“OK, go,” Gameknight said.
“What’s happening?” Hunter asked, confusion on her square face.
Monkeypants moved away from the group, then stood perfectly still. All eyes were on him. Suddenly, he was enveloped by a bright sphere of white light that pushed back the orange glow from the great lava ocean, illuminating the Nether. Then, as quickly as it had arrived, it vanished, and the monkey was gone too.
“Ahh, I see the Gateway of Light still works,” Herobrine said. “Well, that makes things even more interesting. I’m going to enjoy punishing those in the physical world for my years of imprisonment in these servers. Come, Gameknight999, it’s time for your punishment to begin.”
The User-that-is-not-a-user turned and faced his friends.
“Now would be a good time to drink that fire resistance potion,” Gameknight said. He pulled out his own bottle and quickly drank the contents of the bottle. Instantly, small orange spirals formed around his body, and a faint auburn glow enveloped him.
“How are we going to battle all those blazes?” Digger asked, his voice edged with fear. “We won’t even be able to get close enough to use our swords on them.”
“Digger is right,” Crafter added. “The monsters of the Overworld can just watch while the creatures of the Nether cover us with fireballs, and when the potion wears off, we’re done for.” The young NPC sighed, then looked down at the ground, defeated. “We don’t stand a chance.”
Gameknight reached out and gently lifted his friend’s chin so they were looking directly at each other. Crafter’s normally bright-blue eyes were dull with fear, his face showing the sadness and terror that filled his soul. But instead of echoing the same emotions, Gameknight gave the young NPC a wry, mischievous grin.
“You have something in mind?” Crafter asked, his eyes brightening a bit.
“What’s your plan?” Hunter asked, curious.
“Something dangerous and stupid,” Gameknight replied.
“I knew it!” she exclaimed as she drank her own potion with enthusiasm.
“Don’t do anything until I tell you,” Gameknight said to his friends in a low voice, almost a whisper. “Put your weapons away and wait for my signal.”
“What’s the signal?” Digger asked.
“I have the feeling we’ll know it when we see it,” Stitcher said.
Gameknight looked at his young friend and smiled, then turned and faced Herobrine.
“You think that pitiful potion will protect you from me?” Herobrine asked, sneering.
Gameknight held his iron sword forward so Herobrine could see it, then placed it in his inventory.
“What are you doing?” Herobrine asked, confounded.
Gameknight then did the same with his diamond sword.
“What are you doing!” the evil NPC shouted.
With no weapons in his hands, the User-that-is-not-a-user stared at Herobrine and smiled, then charged straight toward him.
CHAPTER 21
GAMEKNIGHT’S SURPRISE
Gameknight knew Herobrine would go for a killing blow, swinging his stone sword at his enemy’s head. So, when the sharp blade came near, Gameknight ducked and rolled across the ground, allowing the weapon to pass far overhead. Completing the roll, he sprang to his feet and continued to sprint. He shot past Herobrine without looking back and charged into the center of the blaze army.
Flames erupted around him, the fire obscuring his vision for a moment, but it did not matter; he knew exactly what he had to do. Shoving the creatures aside, Gameknight999 cleared a space on the ground. Bending over, he pulled out brown cubes of soul-sand and placed three of them in a line. He then added a fourth block at the midpoint, forming a stubby “T” on the ground. Reaching quickly into his inventory, Gameknight withdrew one of the dark wither skulls. He placed it quickly on one of the three in-line blocks. Drawing another, he placed the second skull next to the first. He then withdrew the third skull. When it touched the soul-sand, the structure instantly transformed into the most dreaded of creatures in Minecraft: a wither.
The dark creature looked like its distant cousins, the wither skeletons. It had the same exposed, charred black bones and ribs curving out from a jagged spine. But unlike the skeletons, the wither had no legs. Instead, it floated in the air on the stubby protrusion of its spine. Three heads swiveled about on the broad shoulders, each head tracking a different target, ready for battle. It sparkled with a blue light as dark spirals whirled around it, gathering strength.
Quickly, Gameknight turned and ran away, for he knew what would happen as soon as a wither spawned and reached full strength. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the monster flash blue—it was almost time.
Gameknight sprinted past Herobrine, who was dumbfounded and looking back at the creature Gameknight had created. The User-that-is-not-a-user didn’t even bother to watch, but his enemy was transfixed on the wither, waiting to see what would happen.
And then the wither exploded, tearing a gash into the surface of the Nether and damaging the blazes nearby. In response, the creatures of flame launched their fireballs at the dark, three-headed monster.
Breathing hard, Gameknight skidded to a stop next to Hunter.
“They really shouldn’t have fired on the wither,” Gameknight said, a satisfied smile on his face. “But I had a feeling they would.”
Hunter drew back an arrow and aimed at the monster.
“No!” he said as he put a hand on the bow and forced it to the ground. “Stand perfectly still and do nothing.” Gameknight looked at Hunter and smiled. “Just watch. I think you’re going to enjoy this.”
Fireballs streaked from the blazes and struck the wither, but did little damage. In response, the wither fired back. Blue flaming skulls streaked through the air, firing from each of the wither’s heads. The skulls smashed into the nearest blaze, causing it to flash multiple times. The barrage of skulls continued, slamming into the blazes as they continued to attack this new creature. Seeking safety, the wither slowly rose up into the air, but the blazes moved with it, also rising upward. Quickly, the battle became an aerial assault, glowing projectiles streaking through the smoky air, all of the blazes pursuing the three-headed monsters. But for all the fireballs that were striking the wither, its own flaming skulls were wreaking havoc amongst the blazes. Golden blaze rods fell from the sky as the dark monster tore through the flaming blaze army with vicious efficiency.
All of the blazes, with the exception of the blaze king, Charybdis, were now high in the air, far from Gameknight and his friends; half of the monster army had effectively been removed from the fight.
“What happens when one side wins?” Digger asked.
“We get the honor of fighting the victor,” Gameknight explained quietly. “So it would be best if we were gone when that happens.”
“You aren’t going anywhere!” Herobrine shouted, his voice filled with rage. “I’ve toyed with you and your annoying friends for too long. You think this little distraction of yours changes anything?”
Herobrine turned and found his monster generals amongst the creatures from the Overworld. Pointing at them with his sword, he screamed at the top of his lungs.
“DESTROY THESE FOOLS, BUT LEAVE GAMEKNIGHT999 FOR ME!”
The monsters all growled as one, then charged straight for the User-that-is-not-a-user and his companions.
“I hope there’s more to your plan, Gameknight,” Hunter said as she fired at the massive wave of monsters about to crash down upon them.
CHAPTER 22
MUCH NEEDED HELP
M onet, NOW! Gameknight thought into the chat.
But nothing happened. The User-that-is-not-a-user stared at the approaching wall of fangs and claws, and as more seconds passed and nothing changed, a sense of dread formed in his stomach.
Anytime . . . He sent through the chat again.
Still nothing.
The monsters were getting closer, the moaning of the zombies now vicious growls. The spi
ders clicked their mandibles together excitedly. Gameknight drew both his swords, gripping them firmly.
“Is this part of your plan?” Hunter asked. “I don’t want to be too critical, but so far, I see some room for improvement.”
Her bow buzzed as she fired on the approaching monsters. Stitcher did the same. Fortunately, the land around them was flat, making it impossible for the skeletons in the rear to fire on them without hitting the zombies at the front of the monsters’ formation.
Suddenly, a wooshing sound filled the air as two users materialized before them. First, Monet113 arrived, her long blue hair spilling out from under an iron helmet. Then Shawny appeared, his skin looking like a pale yellow dog of some kind—maybe a corgi? The two users nodded to Gameknight and his friends, then moved apart, sending out another signal through the chat. Instantly, fifty to sixty users teleported in, appearing all around Gameknight and his companions, weapons at the ready. Even though they were outnumbered, the users charged at the monstrous tide, iron blades clashing with razor-sharp claws.
Monet113 moved to his side and flashed him a bright smile.
“Sorry I was late,” she said. “I was opening a water bottle and wasn’t paying attention.”
“Well, next time we’re about to be annihilated by a massive army of monsters, maybe you can wait until after the battle for a sip of water,” Gameknight suggested with a grin.
She pulled out her enchanted bow and moved to Stitcher.
Gameknight looked at the NPCs. They looked confused. Technically, they weren’t supposed to use their hands or talk when users were around, but as his friends glanced nervously at the approaching monster horde, then looked gratefully toward the users, he could tell they really didn’t care what the rules were. They were all glad that the users were on their side.
Digger was the first to move. Pulling out his two pick axes, he drew in a huge breath and screamed out a battle cry. “FOR MINECRAFT!” echoed throughout the chamber.
Charging forward, the stocky NPC carved a path of destruction through the monster formation as his picks tore into zombies and spiders, shattering skeleton bones with every swing. Monkeypants drew his iron sword and moved to Digger’s side, protecting his flank as his weapon slashed into monster flesh.
Looking across the sea of legendary users, Gameknight was surprised to see the famous server architect, Quadbamber, battling at the front line, his diamond sword swinging in great lethal arcs. The gray-striped user charged into the front rank of zombies, slashing at the monsters with surgical precision. Next to him was Honey-Don’t, the dwarf wielding his axe like a scalpel. They pushed back the front line of monsters a little, causing zombies to move away from the duo, seeking easier paths to get to Gameknight999, but there were none to be found.
“Gameknight, look out!” screamed a user.
Turning around, Gameknight brought his sword up just in time to block the sharp claw of a spider. A group of the black fuzzy creatures had split off from the main force, attacking from behind. Slashing at the monster, Gameknight drove the beast backward, but another spider closed in on him from the side. The eight-legged monsters fought ferociously, looking to distinguish themselves in front of their Maker. A third spider closed in on Gameknight’s left. The User-that-is-not-a-user tried to move to the side so that the monsters were behind each other, like he had with the wither skeletons, but there just wasn’t enough room to pull off the move; the users were all bunched together.
Suddenly, his two friends, Impafra and Kuwagata498, moved up to join him. Their swords rang out as they clashed with the spiders’ wicked curved claws. Impafra landed a critical hit, causing a spider to disappear, but two more took its place, causing him to take a step back. Kuwagata stepped forward, but more spiders were approaching. One of the fuzzy creatures was trying to get to Impafra’s side, the sharp claws reaching out for his armor, but before the monster could get to him, two other users, Bigbacca27 and Farmerknight, silenced the giant spider. They closed in on each other, then fought back to back, their swords creating a deadly, razor-sharp storm.
In the middle of the user formation, Gameknight could see one user placing blocks of cobblestone under them, gradually moving higher up into the air. Her name glowed bright over her head: Snoopiegirl11. She drew her bow and fired down upon the monsters at the front of their formation. Stitcher, seeing what she did, followed suit. Placing her own blocks, she built a column right near Snoopie’s, merging them together at the top, forming a wide platform. With blocks placed along the perimeter of the small stand, Stitcher stood at Snoopie’s side and fired down upon the monsters, ducking behind the stone block as skeletons sent arrows back to her position. Together, the two girls shot as fast as they could, creating a lethal, steel-tipped rain that drenched the monsters, causing them to flash red.
A spider ran over the tops of the users as if it were crowd surfing at a concert, taking damage as it scurried over their shining metal helmets, but was able to make it to Stitcher’s archer tower. It started to climb the pillar of stone, but Phaser_98 leapt up and attacked it with a vengeance, hitting the monster multiple times before it could gain purchase on the platform. The spider disappeared with a pop! leaving a tangled net of spider silk over the user’s helmet. King _Creepkiller moved to his side and cleared the web away, then turned and charged back into the fray.
Suddenly, a wave of arrows fell down upon the defenders, many of the users flashing red with damage. To the left, Gameknight could see a group of skeletons had moved from the main force, taking to a small hill of nether quartz. Their white, bony bodies seemed to blend in with the white crystals trapped within the reddish blocks, making them difficult to see. But there was no mistaking the arrows that erupted from the hilltop and fell down upon the users.
Someone had to go up there and eliminate those archers, or the users were in trouble. Before he could say anything, two users, Wormican and Shawny, led a group of warriors up the hill. While the warriors fired on the skeletons, drawing their fire, the two users charged forward into the skeletons’ midst. Putting away their swords, Gameknight watched as they both pulled out buckets of lava and poured it on the ground. Running away before getting burned, the users retreated as the molten stone covered the hilltop and destroyed all the skeletons.
“Push forward!” Gameknight yelled.
The users cheered, eager to comply, and moved the monsters back with the ferocity of their fighting. Across the battlefield, the User-that-is-not-a-user could see the endermen king, Feyd, glaring at him, his own forces standing on the periphery, their dark forms motionless, hoping to get hit by a stray arrow. The endermen would not fight unless attacked first, but the army they faced was an experienced collection of users, and they all knew to keep their blades and arrows far from those dark nightmares. As a result, the endermen were effectively removed from the battle.
Standing next to Feyd was Xa-Tul and Reaper. The skeleton king was using his longbow made of bone to fire down upon the users, but Gameknight could see the shots were hitting as many zombies as they were users. The zombie king drew his golden broadsword and knocked the bow from the skeleton’s hands, growling at the bony monsters, saying something that Gameknight could not hear. The skeleton king glared at Xa-Tul, then picked up his bow and put it back into his inventory.
Surveying the battle, Gameknight could see the monsters did not understand how to fight together. Zombies and skeletons stood next to each other, fighting their own battles, not bothering to protect their neighbor when they could. In contrast, the users and NPCs were working together, effectively doubling how successful they were.
“I think we’re doing it!” Monet said as she appeared at Gameknight’s side, her enchanted bow casting an iridescent circle of bluish-purple light.
A spider charged at the brother-and-sister team. Before Gameknight could react, Monet fired three quick arrows, drawing the projectiles from her inventory in a fluid motion so quickly that her arm looked like a blur. The three shots all hit their ma
rks, causing the spider to disappear.
“Impressive,” Gameknight said, patting his sister on the shoulder.
“I’ve been practicing while you’ve been playing around down here,” she replied with a smile.
But suddenly, an explosion caused their ears to ring and they were enveloped in flames. Charybdis was speeding toward them, forming another fireball as he approached and throwing it right at Gameknight. This was troublesome—the potion of fire protection had worn off, and he was vulnerable. But as the fireball approached, Monet ran forward, throwing her body in front of the flaming sphere. It exploded on contact with her body, and she flashed red before disappearing, her items falling to the ground.
“NOOOOOO!” Gameknight screamed, but then remembered that she was just a user and not really in the game. She’d respawn and be fine.
Stepping forward, he allowed her items to flow into his own and smiled when he saw the stack of fluffy white balls fall into one of his inventory slots.
“I have destroyed the sister of the User-that-is-not-a-user!” Charybdis yelled, his dark eyes growing even darker with malicious glee.
Suddenly, Monet reappeared, wearing a new coat of iron armor and wielding a new sword.
“That’s what you think,” she said. “We figured there might be a few user causalities, so we’ve been stocking up on supplies. Now, when a user is destroyed, they respawn and gather new armor and weapons, then teleport back to the fight.”
Glancing across the battlefield, Gameknight saw users disappearing, then reappearing moments later with new health and weapons. The monsters were confused, not used to fighting against warriors who could respawn just as strong and powerful as they were before.
Monet was enveloped by a fireball again, flashing red as her armor took serious damage.
“I wonder how many sets of armor you have hidden away, coward,” Charybdis said as he launched another burning sphere of destruction at her.
Gameknight999 vs. Herobrine Page 14
