Terrors of the Forest

by Mark Cheverton

  The chubby NPC dashed across the room and barreled into the monsters as if he was a bowling ball going for a strike. The Lich King and one of the shadows were knocked to the ground while the third monster was shoved to the side. Fletcher shot past the violent creatures and reached Gameknight’s side.

  “Fletcher, what are you doing?” Gameknight said.

  “Just make sure you save Weaver, so I can have my family back,” the big villager said, a tear trickling from one eye.

  Fletcher grabbed Gameknight by the back of his armor and lifted him off his feet. With the strength of three men, he threw the User-that-is-not-a-user toward the stairway. Gameknight sailed halfway across the room before hitting the floor, then slid the rest of the way. Crafter and Stitcher grabbed one of Gameknight’s hands and dragged him into the stairwell.

  Glancing back to the corner, Gameknight saw the Lich King and his Shadows slowly closing in on the doomed villager. Fletcher had his sword out, ready to attack, but the creatures were careful to stay out of reach.

  “Destroy him!” the Lich King said in a dry, scratchy voice.

  They fired their exploding balls of death at the villager. With no other option available to him, Fletcher swung his sword at the orbs. He knocked one aside, making it veer back at the Lich King, exploding in his face. The other balls descended on the NPC, detonating around him and making him flash red.

  “Save my daughter and wife,” Fletcher cried out, his voice barely audible over the explosions. “Please Gameknight999, save my dau …”

  And then the fat NPC disappeared, his items clattering to the ground. Fletcher was gone.

  CHAPTER 15

  REVENGE

  Someone guided Gameknight999 down the stairs, but he wasn’t sure whom.

  “Fletcher is gone,” the User-that-is-not-a-user moaned.

  “That monster up there murdered him,” Stitcher growled.

  Gameknight sat down on one of the stairs and wept. Tux leapt out of Digger’s arms and moved to his side. The penguin nuzzled his soft head against Gameknight’s side, making a fluttery purring sound that provided a small bit of comfort. Glancing down at the creature, Gameknight gently stroked Tux’s soft feathery head.

  What have I done? Gameknight thought. I knew I’d fail, and sure enough …

  Waves of sorrow and guilt smashed down upon him. Fletcher had lost so much because of him; his wife and daughter were destroyed because of Weaver’s abduction, and now the big, friendly NPC lost his life saving Gameknight999.

  “That should have … been me out there and not … Fletcher,” he sobbed.

  “We have to do something,” Stitcher hissed. “We need to avenge our friend, Fletcher.”

  “Revenge has a way of taking more than it gives, yes, yes,” Empech said.

  “I don’t care,” Stitcher snapped. She turned and glared at Gameknight999. “Entity303 brought us here for a reason, and we aren’t gonna find out why until that monster up there is on his knees begging for his life. You let Fletcher be destroyed. Are you gonna just sit there and let that happen to the rest of us, or—” Suddenly an explosion rocked the tower as one of the glowing orbs smashed into the stairway opening. One of the wolves yelped in pain. “Or are you gonna fight?”

  Gameknight looked at his friends. Many of them had tearstained cheeks and red, puffy eyes. They all were scared, with the exception of Stitcher, who was furious. Another explosion smashed into the opening above them, shaking the tower. Tux squawked in fear, then moved behind Gameknight for safety. He stared down at the terrified penguin. The creature peered up at him with her dark eyes, an expression of terror on her soft white face. Tux was counting on him to keep her safe. Glancing at his friends, he could see the same thing on their faces.

  “Gameknight, we have to do something,” Crafter said. “If we just stay here, eventually, the monsters from below will make it up here. We need to move.”

  “Maybe we should leave the tower and get away from here?” Digger said.

  “We don’t know where they went after coming here,” Gameknight said, his grief turning to anger. The hollow wheezing sound of the Lich King filled the air. “Our only hope to find Weaver is through that skeleton.” He glanced to the top of the stairs. “Woodcutter, what’s the Lich doing now?”

  The tall NPC crawled up the stairs, then stood quickly and surveyed the room, then quickly ducked and moved down the stairs just as another green ball of death exploded just above him.

  “The Lich King is on the far side of the room with the two darker skeletons,” Woodcutter said. “But something strange has happened.”

  “What is it?” Crafter asked.

  “Well … it looks as if the Lich King is missing one of his shields.”

  “He’s missing a shield?” Stitcher asked, her brown eyes filled with violent thoughts. “How is that possible? They deflected every arrow and blocked every sword. How can that be?”

  “I’m not sure, but it did happen.” Crafter said. “Did one of you break its shield?”

  “Maybe Fletcher destroyed it,” Hunter said. “You know … before they …” She couldn’t finish her statement.

  Gameknight pushed his way to the top of the stairs, and stuck his head into the room, taking a quick glance. The Lich moved across the back of the room. Clearly one of the shields were missing.

  And then the puzzle pieces started to tumble around in his head. There was a solution here, but it wasn’t clear. Maybe if we … Suddenly, the image of a ghast filled his mind.

  “Ghasts,” Gameknight said, nodding, as a plan began to form in his mind.

  “Ghasts?” Crafter asked.

  As the plan solidified, Gameknight’s fear seemed to move back to the shadowy recesses of his mind. He knew what to do to defeat these monsters and keep the rest of his friends safe.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user turned to Crafter and nodded his head. “Yep, ghasts. I know what to do, but I need all of you to stay here.”

  “I want to help!” Stitcher said, her voice filled with anger. “That was my friend who got killed up there.”

  “I know, but there can only be one target for this to work,” Gameknight replied. “All of you stay here. If I’m right, I’ll call for you to come up when it’s time.”

  “And what if you’re wrong?” Digger asked.

  “Then you all should all get out of here.”

  “Be careful, child,” Empech said. “Revenge can turn a heart to stone.”

  “This isn’t for revenge,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “This is for Weaver.”

  Gameknight moved to the top of the stairs, careful to stay low. He pulled out a block of dirt from his inventory.

  “What are you gonna do with that?” Stitcher asked from below him.

  “Why, destroy the Lich King, of course,” he replied with a smile, then ran out into the Lich King’s chamber.

  The Lich King and his Shadows instantly fired at him. Gameknight ducked and bobbed about, avoiding their attacks as he ran for the corner. He could see there were only four shields revolving around the skeletal monarch; clearly, one of them was missing. Darting to the corner of the room, the User-that-is-not-a-user quickly placed a pair of blocks on the ground, leaving one side open.

  Squawk, squawk.

  Gameknight glanced down and saw Tux at his feet, the penguin’s feathers ruffled with anger. A glowing green orb shot toward the pair. The User-that-is-not-a-user quickly placed two more blocks on the ground, sealing himself and Tux into a little dirt-lined hidey-hole. The sphere exploded against the dirt, but did no damage.

  He breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You see, Tux, I realized Fletcher showed us how to defeat the Lich King,” he said to his little friend. “His sword deflected one of those glowing balls back at them. When it exploded, it destroyed one of those shields. So Fletcher’s sacrifice showed us how to defeat the Lich King.”

  Squawk.

  “That’s right, all we need to do is knock some back at him to get those
shields down, and then we can attack. Now stay behind me.”

  Gameknight listened for the monster’s raspy breathing; it was coming from the right side of their little enclosure. Gameknight pulled out a shovel and dug up one of the dirt blocks. As soon as the brown cube disappeared, Gameknight found the Lich King staring at the pile of dirt blocks. A wicked smile spread across the monster’s bony face, then it fired.

  A glowing ball of explosive death streaked toward the pair, the sphere trailing a line of green particles. Gameknight waited for it, thinking about all the times he’d done this with ghasts. The ball came closer and closer until … the User-that-is-not-a-user swung his sword, hitting the sphere firmly in the center. The ball bounced off his blade and flew back toward the skeleton. It hit the Lich King’s shields, exploding on contact; when the explosion had faded away, Gameknight could see that now there were only three of the shields.

  The lich moved away, allowing one of the Shadows to take its place. The dark monster fired explosive balls at him, but Gameknight was already plugging the hole and moving to the left side. With his shovel, he broke the dirt block and held his sword at the ready. The Lich King was there, scowling at him.

  “What are you waiting for, skeleton? Why don’t you shoot at me?”

  “You are not welcome here,” the monster snarled. “I will teach you the price for your intrusion.”

  The skeleton flicked his bone wand, the dark gem on the top growing even darker, then fired a green ball at them. Gameknight swung at the projectile, but timed it incorrectly. The glowing sphere bounced off his sword and flew to the far wall. When it exploded, the blast tore pictures off the walls, scattering them across the floor.

  “Get him, Gameknight,” Stitcher shouted from the stairway. One of the Shadows turned and fired at the voice, but the young girl had already ducked below the entrance.

  “You skeletons were never good at shooting anything,” Gameknight taunted. “You’re no good with bows, and you’re not much better with those wands.”

  The Lich King snarled at him, then launched an attack at him. Next to the skeleton king, one of the Shadows did the same. Two glowing balls of death streaked at him, and he knew he had only one chance at this. If he missed the terrifying orbs, he’d likely not survive their combined explosion. The blazing spheres of destruction flew toward him in slow motion, his fear drawing out time to an excruciating snail’s pace. As time seemed to slow, Gameknight999 gripped his sword firmly, and waited for what would happen next. He could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow and slowly trickling down the sides of his face.

  Using every bit of experience he had from batting flaming balls of fire back at ghasts and blazes, Gameknight swung his blade, striking both of the glowing balls at once. They bounced off his sword and flew back at the Lich King, smashing into the revolving shields and making two more disappear.

  Pulling out a block of dirt, he sealed the wall of his little shelter; it was almost like being in the Alamo. He reached down and picked up Tux, then jumped into the air and placed a block under his feet. Dropping the penguin, he readied his sword. Now the Lich King and the Shadows could see the upper half of his body above the blocks of dirt. The Shadow on the right side fired a green ball at him. Gameknight glanced at the Lich King, then waited for it to reach him. He leaned back and slapped at the ball, sending it toward the lich. The ball headed straight for the monster, but unfortunately, the Lich King flicked his bone wand and fired his own ball. The two spheres collided in mid air and exploded, but didn’t harm the last shield.

  Gameknight growled in frustration, then dug up the block under his feet with his shovel, lowering himself and Tux behind the barrier of brown cubes. He could hear the hollow, almost mechanical breathing of the Lich King. He was moving back and forth, teleporting from the left to the right.

  “I don’t think he’s gonna make this easy on us,” Gameknight said. “I have to go out there to end this. You stay here.”

  He pointed to the ground, hoping the little penguin understood. Using his shovel, he removed the bottom block. When he started on the top block, Tux moved out of the enclosure, squeaking and squawking.

  “No!” Gameknight shouted.

  He broke the top block, then darted into the room just as the Lich King waved his wand at the tiny animal. The User-that-is-not-a-user watched in horror as one of the green balls of destruction flew straight at Tux.

  Gameknight sprinted with every bit of strength he had. It was a race, his legs versus the glowing ball of death; one of the two would claim Tux.

  Leaping into the air, Gameknight dove, but not for his penguin friend. Instead, he dove for the space between the deadly sphere and Tux. Like a tennis player, he swung at the projectile with a backhand stroke, knocking the sphere back toward the skeleton. It smashed into the Lich King, destroying the last of his shields.

  Gameknight landed with a thud on the wooden floor, expecting the Shadows to open fire while he was vulnerable. But when he glanced up, he found the Shadows had disappeared; their lives were somehow linked to the shields. The magical wand in the Lich King’s hand then changed with a flash, turning from the bone-handled weapon capped with a black gem to one that was colored a sickly green.

  “His shields are down!” Gameknight shouted to his friends.

  “This isn’t over, fool,” the Lich snarled.

  The skeleton flicked his bone-handled wand. The tip glowed a bright green, and then suddenly three zombies appeared before him, their claws glistening in the flickering light from the overhead chandelier.

  One of the monsters swung at Gameknight, its claws whistling through the air as they just barely missed his head. Before he could swing his sword, an arrow hit the monster in the side, making it flash red with damage. The User-that-is-not-a-user swung his blade at the creature, striking it in the shoulder just as another arrow hit the beast. It disappeared with a pop.

  “Yeah!” Stitcher exclaimed proudly.

  “All of you, take care of the zombies,” Gameknight shouted.

  Sprinting across the floor, the User-that-is-not-a-user dodged the green monsters and headed straight for the Lich King. The bony creature flicked his glowing green wand again. Three more monsters appeared, but Gameknight ignored them; he knew his friends would watch his back. Leaping high into the air, he landed next to the Lich King, his diamond sword already moving in a blur. He struck the monster twice before it even knew what was happening.

  A zombie moaned right behind him. Gameknight rolled to the left, then stood with his iron sword now in his left hand. The Lich King put away his wand and pulled out an enchanted golden battle-axe. Iridescent waves of purple magic flowed up and down the handle of the enchanted tool, the razor-sharp edge rippling with fiery heat.

  The monster swung the axe at Gameknight’s head. With his iron blade, he blocked the attack, then struck the skeleton with his diamond sword. The Lich King groaned as he flashed red, taking damage. The creature screamed in rage and swung at Gameknight again, then teleported behind him, but the User-that-is-not-a-user was expecting it. He’d fought Herobrine and Erebus numerous times, and it was a common ploy.

  Gameknight held his diamond blade behind him, protecting his back as he spun around. Sure enough, the monster’s battle-axe clashed with Gameknight’s weapon, causing a shower of sparks to fly up into the air. The User-that-is-not-a-user brought his iron sword down onto the creature when he finished the turn, striking the Lich King twice. The skeleton staggered backward, surprised by the iron weapon, only to feel the bite of the diamond sword following quickly after.

  With his HP almost exhausted, the monster fell to the floor, dropping his sparkling weapon, the golden crown falling from his bony head. The monster had collapsed near the dropped items from Fletcher’s inventory, the villager’s favorite bow and sword lying by the creature’s feet.

  Gameknight extended his diamond blade and held it next to the creature’s neck.

  “Now you’re gonna tell me where the others went,
” he growled.

  And for the first time, an expression of fear covered the Lich King’s face.

  CHAPTER 16

  A NEW DIRECTION

  Gameknight moved a step closer to the fallen Lich King, the tip of his diamond sword scratching the edge of its bony throat. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see the last of the zombies had been destroyed and his companions were moving toward him. The skeleton glanced at his crown, then his dark eyes shifted to the axe that lay only inches from his skeletal hand.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Gameknight growled.

  The monster glared up at his captor and sighed.

  “Now talk … what happened with Entity303 and our friend Weaver?”

  “You mean the one like you and his prisoner?” the Lich King asked with a wry grin. “Yes, he gave me a message for you, but I’m not sure if I remember it or not.”

  “Tell us what we need to know, or I’ll shoot you right now!” Stitcher said. She strung an arrow and readied it to fire, causing her bow to creak under the strain.

  The wolves moved forward, growling.

  “You’ll just destroy me anyway,” the monster said. “Why should I help you?”

  “Because Gameknight999 keeps his word,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. He sheathed his sword and stepped back away from the skeleton. “Give us the message and we’ll be gone from here with you still alive.”

  The Lich King glanced up at Gameknight999, then nodded his head.

  “Very well. Your enemy said something about the Snow Queen. I don’t remember the exact words, as I was trying to destroy him at the time.”

  Gameknight glanced at Empech. “Do you know of this Snow Queen?”

  “Empech knows of her, yes, yes. Very dangerous, yes, yes, very dangerous indeed.”

  Gameknight nodded, considering the information. He turned back to the Lich King, who was staring up at him. The creature moved its hand toward the sparkling crown that lay just out of reach.

  “Watch out, he’s reaching for the axe!” Stitcher exclaimed.