Oxus had learned, during the Great Zombie Invasion, that it was better to just stay out of the way while the other monsters fought it out with the villagers. Too many times, the creepers had been used as disposable explosive surprises against the NPCs. Oxus realized long ago that they could never survive in this role, though it was not an opinion that all creepers shared. The rogue creepers that had left the hive wanted to be a part of the violence, seeking out NPCs to destroy at the cost of their lives. But they didn’t realize that violence only resulted in more violence, Oxus thought. Due to a century of the rogues attacking the unwary, creepers were now hunted and killed on sight by both villagers and users. The only way to survive was to stay in the shadows, until one day there were enough of them to destroy every last village. Then the creepers would truly be at peace.
“Where is the User-that-is-not-a-user now?” Oxus asked.
The creeper shook his head. “We do not know.”
Oxus frowned.
“It is important to know where Gameknight999 and his friends are,” the creeper king said. “I have always said that the creeper kingdom should stay hidden and away from the battles between NPCs and monsters, but I fear the blazes will enrage the villagers and send them after all monsters, including us. We do not want a massive army of NPCs and users coming to the Hive. That would be disastrous.”
“They do not know where we are,” hissed one of the creepers in the large gathering chamber.
Oxus cast his gaze at the monsters in the chamber. They all nodded their green heads, agreeing with the speaker. What fools they are, he thought.
“We cannot afford to assume that our location is still a secret,” Oxus said, his voice growing in volume until it echoed off the rocky walls. “The NPC that escaped long ago may have made it to a village. Those foolish NPCs write down everything they learn and share it through their libraries in the strongholds. We must hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Gameknight999 is the biggest threat to us, and the only way we can be prepared is if we know where he is at all times.”
Oxus turned to one of his generals. The charged creeper sparkled with blue electricity, casting shimmering light on the cave wall. But the glow from the commander could not compete with that coming from Oxus. The blue and red sparks created a flickering glow that gave the creeper king an enchanted appearance.
“General, take out your scouts and search for the User-that-is-not-a-user. We must find his location and make sure he is not on his way toward the Hive. If you can get him alone, then destroy him, but do not let yourselves be spotted by the NPCs. Do you understand?”
The sparkling creeper bowed his head.
“Be quick, be quiet, and remain unseen,” Oxus said. He then turned and faced the mass of creepers in the chamber. “For the Hive!” he shouted.
“FOR THE HIVE!” they all replied, each of them glowing bright as the chamber was filled with the sound of a hundred creepers hissing.
“Now go,” Oxus commanded.
The general scurried out of the chamber, a large contingent of creepers trailing behind. He knew they would divide into groups of six and spread out across the Overworld, observing from the shadows. The king could only hope that they would find nothing. But if the NPCs did come their way, his creeper kingdom would defend themselves to the very end.
CHAPTER 13
THE TIDE ARRIVES
They had raced the sun for the rest of the afternoon, trying to get to Crafter’s village before dusk. Thankfully, there were no forest fires on the way, but there was a gray, hazy cloud that hung over the land to the west. Gameknight suspected it was a sign that the blazes were erasing another biome from the face of Minecraft, leaving desolation in their wake. But it was too far away for them to do anything about it; even if they charged straight toward the haze, they would never be able to reach it before nightfall. Besides, with the constant east-to-west breeze, the haze could be coming from anywhere. There was no way to tell where the smoke originated.
But the presence of the smoky cloud put the group in a dark gloom. They could all feel the blazes slowly chipping away at the surface of Minecraft, methodically destroying small pieces here and there. They were ravaging the NPCs’ land, and something had to be done. But first, they had to reach their home and make plans.
Gameknight breathed a sigh of relief when they crested the final rise and saw their village standing strong and majestic on the grassy plain. The tall cobblestone wall was dotted with torches, illuminating the area around the village and making any intruders easy to see. Thick blades of grass swayed back and forth in the gentle breeze, creating an almost hypnotic effect that calmed the User-that-is-not-a-user with their motion. Splashes of color peeked through the verdant grass; bright yellow, blue, and red flowers dotted the landscape like little colorful gems sewn into a green, velvety cloth. It was truly beautiful.
Surrounding the village and their slice of the grassy plains was a thick forest of oak and birch trees, their dark brown and white trunks in competition to see which could occupy the largest piece of the forest and receive the most sunlight. Small saplings sprouted up out of clearings, new plantings likely made by Treebrin, one of the light-crafters that lived in the village.
Light-crafters were creatures made by the Oracle to balance out the evildoings of Herobrine. Each light-crafter worked on a specific thing: Treebrin worked to improve the trees, Dirtbrin crafted the dirt, Woodbrin worked with the wood. Similarly, there were shadow-crafters that worked on Herobrine’s side, improving the creatures that hid in the dark places of Minecraft. Creeperbrine strove to make the creepers more lethal; Zombiebrine tried to improve the zombies by making them stronger and more deadly; Lavabrine made the lava more terrifying. The two factions were always at war with each other, though their battles were fought through the creatures they crafted; it was like a war by proxy.
Two light-crafters lived in their village: Treebrin and Grassbrin. They had been on many adventures with Gameknight999 and Crafter and had seen their share of battles. Numerous lives had been saved by the two light-crafters; the duo used their crafting powers to help create obstacles and tangled growths that slowed attacking monster hordes. Recently, they had been pivotal in capturing and destroying Herobrine while he had been in dragon form. Looking now at what surrounded Crafter’s village, Gameknight knew they were likely responsible for all the thick fields of grass and the new trees.
As they approached, shouts of warning could be heard from behind the tall stone wall. Warriors appeared atop the barricade, and flint-tipped arrows were pointed down at the party. But once they were recognized, the voices of alarm changed to cheers of celebration.
The iron doors slowly opened, allowing the party to enter the village just as the sun set below the horizon. Gameknight glanced to the west and could see the sky was shaded a blood-red, as if the atmosphere had been somehow stained … or wounded. The gray haze that now permeated the sky was lit up with the setting sun, creating an immaculate display of color and splendor. Normally, Gameknight999 would have stopped to appreciate the beauty of Minecraft, but the thing that was creating the magnificent sunset was the smoke from the dead forests and ash from the charred landscapes. It made him feel sick.
Stepping through the gates, Gameknight999 was greeted with cheers as the villagers celebrated their return. Filler and Topper, Digger’s twin children, pushed their way through the crowd and jumped into their father’s arms. As the stocky NPC hugged his kids, they both glanced over his strong shoulders at Gameknight999 and gave him a smile. It lit up his heart seeing their grinning young faces, and it reminded him of what they were all fighting for.
He gave them both a wink, then turned and searched for Crafter. The young NPC was standing next to Morgana, the witch that had moved into Gameknight’s castle. They seemed deep in discussion, but the User-that-is-not-a-user needed to interrupt.
“Crafter, we need to tell everyone what is going on,” Gameknight reminded him.
Crafter looked at the U
ser-that-is-not-a-user and nodded. Reaching out, he grabbed a young boy and spoke quietly in his ear. The youth listened carefully, then ran off yelling, “GATHERING … GATHERING!”
Instantly, the villagers all began to move to the area around the central well. Mothers with children, workers from the crafting chamber, craftsmen in their homes … every facet of the community came to the water well to hear what Crafter had to say.
Crafter jumped up on the edge of the stone well and waited for everyone to approach. He held one hand up over his head, signaling for everyone to be quiet, while gripping one of the vertical wooden posts that supported the square roof overhead with the other. Some of the older NPCs and village elders moved through the crowd to stand on the ground near their leader, while the younger members stepped out of the way to make room. The User-that-is-not-a-user started to back out of the way, but Digger grabbed him by his armor and drew him closer; apparently, he was considered one of the elders.
Gameknight smiled.
“Quiet, please, we have much to discuss,” Crafter said. “Things have been happening in Minecraft of which you must all be made aware.
“Tragedy strikes at Minecraft again. Forests burn out of control. Biomes are being made uninhabitable, and villagers are being attacked.”
The NPCs murmured at this, some of them reaching for their swords and scanning the skies for threats.
“The blazes of the Nether are trying to burn everything and reduce the Overworld to ash and soot. The king of the blazes, Charybdis, has the monsters charring the very soil until it melts into shattered glass. The creatures of the Nether will make it so that the land can never support life again. This is a grave threat.” Crafter paused for a moment to let everyone absorb this terrible information. “So far this village has been kept safe, but we must assume this tide of destruction will eventually crash upon our walls. We must be prepared for what is coming. I’m asking everyone to—”
“We need to go to the Nether and attack the monster king before the fires spread any farther!” Butch interrupted from the back of the crowd.
“No, that would be dangerous,” Gameknight called out. “We are not prepared to go to the Nether.”
“It’s always dangerous to go to the Nether,” Butch challenged. “But we cannot leave these monsters to go about the Overworld unchecked. We have villages and forest and animals to protect. We have friends and families that must be kept safe. The blazes destroyed multiple biomes right before our eyes, and we were powerless to do anything about it. The only way to stop these monsters is to annihilate their leader. We need to destroy the blaze king.”
Gameknight glanced around at the villagers. He could see most had angry scowls creasing their unibrows. Many were muttering to each other, nodding their heads as they glanced at Butch, anger filling their eyes.
“Let’s get ‘em,” someone growled.
“Destroy all the blazes!” yelled another.
Many of the villagers drew their weapons and held them over their heads. Some beat on their armor with the hilt of their swords, creating a rhythmical BANG … BANG … BANG. The sound reminded Gameknight999 of a funeral drum … but if that was the case, whose funeral was it?
“Exterminate them all! What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Butch yelled.
The villagers were getting whipped up into a frenzy, feeding on the anger and hate that Butch was serving up.
Even the villagers listen to Butch instead of me, Gameknight thought.
He sighed.
“At least we should wait and prepare,” Gameknight said in a loud voice, trying to be heard over Butch’s cries for violence. “We need new armor and stronger weapons. Blazes are difficult enemies to battle. If you insist on going to the Nether, at least hold off until we’re ready. Going off unprepared could cause a disaster.”
“The User-that-is-not-a-user gives wise counsel,” Crafter said in a loud voice that quieted the crowd. “We should prepare before traveling to the Nether to battle. It will take the blazes a long time to travel from their portal to our doorstep. There is time to craft new armor and weapons for the warriors.”
“And fire resistance potions,” Gameknight added. “Morgana, the witch that lives in my castle, can make many potions for us as long as we give her time. For once, we have time to prepare and move cautiously, instead of being driven by our foe. We should take advantage of the opportunity.”
Some of the villagers nodded their heads, but many still frowned, hot anger burning from within.
“Gameknight is right,” Crafter added. “Let us take time and prepare, so that we can be victorious.”
Butch seemed disappointed as the villagers nodded and put away their weapons.
“We will first—”
“FIRE!” shouted the watcher from atop the tall cobblestone watchtower.
Everyone turned their heads up to the voice. Watcher was pointing toward the forest with his iron sword.
Gameknight ran for the steps that led to the top of the fortified wall. As he ran, Butch blew past him, nudging him out of the way and climbing the stairs first.
When Gameknight reached the top of the battlement, he gasped at the sight of the forest that stood before the village. Tall pillars of smoke billowed up into the sky as bright orange flames danced across the top of the trees. Intense white balls of fire could be seen streaking through the forest, engulfing branches and trunks.
“It appears the time to wait and prepare has ended, and the time to act is now!” Butch said as he drew his sword and sprinted down the steps to the ground.
He then threw open the doors to the village and charged out toward the burning forest, a large group of warriors following close behind.
“Wait! You need fire resistance potions!” Gameknight yelled, but he could not be heard over the shouts and clanking of armor.
Suddenly, a blaze streaked out of the forest and launched a fireball at the village wall. The white-hot sphere crashed into the cobblestone and shattered it as if it were made of glass. Then more fireballs streaked out of the woods and smashed into the village, one setting the blacksmith’s house aflame, while another hit the library. As Gameknight pulled out a bucket from his inventory and ran for the village well, he shook with fear. The tide of destruction had finally reached their shores, and they weren’t ready … not at all.
CHAPTER 14
CIRCLE OF FLAME
Warriors ran out toward the burning forest, while others stayed behind to fight the fires in the village. Gameknight999 ran to the village well and filled three buckets with water, then dashed to the library. Jumping into the air, he placed blocks of dirt under his feet as he climbed upward. When he reached the height of the roof, the User-that-is-not-a-user dumped the water on top of the library. The blue liquid spread across the building and quickly extinguished the flames.
He tossed the buckets to a villager below, then leapt off the roof, taking a little damage when he landed. He didn’t care. Out beyond the village walls, Gameknight could hear explosions from the forest, and more smoke crept slowly up into the air.
Something bright orange flared off to the right. Turning, he saw a fireball streaking straight toward him. Out of pure reflex, Gameknight999 drew his diamond sword and swung at the fireball just as it was about to hit. The burning sphere bounced off the crystalline blade and shot back toward the source. It smashed into the blaze, making it flash red with damage. Before he could speak, arrows shot up from the ground, striking the confused blaze multiple times. It disappeared as its HP was consumed.
He looked across the village. Four other homes were on fire, with multiple smoking holes in the fortified wall. But thankfully, no more blazes were coming out of the forest … for now.
“Butch must be keeping them busy,” a voice said next to him.
Glancing down, Gameknight found Stitcher at his side.
“Where’s Hunter?” he asked.
“She is—” Stitcher stopped talking when a blaze floated above the cobblestone wall.
In a smooth, lightning-fast motion, she drew an arrow and fired, then again twice more. Gameknight also drew his bow and shot, though not as fast as his friend. Their arrows struck the monster, silencing its wheezing cries before it could launch an attack.
“She’s out in the forest, fighting the monsters there,” Stitcher said as she notched another arrow and scanned the sky.
Suddenly, a large group of blazes burst out of a dark cloud of smoke and headed straight for the village.
“To the walls—quick!” Gameknight shouted. “Anyone not fighting a fire, come with your bow and be ready.”
The blazes were still far from the village, but they were closing fast. Gameknight knew they didn’t have much time to prepare for this new assault. He sprinted for the stairs that led to the top of the cobblestone wall. But before he could ascend the steps, Morgana, the witch, was standing there, a devious smile on her wrinkled face.
“I have something for all of you,” she said with a scratchy voice.
As NPCs moved past her, she gave each person two or three glass bottles. Gameknight peered down at the bottles and smiled.
“Clever,” he said to her.
The old witch just glanced at him and then ran off on another task.
“Everyone, hide behind a block of stone and hold your fire,” Gameknight said.
He crouched behind the rocky crenellations that ringed the top of the fortification. Glancing to his left and right, he could see all the villagers were doing the same, scrunching low behind the cobblestone blocks. He leaned forward and snuck a peek at the incoming monsters. They were maybe a dozen blocks away, and hadn’t started firing yet.
“Not yet,” Gameknight said.
He glanced at the other villagers and could see fear on their faces. They were all afraid of the blazes and their fiery balls of death.
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