The Wither Invasion

by Mark Cheverton

  “Hold your fire!” a voice shouted.

  Watcher’s keen eyes scanned the dark forest, looking for the source of the sound. Then he saw it: a group of villagers racing across the battlefield, at times leaping into the air, as if jumping over some obstacle.

  “It’s us. We’re coming in,” one of the villagers shouted.

  Watcher recognized the voice; it was Blaster. As he approached, the boy pulled off his black leather cap, revealing his head bobbing up and down as he sprinted through the darkness. A step or two behind ran Fencer, always at his side, as usual. Several other villagers ran with the pair; they had likely just finished setting the TNT traps.

  With a giggle, Blaster smiled and waved at his friends. “This is the biggest TNT contraption I’ve ever made.” The young boy was almost giddy. “I can’t wait to see what it does.”

  “You need to calm down and concentrate.” Fencer moved next to him and put a hand on his back, trying to quiet him down a little. Some of the other NPCs standing behind the fortified wall laughed, causing Blaster to turn away, embarrassed, but he didn’t move away from her as quickly as he could … interesting, Watcher thought.

  Spreading the last bit of redstone dust on the ground, Blaster ran the crimson trail up to the edge of the barricade, then pulled out a redstone torch and stood there, waiting. Fencer jumped onto a block of dirt and climbed over the wall, then pulled out her bow and stood atop the fortification, a look of grim determination on her square face.

  “I hope Watcher was right about the monsters,” Cutter said from atop the wall to Blaster, his booming voice easy to hear. “He said the monsters would attack from the east. If they come from anywhere else, we’re in trouble.”

  Blaster glanced up at the hulking warrior as he paced back and forth on the wall. “Don’t worry. He knows what he’s doing.” Then, lowering his voice, he said, “I hope.”

  “Well, if he’s wrong, then we’ll have to—”

  Suddenly, a foul, putrid odor floated across the landscape, coming to the NPCs from the east. Everyone instantly recognized the smell.

  “Zombies,” Cutter hissed. “I guess Watcher was right.” The big NPC glanced toward the Tower, the top of which was barely above ground level. He nodded, knowing the invisible wizard would see him. Reaching into his inventory, Cutter pulled out his diamond sword. “Everyone, get your bows ready.”

  The NPCs along the walls and on the archer towers notched arrows to their bows, then waited patiently for the monster to come within range. Already, snarls and growls floated out of the dark forest, though the sparkling stars overhead did little to illuminate the soon-to-be battlefield.

  And then the villagers saw them: dark shapes moving through the forest, barely visible to the NPCs on the walls. Watcher was about to shout a warning when a rocket shot into the air.

  “That’s the first trip wire.” Blaster shifted excitedly from foot to foot. “Now comes the second and third trip wires.”

  “What happens with those?” Fencer asked.

  Blaster smiled. “Absolutely nothing, just a harmless click.”

  “Why did you do that?”

  “The monsters will think the trip wires are just there to scare them.” Blaster giggled. “They’ll get overconfident and careless, and that’ll be a mistake.”

  The monsters growled, their feet shuffling through the long blades of grass. A click sounded in the distance, followed by another as the two trip wires were triggered. The snarls grew louder as the crunch of the monsters’ footsteps grew nearer.

  Blaster just grinned.

  Suddenly, an explosion rocked the forest as a huge ball of fire billowed into the air, followed by branches, blocks of dirt, and flailing monster bodies. The mob shouted in fury, then continued forward; now they were charging. As they charged, another trap detonated, tearing into the monster formation without mercy. Blocks of TNT ignited to the left and right of the attackers’ group, driving them into a tighter formation.

  Blaster glanced up at Cutter. “Make some noise.”

  “Everyone, yell,” Cutter said, then shouted as loud as he could.

  The other villagers screamed and yelled, each of them taunting the monsters, making their enemies that much angrier.

  “Light the torches,” Blaster shouted.

  NPCs pulled torches from their inventories and placed them along the ramparts. Instantly, they came to life, flames dancing at the end of each. They cast a flickering circle of light upon the fortified walls and defenders.

  “COME AND GET US!” Cutter screamed. He banged his sword against his iron chest plate, other NPCs doing the same.

  This enraged their attackers, causing them to surge toward their enemies. The lead monsters stepped on pressure plates hidden in the darkness, and more explosives detonated, these at the rear of the mob, driving them forward.

  “Blaster, set off the rest of the TNT,” Fencer begged. “I’m nervous.”

  “Not yet.”

  The monsters could now easily see the villagers. They roared furiously, their voices filled with rage. Charging as fast as they could, the mob advanced on the NPCs, knowing the defenders were completely outnumbered.

  “Blaster … do it!” Fencer looked scared, as did the other NPCs.

  “Not yet.” He smiled at her, then shouted to the other NPCs. “Hold your fire. Don’t shoot any arrows … yet.”

  The monster group was now close enough that the villagers could tell it was a collection of spiders, zombies, skeletons, and slimes, all of them the standard creatures of the night. Krael was doing what Watcher had expected: holding the warped and distorted monsters for the second wave.

  “I think maybe it’s time for some fun,” Blaster shouted. He held the redstone torch high over his head, then placed it onto the ground, a wide grin on his face.

  The redstone dust on the ground instantly grew bright, its intense red signal running through the thick, grass-covered surface. Repeaters amplified the signal strength as the redstone dust split into multiple strands.

  “Almost there.” Blaster sounded like an expectant father, waiting for his child to be born.

  Now, redstone ladders on the sides of the trees lit up, sending the signal into the treetops.

  “They’re getting closer,” someone shouted.

  “Almost there,” Blaster said, his voice filled with excitement.

  “But the monsters are only twenty blocks away. We need—”

  A series of explosions suddenly punctuated the night as Blaster’s final trap became alive. Blocks of TNT blossomed into existence, enveloping the monsters within their fiery grasp, and low-hanging tree branches burst into life as the explosive cubes hidden within their leaves detonated. Blast after blast echoed across the landscape as Blaster’s masterpiece unfolded, wreaking havoc amongst the monstrous horde. The monsters were hammered from the left and right, then above. Having nowhere safe to run, they just stopped and allowed the fiery jaws of Blaster’s TNT creation to devour them.

  In seconds, it was over. A few monsters lay on the ground, stunned and confused, but most had disappeared completely, leaving behind glowing balls of XP that littered the cratered landscape.

  “Archers … attack!” Cutter yelled, and a wave of pointed shafts leapt into the air, falling upon the surviving monsters. Many tried to get to their feet and run, but they didn’t stand a chance. The creatures screamed in fear and pain, but before they could retreat, a second volley of arrows silenced the terrified voices and cleared the battlefield of the few remaining monsters.

  The battle was a complete success … for now.

  The villagers cheered, many banging their weapons against their shields and chest plates. As they celebrated, more growls percolated through the forest, but these sounded different. They were meaner and louder, with a clear thirst for revenge in each terrible voice.

  “More monsters coming.” Cutter turned to Blaster. “Any more TNT traps out there?”

  The young boy shook his head. “Those monsters
triggered them all.”

  How many are there? Planter thought, the words resounding in the other wizards’ minds.

  Watcher peered into the darkness. The moon was peeking up from the eastern horizon, casting its silvery light onto the landscape and illuminating much of their surroundings.

  I see maybe a hundred of them, Watcher thought. They’re still the normal monsters from the Far Lands.

  “There’s maybe a hundred of them, all regular monsters.” Planter glanced at Cutter. “None of the distorted creatures yet.”

  “A hundred …” Cutter shook his head in disbelief. “It really doesn’t matter what kind they are. We can’t stop that many.”

  “We will.” Planter’s words had steel in them, silencing Cutter’s doubt. She glanced up at Watcher, though the young wizard atop the Tower was still invisible. Watcher could see the fear in Planter’s eyes; she knew what was coming.

  Wait until they’re right on top of you, then use Tharus’s Answer. It was Mirthrandos, her words echoing both in Watcher’s and Planter’s brains.

  Planter shook her head, her eyes pleading with Watcher to stay his hand.

  There must be another way, Planter thought. More destruction can’t be the answer. Maybe we can—

  Suddenly, the monstrous horde bellowed its fury all at once, the snarling monsters clearly in a murderous rage. Moving as one, the terrible creatures charged through the blasted remains of the dark forest, the moonlight making their sharp claws and fangs easy to see. A terrified silence spread across the defenders; each of them terrified this would be one of their last moments in Minecraft.

  “There’s too many,” someone said. “How can we stand against that horde?”

  “Stick to the plan,” Cutter growled.

  “But there are so many of them. What if it doesn’t work?”

  Cutter just glared at the NPC, silencing her complaints.

  Watcher wanted to be down there at Planter’s side, but he knew his place was on the tower; he was the last line of defense, but he knew if he used the Answer, Planter would likely never speak to him again.

  Gritting his teeth, he just stood there and watched as the horde descended upon his friends.

  The monsters charged across the pockmarked battlefield, their angry faces clearly visible in the moonlight. Snarling and growling with demonic rage, the monsters filled the forest with sounds of unbridled fury. Many of the NPCs shook with fear.

  “Archers, get ready.” Cutter held his sword high over his head.

  The monsters likely saw the NPCs and their razor-sharp arrows, but they didn’t slow. They just continued their charge, every monstrous eye filled with rage.

  “FIRE!”

  The sparkling faces of the stars were momentarily obscured as a wave of arrows streaked through the sky, each pointed shaft seeking monster flesh. The monsters glanced up at the descending arrows and quickened their pace, but it didn’t help; the arrows fell upon the monsters, piercing their HP. Howls of pain filled the air, but their shouts of agony were mixed with even louder growls of rage as the monsters stared at their enemy and charged even faster.

  The archers fired arrow after arrow, but they were barely slowing the mob’s advance. Mirthrandos fired her tiny magic missiles at the approaching horde while the iron and obsidian golems charged at the monsters. A wave of silver composed of metal wolves and mechite riders shot out from the sides of the barricade and darted through the monster formation, the animals’ jaws snapping at the monsters’ legs while the mechites’ sharp knives slashed at their bodies. Even though they were doing a lot of damage, the monsters ignored them and continued their charge; it seemed nothing was going to stop the mob.

  “Our wall won’t be enough to stop those monsters.” Blaster glanced at Cutter as he drew his two enchanted curved swords. “Part of the horde will hit the center of the wall while the rest run to the edges and go around.” He glanced at Fencer, his eyes filled with worry. “We can’t hold this position.”

  “We can.” Cutter’s voice was filled with finality, as if just saying it would make it true. “We stick to the plan.”

  “Our plan didn’t include a second attack as big as this.” Blaster glared at the approaching monsters, the hum of bowstrings sounding like a hive of bees around him. “We need to do something.”

  The full stench of the monsters had now reached the valiant defenders; it was terrible, making many of them gag. The swish of the creatures’ clawed feet through the long grass sounded like a crashing ocean wave, easily audible over the pounding of their feet; they were getting close.

  “What do we do?” Blaster looked up at Cutter, fear in his eyes.

  Cutter glanced at the NPCs atop the wall and those perched in the archer towers. They were continuing to shoot their arrows. Monsters were falling to the ground, but not enough of them. In seconds, the horde would be on top of them. They wouldn’t last long.

  Cutter turned to Planter, a look of desperation in his steel-gray eyes. “We need you.”

  Planter sighed and lowered her gaze to the ground. Slowly, she put away her bow and pulled out the bright-red shield, its edges glowing with iridescent magic.

  “Everyone, pull out your shields,” Cutter shouted, his booming voice startling Planter and almost causing her to stumble off the cobblestone wall. The big warrior moved next to her. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you.”

  The young wizard just grunted, her head still downcast.

  More NPCs climbed atop the cobblestone wall and moved close together, while the archers in the towers kept firing at the nearest monsters. They were still getting closer.

  “We have to hurry!” someone shouted.

  “What if this doesn’t work?” asked another.

  “It’ll work,” Cutter bellowed. “Just be quiet and do as you’re told.” The big warrior spoke softly into Planter’s ear. “They’re ready. We have to do this now, before it’s too late.”

  Planter sighed and nodded. Pulling up her shield, she held it before her, the three dark skulls staring out at the approaching mob. Gathering her magic, she poured it into the shield, and instantly, the glowing rectangle reached for Planter’s mind, trying to draw her consciousness out of her body. She moaned, then spoke, her weak voice barely a whisper. “Touch them together.”

  “What?” someone asked.

  “Move together and touch your shields to the ones on your right and left. Make a wall of shields.” Cutter’s voice crashed against the landscape, startling both villager and monster alike. The horde slowed its advance slightly, unsure what was happening.

  The NPCs moved closer together, pressing the edge of their shields against those of the villagers next to them. Finally, they were all touching. Planter breathed a sigh of relief as her shield stopped pulling on her mind and instead reached out to each shield.

  A small part of Sotaria is in each shield, Mirthrandos thought in awe. After all these years, she’s coming together.

  Suddenly, the voice of the great shield maker, Sotaria, filled Planter’s mind, and all of the shields flared bright, creating a wall of purple flames. The monsters skidded to a stop for a moment, afraid of the magic before them.

  Use the key, my great-great-great grandchild. Sotaria’s voice was soothing, like a lullaby, easing everyone’s fears for a moment.

  The monsters, seeing nothing happening, charged ahead, kicking aside wolves and mechites, some even attacking the stout golems’ legs. One of the obsidian golems fell, disappearing amidst a storm of claws and fangs.

  The monsters were only twenty blocks away.

  Use the key, child, before it’s too late, the ancient wizard Sotaria said, her words resonating in all of the wizards’ minds.

  But I don’t want to kill. I don’t want to be like … him.

  Watcher knew she meant him. He sighed.

  A shield does not cut. A shield does not pierce. Sotaria’s voice lost its soothing tone and became serious. A shield stops those who wish to do you harm. Her voice gre
w louder now, as if the ancient wizard were looming over the battlefield. Use the power in the shields and stop those who would hurt your comrades. Do it, before it’s too late … use the key!

  Planter glanced over her shoulder at Watcher, an expression of profound sadness on her beautiful face. She nodded, then gritted her teeth.

  The monster army was close now … too close. Watcher could even hear individual growls and snarls. He wanted to be down there at Planter’s side, but he knew his place was here, directing the next act in this terrible play.

  Planter reached into her inventory and pulled out the key she’d taken from her childhood home, then pressed it into the slot on the back of her shield. Instantly, Planter and the other shields grew brighter and brighter. The NPCs looked at her, afraid, and some moved away, but Cutter’s voice boomed loud across the battlefield, keeping them in place.

  “Stand your ground and trust Planter,” the big warrior called to his left and right. “Her magic will protect us, but only if we stand with her, so stay where you are, keep the shields together, and have faith!”

  The NPCs, despite looking terrified, stayed put, keeping their shields touching, forming a long, red wall.

  “Do it now,” Watcher whispered. The monsters were nearly at the wall; the stink of decaying flesh was strong in the air. “Come on, Planter, you can do it.”

  Planter grew brighter, the iridescent light coming from her body turning night into day. Suddenly, she screamed, her magic amplifying her voice and causing the battle cry to resonate in the minds of everyone on the battlefield. Iridescent shafts of pure energy shot out from each shield, streaking across the charred battlefield almost too quickly to see. The magic struck the monsters, the purple light enveloping each one like a lavender serpent, squeezing the monsters tight in their sparking coils. With expressions of surprise and shock on their horrific faces, the creatures stopped their charge and just stood there for a moment. Then all of them just fell to the ground.