Overworld in Flames

by Mark Cheverton

  “We will not kill them if we don’t have to,” he said.

  “But they’re creepers,” Hunter said. “They should be exterminated.”

  “No, they’re living creatures like you and me,” Gameknight said. “They will not be murdered.”

  The sisters both sighed, then put away their bows. Herder looked at Gameknight and smiled.

  “Now, you’re going to tell me where the entrance is to your creeper hive,” Gameknight said to the leader. “If you do, we will let you live.”

  “Why do you want to go into the Hive?” the charged creeper asked. “You will not survive.” He paused to let his ignition process diminish. “No one survives the Hive, other than creepers.” The creeper waited as he grew dimmer. Some of the other creepers seemed about to speak, but he shot them a warning glance and then continued. “Even zombies and skeletons have tried to penetrate our home … they did not live to tell the story.”

  “We have our own business in your hive,” Hunter said. She pulled back the arrow and aimed it at the leader. “Tell us where the entrance is located and you live.”

  The charged creeper took a strained breath, its body glowing bright for just an instant and then dimming again.

  “OK, I will tell you,” he said in a strained, weak voice, then mumbled something that was too soft to be heard.

  “What?” Hunter said.

  Gameknight and his friends took a step closer.

  “What did you say?” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.

  He mumbled again, then slumped against the wall as if his health were failing.

  They moved right up next to the edge of the hole and peered down into the darkness.

  “Tell us!” Hunter snapped.

  The charged creeper gazed up at the NPCs, and its downcast mouth seemed to smile. Then a hissing sound filled the air, and the monster started to glow bright.

  “GET BACK!” Gameknight shouted.

  He grabbed Herder’s armor and pulled the NPC backward, diving away from the hole. Suddenly, the pit was filled with bright light as the charged creeper detonated. The explosion caused the other creepers to ignite, creating a cascade of blasts that shook the ground as if the very surface of Minecraft were trembling in fear.

  When the explosions finally stopped, Gameknight slowly stood and approached the pit, which now was more like a massive impact crater from some kind of deep-space meteor. The hole was a dozen blocks wider and much deeper. The sheer, vertical walls were now jagged and sloped, allowing Gameknight to easily climb down. The pit was now masked in shadows, the bottom seeming to be an impossible distance away. On the blocks that made up the sloped walls, ten small piles of gunpowder floated off the ground, slowly moving up and down as if riding on unseen ocean swells. The User-that-is-not-a-user stepped up to the gray piles and let them move into his inventory. He was about to turn around, but his nose caught the smell of something peculiar … sulfur.

  Gameknight stopped and inhaled.

  “What are you doing?” Hunter asked. “Every monster in this biome will have heard that explosion. We need to get out of here.”

  “In a minute. I smell something that doesn’t seem right,” Gameknight said.

  Just then, he felt one of Herder’s cats rubbing against his leg, curiosity having drawn the feline into the crater. Glancing down, he found an orange-and-white tabby walking a figure eight around his legs, leaning his head in with each pass. Suddenly, the cat stopped and stared into the darkness at the bottom of the crater. It took a step forward, sniffed the air, and then arched its back and hissed at the shadows.

  “What is it doing?” Gameknight asked. “Herder, what’s going on?”

  The lanky boy clambered down into the pit and stood next to Gameknight999. They stared inquisitively at the animal. Another of the cats climbed down into the hollow and stood next to the tabby. The black-and-white striped animal did the same as the orange one, arching its back and hissing at the darkness.

  “They smell creepers,” Herder said as he stepped carefully forward into the darkness.

  Pulling a torch out of his inventory, Herder held it out before him. The illumination revealed a massive hole at the bottom of the crater, previously hidden in the darkness. The NPC placed the torch on the ground next to the opening, then lay down on his stomach and peered into the newly discovered chamber.

  “It’s a tunnel,” Herder said. “The floor looks like it has been rubbed and polished by thousands of feet. This passage is old and well-used.”

  One of the cats moved next to the opening, then hissed at the tunnel, its fur sticking out straight. Herder reached out and gently stroked the animal’s back, calming it. He then turned his head and glanced up at Gameknight999.

  “This is it,” Herder said.

  “Ironic,” Hunter said.

  “What?” Stitcher asked.

  “That charged creeper was willing to give its life to keep the location of the creeper hive secret,” Hunter explained. “But in giving its life, the monster showed us the thing it was trying to protect!”

  “Stitcher, make sure the horses are well-tied,” Gameknight said, shaking his head. “We’re going to need them when we leave this place.”

  The young girl nodded and went to check the animals.

  Hunter jumped into the pit and moved to Gameknight’s side.

  “How do you want to play this?” the archer asked. “There will likely be tons of monsters down there. We need to be careful and smart. Getting trapped underground by hundreds of creepers isn’t my idea of fun. Caution should be advised.”

  “You sound like Crafter,” Gameknight said with a smile.

  “OK, then, what do you think we should do next?” Hunter asked. “What’s your plan?”

  Gameknight moved next to the opening and peered down into the passage. There was no movement visible, but Hunter was right: there would be creepers down there … probably a lot of them.

  A shiver rattled down his spine.

  But then he thought about his friends in the village and all the other NPCs in the villages across Minecraft. They all needed help, whether they knew it or not. Gunpowder was the critical piece of the puzzle, and if they could get stacks of it from the creeper hive, then they would have enough splash potions to protect all the warriors. Then, just maybe, the NPCs would stand half a chance against these new blazes and their super-hot fireballs.

  Gameknight knew they had no choice … they had to go into the hive.

  “Well?” Hunter asked. “Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to tell me your plan?”

  “My plan?”

  “Yeah … what’s your plan?” Hunter replied.

  “This,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said with a mischievous smile.

  He then stepped forward and dropped into the dark passage.

  CHAPTER 20

  DIVERSION

  They moved through the tunnels as quietly as their armor would allow. Gameknight had them all take off their enchanted armor and replace it with mundane metal coatings. The light from the enchantments shown like beacons in the dark tunnels, so they put away their enchanted weapons as well. Hunter was not happy—she always felt more comfortable with her magical bow in her hand.

  “Hunter, it’s for your own good,” Stitcher said. “You know they’ll see the light from it, and the last thing we need right now is to draw attention to ourselves.”

  “Yeah … I know,” the older sister replied. “It’s just that the regular bows are so boring and pathetic.”

  “I promise, if we do come across any creepers, you can take out your bow and shoot as many as you want,” Gameknight said. “OK?”

  “I guess,” Hunter complained.

  Gameknight smiled at Stitcher, then turned and continued through the passage, following the cats that led the way. The felines could smell the creepers from a distance, and knew which passages were empty and which were filled with deadly monsters.

  “Gameknight, how do you know we won’t run in
to a huge army of creepers in the tunnels?” Herder asked.

  The boy was carrying a redstone torch. It gave off a ruddy glow that lit the area around them but cast very little light ahead or behind. The cats could see in the dark and avoided any holes that might exist in the tunnels, but Gameknight and the NPCs needed some light to see these potentially deadly obstacles. As they moved through the corridor, they passed smaller passages jutting off from the main one. The narrow tunnels led to small, empty rooms covered with dust. Likely, they had been abandoned for years and years.

  “I figure, this treasure of theirs … if it is so valuable to them, then that’s where most of the creepers will be,” Gameknight explained. “Besides, with your cats, we’ll have enough advance notice to keep our of their way. At least, that’s my hope.”

  “Is that your plan?” Hunter asked. “Hope you can avoid the creepers until you get to their treasure room? That’s a pretty pathetic plan.”

  “You have a better one?” Gameknight retorted.

  “Sure. Mine was to gallop through these tunnels and shoot at creepers until we run out of creepers to shoot at,” Hunter said with a smile.

  “We don’t have time for something like that,” Gameknight said. “Besides, we don’t necessarily want to destroy all of them.”

  “We don’t?” Hunter replied.

  “Hunterrrr,” Stitcher chided.

  One of the cats hissed, and everyone immediately fell silent. The sound of shuffling feet echoed off the stone walls, making it seem as if it were coming from all directions at once.

  “Quick—in here,” Gameknight whispered.

  He pulled out a redstone torch and stood near the opening of a narrow room. Herder dashed inside, the animals running behind him obediently; Hunter and Stitcher followed close behind. Gameknight then backed into the small room and put away the redstone torch, plunging them into darkness.

  “Move as far back as you can,” Stitcher whispered.

  “Herder, be sure those animals stay quiet,” Gameknight said. “If they make a sound and give us away, we’ll be trapped in here.”

  The User-that-is-not-a-user could hear the lanky NPC whispering something to the wolves and cats, then everything became still as a graveyard. Gameknight held his iron sword in his hand, ready. He’d have no choice but to attack if they came in the room. Sweat dripped off his brow, even though it was cool in the tunnels.

  Shuffling feet sounded in the outer passage. He couldn’t tell if it was just one creeper or many … and he didn’t want to find out. Gripping his sword tighter, Gameknight steeled himself for battle. His heart rate quickened and his breathing came in short, jagged bursts.

  And then, suddenly …

  The creepers walked right by them. They didn’t stop to investigate the dark room, and it was too dim to see the footprints in the dusty floor. Edging forward after the footsteps faded into the distance, Gameknight finally peeked out into the shadowy corridor. They were safe.

  “Come on,” Gameknight whispered as he pulled out a redstone torch. “That was really close!”

  They moved through the dark passages with the cats right next to Gameknight, while the wolves stayed near the back by Herder. Three more times, the footsteps of approaching creepers forced the companions to scurry into side rooms at the last second. Each time, the explosive creatures just moved past, hurrying on to their destination.

  “I’m worried we’re going to get lost down here,” Stitcher said as they passed an intersecting tunnel. “These passages twist and turn in every direction. I know the cats can lead us to where the creepers are congregating, but they can’t lead us out.”

  “You’re right,” Gameknight said. “I didn’t think of that. We need to leave a trail that we can follow back out.”

  “That’s easy,” Hunter said.

  She pulled out her pickaxe and carved a single block out of the wall at ground level on the right side of the passage.

  “We make these holes on the right, then follow them back out on the left,” Hunter said with a self-satisfied smile.

  “OK, then,” Gameknight said. “One problem solved.”

  They continued forward, the cats choosing passages that had the strongest creeper scent; typically, that meant taking the tunnel that led downward, deeper into the bowels of Minecraft. As they continued, a scraping sound could be heard. At first, it was just the faintest of sounds, like that of an insect flying at the edge of hearing, but grew in volume as they descended. And then they came to the source.

  A narrow passage shot off from the tunnel they’d been following. Gameknight peeked around the corner; a pool of lava lit the room with a soft orange. All along the walls, he could see small creepers facing the wall, chewing at the coal ore that lined the chamber. But these creepers didn’t look like any creepers he’d ever seen before. They were smaller, but they also lacked the dark spots across their skin that larger and older creepers possessed. Instead of being green and blotchy-black, they were covered with white and grey spots, while only the largest of them had spots that were nearly black.

  “This must be some kind of feeding chamber,” Gameknight whispered.

  “Close it off,” Hunter said. “That’s a lot of creepers, and I’d rather not have to deal with them.”

  Gameknight nodded, then pulled out a block of cobblestone. He placed it in the doorway, then put another block atop the first, closing off the passage.

  “Happy now?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked.

  Hunter nodded her head, her curly red hair reflecting the light from the redstone torch.

  “Let’s get moving,” Stitcher said as she gently shoved Gameknight forward.

  They continued through the descending tunnel, passing more empty rooms … and then Gameknight figured it out. All the empty rooms were feeding chambers that had run out of coal and been abandoned!

  As they crept through the passage, Gameknight noticed the ceiling begin to rise upward as the width of the tunnel increased. His instinct told him they were getting close, and when the cats began to hiss, his suspicions were confirmed. Ahead, the wide passage opened into a gigantic chamber. Inside, they could hear the shuffling of many feet. This has to be it, he thought.

  Gameknight had Herder take the animals to one of the empty side rooms just outside the cavern, while he crept forward to the large cave. Peering in, he could see at least three hundred creepers milling about a large, gray pile of dust sitting in the center: the gunpowder treasure. He was shocked at the size of the mound. There was more than they could all carry … a lifetime’s supply.

  Off to the side, lava was spilling out of a wall and spreading across the floor. The molten stone came dangerously close to the gunpowder. If one single ember were to shoot up into the air and land on the pile of gunpowder, it would create such a massive explosion that it would devour the volcano that sat overhead and leave a crater that stretched all the way down to bedrock.

  Looking around, Gameknight saw some of the charged creepers, their sparkling blue bodies standing out against the flow of mottled green monsters. But one of the electrified creatures appeared different from the rest, with not only blue but also red sparks. It was as if this creature were imbued with both electrical power and redstone power! The combination of the red and blue light gave the creeper a purple hue that seemed almost magical. Terrifyingly magical.

  Gameknight withdrew and returned to where his friends were waiting.

  “I saw the pile of gunpowder,” Gameknight said. “It’s more than we’ll ever need. All we have to do is go in there and get it.”

  “What about the creepers?” Hunter asked. “How many?”

  “Well, the good news is there aren’t a thousand creepers in there,” Gameknight said.

  “A thousand?!” Hunter said.

  “I said not a thousand … maybe only three hundred,” he explained.

  “You’re happy with three hundred creepers in there, guarding the gunpowder?” Hunter asked.

  “Better than a
thousand,” Gameknight replied with a smile.

  “Grrr,” growled Hunter.

  “What we need is something to get the creepers out of their treasure room,” Herder said.

  “A diversion,” Hunter said. “Exactly.”

  “But what?” Gameknight mused. “We don’t have enough cats to scare them out.”

  “Do you have any redstone?” Hunter asked.

  “Of course,” Gameknight replied. “Crafter wouldn’t let me leave the village without it.” He handed over three stacks of the crimson dust.

  “Then I know just what to do,” she said with a smile. “Come on, Stitcher, we have a little surprise to build.” She turned to Gameknight999. “Seal yourself into that chamber. I’ll break it open when we’re done.”

  Before he could respond, Hunter ran off with Stitcher following close behind.

  “Herder,” Gameknight said, gesturing to the lanky boy and then pointing to the sisters.

  Herder nodded, then knelt by the wolves’ pack leader.

  “Go … protect,” Herder said softly.

  The animal gave a soft bark to the rest of the wolves, then took off running silently through the passage, following Hunter and Stitcher back up the tunnel. When they had disappeared around the curve, Gameknight sealed the doorway with blocks of dirt and waited. He placed a torch in the room so that they could see. The cats paced nervously about, some of them hissing at the dirt door that led to the treasure chamber. The animals could feel the creepers through the dirt and stone, and they wanted nothing more than to attack the mottled creatures.

  After ten minutes, someone started knocking at the blocks that covered the entrance to the chamber. Quickly, Gameknight put out the torch and drew his swords. The magical enchantment on his weapon lit the chamber with a sparkling lavender hue. Herder moved to his side, his sword in hand, ready for a fight.

  Just then, the top block shattered, and Stitcher’s smiling face shone through the spray of dirt. She quickly dug up the second block, then squeezed into the room.

  “Take off all your enchanted armor and put away your sword,” Hunter said as she stepped into the room. She had a bow out, but it wasn’t the normal enchanted bow that she liked so much. “We don’t want the creepers to know we’re here. If they see us, we’re doomed, and they’ll be coming by in about 3 … 2 … 1 …”