Gameknight999 vs. Herobrine

by Mark Cheverton

  Gameknight gave him a smile.

  “We need to move Herobrine’s XP somewhere else,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.

  This sparked a flurry of comments. The NPCs started talking all at once, some of them shouting at Gameknight, some of them shouting at each other. Gameknight let them vent, hoping it would purge their emotions a bit, then drew his enchanted diamond sword and slammed the hilt down on a nearby cobblestone block. It sounded like a clap of thunder and reverberated through the fortified wall. Everyone was silent, all eyes on the User-that-is-not-a-user.

  “All we need to do is decide where we can hide this ender chest so no one will find it,” Gameknight said.

  “We can bury it in the mines under the village,” one NPC suggested.

  “That won’t work; we’d still hear the whining sound,” another replied.

  “How about taking it to Olympus Mons?” offered another.

  “What is Olympus Mons?” Monkeypants asked.

  “It’s the largest mountain in Minecraft,” Crafter answered.

  “We could bury it under the mountain,” Stitcher said.

  “No, there are villages nearby, and they might hear the whining,” Hunter pointed out.

  Gameknight smiled. The villagers were now focused on the problem and ignoring Herobrine’s evil influences.

  “What about the Ocean Monument?” Stitcher suggested. “We could let the Elder Guardian protect it for us.”

  “But we were able to defeat the Elder Guardian, and if we could do it, then someone else could as well,” Hunter replied.

  Stitcher scowled.

  “But, that was a good idea, Stitcher,” the older sister added.

  Stitcher smiled.

  “I know where we can put it, and no one will be able to reach it,” Crafter said.

  Everyone went quiet and turned their blocky heads toward the young NPC. Gameknight could see his friend’s blue eyes were filled with fear and doubt.

  “Well . . . are you going to share with the rest of us?” Hunter prodded.

  “The Abyss,” Crafter said, his voice almost a whisper.

  All of the NPCs’ eyes grew wide with fear at the sound of that name.

  “What is The Abyss?” Gameknight999 asked.

  Digger stepped forward, reluctantly, after realizing that if he didn’t explain, no one would. “The Abyss is in the Great Northern Desert. It is the location of a terrible battle during the Great Zombie Invasion. Hundreds of NPCs died so that we could be victorious against the monsters,” he explained. “They’d laid a trap, surrounding the massive army and using TNT to blow a hole into the ground beneath them. Legend says that the NPCs kept throwing lit cubes of TNT into the hole, digging it deeper and deeper until they reached bedrock. The monsters that didn’t die from the explosions were trapped in that incredibly deep hole and perished there. After the battle, that hole, deeper than any that’s ever been dug in Minecraft, came to be known as The Abyss. All NPC children learn about that battle and the great sacrifices that were made to stop that zombie army.”

  “The same NPCs led by Smithy of the Two Swords?” Gameknight asked.

  “Yes,” Crafter answered. “In fact, he received his name just before that battle, while stopping the monster army from invading the villages to the south. He rallied the troops to fight harder and pushed the zombies all the way to The Abyss, where they were destroyed. He probably saved Minecraft that day.”

  “I hear Smithy was killed before the battle at The Abyss,” one NPC said.

  “That’s just a myth!” another replied.

  The two started arguing, causing Gameknight to raise his hands for silence.

  “So, you’re thinking we throw the ender chest into The Abyss?” Monkeypants asked.

  “Yes,” Crafter replied.

  “No,” Hunter interjected.

  All heads swiveled to her.

  “Throwing it in will not be enough,” she said. “We’ll throw it in and then cover it with lava and water so that there is an obsidian covering that will be impossible to dig through. If we fill the hole with obsidian, there won’t be enough diamonds in all of Minecraft to make enough pickaxes to dig through all the obsidian and get to the chest.”

  “Perfect!” Crafter added.

  “You see what we can accomplish when we work together?” Gameknight pointed out, smiling at all the NPCs before him. “Now, we need supplies: horses, food, weapons . . .”

  “And, of course, TNT,” Crafter added. “Remember what Great-Uncle Weaver said.”

  Gameknight nodded.

  Monkeypants looked at his son, confused.

  “‘Many problems with monsters can be solved with a little creativity and a lot of TNT,’” the User-that-is-not-a-user recited.

  Crafter smiled.

  CHAPTER 6

  DRAWING ALL THE STRINGS TOGETHER

  Feyd materialized at the edge of zombie-town, just inside the massive cavern. Instantly, his ears were filled with the sounds of activity. The decaying green monsters were scurrying about, as fast as their zombie shuffle would allow. All of them were busy, doing or carrying something as though preparing for something big.

  On the far side of the cave, Feyd could see monsters streaming out of a dark tunnel that descended downward into the depths of Minecraft. He knew this tunnel led to their portal room, where magical doorways made quick travel possible between other zombie-towns as well as other server planes.

  He felt like a puppet master, collecting his puppets.

  He already had the spiders within his control; Shaivalak was far too young to challenge his leadership. Next he needed to collect the foolish zombies, and then finally he would focus on the skeletons. Once he had a firm grip on these three armies, he would truly be ready to take on Gameknight999 once and for all.

  Gathering his teleportation powers, the king of the endermen disappeared, reappearing on the obsidian platform that sat in the middle of the cave. Around him, he saw zombies moving here and there, all of them seemingly oblivious to his presence. But then, someone started banging a sword on a piece of armor. It was the zombies’ form of an alarm; he’d been spotted.

  Almost instantaneously, zombies closed in on him, their claws extended, sparkling in the light of the many emerald green HP fountains that ringed the gathering area. Drawing on his teleportation powers, Feyd readied a jump to a new location, his fists clenched. A mist of purple particles formed around the enderman, making it difficult to see the approaching monsters. But it didn’t matter. Feyd could move at the speed of thought, and these dimwitted monsters were too slow and stupid to be of any real threat to him.

  “What’s going on here?” shouted a booming voice from the edge of the crowd.

  Feyd watched as Xa-Tul emerged out of the jumble of ramshackle buildings that populated the cavern floor. The enderman always forgot what a terrifying sight this particular zombie was. He was a head taller than any other zombie and twice as strong. He wore a coat of chainmail that clinked and jingled as he pushed his way through the crowd of monsters.

  The massive creature stormed toward the obsidian platform, his eyes glowing red with anger. As he shoved aside his minions, the monster reached down and drew his massive golden broadsword. The weapon dwarfed the puny ones held by the zombie horde. It was nearly as tall as an NPC, and its razor-sharp edge glittered in the sparkling green light of the HP fountains.

  “Endermen are not welcome here,” Xa-Tul bellowed. “Xa-Tul did not invite the king of the endermen here, and Xa-Tul did not give permission to appear amongst the zombies. This time, Feyd will be punished.”

  “Would you be quiet and listen for a change?” the king of the endermen snapped.

  The zombies around the platform gasped, shocked that Feyd was being so disrespectful to such a powerful zombie. The enderman smiled.

  “I have news from the Maker,” the dark creature said.

  Xa-Tul stopped in his tracks and glared up at the tall creature.

  “Tell,” barked the
zombie.

  “Herobrine, in his brilliance, has given us a new spider queen, Shaivalak,” Feyd explained. “We now have an army of spiders, and with it, an advantage over the NPCs. We will be able to strike at the villagers and destroy them, but only if we act quickly. The NPCs are over-confident from their victory and will be totally caught by surprise.”

  “Feyd knows nothing,” Xa-Tul scoffed. “The zombies will attack the village now and destroy it.”

  “Not yet, you fool!” snapped Feyd.

  The zombies gasped again.

  Xa-Tul growled at the king of the endermen, then raised his sword and took a step forward.

  “Calm down and listen to my plan,” Feyd explained. “We have underestimated the User-that-is-not-a-user too many times, and have paid the price for our overconfidence.”

  The zombies all nodded their decaying heads.

  “This time, the endermen, zombies, and skeletons will attack the village, bringing all the NPCs to the front defenses,” Feyd explained. “Then, the—”

  “That’s easy to say,” Xa-Tul interrupted. “But endermen can’t attack again. Herobrine’s modification of the endermen computer code disappeared when the Maker was killed. The cowardly endermen can join the battle only after one has been attacked, like it used to be. And while you wimpy endermen are standing around on the sidelines, the zombies will take the brunt of the battle damage.”

  “But this time we have the spiders,” Feyd said. “We will attack from one side of the village while the spiders sneak up from the back. They will climb over the walls and attack the villagers from behind. Then we will attack the gates of the village and break in. But we must move quickly and enlist the help of the skeletons, or we will miss the element of surprise.”

  “What the king of the endermen does not know is that the NPCs are completely disorganized,” Xa-Tul said in a deep, growling voice. “A company of twenty zombies almost made it into the village. The damage from Herobrine’s attack when the Maker was in dragon form is still visible. The walls have not been repaired, and the NPCs lack the ability to work together. They are completely disorganized. The attack must happen now!”

  “No, we still need the bows of the skeletons,” Feyd said.

  Xa-Tul considered the enderman’s words, and then sheathed his sword.

  “Go, retrieve the skeletons and bring them here to zombie-town, but Xa-Tul grows impatient. The Maker’s song calls to all zombies.”

  Xa-Tul closed his eyes, and Feyd could tell that the zombie king could hear the high-pitched whine that had also been filling the enderman’s mind. The wonderful sound gave all the monsters in the cave hope. Soon, their Maker would be set free.

  The king of the zombies opened his eyes and glared up at Feyd.

  “Be quick, enderman,” Xa-Tul said. “But be warned, the zombies will not wait long.”

  Feyd nodded his head, then disappeared. At the speed of thought, he materialized in a new gathering chamber, this one at the center of a skeleton-town. Nearby, the king of the skeletons, Reaper, paced back and forth nervously across the empty room, his back to the enderman. Since the destruction of the Maker, the skeleton king had been afraid for his subjects, expecting a massive attack from the NPCs at any minute.

  What a fool, Feyd thought. The NPCs will not attack. They are too relieved to be finished battling the Herobrine Dragon. All they want to do is go back to their pathetic, boring lives.

  Suddenly, the skeleton king spun around and glared at Feyd. The clattering of bone against bone echoed around the room as more skeletons streamed into the chamber, bows drawn, arrows pointed at him. Glancing at Reaper, the king of the endermen grew angry, his eyes glowing white with fury.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Feyd demanded.

  “That was to be my question, enderman,” Reaper said. “You come here uninvited, to my skeleton-town and into my gathering chamber, as if you own the place. This is my domain and I am in command here.”

  The monster’s cold, lifeless eyes focused on Feyd. More skeletons moved into the gathering chamber, their steel-tipped arrows pointed at him. Carefully, he gathered his teleportation powers and readied himself to teleport to safety.

  “Many of my subjects were lost in the Last Battle,” Reaper said. “Forgive us if we are more cautious than usual. What is it you want, Feyd?”

  “To rescue the Maker and bring him back to life.”

  “I am not a fool, like the idiotic zombies,” Reaper said. “We were unable to take that village with the Maker in dragon form. What makes you think we could successfully attack the villagers now?” Reaper moved closer to the enderman, adjusting his crown of bone atop his pale white head. “Will you sacrifice more of my skeletons while the endermen just stand back and watch? Oh, that’s right—that’s how every battle works with endermen.”

  “This time, the spiders will fight at our side,” Feyd said.

  “What?”

  Feyd nodded his dark head. “The Maker has given us a new spider queen, and she will lead the spiders against our enemies.”

  Reaper stopped pacing and considered this news. Feyd knew the king of the skeletons was not as simpleminded as Xa-Tul. As he looked down at the bony leader, the enderman knew he would realize the difference the spiders would make in the upcoming battle.

  “The zombie king tells me the NPCs have not repaired their defenses yet,” Feyd explained.

  Reaper turned to the king of the endermen, a look of shock on his face.

  “Xa-Tul says the NPCs cannot fight together as they have in the past,” Feyd continued. “They fight selfishly, instead of as a cohesive fighting force. They are disorganized and unprepared for a large attack. The time to strike is now!”

  Reaper looked down at the endermen king, then glanced across the gathering chamber at his own troops. Skeletons streamed out of the underground portal room from the other skeleton-towns. Some of the monsters even came from other servers, wanting to join in the fight to avenge Herobrine. Occasionally, spider jockeys could be seen emerging from the tunnel, the pale skeletons riding on the backs of giant spiders.

  Reaper then looked back toward Feyd.

  “If we wait, my forces will all be replenished, then we can attack the village,” the king of the skeletons explained.

  “Yes, we will need your skeletons, all of them,” the king of the endermen said. “With a full army of skeletons and all the zombies, we will be unstoppable. But they must do as I command. Only under my leadership can we defeat the User-that-is-not-a-user and free the Maker.”

  “Under your command?!” Reaper exclaimed, his eyes filling with agitation.

  The skeletons stopped and stared at the enderman in shock. Feyd could hear the creaking of wood as they drew back their arrows and aimed. Gathering his teleportation power, the king of the endermen disappeared and then materialized right behind Reaper, a mist of purple particles following in his wake.

  “The NPCs are completely disorganized,” Feyd whispered into the skeleton king’s ear, or at least where the ear would have been if he had one. “They are helpless and can be overcome if we strike quickly. Can you not hear Herobrine’s song?”

  The king of the skeletons looked over his shoulder at the enderman, then closed his eyes and listened. A bony smile came across his pale face.

  “The Maker is telling us to attack now and free his XP, so that he can once again roam the surface of Minecraft,” Feyd said, his screechy voice echoing off the stone walls of the chamber. “When his XP occupies a new body, Herobrine will take his vengeance on the villagers of the Overworld. He will scour Minecraft and cleanse the NPC infestation.” He then raised his voice to a shout. “The monsters of the Overworld will rule Minecraft, as the Maker promised us so long ago!”

  The skeletons shook with excitement, the rattling sounding like a million castanets.

  “Very well,” Reaper said. “The skeletons will help you. What is your plan?”

  “My endermen will transport your skeletons to zombie-town
when they have all arrived,” Feyd explained. “Then we will . . .”

  The enderman trailed off in mid-sentence and looked up at the ceiling.

  “We will . . . what?” Reaper asked.

  Feyd raised a hand to silence the skeleton as he listened to the Maker’s song.

  “He’s moving,” Feyd said softly, more to himself, then raised his voice again. “The User-that-is-not-a-user is moving the Maker’s XP. He is getting farther away. Gameknight999 must be doing something, planning some sort of trick by moving the Maker somewhere more secure. We must not underestimate him.”

  “We must attack!” Reaper said.

  “No, have patience,” Feyd replied. “We will watch for now and see where they are going. With my endermen and their teleportation powers, they cannot get away from us. Gather your forces and be ready. The time to move will be soon, so you must be prepared. When my endermen arrive, you will order your warriors to go with them.”

  Reaper nodded his head.

  “The Era of the Monsters draws near,” Feyd said. “Soon, we will release Herobrine and watch as he takes his revenge on Gameknight999.”

  The enderman released a bone-chilling laugh, his eyes glowing bright white, before disappearing in a purple mist.

  CHAPTER 7

  BAKER

  They moved on foot, passing quietly through the dark forest like ghostly shadows, running from tree to tree to remain unseen in case any monsters lurked nearby. Gameknight would rather have been mounted, but the horses could not stand the whining sound coming from the ender chest and were uncontrollable. With the dark box out in the open, the shrill sound coming from it was even louder than in the village, and it grated on everyone’s patience.

  “Gameknight, what did the witch, Morgana, give you when we left the village?” Hunter asked, hoping to distract everyone from the terrible sound.

  “Some potions of healing in case we need them,” Gameknight answered. “She also gave me some potions of weakness to use against the monsters.”

  “Do they work on monsters?” Monkeypants asked.

  “I don’t know. Why are you asking me?” Gameknight snapped, but then smiled apologetically to his father. “Sorry.”