Mission to the Moon

by Mark Cheverton

  Digger dug a hole two blocks deep. Herder and Weaver, with the sharp tips of their swords scratching at the monster’s neck, slowly pushed the zombie backward until the creature fell in the narrow pit.

  “This zombie is put in a hole so that the villagers can do murder?” the monster asked, its growling voice muffled by its space helmet.

  “We don’t murder,” Gameknight replied. “But we will defend ourselves and our friends from attack at all costs. Now, if you answer my questions, we will allow you to live. If not, then balls of XP will be all that remain after you are destroyed.”

  “Why should this zombie believe you?” The zombie glared up at them.

  “I’m Gameknight999,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “I always keep my word.”

  The zombie glanced up at the NPCs that surrounded him, then glanced at the blue-skinned moon villagers peeking out of windows and from behind doors.

  “Alright. Since no other choice is available, this zombie will answer your questions,” the creature moaned.

  “Tell me, why did you attack this village?”

  “A pale-skinned villager attacked and murdered zombies not far from here,” the monster said. “We avenge our own, whether they be zombies, or skeletons, or spiders. The mobs on the moon will not tolerate senseless violence.”

  “What are you talking about?” Crafter asked. “We didn’t hurt any monsters until you attacked this village.”

  “A pale-skinned villager attacked zombies for no reason. It looked like that one.” The zombie pointed a dark claw at Gameknight999. “Letters floated over its head. It used a glowing sword, destroying many. The attack was for no reason. And worst yet, the criminal laughed as it slayed zombie after zombie. Revenge is sought.”

  “That sounds like Entity303,” Gameknight said.

  “Destroying zombies for no reason sounds like something he would do,” Crafter said.

  “Absolutely,” Weaver added. “After he captured me, taking me out of the past and into the future, he killed things all the time for no reason, just because he could.”

  “Your enemy is our enemy,” Gameknight said to the zombie. “The murderer is named Entity303 and he seeks to destroy everything in Minecraft. He’s taken this boy, Weaver, from past, altering Minecraft’s timeline. This allowed Entity303, somehow, to add modifications to Minecraft which are slowly tearing the fabric of this universe apart. We’re on a quest to capture him so we can return Weaver back to the past and repair all this damage.”

  Just then, another tear formed high overhead, splitting open the pitch-black sky. It looked as if someone had slashed the heavens with a jagged blade. But just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared again.

  “What was that?” Stitcher asked in shock.

  “The fabric of Minecraft is strained, yes, yes,” Empech said.

  Everyone remained silent, the zombie included, as they all stared up at the star-filled sky.

  “That’s the second time that’s happened.” Gameknight moved closer to the monster and knelt. “We need to hurry up. Did you see where our enemy, Entity303, went?”

  “Yes,” the decaying creature replied.

  “Will you show us?” Gameknight asked.

  “Why should this zombie help?” the creature growled. “You are likely to show me to my death no matter what I do.”

  “No,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied. “You have answered our questions, and we will honor our deal. Now you can go free.”

  “Gameknight … no,” Hunter whispered.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user cast her an angry glare, then pulled out a shovel and dug a set of steps into the hole, allowing the zombie to step out.

  “All of you, back up so our friend here can leave.” Gameknight turned his gaze to the zombie. “You have a choice: leave, or help us stop our common enemy. If Entity303 can continue, he’ll destroy everything, including all the monsters on the moon. Come with us and help stop him. You have my word: no harm will come to you, regardless of your choice.”

  He took a step backward, then motioned for his friends to do the same. They all moved away from the zombie, allowing the creature to run away, if it chose.

  The zombie stared up at Gameknight999, then smiled a malicious smile, as if the creature knew some terrible secret. “Yes, this zombie will help you and show you where the murderer went.”

  “Great,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied.

  The green moon monster stepped out of the hole.

  “That user went to the Moon Boss,” it said. “This is the way.”

  The creature shuffled off to the east, the rest of the party following.

  “Why would Entity303 go to the Moon Boss?” Gameknight asked the decaying creature.

  “This zombie doesn’t know and doesn’t care,” the monster replied. “Likely, the Moon Boss destroyed him. It will be a treat to watch all of you go into that dungeon, knowing full well that few will survive. My brothers and sisters down there will destroy every intruder, and then they will feast on your XP.”

  “Just say it walking, zombie,” Hunter growled, pointing an arrow at the monster.

  “How does this zombie know the redheaded one will not commit murder as soon as the entrance to the Moon Boss’ dungeon is shown?” the zombie asked.

  “Would you rather I shot you now?” Hunter asked.

  The zombie shook his head.

  “Hunter, be nice,” Stitcher chided. She turned to the monster as they walked across the lunar landscape. “We have no argument with you or your kind, but we will defend ourselves if we must. You will not be harmed; Gameknight999 has given his word, and all of us respect that promise. We just need to speak with the Moon Boss and find out how he helped our enemy.”

  “Help … the Moon Boss, what a laugh,” the zombie growled. “None who have gone searching for what lies in the treasure room have ever survived the Moon Boss’s wrath. The Moon Boss would never help an NPC, especially one who looked as foolish as all of you, with your pale skin and tiny, tiny heads.” The zombie turned and glared at Gameknight999. “The Moon Boss destroys all enemies.”

  “We’ll see,” Gameknight replied.

  Squawk! Tux added.

  “Lead us where we need to go, zombie,” Crafter said. “Then, your obligation to us will be complete.”

  The zombie growled, then gave them all a terrifying toothy grin. The animal-like sound of the growl passed through the emptiness of space, echoing within Gameknight’s helmet, making little square goose bumps form on his arms and neck.

  He had a bad feeling about this Moon Boss, but he knew they had no choice; they had to follow the path Entity303 laid out for them, for good or for ill …

  He was betting on the latter.

  CHAPTER 5

  DUNGEONS OF DARKNESS

  The zombie led them across the empty lunar surface, traveling in a straight line through the gray wasteland to some distant location where the entrance to the dungeon lay. With only the occasional growl or moan, the creature said little else. It glared suspiciously at Hunter, as if it expected to get an arrow in the back at any second.

  “Where are you taking us?” Hunter asked, distrustful of everything the zombie did.

  “To the Moon Boss, of course,” the creature replied.

  “I don’t see any structures out here,” she replied. “Everything seems completely deserted.”

  “The pale-skinned villagers are ignorant,” the monster said.

  “Hey, who are you calling ignorant?” Hunter snapped.

  The zombie laughed.

  “Now let’s just relax for a moment,” Crafter said. “But I agree with Hunter. This does seem a little strange.”

  “The Moon Boss is underground, yes, yes,” Empech said.

  Gameknight glanced at the small gnome. His gray skin almost merged with the pale moon rocks that covered the ground. The huge pack on the creature’s back jingled about as it jostled back and forth with every step.

  “Hmmm … Forpech agrees.
The Boss can be felt deep under the surface of the moon,” Forpech said. “But there are dangers near the Moon Boss … hmmm … great dangers indeed.”

  “Are you leading us into some kind of trap?” Hunter growled.

  “This zombie already said the Moon Boss destroys all intruders,” the monster said. “Was that difficult to understand? Are the heads of these pale villagers too small to hold any brains?”

  “You watch your rotten mouth,” Hunter said with a glare. “When we’re done, I’m gonna …”

  The monster held up a clawed hand, silencing Hunter’s threat. “The entrance is here.”

  Before them sat a huge crater, a scar on the face of the moon from some ancient meteor impact. The walls of the crater were rough but easily scalable. Herder sent the wolves forward to investigate. The furry white animals stood out against the gray moonrock, their fur nearly glowing in the light of the sun. They spread across the crater, searching for threats, then converged to the center of the recession, howling to signify that it was safe.

  Gameknight moved forward, leaping into the air, then slowly falling into the depression, landing softly. He approached the hole with caution, careful not to lean too far over and fall in.

  The walls of the hole were roughhewn, blocks sticking out here and there, creating an easy parkour course that would get them to the bottom without taking any damage. Only the top of the vertical shaft was lit by the sun; the deeper portions were bathed in darkness.

  “This leads to the Moon Boss?” Crafter asked.

  “Of course not,” the zombie replied, as if it were obvious. “This is the entrance to the Moon dungeon. Those that wish to steal the Moon Boss’s treasure must first go through the dungeon. If any make it through the dungeon’s passages, then the Moon Boss can be challenged. But none here will survive.”

  The monster laughed a croaking, growling laugh, then turned to face Hunter.

  “This zombie is ready for death. Fire your arrows.”

  Hunter glared at the zombie, then glanced at Gameknight999.

  “You have met your obligation,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said to the zombie. “Go in peace. If we meet again, I hope it is under better circumstances.”

  The zombie seemed shocked. He stared at Hunter, then turned his monstrous gaze toward the pechs, expecting one of them to attack when his back was turned.

  “You heard him—get moving.” Hunter put her bow back in her inventory and waved the monster away.

  The creature glanced one more time at Gameknight, then left the companions staring down into the deep hole before them.

  Leaning out into the opening, Gameknight peered through the darkness. There were no lights in the dungeon, but a faint yellow glow seemed to flicker far below, lighting the way. The dim outline of bricks was visible across the floor, but then a dark presence moved past the opening; something—or maybe even somethings—were moving down there.

  “What was that?” Stitcher asked, alarmed.

  “I can’t tell, but I bet it isn’t kittens,” Gameknight said.

  “Kittens? Why would there be kittens down there?” Hunter said.

  “It was a joke.”

  “Was it supposed to be funny?” the older sister asked in disbelief.

  Gameknight scowled, but then Hunter started to laugh.

  “Ha ha … you should have seen your face,” she said. “You seemed pretty confused for a minute.”

  “Enough,” Crafter snapped. “We need to get down into that dungeon. How are we going to do it?”

  “Just follow Hunter,” Gameknight said, then laughed when it was Hunter who looked confused.

  “Come on, it’s time for some parkour,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.

  He moved closer to the edge, then jumped. Slowly he floated downward, descending six blocks before landing on a rocky outcropping. He jumped out and descended to the next block, the low gravity of the moon allowing him to fall without taking damage. But he was sure if he dropped the whole distance in one jump, he would get hurt … or worse.

  Slowly, the party snaked their way down the sides of the vertical shaft, leaping from block to block until they reached the opening to the dark chamber below.

  “As soon as we jump into that room, we need light,” Gameknight said. “I wouldn’t want to end up fighting a bunch of monsters in complete darkness.”

  He glanced at his comrades as they stood perched on blocks of moonrock that lined the passage. They all appeared nervous. None of them seemed very excited about jumping into this strange dungeon without knowing what waited for them.

  I hope I did the right thing, bringing them into space with me, Gameknight thought. Maybe if I were alone, I could have slipped through undetected.

  The clicking of a spider floated up from the chamber below. It was followed by the clattering of bones and the angry growls of zombies, each sound muffled slightly by space helmets.

  Gameknight sighed as fingers of dread kneaded his soul.

  “All of you ready?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked.

  They nodded.

  Squawk, Tux added.

  “OK … jump.”

  The friends leapt out into the opening and slowly floated down to the floor of the shadowy dungeon. Instantly, Gameknight sensed movement all around. The light from his enchanted sword gave off the smallest bit of illumination, allowing him to see the monsters around him. A giant spider lunged, the wicked curved claws at the end of its fuzzy legs just missing his helmet. Gameknight ducked, then counterattacked, swinging his sword with all his might. He slashed at the creature, scoring hit after hit as he brought his iron sword out to add to the attack. The dark creature screamed out in pain and surprise. He blocked the spider’s attacks with one sword, then tore into its HP with the other. With a pop, the fuzzy monster finally disappeared.

  Something materialized into existence off to the left, in the corner of the chamber. The sorrowful moans of a zombie now drifted through the vacuum; there must be a spawner over there, the User-that-is-not-a-user realized.

  “Digger, I need you,” Gameknight shouted.

  He charged forward, engaging the zombie before it could move much farther forward. His swords clashed against razor-sharp claws, blocking every attack. The monster snarled and slashed at his armor, its claws scraping against Gameknight’s diamond coating but doing no damage.

  Suddenly, Digger was at his side, his two big pickaxes in his hands. The NPC hesitated for just an instant, though, and the monster saw the pause and attacked, slashing at the big villager with his dark claws. They scraped against his iron armor, one of the points finding soft flesh, and Digger yelled in pain. Gameknight kicked the monster hard in the chest, sending it flying backward, smashing into the wall. Before it could move, he slashed at it with his swords, landing hit after hit until its HP was consumed. When the monster disappeared, Gameknight saw the spawner under its feet. Another zombie was spinning about inside the metallic cage, slowly growing larger.

  “Digger, destroy it,” Gameknight said.

  The stocky NPC finally snapped into action, smashing the device with his pickaxe, hitting it with his left, then his right. It shattered in seconds, leaving behind only an empty hole.

  “We need to search the room for more spawners.” Gameknight peered into the darkness, searching for the telltale sparks that always accompanied the magical cubes. “Follow me.”

  Gameknight sprinted through the room. He pulled a torch out of his inventory and placed it on the wall. The torch flared briefly, then went dark, the yellow flame extinguished immediately. He pulled out another torch and stuck it into the ground. It, too, went dark instantly; torches cannot burn without oxygen. They had no choice but to run through the darkness, using the light from Gameknight’s enchanted weapon to illuminate the way. The sound of his friends fighting in the darkness behind them echoed off the walls. Zombies shouted out in pain as skeleton bones clattered and spilled onto the dungeon floor.

  I hope they’re all okay, Gamekni
ght thought. If any of them get hurt, I’ll just …

  “Here’s another one,” Digger said.

  A skeleton burst into life over the sparkling cage-like block.

  “Skeleton!” the big NPC shouted, his voice filled with fear.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user moved in front of him, slashing at the monster with his sword. The skeleton notched an arrow to its string and tried to fire, but Gameknight’s iron sword was already there, chopping at the monster’s weapon. It clattered to the ground, lost to the darkness. The monster looked up and stared at Gameknight with venomous hatred. Before it could move, an arrow sliced through the vacuum and struck the monster, taking the last of its HP. It disappeared with an expression of confusion and despair on its pale face.

  “Digger, the spawner!” Gameknight shouted.

  The stocky NPC just stood there, still overwhelmed with fear.

  “Digger!”

  The villager seemed immobile, a terrified look carved into his square face.

  Gameknight put away his swords and snatched the pickaxe from Digger’s hand. He smashed the iron tool into the dark cage, tearing into it. Thin cracks began to spread across its surface until it shattered into a million pieces.

  He turned and tossed the pick back to the stocky NPC. It floated slowly through the air until it landed in Digger’s hands.

  “Come on, we need to help the others.” Gameknight reached out and grabbed Digger’s arm. The big NPC didn’t move. “Digger!” He shook the villager, finally getting his attention. “Follow me.”

  Gameknight moved toward the sounds of battle. Darkness cloaked the figures, but the sound was easy to follow. They crossed the chamber until they reached Weaver and Herder. The two boys were fighting side-by-side again, one blocking while the other attacked. They finished off the spider, then turned and scanned for more enemies. The chamber was now silent.

  “Check the corners for any more spawners,” Gameknight said.

  Herder whistled and waved his sword over his head. The wolves instantly moved throughout the chamber, searching for threats. When they returned without making any sound, Gameknight knew they were safe … for now.