The Wither Invasion

by Mark Cheverton

  Running to the left flank, Watcher kept firing, his health dropping dangerously low. Suddenly, a bottle shattered against his back, a soothing liquid soaking through his armor. He drew back the string and fired again, aiming at a distant spider. The glittering shaft went through four spiders before it hit its mark, destroying them all. Watcher smiled, then glanced over his shoulder.

  “You okay?” Mapper held another healing potion ready in his hand.

  Watcher nodded, then glanced around, looking for Blaster. He spotted the boy and motioned for him to come near. “There are too many monsters approaching from the valley. I’m sure Krael and his withers will open fire soon, too. We have to retreat while we have only one army to fight.”

  “Got it, what do you—” Blaster stopped to slash at a large spider-zombie, blocking its curved claws with one blade while he attacked with the other. After three swings of his sword, the monster disappeared. “Sorry … what do you need me to do?”

  Glancing at the villagers around him, Watcher smiled. “You think you could plant some surprises to cover our retreat?”

  Now it was Blaster’s turn to smile. Before Watcher could say a word, the young boy took off running. “Fencer, Builder, Mapper, come with me, NOW!”

  Watcher pulled a healing potion out of his inventory and drank, then ran toward Cutter. He pushed his way through NPC defenders until he reached the big warrior’s side. Then, shoving the Bow into his inventory, he pulled out Needle and slashed at a huge zombie. The magical blade bounced off the monster’s long claws, the zombie snarling with hatred in its eyes. Before it could attack, Cutter brought his diamond sword down upon the creature, erasing it from Minecraft.

  “Cutter, we need to hold out a little longer. Blaster needs—” Watcher ducked under a zombie’s attack, then struck it with Needle. The glittering blade tore through the monster’s leather armor and sank into its rotten flesh. Before it could back away, Watcher hit the terrible creature again, taking the last of its HP.

  “What were you saying?” Cutter kicked at a skeleton, breaking its ribs, then destroyed it with a quick jab of his diamond blade.

  “I was saying, we need to hold out a little longer. Blaster is preparing something to cover our retreat.”

  “Retreat?! We just got here, and it’s just getting fun!” Cutter gave Watcher a vicious grin, his eyes filled with a lust for battle.

  “There are lots more monsters coming through that valley up ahead. We’ll never be able to hold this position. We must—” Watcher stopped and pulled a shield out with his left hand just in time to block the iron axe swung by some kind of gigantic misshapen skeleton thing.

  An NPC to Watcher’s left stuck the dark skeleton with an iron sword. The creature made a sickening crunch as the blade’s keen edge snapped its ashen bones. Before Watcher could finish off the monster, it turned toward the villager and attacked, enraged. The monster’s axe shattered the NPC’s armor, then tore into his HP. Shouting, the villager tried to protect himself, but it was too late. The dark skeleton attacked a second time, too fast for Watcher to help, taking the last of the doomed NPC’s HP. Screaming in terror and agony, the villager disappeared, his armor and weapons clattering to the hard stone ground.

  “NO!” Watcher charged at the monster, smashing into it with his shield.

  The huge skeleton attacked again, striking the shield, but this time, Watcher anticipated the attack and shoved the shield into its weapon. The head of the axe cut through the shield and protruded through the back, getting stuck. The shadowy monster tried to yank the axe free, but it wouldn’t budge, just as Watcher hoped. Pulling back on the shield, the young wizard yanked the weapon from the creature’s bony grasp. The skeleton glared at Watcher with rage burning in its lifeless eyes and extended a gnarled, bony hand toward Watcher’s throat. But it never reached its goal. Needle moved through the air like a bolt of enchanted steel lightning, carving through the monster’s bones and destroying its HP. The monster disappeared from sight.

  Growls from more monsters filled the air as reinforcements charged through the valley, adding to the horde’s numbers. Some of the creatures pushed toward the edges of the NPC battle line, trying to break through. Watcher spotted Mirthrandos at one end of the battle lines. She swung her crooked wooden staff like an experienced warrior. A pair of iron golems stood at her side, their shining metal fists sending attackers high into the air.

  If they get behind us, we’re goners, Watcher thought.

  Push hard, a high-pitched voice said.

  “Needle, is that you?” Watcher asked in a low voice.

  A vindicator suddenly charged straight at Watcher, its dark brown vest and silver buttons covered with dirt and grime. Swinging its enchanted axe, it aimed straight for the young wizard’s head. Raising Needle, Watcher blocked the attack as he allowed his magic to build, causing his body to glow brighter and brighter. He then drove the magic into Needle and brought it down upon the monster. Raising its enchanted axe, the vindicator tried to block, but the magic pulsing through Needle was too powerful. The enchanted blade shattered the axe, then destroyed the monster as well.

  Push hard, the enchanted weapon said again.

  “What are you saying?” Watcher was confused. “Dalgaroth, what do you mean?”

  Push hard against the monsters. The ancient wizard’s throughts sounded nervous, as usual, his high pitched voice screechy in the back of Watcher’s mind. After the push, pull back. It will confuse the monsters for a moment, giving you a chance to disengage.

  Got it, Watcher thought.

  Drawing on his magic, Watcher took a huge breath and shouted as loud as he could, his magic amplifying his voice. “EVERYONE, PUSH FORWARD AND ATTACK!”

  With the Flail of Regrets in his left hand, and Needle still in his right, he charged toward the monsters. The NPCs, seeing his advance, cheered and charged as well. They pushed hard against the wall of claws and fangs, fighting with renewed ferocity. Unsure of what was happening, the monsters backed up, expressions of fear on their scarred and terrible faces.

  “BLASTER, I HOPE YOU’RE READY!” Watcher shouted, then gathered his magic again. “EVERYONE RETREAT, NOW!”

  As one, the NPCs turned and ran from the attacking mob, none of them waiting to see how the monsters would respond.

  “HEAD FOR THE NORTH SIDE OF THE VILLAGE!” Watcher’s voice filled the air like thunder.

  The NPCs sprinted between the buildings, heading for the opposite side of the community. As they ran, Watcher spotted blocks of TNT in the ground, with thin lines of redstone dust extending from each. He smiled.

  “Hurry … run!” Planter shouted.

  Watcher spotted her up ahead with Blaster and Fencer. The women and children were already fleeing into the next steep valley, each terrified of the destructive wave of monsters about to crash down upon them. Behind them, Watcher and the soldiers made it to the valley and stopped, setting up defenses. They placed blocks of stone across the valley opening, creating a hastily built wall that would slow the monsters and allow their archers to whittle down their numbers. Watcher moved into the valley, leaving the builders to finish the fortified wall while he scanned the steep hills, looking for any spidery sneak attack.

  Suddenly, the TNT behind them exploded, enveloping the charging monsters in their fiery grasp. The world shook as more blocks detonated, tearing a huge crater in the ground. Monsters shouted in surprise and pain as their HP was blasted away, slowing their pursuit.

  Then, another explosion rocked the landscape, but this one sounded different, and instead of an aroma of gunpowder, this blast was accompanied by the smell of death. The ground heaved up as another explosion crashed down, knocking most of the NPCs off their feet. A nearby building burst into flames, the walls and roof completely engulfed.

  “That wasn’t TNT,” Watcher said to Planter as he stood.

  She shook her head and was about to speak when a malicious laugh filled the air.

  “You think you can escape my forces
, fool?” a voice screeched from somewhere overhead.

  Watcher glanced up at the night sky. Sparkling stars decorated the heavens as if it were a king’s cloak. Watcher stared at them as he stood, stunned for a moment by their glittering beauty, but as he gazed upward, the stars disappeared, blotted out, as if a dark tide of some sort were spreading across the sky.

  “Withers,” the young wizard gasped.

  A purple glow enveloped one of the shadowy creatures. Watcher knew that was his enemy, Krael. With lightning speed, he pulled out the Fossil Bow of Destruction.

  This is your chance to destroy Krael. Dalgaroth’s voice filled his head, the wizard’s perpetual nervousness driven away by the opportunity.

  Taking a deep breath, Watcher pulled back on the string, holding the image of Krael within his mind and allowing the Bow to use it to aim. Pain blasted through his body, making his arm shake. Watcher gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the agony. Closing his eyes, he slowly released his breath and let go of the string. The glittering arrow leapt off the bow and streaked straight toward the purple glow.

  “It’s gonna hit him.” Watcher’s voice was barely a whisper. “This could be the end of the war. It could mean—”

  Suddenly, a flaming skull shot out of the shadows and struck the magical arrow, causing both to explode in the sky, turning night to day. Watcher gasped when the light illuminated the hundreds of withers floating around their king, all of their eyes fixed on the villagers.

  Watcher stuffed the Bow back into his inventory, then turned and glanced at the NPCs. “Everyone, RUN!”

  The NPCs saw the terrible sight overhead, too, and needed little encouragement; they ran into the valley, ignoring the snarls and growls coming from the approaching horde of monsters on the ground.

  “Leave the barricade and run,” Watcher shouted. “We can’t fight the monsters on the ground and in the air. Run for your lives, everyone!”

  An explosion shook the ground as a flaming skull detonated behind him, tearing their fortified wall apart as if it were paper.

  The NPCs sprinted through the canyon, their eyes peeking skyward, looking out for the next attack. Ahead, Watcher spotted Planter and bolted to her side.

  “What are we gonna do?” she asked. “As soon as the withers fly over these hills and get overhead … we’re dead.”

  “Watcher, you gotta think of something.” Winger had her enchanted bow in her hand, firing random shots up into the air, hoping to hit something. “What do we do?”

  Watcher stared into her bright blue eyes; they were filled with panic, just like his own.

  Baltheron, Dalgaroth, Taerian, help me. Watcher pleaded to the wizards trapped within his weapons, but they said nothing … it was hopeless. He knew a few arrows would never bring down the withers or stop them from attacking.

  They had lost. A tear tried to free itself from his eye, but the young wizard choked back his emotions, refusing to let the tiny cube of moisture free.

  With a sigh, Watcher glanced up at the sky as he ran, waiting for death to envelop them all.

  It was over.

  Watcher sprinted through the valley with Planter at his side, their magical glow painting the ground and rocky walls with an iridescent hue. A flaming skull shot over one of the peaks lining the trail, slamming into the rocky wall on the other side. Blocks of gravel fell down the steep sides of the valley, filling the path with debris, a cloud of dust choking the air.

  “Keep running!” Watcher shouted.

  “No.” Planter’s voice was soft … and sad. She stopped running and turned to face the approaching monsters.

  Watcher skidded to a stop. “Planter, what are you doing?!”

  “What I must.” She glanced at her friend, an expression of fear and grief covering her beautiful square face. “If the shield takes my mind, just remember me as I was when we were kids, not what I’ve become.”

  “What are you talking about? We need to run!”

  He grabbed the back of her glittering deep-blue armor, the red sparks drifting up from the chest plate and helmet looking like tiny embers floating up from a magical fire. He pulled her backward, expecting her to resist, but she just walked backward with him, calmly, as if the storm of death about to crash down upon them didn’t actually exist.

  As she shuffled backward, Planter pulled out her magical shield and held it over her head. Her body grew brighter and brighter until it was impossible to look at her. Watcher turned away as he kept pulling her through the narrow passage, the rest of the NPCs now far up the trail ahead of them.

  “Look, my two favorite people waiting for me … how nice!” Krael floated over the hills lining the valley. “I just wish the old hag was here, too … oh, well. You better say goodbye to each other while you have the chance.”

  Watcher pulled out Needle and pointed at the wither, who glared down at them, the Crowns on his three skulls glowing bright. Krael was about to attack when Planter’s shield exploded with magical power, a sheet of purple flames covering the duo.

  “Help me keep going backward,” Planter whispered. “We need to protect the others.”

  A trio of flaming skulls smashed against the enchanted shield, but the lavender flames over their heads kept burning bright.

  “Can you run?” Watcher asked.

  Planter nodded, then turned, keeping the bright shield over her head, its edges blazing with power.

  They took off sprinting through the valley as Krael fired at them.

  “Destroy the wizards!” Krael screamed.

  More withers floated up over the steep hills and added their flaming skulls to the attack, but Planter’s shield of flames kept them safe. They followed the trail, going around a bend and suddenly stopping—the NPCs stood waiting in formation, each with a bow in their hands, pointed skyward. As soon as the withers turned the corner, the air was filled with pointed shafts. The projectiles hit many of the withers, doing some damage, but not enough. All it did was distract and slow the flying mob.

  Blaster ran to Watcher’s side, his black leather armor making him hard to see in the darkness. “There’s a cave up ahead—maybe it’ll give us some protection.”

  “How far is it?” Watcher asked.

  The boy sighed. “Far.”

  Nearby, Winger fired at a wither, the Flame enchantment on her bow igniting the shaft when it left the string. For a moment, Watcher thought it looked like a golden rocket.

  “Rockets … of course.” Watcher grabbed his sister. “Winger, do you have any fireworks?”

  She reached into her inventory and pulled out one of the red-and-white striped tubes. “This is the only one.”

  “That’ll be enough.” Watcher set it on the ground and pulled out the Wand of Cloning.

  A wave of flaming skulls crashed down upon them but stopped high in the air; Planter’s shield was covering the entire group of villagers. Many of the NPCs ducked in fear as parents wrapped their arms around their children.

  “Everyone, back up.” Waving the Wand over his head, Watcher allowed his magic to build. Pain filled his body, but the young wizard didn’t notice; his attention was completely focused on his task. He flicked the wand over and over again, duplicating the rockets. When the glow from the wand receded, he found stacks and stacks of rockets on the ground.

  “Everyone, grab some rockets.” Watcher grabbed a handful. “We’ll shoot them at the withers to cover our retreat.”

  “Will it work?” Blaster asked.

  “It better. We don’t have any other options, and Planter is getting tired.”

  More flaming skulls smashed into the shield of purple flames; the magical barrier was starting to flicker.

  “Hurry,” Planter moaned. “The shield is searching for something, and all it can find is my mind. It’s pulling me into its darkness.”

  “Everyone, follow Blaster and run for the cave.” Watcher’s voice, amplified by his magic, boomed off the steep walls of the valley. He turned to Planter. “It’s okay, you can lo
wer your shield.”

  Planter’s arm slumped to the side, the magical shield clattering to the ground. Watcher bent over and picked it up, then put an arm around her and ran, following the rest of the NPCs.

  “I see your pathetic shield failed,” Krael hissed. “Perfect. It’s time for your destruction. Withers … ready … aim …”

  “Fireworks, everyone, NOW!” Watcher set a rocket on the ground as he ran, then placed another and another.

  Countless villagers did the same, launching their rockets into the air. The tiny striped tubes flew up into the air and exploded in the faces of the withers, showering them with burning embers and temporarily blinding them with intense light. They screamed in pain and shock. Then, just when they thought the blasts were over, another wave of rockets streaked into the air, exploding in their dark faces again, forcing many of the creatures to move behind the peaks of the extreme hills to avoid being hit.

  Mixed in with the fireworks were Mirthrandos’s magic missiles. The old woman stood in the center of the pass, her body ablaze with magical energy; it was an awesome sight! She pointed her staff at the dark terrors, then extended it. Blazing streaks of power streamed from its end. They shot into the dark sky, guided by her magic. When they struck the withers, the ribbons of magical energy wrapped around the withers like shimmering snakes; the monsters flashed red, taking damage, which drove even more of them away.

  “There’s the cave!” Planter pointed up ahead.

  Most of the villagers were already inside, moving deeper into the dark passage to make room for the rest of the ragtag army. Watcher ran as fast as he’d ever run, Planter’s feet pounding the hard ground next to him. He placed down rockets on the ground as he sprinted, hoping the tiny missiles would keep the terrible monsters back.

  A golem ahead of him suddenly stopped, then turned and walked toward the withers, its mighty iron arms held in the air, trying to grab one of the nearest creatures. The withers just laughed and bombarded the metal giant, allowing the rest of the army to bolt into the dark cave, Watcher and Planter arriving last.