Gameknight nodded, then closed his eyes and listened to the puzzle pieces in his head, but all he heard was silence. He had no ideas, no great plans, nothing. His mind seemed devoid of thought or images or sound, like the dark emptiness of outer space. But as he searched for an idea—any idea—a distant voice came to him from out of the darkness. It was a scratchy voice that seemed ancient and powerful, yet soothing and understanding at the same time. There was a grandmotherly kindness to it that seemed to ease his fears.
There is help around you, child. You need only open your eyes and see it.
It was the Oracle, he was sure of it. Her scratchy voice filled him with courage and strength, even though he still had no idea how to solve this problem and get them off Diona. But right now, that didn’t matter. The only important thing right now was to keep fighting and not give in to despair. Maybe there was a solution here … maybe the Oracle was right. But how could that have been her? The Oracle didn’t exist in this timeline.
Is that what you think? I’ve been with you all along, child. You just need to open your eyes and do the math.
And then the voice was gone.
“Do the math?” Gameknight said in a soft voice, confused.
“What?” Crafter asked.
“Ahh … nothing,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied. “Let’s just get to the surface.”
“Are you OK?” Hunter asked.
“No, I’m still terrified. I might have stranded all of us on this lifeless planet, but staying down here, hiding from myself, isn’t gonna help anyone.” He pulled out his own pickaxe and looked at his friends. “I’m helping Digger, because at least that’s one thing I can do that won’t get anyone killed.”
Gameknight999 smiled, then moved into the freshly carved passage that ascended upward. He moved to Digger’s side and started to dig.
CHAPTER 23
TRUPECH
The soil of Diona was soft, much softer than stone, but not so light that a shovel could be used. They dug quickly with their picks through the planet, filling their inventory with the pale blocks. When Digger grew tired, Herder took his place. When Gameknight’s arms felt heavy, Weaver stepped forward and took his turn. Each of them helped out, with the exception of the pechs and, of course, Tux. They were a family, and each helped the others whenever they could.
In a family, you are never alone. The words resonated in his head like a sacred chant. It filled him with hope and strength as he thought about those around him.
I must find a way off this planet, the User-that-is-not-a-user thought. I won’t believe this is the end.
When they reached the surface, Gameknight could see the remains of their camp in the distance. A wall of leaves still stood in a large square where he’d placed his oxygen collector. Who knew if it was still there; he wouldn’t put it past Entity303 to destroy it out of spite.
The wolves dashed across the red sands and inspected their base, howling loudly to let them know all was well. Digger lifted the still-unconscious new pech in his strong arms and ran across the surface of the planet, the rest of the party following. When they reached the camp, they found the oxygen-generation equipment still functioning, a stable bubble of air enveloping a large part of the landscape. Off to the side, a large crater marked the position where the launch pad and rocket had once stood. Pieces of the ship lay all around them.
Hunter and Weaver collected all the pieces while Digger placed the pech on the ground, leaning him up against a block of leaves. For the first time, Gameknight noticed this pech was different from the other two. He seemed ancient, with skin that was wrinkled and marked with age. His jaw stuck out just like with the other pechs, but this new one had only one tooth, the other likely lost to time.
Slowly, the gray-skinned gnome opened his eyes. Gameknight was shocked at their familiar color; they were a steely gray, like metal forged in the hottest of furnaces. They seemed old beyond the pech’s years, as if they had seen many lifetimes and held an ancient wisdom.
“Are you OK?” Crafter asked.
He reached out and pulled the glass helmet off the tiny creature’s head and set it aside. Sitting up, the pech glanced around at his new companions. When his eyes fell upon Empech and Forpech, the gnome smiled, his single tooth shining in the light of the Sirius sun.
“Brothers, we are well met,” the pech said, his words flowing from his mouth like a rapid stream of bullets. “I am Trupech. Diona has been my home for a long time. Now it is a wasteland.” A tiny square tear tumbled from his eye. “The enemy spent much time planning this attack. It seems he has been successful.”
No one said anything, they just looked to the ground, all except Gameknight999.
“I should have been able to stop him, but I couldn’t,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “Now we’re stuck here.”
“What is your name, child?” Trupech asked.
“I’m Gameknight999, and this is Crafter, Digger, Hunter, Stitcher, Weaver, and Herder.”
The wolves howled.
“And of course, those are Herder’s wolves out there, keeping us safe.”
“The two pechs are Empech and Forpech,” Gameknight said, pointing to the gnomes.
Squawk! Squawk!
“Oh, and last but not least, this is Tux.”
The penguin came forward and stared up at the pech. Trupech reached down and patted the little penguin on her soft head.
“Good to meet all of you,” the gnome said. “Why are we stuck here?”
“Entity303 destroyed our ship and took the plans to the tier-eight rocket,” Gameknight explained. “We have nothing.”
“Well, that’s not entirely correct,” the old pech replied.
“What do you mean?” Crafter asked.
“Your enemy, who is mine as well, has been preparing this for a long time,” Trupech explained, his words coming out staccato and fast. “I have been watching. I have been investigating.” Trupech stood up and peered into Gameknight’s eyes. “And I have been stealing.”
He reached into his inventory and began taking items out, dropping them on the Dionian sand: hull plating, nosecone, fins, canisters of fuel, and the critical piece: a huge rocket engine.
“I took all this from our enemy,” Trupech said. “It was one piece at a time. He tried to trap me, but never could. We should have all we need, right?”
“Not everything,” Gameknight said. He picked up the NASA workbench and placed it on the ground, its spindly arms sticking up into the air like the crooked legs of an overturned bug. “We still need the tier-eight rocket plans, so we can put all this together. I’m afraid that, without that piece of paper, we’re lost.”
The User-that-is-not-a-user sat on a block of leaves and looked down at all the components as they hovered just off the ground, rising and falling ever so slightly. The pech moved to his side and glared down at Gameknight.
“So quick to give up?” Trupech said. “Disappointing, I thought you’d be different.”
“What?” the User-that-is-not-a-user growled, his anger rising.
But before he could speak another word, Trupech pulled out a piece of paper and held it before Gameknight’s eyes. Intricate drawings of rocket components were scrawled on both sides, and an “8” was printed on one corner. Trupech’s single tooth slowly emerged from behind his lips as the gnome gave him a strange, satisfied smile.
Gameknight reached out, grabbed the plans, and held them up over his head, jumping up and down. Tux waddled next to him and jumped up and down as well, squawking. The wolves, hearing the ruckus, started to howl, filling the alien landscape with their proud song.
“It’s time we got to work!” the User-that-is-not-a-user exclaimed as the puzzle pieces tumbled about in his head.
“But Gameknight, I thought there were more planets out there in the farther reaches of space,” Crafter said. “We have to pick the right one, or miss Entity303 completely. How will you choose?”
The User-that-is-not-a-user glanced at his fr
iend, the turned and faced the pechs. They sat huddled together, the three of them talking quietly.
“Forpech, you and Empech both agreed that Entity303 wanted to get to the furthest reaches of the Minecraft, to the edge of the Far Lands.”
“Hmmm … yes, that is where the fabric of Minecraft is the thinnest.”
“But wouldn’t the fabric of the universe be the most fragile where all the life is congregated?” Gameknight asked.
“Yes, yes,” Empech said, “Life and creativity draw heavily on Minecraft. Where there are many living things, and a rich, creative world, the fabric of Minecraft will be quite fragile.”
“Entity303 has gone out of his way to destroy all the life in this solar system, except for one planet,” Gameknight said.
“What do you mean?” Crafter asked. “There is still life here on this planet.”
“No, not here, but I remember one planet in the Sirius solar system that was teeming with life. It’s not the farthest planet, but it’s close to the edge. I bet Entity303 is gonna attack that planet and start the tear in the fabric of Minecraft there.”
“If that planet has all the remaining life in this solar system, then … hmmm … the rip will go from there straight to …” Forpech paused to consider his words.
“What is it you aren’t saying?” Hunter asked.
“Well,” the little gnome continued, his deep voice sounding scratched and aged. “If the rip starts on a planet with life, it will go to the next planet with life still on it.”
“And there’s only one planet left with living creatures other than monsters,” Gameknight said.
“The Overworld,” Crafter said slowly as he realized what that might mean.
“Exactly.” Gameknight started to pace back and forth. “But now we have an advantage.”
“How do you figure?” Hunter asked.
“Entity303 thinks we’re stranded here, but we aren’t, thanks to Trupech.” Gameknight stopped and turned toward Hunter. “He won’t be expecting us on the next planet. That will give us the element of surprise.”
“That might be true, but it will only work if we do one thing,” Hunter added.
“And what’s that?” Digger asked.
“We need to get off this rock!”
Squawk! Tux added.
“OK, I’ll get started on the new ship,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.
“But first,” Digger said, “tell us where we’re going. What’s the name of the planet that will be the home of the Last Battle for Minecraft?”
Gameknight looked at each of them. He could see the hope and courage burning bright in their eyes. They were a family and none of them were ever going to be alone, even him. That knowledge brought a sense of peace and determination to the User-that-is-not-a-user. There was no way he was going to let Entity303 hurt anyone in his family.
“The planet,” Gameknight999 said in a loud, clear voice, “is called Fronos. Now hand me those rocket designs. I have a space ship to build.”
CHAPTER 24
FRONOS
Entity303 removed his space helmet and oxygen and put them into his inventory; the air on Fronos was breathable, though it always smelled of strawberries and candy. That was likely because of the small pinkish clouds scattered across the sky. He knew they were strawberry clouds, though he never could figure out their purpose.
Off to the left, his supply crate settled to the ground next to a fluorescent yellow bush. He walked to the crate and took out the rocket and launch pad, then stuffed them into his bulging inventory. He didn’t really plan on leaving this planet via rocket, but he felt it best to have the supplies with him anyway.
When he eventually started the chain reaction, it would be unstoppable and would decimate this planet. A rocket into space would not save anyone from the tear through the universe he was going to cause; it would destroy everything. So his escape from the destruction would not be to another part of Minecraft, but out of the doomed servers forever and back to the physical world. He’d just give the EXIT command to the Digitizer, and the miraculous invention would transport him back into his body.
At the thought of all the destruction he was going to cause, Entity303 smiled evilly.
“We’ll see what those Minecraft programmers have to say after I destroy their prized creation.”
Glancing around at his surroundings, he was disgusted by all the colors. He was standing in a bright yellow field, with golden blades of grass swaying in the usual east-to-west breeze. Clumps of colorful flowers dotted the landscape, their flamboyant petals like candies on scoops of lemon sherbet.
Yet stranger still were the creatures: a large, square thing that resembled a blueberry approached on two short legs, the berry’s stem acting as the nose, and its pair of small, white eyes stared up at Entity303, a complete absence of fear on the being’s innocent face.
Foolish creature.
Entity303 gave it a kick, sending it tumbling across the ground. A group of slimes approached. Entity303 drew his sword and moved slowly away from them. They were not normal-looking monsters; instead of a green, translucent outer shell and a darker green face at the center, these slimes were solid purple and blue and red. Moving closer, Entity303 detected an aroma that reminded him of … jelly.
“Jelly slimes?” he said to no one. “Those are slimes … made of jelly? This place is ridiculous.”
He moved closer to the purple one, then struck it with his glowing, infused-sword. The monster screeched but made no attempt to fight back. It wasn’t hostile like a normal slime; the creature was just a huge bouncing cube of jelly. Entity303 hit it again and again, causing the monster to flash red as it took damage. It divided into smaller cubes, each of which he attacked, causing them to divide again. Finally, he destroyed the last of the slimes, making them vanish, leaving behind three glowing balls of XP and some clumps of grape jam.
“This is the strangest place I’ve ever seen, but it will serve my plans perfectly. All of this life and these interesting creations will amplify the tear in Minecraft’s fabric … it will be unstoppable.”
Fronos was not the most distant planet in the Sirius solar system, but it was the center of creativity in the Minecraft universe. The developers must have thought themselves to be pretty clever, hiding this world as a tier-seven planet. Most users chose to head for the tier-eight planet, overlooking Fronos, but not Entity303. He checked everything to find just the right spot for his virus to do the most damage. On Fronos, with all these new biomes, creative animals, glowing plants, and sparkling clouds, the fabric of Minecraft was stretched the tightest … which meant it would rip apart the easiest here.
Moving away from the remaining jelly slimes, the user sprinted to the top of a hill and surveyed his surroundings. To the left was a forest of purple oak trees, bright green grass covering the ground. Next to the oak forest, there stood what seemed like a jungle of some kind. But instead of your typical jungle wood trees, this biome boasted tall coconut trees, with large green fronds sprouting out of the tops of the trees like leafy fireworks. Large brown coconuts sat nestled amidst the large leaves.
Next to that sat another grassland biome, but the grass there, instead of being golden yellow, was a fluorescent green. A village was just barely visible in the distance, the peaked roofs sticking up from behind rolling hills. More of the strange-looking animals, walking strawberries, and short, waddling things that resembled flattened rabbits moved through the verdant grass, all of them ignorant of the danger nearby. Large green creatures that resembled half of a watermelon bounced near the village, their red faces standing out against their green outer skin.
All of this seemed bizarre, but none of these biomes were his target. What he needed was the true center of creativity at the edge of the Far Lands: the Candy Land biome. That was where he’d left something critical to his plans … the Eldritch shrine. Likely, that evil structure had already brought some dangerous creatures into these lands. The thought made Entity303 smile.
Once he awakened the Eye, that portal would bring forth more monsters of destruction. They would devour these creatures, but not before his Tainted virus started to tear through Minecraft.
The evil user smiled.
“I hope you have a good seat to watch all this destruction, Gameknight999,” Entity303 said to the colorful landscape. “The end of Minecraft is coming fast, and with you being stuck on Diona, there’s no one to stop me.”
He laughed a maniacal laugh, then picked a random direction and shot into the air, his jetpack lifting him high into the strawberry cloud-filled sky, in search of Candy Land.
CHAPTER 25
LANDING
As Gameknight descended through the clouds, he was shocked at the landscape below him. It was as if a colorful quilt had been pulled across the world, leaving huge swatches of yellow and green and pink and blue and purple interlocking with each other in the most complicated jigsaw puzzle ever seen. Tux, held tightly in his arms, squawked excitedly as she looked down at the planet’s surface. As the ground neared, trees of every color became visible in many of the biomes, with vibrant grasslands of bright green and golden yellow lining the edges of the forests.
Slowly, they settled to the ground, landing in the most amazing forest he’d ever seen. The grass covering the ground was a bright pink, with tall stalks of the fluorescent grass sparkling with some kind of magical enchantment contained within. The trees themselves appeared to be oaks, but the leaves were a deep red, the same color as the cherry candies Gameknight’s mom liked so much. None of the trees showed any of the normal, forest-green leaves that would be expected in the leafy canopy; only the rich crimson topping was visible.
In the distance, the pink grass gave way to rich chocolate brown, then eventually faded to a sharp cerulean blue, the red caps to the trees stretching throughout; it was so spectacular, Gameknight thought he might not be able to turn away.
Mission to the Moon Page 14
