Planter moved next to Watcher, Needle in her right hand, the enchanted shield from the watchtower in her right. She looked at him, a fearful expression on her face.
“Don’t worry … it’s gonna be all right.” Watcher knew his face betrayed the lie.
One of the spiders scuttled forward and glared at the villagers, then screeched in a high-pitched voice. “Royal Guardssss … ATTACK!”
The spiders scurried across the stone floor, the claws at the end of each leg making a scratching sound as they went. They moved forward cautiously, trying to get close enough so the skeletons could release their deadly projectiles.
The bony monsters drew their arrows and notched them to their strings. They pulled back their shafts in unison, aiming at the invaders.
“Er-Lan … you ready?” Mapper asked.
The zombie gave off a soft moan.
“Mapper, what are you doing?” Watcher glanced at the old NPC.
“NOW!”
At the same instant, Mapper threw splash potions of healing at the monsters on one side while Er-Lan did the same on the other. The sparkling liquid coated the skeletons and instantly tore into their HP. Many of the bony creatures fell off their mounts, writhing on the ground in pain. Their emaciated bodies flashed red as the healing potion, normally helpful to living creatures, poisoned the undead skeletons.
They threw another volley, and another and another, spreading the glass vials all throughout the chamber. The skeletons screamed in pain, the monsters flashing red over and over, then disappearing with their health became exhausted.
“Mapper … what’s happening? I thought only zombies were hurt by the healing potion.” Watcher drew back an arrow and fired it at the closest skeleton still riding a spider.
“Skeletons are part of the undead, just like zombies.” The old man threw another bottle as Er-Lan launched one to the back of the horde.
The last of the skeletons finally perished, leaving a mass of angry spiders glaring at them with angry red eyes.
“Planter, protect Mapper and Er-Lan with your shield.” Watcher turned and fired an arrow at a spider climbing down one of the chests. “Everyone … ATTACK!”
Watcher charged forward, his bowstring singing. He fired three arrows into a spider before it even had a chance to move. Cutter, with his enchanted armor and diamond blade, crashed into the fuzzy monsters like a storm from the heavens. He slashed and kicked the monsters, tearing HP from the dark creatures. Watcher fired on the monsters that tried to attack his flank, his deadly missiles keeping the monsters from sneaking up from the rear.
Behind him, Blaster was jumping from spider to spider, leaping off their backs as he raked them with his curved blades. The monsters tried to reach up and slash at him with their wicked, curved claws, but the boy was just too fast.
Watcher glanced over his shoulder to check on Planter. She’d left Mapper and Er-Lan to join the fray. Needle flashed through the air like an enchanted bolt of lightning. She hit one spider after another, all the while blocking the monsters’ attack with her green shield. She was a force to be reckoned with, and the spiders knew it.
Watcher moved to Cutter’s side, his bow humming. He fired at spiders as they approached, his shafts making the monsters think twice before coming too close. Notching two arrows at a time, he fired them at monsters one or two blocks away. The monsters screeched in pain, then veered off, only to be caught by Cutter’s blade.
Loading three arrows into the bow, he fired them into monster after monster. The trio of projectiles silenced many of the monsters before they could get close enough for Cutter’s blade.
Charging into the spider horde, Cutter focused his rage on the largest beast. She was the spider who had signaled the attack, and likely their leader. The monster slashed at the big warrior with her claws. He blocked an advancing claw, but missed one from the other side. Her razor-sharp claw cut across his enchanted iron armor, leaving a deep gouge. Watcher moved forward and fired on the closest monsters. Meanwhile, some of them were trying to sneak up behind Cutter’s back, but Watcher wasn’t going to allow that.
Cutter glanced over his shoulder briefly, a look at worry on his face.
“Don’t worry … I got your back.” Watcher fired at another spider with a trio of arrows, driving the monster back. “Just take care of their leader.”
Blaster appeared at Watcher’s side, a huge grin on his square face. He kicked one spider away, then slashed at another with his twin, curved knives. Planter joined them on his other side, her blade tearing into fuzzy bodies. They drove the monsters back, allowing Cutter to face off against the leader.
“Come on, spider. Let’s finish this.” Cutter charged, swinging his blade with all his might.
At the same time, the spider jumped high, hoping to land on top of the warrior. As the huge monster soared through the air, Watcher put two arrows into her, making the massive creature flash red, taking damage. When the creature hit the ground, it was Cutter that was in the air. The NPC landed on the monsters back, swinging his blade faster than ever. The spider flashed red again and again until she finally disappeared with a pop, her HP exhausted.
Watcher turned to the other spiders and fired, the Infinity enchantment giving him endless arrows. The monsters, seeing that their leader had been destroyed, turned and fled amidst the hail of pointed shafts. They ran to the stacked chests and scurried up the wooden columns, disappearing into the darkness that hugged the ceiling, their bright red eyes peering down at them from the shadows.
“We did it!” Blaster exclaimed.
“Not yet,” Watcher warned and he checked to make sure everyone was okay. “We still have a wither king to deal with.”
“First, we need to take care of the gold.” Cutter stepped through the field of bones, some of them crunching under his boots. Moving into the next room, he found a huge pile of gold blocks, each crafted from nine gold ingots. “There must be a thousand blocks of gold in this pile.”
The flickering light from the torches danced across the reflective blocks, casting a yellow glow on the white walls and ceiling.
“We gotta get this done before the spiders bring back reinforcements.” Watcher turned and faced Blaster. “You have any ideas about how we can get rid of all this gold?”
Pulling a block of TNT from his inventory, the boy nodded and smiled. “I know exactly what to do, and all of you are gonna help me.”
Blaster quickly handed out the TNT and redstone dust, then sprinted into the chamber. The six companions crawled across the pile of gold, placing the TNT, then ran a line of the red powder down to the ground. In a few minutes, blocks of TNT covered the mound of precious metal, the redstone starting from each block and leading to the ground where they joined into a single line, repeaters distributed throughout.
When they were finished, Blaster ran throughout the chamber, checking their work. It had to be right or the gold would not be destroyed. Watcher and Cutter moved to the treasury entrance and watched for more spiders as Blaster finished his inspection.
“It looks good … everyone ready?” He took off his black leather cap and scratched his head. His curly black hair was matted to his scalp, tiny, square beads of sweat dripping down his face. “Everyone get back. When we set this off, I guarantee you the wither king will know we’re here … if he doesn’t already.”
The rest of the party moved into the next room, making sure they were far from the pile of gold. Blaster ran the redstone all the way out of the quartz chamber, then pulled out a redstone torch.
“This is my favorite part.” Blaster smiled, then placed the torch to the ground.
Instantly, the redstone powder grew bright, the signal flowing through the crimson lines. Where it hit a repeater, the dimming signal was amplified again, flowing away from the device stronger and brighter.
The blocks that lined the perimeter of the pile ignited first. This threw the next layer of already blinking cubes toward the center. They detonated, focusing the blast inw
ard, tearing into the pyramid of gold, just as Blaster had planned. More blocks flashed white, then exploded, tearing into the mass of gold. Finally the rest of the blocks erupted. The ground shook as the blast echoed off the walls, nearly deafening the companions, the force of the explosion knocking all but Cutter to the ground. A huge cloud of smoke filled the room as blocks of quartz flew in all directions.
Watcher coughed as he stood back up, his legs feeling shaky. A ringing filled his ears, but it slowly dissipated. He moved forward and stood at Blaster’s side in the entrance to the treasury. Where the huge pile of gold had stood, now there was only a crater, a handful of quartz blocks floating at the bottom.
Through the walls of the chamber, a shriek cut through the air like a knife through flesh. It was an enraged, bloodthirsty kind of wail, like a wounded animal. But they all knew what it was … Kaza, the King of the Withers. That monster knew what they’d done, and he was enraged.
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Planter rubbed her arms, trying to get rid of the goosebumps … it didn’t work.
“Kaza knows what has been done,” Er-Lan said.
“You think?” Blaster gave the zombie a smile.
“Yes, Er-Lan thinks.”
“Look, there’s a hidden passage.” Mapper pointed to the far side of the chamber. A dark passage led into the rock of the island, the steps clearly carved into the stone. “I can only think of one person that would want a secret entrance to the treasure.”
“Kaza,” Watcher said.
Mapper nodded his head. “I say we go up there and give that monster a little surprise.”
“The wither king is very dangerous … very dangerous.” The zombie glanced at his comrades. “Er-Lan does not want new friends to get hurt. All must run away.”
“We can’t do that.” Watcher stood next to the zombie and put a reassuring hand on his armored shoulder. “If we leave now, we can save our friends and family, but that monster up there will just capture more villagers and make them suffer. He’ll force more into slavery to mine his gold. We can’t let that monster awaken an army of withers … they’d be unstoppable.”
“What you’re talking about is incredibly dangerous,” Cutter said.
Watcher nodded his head. “We can’t just leave.” He glanced at Cutter and could see the strength and courage in the big warrior; it was something to be admired. He was jealous. “Sometimes, you have to just stand and fight, and all the thinking in the world won’t help.”
Now it was Cutter who was nodding.
“Then I think we need to get this done,” the big warrior said.
Just then, another screeching shriek resonated through the Capitol. The sound drove any newly gained courage deep into the recesses of his mind. Watcher shook slightly, then took a nervous swallow. Trying to stand tall, the young boy walked to the secret passage and started climbing the stone steps, knowing full well the most dangerous monster in Minecraft awaited them … and wanted revenge.
The stairway was as dark as a tomb. Watcher led the group, placing torches every six paces which spilled light onto the steps and walls but did not reach the ceiling. Glancing up, Watcher probed the darkness with his keen eyes. He could barely make out the top of the passage. It was likely twenty blocks high, if not more.
“Why would the builders of the Capitol want the ceiling to be that high?” Planter’s voice echoed off the cold stone walls.
“I don’t think this passage was built in the ancient times,” Watcher replied. “It doesn’t have that ageless feel to it. I think this passage was dug recently, maybe after the wither king took over.”
“We need to hurry.” Cutter’s voice boomed through the stairwell. “There don’t seem to be any holes, tripwires, or pressure plates on the steps, so start running.”
Watcher nodded, then sprinted up the stairway, continuing to place torches as he went. They moved in single-file, none of them speaking, the sound of their boots filling the air. Finally, the stairs ended at a set of iron doors, a huge space over the top of them left open.
“I think this is it,” Watcher whispered.
He moved to the pressure plates that sat before the doors, looking for any hidden dispensers or trap doors. It all seemed innocuous. Watcher glanced at his companions and nodded.
“We go in fast. Planter, you go with me to the right, Blaster and Cutter to the left.” He notched an arrow to his bowstring. “Mapper and Er-Lan, it’s probably best you two stay back. If we don’t survive, then try to find the mines and help the prisoners to escape the island.”
Mapper nodded, but Er-Lan had a sad expression on his scarred face.
“Er-Lan can help.” The zombie stood a little taller. “Er-Lan will help.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt, and I don’t think your claws will help in this battle.” Watcher placed a hand in the center of his chest plate, as if he were feeling his heart. “I know you are brave, but you need not die to prove it. Just stay here and be safe.”
A pained look spread across the zombie’s green face.
Watcher felt guilty, as if he’d just done something to hurt the little monster, but he knew this was not the time for Er-Lan to prove his courage.
“Everyone ready?” He waited for a nod from everyone. “Then here we go.”
Watcher stepped on the pressure plate. Instantly, the door swung open, revealing a huge chamber with a ceiling at least thirty blocks above them. He dashed into the room, scanning the chamber for the dark monster. Torches lit the walls, revealing bookshelves that lined the wall. High overhead, wooden rafters crisscrossed each other, the beams stretching from one wall the next. They were at various levels, extending all the way to the ceiling. It looked like a crazy parkour course.
“I see I have visitors.” The voice boomed throughout the building, coming from somewhere high overhead. “Perhaps I should introduce myself before I destroy you all.” A scratchy laugh floated down, but it seemed different from the first voice. “I am Kaza, King of the Withers, and you are trespassing, the punishment for this transgression is, of course, death.”
“This is the Capitol and … and it belongs to all NPCs.” Watcher tried to keep his voice strong and confident, but it cracked with fear.
“Ha ha ha … the boy is already afraid,” the monster said. “He hasn’t even seen us yet.”
“Wait until we are face-to-face,” a different voice, more lyrical, added. “Then you will know real fear.”
Watcher glanced at his companions, and gestured for them to hide in the shadow of a large bookcase.
“Then come down and show yourself, unless you are afraid.” Watcher put his bow back into his inventory. “I’ve put away my little bow and arrow. You have nothing to fear. I am just here to talk.”
“Talk … I like talking,” the scratchy, violent voice said.
A shadowy figure slowly descended from high overhead. It drifted around the rafters, moving silently through the air. Dark ribs stuck out from a long, curving spine, the bones blackened as if charred. It reminded Watcher of the wither skeletons he’d seen once in the Nether, but this creature was bigger … much bigger. As it neared, the monster’s three heads became visible, the center one wearing a golden crown with tiny black skulls embedded in the rim.
Each head glared at Watcher, their pale eyes emanating such vile hatred, it almost hurt to return their gaze.
“I can only assume it was you that destroyed my gold,” the center head said, his voice booming throughout the chamber.
Watcher nodded and tried to smile … but he was too afraid.
The head on the left laughed, but Center cast him a warning glance, then turned his attention back to Watcher.
“You have delayed our plans,” Center said, “and that makes us very angry.”
“Very angry!” Left added.
“Left, be quiet.” The right head shushed the left one.
“Your punishment for this destruction will not be death, and it will not be slavery.” Center leaned fo
rward a little. “I think we will torture you in front of all the other villagers, so they might learn the cost of treachery.”
“I don’t think so.” Watcher took a few steps back. Fear washed over him like a tidal wave, every fiber in his being telling him to run. But he knew he had to get the monster closer. “I’m not going to allow that. It’s time you were punished for your crimes, wither, and I’m here to carry out your sentence.”
All three heads laughed and moved closer. Watcher backed up a little more.
“And what are you going to do, boy, insult us to death?” Kaza drifted closer, his stubby spine dragging slightly across the wooden floor.
Watcher moved back another step, then bumped into the wall; he had nowhere to run.
Kaza moved closer. “Maybe instead of torturing you, we’ll just destroy you. Left, what do you think?”
“Destroy … destroy,” Left cackled.
“This time, I agree with Left,” the right skull added.
“Then it’s unanimous.” The center head glared at Watcher. “Prepare to meet your doom.”
Watcher glanced at the shadowy recession between the bookshelves. Kaza’s right head turned in that direction, but it was too late. Cutter and Blaster charged out of the darkness, their blades crashing into the dark creature.
“It’s a trap!” Kaza screeched.
The monster started to float upward, trying to flee. Er-Lan bolted out of the doorway and dove through the air. He grabbed the stubby end of the monster’s exposed spine, pulling it back to the ground. Blaster and Cutter attacked again, this time with Planter adding the sharp point of Needle.
Kaza screamed in pain as he flashed red. The monster tried to move upward, but the weight of the zombie was too much. Bending his heads down, Kaza fired a flaming skull. The projectile, wreathed in black flames, exploded into the ground, throwing the attackers through the air and causing Er-Lan to lose his grip.
Watcher drew back an arrow and fired, then drew and fired again and again, his arrows causing the monster to scream in agony. Kaza drifted higher and higher into the air, far from the reach of any blade. Now, Watcher’s weapon was the only one that could reach the creature.
Zombies Attack! Page 20
