Terrors of the Forest

by Mark Cheverton

  “There’s some really good advice,” Stitcher said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

  “Stitcher, be nice,” Hunter chided.

  “I’m just saying, it’s not the most helpful …”

  “Gameknight, what’s the plan?” Crafter asked.

  “Let’s follow Weaver’s trail and try to enter the tower where Entity303 did.” The User-that-is-not-a-user pulled out a shovel. “Make sure everyone has some dirt. We might need to build some defenses.”

  Gameknight dug up two-dozen blocks of dirt, and the others did the same. When he was done digging, the User-that-is-not-a-user pulled out an apple and ate it quickly, followed by a loaf of bread. Others in the party also ate, making sure their hunger was minimized and their health was at a maximum.

  “Ok, let’s go,” Gameknight999 said.

  They followed the wolves to the base of the tower until they reached the building’s wall. Gameknight was stunned at how far up into the air the structure reached. There was no visible entrance, but open catwalks and balconies could be seen high up in the side of the structure.

  “Look, there are two cobblestone blocks here,” Digger noted. “But the rest of the wall is stone brick. It’s as if someone broke in and then sealed it up quickly.”

  One of the wolves moved to the cobblestone and sniffed, then howled.

  “That’s where they went in,” Herder said, patting the furry animal on the side.

  “Then that’s where we’re goin’ too,” Stitcher said.

  She pulled an iron pickaxe out of her inventory and smashed the blocks of stone. Instantly, the air was filled with the sorrowful wails of zombies and the clattering of loosely fitting bones. The clicking of spiders and strange ghostly sounds added to the cacophony.

  “Come on, let’s go have some fun,” the young girl said.

  A loud growl came from the dark opening. With a speed Gameknight thought impossible, Stitcher put away her pickaxe, pulled out her bow, and fired a flaming arrow into the darkness. Instantly, a zombie caught fire as the magical arrow made it flash red. She fired two more times, silencing the monster, then moved into the tower.

  Gameknight charged after her, shouting out orders.

  “Woodcutter, Digger and Empech, watch our backs. Everyone have your bows ready.”

  With a torch in his left hand and his diamond sword in his right, Gameknight followed Stitcher into the shadowy tower, Hunter and Crafter at his side. He placed the glowing torches in the shadows, splashing a warm yellow light on the walls and floors.

  They had entered from one of the smaller towers. The walls of the structure were lined with books and shelves. A narrow hallway pierced one side of the chamber and led to a larger building.

  They moved through the corridor and into the main structure. Passages opened on every wall, the walkways bathed in darkness. Gameknight ran to the nearest passage and placed a torch on the ground. Instantly, he was greeted by the sight of glistening claws; zombies … lots of them. Behind the monsters, a metallic cage hung from the ceiling, glowing embers within the cube showing it was a spawner.

  “There are spawners in the adjoining rooms!” Gameknight shouted as he slashed at one of the decaying green zombies. “Seal the doorways with dirt!”

  He placed a block of dirt on the ground just as a set of claws scratched across his chest plate. Gameknight readied an attack, but a pair of arrows appeared out of the darkness and hit the monster, pushing it back a step. Knowing another pair of arrows were about to appear at any moment, he simply ducked and placed another torch on the ground. When he stood, the monster was gone.

  An arrow—this one aimed at him—streaked past his head. He rolled to the left, then turned to face the skeleton archer. When he stood, he saw Woodcutter slashing at the creature with his iron axe. Shards of bone flew in all directions as the monster tried to back up and escape the onslaught, but Woodcutter did not relent. In seconds, the monster was destroyed.

  Gameknight moved through the rest of the room and placed more torches on the ground. With the chamber fully lit, they saw the rest of the monsters had been destroyed, but there were more zombies and skeletons coming down the two stairways that led to the ground. One of the stairways was made of wood, while the other was formed from slabs of stone.

  “Which way?” Crafter asked.

  Gameknight could see some fresh gouges in his diamond armor.

  “Stone,” he said. “Digger, seal up the wooden stairs with something. We don’t want monsters sneaking up behind us.”

  The stocky NPC glanced around, his eyes darting to the wooden stairs, then back to Gameknight999. The tower was filled with the noises of monsters, and it sounded like most of them were heading down the stairways.

  “Digger, seal the stairs,” Gameknight repeated.

  The big NPC glanced at the stairs again but didn’t move. Fletcher darted past him and moved up a few steps. When arrows began raining down on him, he quickly placed blocks of dirt and stone on the stairway, then retreated and joined the others.

  Squawk!

  The penguin was looking up the staircase at the first landing. Gameknight moved up a step, then another, when the sound of paper rustling filled the air. It was as if someone was leafing through a gigantic book, the pages shifting back and forth. Suddenly a glowing ball of energy flew down at him, striking the User-that-is-not-a-user square in the chest. It was like being punched by a giant. He flew back a step or two as his body flashed red.

  “What was that?” Gameknight gasped.

  Squawk, squawk! Tux cried, her screechy voice filled with fear.

  He placed a torch on the wall, then glanced up at the landing. Floating in mid-air at the top of the stairs was some kind of magical book, its pages flipping back and forth as if being read by some invisible librarian. Another ball of white light streaked down at him. Gameknight rolled to the side as the magical attack just missed him, striking the ground.

  Squawk, squawk!

  Another blazing sphere shot through the room, followed by another, but then the barrage abruptly stopped.

  Squawk, squawk, squawk.

  “What’s that shooting at us?” Crafter asked.

  “Some kind of magical, possessed book,” Gameknight replied.

  “Death tome, yes, yes,” Empech said.

  “Why did it stop firing?” Fletcher asked.

  Squawk!

  Gameknight glanced up the stair. Tux was standing directly under the death tome. The book was moving about, trying to get a shot at the penguin, but the tiny creature was staying directly underneath the evil book.

  “Hunter, Stitcher, take it out!” the User-that-is-not-a-user shouted.

  Instantly, two arrows streaked through the air and hit the floating encyclopedia. Gameknight pulled out his own bow and added his arrows to the attack. Pieces of paper flew in the air as the flying terror took damage. It fired more of the glowing balls down at the villagers, but they’d learned to scatter when they saw the glowing orbs approaching. They each fired one more shot and the book disappeared, leaving loose pieces of paper strewn all over the stairs.

  “Come on, let’s hurry,” Gameknight said. “The longer we stay still, the more time the monsters have to attack.”

  “Now you’re talkin’,” Stitcher said.

  “Digger, pick up Tux for me. I need you to watch her,” Gameknight said.

  The stocky NPC grumbled something, but he didn’t wait to hear. Instead, the User-that-is-not-a-user charged up the stairs, placing torches on the walls.

  “Careful, a step’s missing here,” Gameknight shouted after almost falling through a hole as he ran upward.

  Behind him, Herder placed a block of dirt in the hole and continued up the stairs, the wolves staying close, growling at the darkness above.

  A group of skeletons came out of a side hallway, their clattering bones giving away their position. Before anyone could act, the wolves charged forward and tore into the pale monsters, biting and snapping at their legs until the
bony monsters were destroyed.

  More hostile creatures emerged from other side passages, all looking to surprise the intruders, but Hunter and Stitcher’s deadly accurate bows kept the monsters off the stairs until someone could place a block of dirt or stone to block their paths. More of the death tomes appeared from the shadows, firing their sparkling balls of pain. Fletcher was hit in the side and Woodcutter in the back, but their armor absorbed most of the damage.

  Slowly, the companions battled their way to the top of the tower. With blocks of dirt placed behind them, sealing off any attack from behind, and with all the side passages blocked, the friends could concentrate on the last level.

  Above them stood a wooden floor with glass blocks placed in the corners and through the center. Through the transparent cubes, many paintings were visible, decorating the walls, though it appeared some were missing. Above the center of the room, a finely constructed chandelier hung overhead, casting a warm glow throughout the chamber.

  Just then something floated across the floor. The User-that-is-not-a-user couldn’t see what it was, but there seemed to be blue smoke trailing behind it … That’s strange, he thought.

  “What was that?” Digger asked.

  Gameknight shrugged, unsure.

  “Who cares, let’s go get it,” Stitcher said confidently as she notched an arrow to her bow. Crafter put a calming hand on her shoulder.

  “Herder, do your wolves still pick up Weaver’s scent up here?” Gameknight whispered. He was hoping they were in the wrong place.

  The lanky boy nodded, causing tangles of long black hair to fall across his face. He pushed aside the offending locks, then cast Gameknight a smile.

  “He was here,” Herder said in a low voice as he patted the pack leader on the side.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user shuddered. The unknown creature overhead had him terrified. This whole adventure had become more dangerous with every step through the Twilight Forest, and now they were here in front of one of the bosses.

  I can’t do this. Gameknight’s thoughts sounded weak and pathetic … exactly how he felt. He sighed and tried to gather what little strength he had.

  “OK, we should move in quick and drive whatever is up there into the corner,” Gameknight said. Maybe we don’t have to fight. He turned and glanced at Stitcher. “If it tries to surrender, we let it … understood?”

  Stitcher nodded, but Gameknight could still see a thirst for revenge in her dark brown eyes. It made him sad.

  “Remember, we outnumber that creature, whatever it is. We don’t need to fight it; we just need to know where Weaver and Entity303 went. So move fast and be strong.” Gameknight glanced at Digger, but the stocky NPC turned away.

  The creature above moved across the glass blocks again, though the blue smoke made it hard to see clearly. Every nerve yelled at Gameknight to just run away.

  What if I mess this up? He thought. I could be leading them to disaster.

  His feet felt leaden, as if they were cemented to the stone slab on which he stood. The fear of failing his friends was so overpowering it almost made it impossible to think. But he knew they couldn’t stay here. Monster noises were growing louder below their earthen wall, and the monster overhead was growling. They had to act, now, or all would be lost.

  He drew his swords, iron in the left, diamond in the right. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and seeped into his eyes, stinging. Using his sleeve, Gameknight999 wiped at his eyes. With a nervous swallow, he glanced at all his friends and nodded, then turned and charged up the stairs to the top floor of the tower as fear pulsed through his every nerve like ice-cold lightning.

  CHAPTER 14

  THE LICH KING

  Gameknight stepped into the brightly lit room and faced what looked like a skeleton wearing a long purple robe. The bony monster wore a bright golden crown with green gems ringing the top of the headpiece. Strange bluish-gray smoke billowed out of the crown. The colorful mist rose into the air, then dissipated, creating a gray haze that filled the vaulted ceiling. It smelled of burning pine and ash, the smoke biting at the back of his throat. Small, translucent gold shields revolved around the creature, protecting its chest but little else.

  The wolves growled.

  “You creatures invaded my tower once,” the monster growled. “It will not be tolerated a second time.”

  “We don’t want any trouble.” Gameknight slowly put away his swords so as to appear non-threatening. “We just need to know where the other two like us went.”

  “I am the Lich King, the ruler of this domain,” the monster growled. “You make no demands here.”

  The Lich watched the party as they filed out of the stairway and spread out across the room. He glared at the wolves, causing their fur to bristle outward as the animals’ eyes turned bright red. More of them began to growl. Herder reached out and patted the alpha male, calming him and in turn calming the pack.

  But when his cold dead eyes fell upon Empech, the monster looked startled. The pack leader growled again.

  “You have a third here,” the skeleton said. “Perhaps you can be trusted.”

  “A third?” Gameknight replied. “What are you talking about?”

  The Lich King gestured toward the pech with its dangerous-looking wand. It was made of bone, with a midnight black stone on the end that seemed to drink in the light around it.

  “Watch out, the monster’s attacking!” Stitcher shouted.

  “NO!” Gameknight yelled, but it was too late.

  The young girl fired her bow at the creature’s head. The arrow seemed to soar through the air in slow motion as it flew toward the monster. But before it could hit the bony skull, it was deflected away by some kind of invisible shield.

  The Lich King screamed a blood-curdling scream, then flicked his wand toward Stitcher. A green orb shot out of the wand straight toward her. Woodcutter tried to pull her out of the way just as the sphere exploded, throwing the pair across the room, both taking damage.

  “Shadows, ATTACK!” the monster yelled.

  Instantly, two more creatures appeared, each shaped identically to the Lich King, but instead of pale white bones, gold crown and flowing purple robes, these monsters were pitch black, as if they were the ruler’s shadows. Each held a weapon similar to the Lich King’s. The three monsters flicked their wands at the intruders, firing exploding balls at them.

  Gameknight zigzagged across the floor, dodging the attacks as glowing orbs exploded around him. When he finally reached the Lich King, he swung his diamond sword with all his strength. The blade crashed into the rotating shields and bounced off, making a loud clanking sound. It was like he’d just hit the side of an armored tank. His sword vibrated in his hand, making his arm hurt; those shields seemed impenetrable.

  “Look out, Gameknight,” Crafter yelled.

  He rolled to the right, then zigzagged across the floor as one of the skeletal shadows fired a shot at him. He sprinted toward the monster and swung his blade at the creature, aiming at its unprotected side. It clanked the same way it had against the Lich King, the shock of the blow causing his sword arm to buzz with pain.

  “The shields protect the other skeletons,” Gameknight said. “Everyone fire at the king, but keep moving.”

  They pulled out their bows and fired at the Lich King. Half a dozen arrows flew through the air, heading directly for their enemy. Just as they were about to converge on the monster, the Lich disappeared and teleported behind them. It fired another blast that knocked Crafter and Hunter across the room, taking damage. One of the shadows fired at the wolf pack, scattering Herder and the animals. Gameknight rushed to Crafter’s side, but was struck by a glowing orb from one of the Shadows. He was knocked backward, skidding across the wooden floor and smashing into the corner farthest from the stairs.

  Gameknight watched as the skeletons fired on his friends, the glowing balls exploding amongst them, throwing them all across the room. Screams of pain and fear filled the room, but then the
User-that-is-not-a-user realized the screams were his. He was terrified and didn’t know what to do. Fear ruled his mind, and it was not just fear of this monster, but fear of failing his friends. He’d always been able to figure out a way to defeat Herobrine and his monster kings, but here in this modded Minecraft, everything was different. Gameknight had nothing to offer. He felt as if he was drowning and was a dead weight around his friends’ necks; he was just dragging them down with him. The fear of failure was so overwhelming, it made him afraid to even try. And so, instead of getting up and fighting, Gameknight999, the savior of Minecraft, the King of the Griefers, the Defeater of Herobrine, just slunk back into the corner and shook.

  “Everyone get to the stairs!” Crafter yelled. “RETREAT!”

  The villagers ran for the stairs as the skeletons attacked, doing more damage as they sprinted for safety. The wolves clustered around Herder as he limped to the stairway. They all dove into the stairwells that descended below the chamber floor—all of them, that is, except for the User-that-is-not-a-user.

  “Gameknight, get out of there,” Crafter shouted.

  The two shadows turned and began closing in on him, the space between the dark monsters slowly shrinking. Gameknight started to sprint, but after taking just a single step, the Lich King appeared between the pair, blocking off his escape route.

  “You’re like the last one,” the skeleton growled. “Not a villager, but something else. He invaded my tower and hurt many of my subjects, just as you have.”

  “We don’t want any trouble,” Gameknight said as he backed up into the corner of the room. He felt the walls against his back.

  “You attacked me for no reason, and now you will pay the price. Your fate will be an example to all who think to bother the Lich King. Shadows … destroy the fool.”

  The dark skeletons held out their bone-handled wands. Just then a bellowing voice filled the room with sound.

  “NOOOOOOO!”

  Fletcher moved back up the steps and sprinted toward the monsters.

  “No Fletcher, go back,” Gameknight yelled, but he could not be heard over the big villager’s screams.