Overworld in Flames

by Mark Cheverton

  “Where do you think they went?” Herder asked.

  “I don’t know,” Gameknight replied. “Send out your animals and have them scout the village and my castle. They can use the tunnel that connects the two.”

  Herder nodded, then moved down the steps to his friends. Crouching, he spoke softly to the wolves and cats and then whistled. Instantly, the animals shot away like a furry explosion. The wolves searched the village, while the cats took the tunnel that led to Gameknight’s castle.

  Moving down the steps, the User-that-is-not-a-user stood next to the lanky boy’s side and paced back and forth, nervous of what the animals might find—or might not find.

  “There must be someone here,” Gameknight mumbled to himself. “We have to learn what happened. If we don’t, then—”

  Suddenly, a black cat streaked from the tunnel that led to the castle like a bolt of shadowy lightning, heading straight for Herder. When the animal drew near, it started to yowl as if it were in distress. Reaching down, Herder stroked its back, then glanced up at Gameknight999.

  “They’re in your castle,” the young boy reported.

  “Come on,” Gameknight said as he took off running.

  Behind him, the User-that-is-not-a-user could hear Herder whistling for the other animals. As he ran, his friend’s footsteps pounded on the dirt and gravel behind him, following closely on his heels. They streaked through the underground passageway that ran between the village and the castle and emerged within the obsidian walls of Castle Gameknight.

  Turning, the User-that-is-not-a-user was about to run through the doors of the keep when one of them flung open and Morgana, the village witch, emerged.

  “It’s about time you showed up,” she said with a scratchy voice. “They left a few hours ago, but I’m sure that fool, Butch, already has everyone in hot water.”

  “Morgana, what are you talking about?” Gameknight asked.

  “Butch, the idiot … he convinced all of them to go with him to the Nether,” she said. “Everyone that could carry a sword agreed. He slowly got them all worked up, and when the warriors from the other villages arrived, that was all they needed to convince themselves to go after the blazes right away. They used some of your obsidian and built a portal upstairs, and then they went through.”

  Gameknight glanced around and saw several blocks of obsidian missing in the walls that ringed the castle. Morgana was right!

  “Where’s Crafter and Digger?” Stitcher asked.

  “They couldn’t stop them, so they went with them, hoping to help,” the old woman explained. “But I doubt that will do any good. All we have left here are the very young and the very old … not much help in battle.”

  Gameknight glanced at his friends and then stared down at the ground, fear filling his eyes.

  “I can’t do this alone,” he muttered to himself.

  Suddenly, someone punched him in the shoulder. Looking up, he found Stitcher glaring at him.

  “Who said you were alone?” she asked with a scowl.

  “You know what I mean,” he explained. “Just us four, we aren’t enough to pull off what I have in mind. We need more people, and four or five of us alone can’t save all our friends in the Nether.”

  Just then, Morgana reached over and opened the second door. Inside the keep were another thirty or more NPCs: the old and infirm and young left over from the many villagers that had answered Butch’s call for help.

  “Butch wouldn’t take any of these villagers with him. He said they were too old and couldn’t fight.” Many of the NPCs behind her took a step forward.

  “Maybe we can’t swing a sword, but we can help,” Morgana said, her eyes burning with confidence. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I do have a plan,” Gameknight said. “But it’s going to be dangerous, and if it doesn’t work, we’re all going to be in serious trouble.”

  “What else is new?” Hunter said with a smile.

  Gameknight looked at Herder and nodded. The young boy pulled out a hoe and took off for the pumpkin patch in the village. Then he glanced at Snowbrin and smiled.

  “Here’s what we’re gonna do …”

  CHAPTER 27

  GAMEKNIGHT’S SURPRISE

  Gameknight999 handed out the splash potions of fire resistance to each villager as they gathered around the Nether portal. They had enough for each NPC to carry a dozen of the fragile bottles, one for themselves and eleven for the other NPCs already in the Nether. They each also carried a bow and multiple stacks of arrows, so that they could fight the blazes from a distance rather than standing toe-to-toe with the fiery creatures.

  A select few, including Hunter, Stitcher, and Herder, carried many more potions. They had a special task, a critical one, and all their fates, maybe even the fate of Minecraft itself, depended on their success.

  “Is everyone ready?” Gameknight asked.

  The NPCs around him all nodded their heads. At the back of the chamber were young children. Topper and Filler, Digger’s twins, stood with the young ones, wooden toy swords in their hands. They waved their weapons to Gameknight, signifying that they would be OK. He knew the twins would watch over the other children.

  “I’m sure you are all afraid,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “I’d be concerned if you weren’t. You’ll be shocked at how hot it is in the Nether, but remember: whatever you do, don’t stop. Moving targets are much harder to hit, so always keep going. As soon as Snowbrin does his thing and we begin the attack, start throwing the splash potions on the other villagers. When our friends are protected from the fireballs, then back off and wait for my signal. Does everyone understand?”

  The old villagers stood tall and tried to appear confident, but Gameknight999 could see the fear and uncertainty in their eyes.

  I hope they all survive, he thought. I don’t know if I could handle it if one of them was hurt because of me.

  “Let’s get this party started!” Hunter howled.

  The other villagers cheered, some of them raising their bows over their heads.

  “OK, then, let’s do this,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.

  Gameknight999 was the first to step through the portal. His vision was suddenly filled with a wavering purple field that slowly morphed into images of burning netherrack. The heat of the Nether struck him hard in the face. No matter how many times he visited the Nether, he was always shocked by how hot it was. Catching his breath, he moved to the side to allow the others to pass through the magical gateway. With his enchanted bow out, the User-that-is-not-a-user scanned the rusty terrain for any monsters nearby. The occasional zombie-pigman moaned as it shuffled along, but there were no blazes or ghasts or wither skeletons in sight.

  So far, they’d been lucky.

  More villagers poured out of the portal and moved to the left and right, spreading out and taking cover behind piles of netherrack. Hunter, Stitcher, Herder, and Snowbrin were the last to arrive. Then, with everyone safely gathered, the rag-tag NPC army stared out at the landscape before them.

  In the distance stood a huge Nether fortress. Its raised walkways and tall pillars of dark stone spread across the burning landscape like a dark spider web. At the center of the structure was a massive building looming high over the landscape, dwarfing anyone or anything nearby.

  Adjacent to the fortress was the Great Lava Ocean. The massive body of molten stone stretched out far into the haze, the opposite shore too far away to be seen. Clustered near the shoreline, Gameknight spotted a large group of NPCs. They huddled close to each other, as a ring of floating blazes slowly closed in on them from all sides. It was Butch’s army!

  Gameknight could tell one of the blazes was shouting something at the villagers; most likely, that was Charybdis, the blaze king. His words were unintelligible, though, the distance too great. One of the NPCs (most likely Butch, though it was hard to be certain through all the smoke and ash) stepped forward, iron sword held up high. Suddenly, a white-hot ball of fire streaked down
from the monster and hit the ground directly in front of the stocky NPC. The ground melted before Butch, changing from the rusty netherrack to a square of lava. This made the NPCs jump back in fright. Butch glanced back at the other villagers and then placed his sword on the ground in front of him. The other villagers did the same, surrendering their weapons and dropping them to their feet.

  “There they are,” Herder said. “Down by the lava ocean. And they’re in trouble.”

  Gameknight nodded, then turned and faced his own army of aged villagers.

  “Let’s go, fast and quiet,” he said. “They’re surrounded. We probably only have minutes before the blazes open fire. Everybody run!”

  Gameknight charged forward with Hunter and Stitcher at his side, Herder just two strides behind. Snowbrin shot past them, silently gliding on blocks of snow that trailed behind him like a frozen streamer.

  The light-crafter slid across the Nether and went as close to the mass of blazes as he dared, then suddenly veered to the right. Streaking across the netherrack, Snowbrin left a long line of snow blocks in his wake. After he’d traveled maybe fifty blocks, he turned around and laid another trail of blocks right next to the first.

  By now, the others had reached the blocks of snow. Herder placed a pumpkin next to each pair of snow blocks. When the orange fruit touched the cubes of snow, they instantly transformed into snowmen, complete with six dark buttons and two sticks for arms. But as soon as the icy creatures stood, they began to flash red as the heat of the Nether tore into them. Fortunately, Hunter and Stitcher were right there behind them, throwing their fire resistance potions against the snowmen’s stacked bodies to keep them from taking damage.

  Gameknight held his breath as he watched the glass bottles smash against the snowmen.

  Orange swirls started to float around the snowmen. And then suddenly, the flashing stopped; with the potions, the snowmen were now impervious to the heat of the Nether.

  Now at least we have a chance! he thought.

  “Everyone … attack!” the User-that-is-not-a-user yelled. “FOR MINECRAFT!”

  CHAPTER 28

  SNOWBALL FIGHT IN THE NETHER

  Snowballs flew through the air and smashed into the blazes. The monsters flashed red with damage, and the sound of metallic clanking filled the air. The blazes slowly turned to face this new threat. Their internal flames sputtered as a second volley of icy spheres crashed into their glowing bodies. Gameknight sprinted forward, firing his bow. He leapt over a narrow river of lava as he fired three quick shots at a nearby blaze, silencing it forever.

  “Snowmen … in the Nether?” Charybdis asked. “Impossible!”

  Gameknight saw the blaze king scan the battlefield. Then his gaze fixed on him, and the monster’s eyes filled with venomous hatred.

  “It’s Gameknight999!” the king of the blazes shouted. “GET HIM!”

  The hovering blazes turned to look for the User-that-is-not-a-user, but a third wave of snowballs was launched at the same time. A nearby blaze flared bright, then fired a trio of flaming balls at Gameknight. He quickly rolled to the side, then drew an arrow and notched it to his string as he stood. Firing quickly, the User-that-is-not-a-user launched three shots at the monster. The first two struck home, but the third missed. Its internal flame grew bright again as it readied another attack, but two flaming arrows streaked up into the air from the left and struck the monster simultaneously, taking the last of its HP.

  Gameknight didn’t look to see who had helped him; he already knew it was Hunter and Stitcher.

  “Blazes, forget the snowmen,” Charybdis commanded. “Fire at the villagers!”

  The monsters turned their backs on the frozen attackers and allowed the balls of ice to smash into them. Each impact was accompanied by a clanking sound as they lost HP. Ignoring the damage, the blazes launched their balls of fire down upon the NPCs, hitting the defenseless villagers.

  Screams of pain and terror floated up out of the clustered NPCs. Some of them instantly vanished with a pop as multiple fireballs struck them, while others flashed red and took damage as they screamed out in agony.

  “NOOOO!” Gameknight cried.

  He sprinted toward the villagers, throwing splash potions as he ran. The glass bottles hit the back of their heads and shattered. Orange liquid flew through the air and coated many of them, causing bright orange swirls to rise above their heads. Running around the collection of villagers, Gameknight kept on throwing potions until he’d covered the entire group and depleted his supply, then he skidded to a stop and drew his enchanted bow again.

  Another wave of fireballs rained down. Many called out in terror, but this time there were no cries of pain, just gasps of surprise.

  “It’s fire resistance!” Gameknight said as he made his way through them. “Fight back! Draw your bows and fire before the potion runs out.”

  Many of the NPCs turned. When they saw it was Gameknight999 standing with them, they stood up a little taller, and a look of determination pushed the fear from their eyes. They bent down and retrieved their weapons, then picked a target up in the sky.

  Arrows streaked upward from the ground as the shock of being attacked by the blazes was replaced with courage and rage. Those without bows used pieces of extra armor as shields and protected those around them. Some even used their swords to swing at the fireballs, hoping to knock them back at the attacker. Gameknight watched with pride as the villagers fought hard to defend Minecraft.

  Pushing his way through the crowd, he found Digger stooped down, helping an NPC to his feet. Gameknight999 was shocked to see a black smock with a long gray stripe showing from between armored plates. One side of the armor was badly burned, the sleeve of the smock still smoldering.

  “Crafter!” Gameknight exclaimed.

  “I’m OK,” the young NPC grimaced as he was helped to his feet. “Just a little burnt.” He glanced at Gameknight and smiled. “I knew you’d make it here, eventually. But for a while there, I wasn’t sure we were going to survive. You came just in time. Without you, Gameknight999, we would all be dead.”

  “They should have taken the time to listen to you,” Digger admitted. He pointed to Butch, who was firing his arrows at blazes while their balls of fire fell down upon him like rain. “He should have listened to you.”

  “What happened?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked.

  “They had a trap waiting for us,” Digger explained. “Butch charged down toward the fortress, but when we reached it, blazes came out of those caves back there.” He pointed to the tunnels carved into the netherrack hills that stood nearby. “In seconds, we were surrounded. You should have been leading this attack, not that reckless Butch.”

  “It doesn’t matter who leads and who follows,” Gameknight said. “I understand that now. All that matters is that our people are safe. Each of us has our own strength. Mine is coming up with crazy ideas to help us to defend Minecraft.” He pointed to the snowmen. Crafter and Digger both smiled. “Butch’s strength is in being a leader, though sometimes his judgment is clouded by his desire for revenge. Right now, though, all we need to focus on is finishing off Charybdis and getting out of here before this battle gets out of control.”

  “Right,” Digger said. “But what about all these blazes?”

  Picking up his dual pickaxes, he let out a bellowing cry that seemed to echo across the entire Nether. “VILLAGERS … ATTACK!”

  The NPCs cheered, and instead of clustering together like frightened children, they surged forward, closing the distance between themselves and their attackers. Arrows streaked up at the monsters, piercing internal flames and chipping away at blaze rods.

  The snowmen now advanced and mixed in with the villagers. Their snowballs were like a constant stream of frozen projectiles, viciously smashing into the blazes—payback for the ancient atrocity committed by the fiery monsters. Though they were not very good shots, the volume of snowballs was overpowering. The air was filled with the metallic clanking of wounded bl
azes as their golden rods fell all around the villagers.

  “We might just survive this,” Crafter said as he fired his own bow at a floating monster.

  “I don’t like it,” Gameknight said over the din of battle. “It seems like Charybdis is using up all his blazes … he must know that he can’t win like this. He has something else planned. We should pull back.”

  “Pull back?” a voice bellowed.

  It was Butch. The big NPC was now behind him.

  “We are winning, everyone!” Butch exclaimed.

  The NPCs cheered.

  “Now we should push forward and eliminate the blazes!”

  The villagers shouted their excitement and moved forward behind Butch, firing their bows up into the air.

  “No … NO!” Gameknight screamed.

  But the NPCs did not listen. They were focused on Butch and lost in the heat of battle. Every villager wanted revenge for the destruction of their homeland, and their need for revenge ruled their minds. They followed Butch, driving the blazes back toward the lava ocean and the huge netherbrick steps that led out of the massive fortress.

  Suddenly, all the blazes turned in unison and, instead of returning fire, floated far out over the lava ocean, away from the villagers. At the same time, an eerie rattling sound came from the Nether fortress. It sounded like old dried-out sticks scraping against each other. The noise wormed its way into Gameknight’s ears, making his teeth hurt. Many of the NPCs glanced around, wondering what it was, but Gameknight already knew: skeletons.

  “Skeletons are coming,” Digger said. “Everyone back up.”

  The villagers stopped their advance and looked toward the dark citadel. From the wide staircase that descended down from the fortress clattered an army of wither skeletons. Their blackened bones seemed to soak up all the light from the glowing ocean of lava, leaving them looking like shadowy specters of their boney Overworld cousins. The dark skeletons moved down the stairs in lockstep, the stone swords they held out before them glistening in the orange fiery light. When they reached the bottom of the stairway, they turned and spread out along the side of the fortress, closing off any avenue of escape.