pigman tried to back up, but Mason charged forward faster than he could retreat, his shimmering diamond blade slashing down on the monster again and again until the flashes of red seemed almost constant.

  The zombie’s confidence and overwhelming hatred had now turned to fear as Mason chipped away at the monster’s HP. And as the monster screamed a moaning sorrowful cry of rage and despair, Mason took his last bit of health. The zombie-pigman general disappeared with a pop.

  The battle was over.

  CHAPTER 12

  AFTERMATH

  The warriors cheered and chanted Mason’s name. Gameknight ran down to stand next to the big NPC.

  “What were you doing with that monster?” Gameknight asked. “It looked like you were playing with him.”

  “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak,” Mason quoted as if reading from some sacred tome. “Pretend inferiority to encourage his arrogance.”

  I’ve heard those before . . . I know it, Gameknight thought. What is going on with him?

  “That monster was skilled with the blade and a deadly adversary,” Mason continued. “If I had just charged forward and fought him as I normally do, he might have defeated me. So instead, I taunted him and let him think he was winning. An enemy certain of victory makes mistakes. And as I taunted him, he became angrier and angrier. As soon as he started to think with his emotions instead of his head, I knew I had him. An enraged opponent loses himself in the battle and stops thinking. Sometimes it’s necessary to take some damage in order to trick one into making a mistake.”