Hunter started to say something, but Stitcher silenced her with a glare.
“None of you know what I went through, so don’t even think about judging me. This is who I am, so get over it!”
She stormed off, pulling out her shovel and digging up some grass blocks. Gameknight sighed.
“I can’t imagine what must have happened to her to make Stitcher so angry and violent,” Crafter said.
“It’s not the anger that concerns me, it’s the lack of empathy for the monsters, the lack of caring about what she’s doing,” Gameknight said. “I understand anger, because I’m angry much of the time. I’m angry at Entity303, I’m angry at myself for letting Weaver get captured … I’m angry at a lot of things. But I also think about how my actions affect others, even the monsters. I saw the terror in the Hydra’s eyes when it knew it was going to die. I knew the creature was confused and scared and sad and lonely. I could tell what it was feeling, but I don’t think Stitcher can anymore. She’s lost her sense of empathy.”
“It’s not your fault,” Crafter said. “I know that’s what you’re thinking.”
“But I should have been able to protect her,” Gameknight protested.
“You did in your timeline,” Hunter said. “But in this timeline, without Weaver teaching us about TNT, things progressed differently.”
“But it’s not right,” Gameknight snapped, frustrated. “I can’t stand seeing any of you suffer. I must fix this, for all of us.”
“Well, how about we start by getting over that forest of spikes,” Woodcutter said, rubbing the scratches on his chest gingerly.
“You’re right; let’s get this done,” Gameknight said.
He glared up at the thorn forest and growled determinedly, then began to place blocks of dirt.
CHAPTER 26
THE WHITE TOWERS
Building a structure that rose high enough to extend over the thorn forest and reach the top of the plateau on which the White Castle sat was a slow process. A few times, Gameknight999 almost fell as he was placing the blocks, accidently leaning out too far to place the next cube of dirt along an overhanging path. Fortunately, Digger was there to pull him back from the brink and safely onto the dirt path. If he had fallen, it was likely he would have perished.
After careful construction of the raised path, they made it over the deadly thorn forest and finally set foot on the gray plateau. In front of them loomed the White Castle. It was massive, with perhaps twenty towers dotting the area, each with sheer walls that stretched up sixty blocks into the air. Narrow, raised walkways connected each soaring structure to the next one, making a confusing series of causeways that all led somewhere, though it was not clear where. Some of the towers boasted dark roofs with tall spires stretching up high into the air, their tips hidden from sight. At the center of it all was a gigantic central building slightly higher than the other towers and nearly as wide as it was tall. Blocky crenellations ran along the top of the structure, giving it a classic castle-like appearance.
Gameknight carefully examined the structures and walkways. It was clear that they slowly spiraled inward to the main castle, but at some points two or three walkways intersected at one tower. He instantly recognized it as a maze … a tower maze. From within the towers, it would be difficult to tell which walkway to take; they would have to be careful.
“So how do we get up there?” Stitcher asked. “You bring some wings with you from the physical world?”
Gameknight cast her an annoyed glance; he was not in the mood for games. Stitcher worried him.
“Look how the walkways are set up,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “They lead inward to the main building, some at higher levels than others. It’s actually a maze. We need to make sure we get on the correct walkway so we can reach the main building at the right level.”
“Great, a maze … I love mazes,” Hunter said sarcastically. “Will there be monsters in there with us?”
Gameknight nodded his square head.
“That’s not a problem,” Stitcher said, a vicious smile on her face, as if she looked forward to it. “We can take care of anything in there.”
Gameknight’s chest grew heavy, as if the guilt he felt for her was somehow crushing him.
“Stitcher’s comment makes me wonder, what is in there?” Crafter asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “In the original Twilight Forest mod, the White Castle was never completed. There were places within it where many monsters could be housed, but they were always empty. The developer of the mod, Benimatic, never said what was planned for the White Castle. All I know is that we’ll probably find your typical Minecraft creatures in there, but Entity303 also led us here for a reason. I suspect he’s added something that we really don’t want to find.”
“But it’s likely that’s where Weaver will be,” Herder said. He reached over and patted the wolf pack leader on the side. The animal stared up at the White Castle and growled.
Gameknight nodded. “I’m sure we’ll find both Weaver and Entity303 wherever the most dangerous monsters are hiding.”
“Well, we aren’t gonna find out anything if we stay out here,” Woodcutter said. “Let’s get going.”
“Yeah!” Stitcher said excitedly.
“I think the tower maze starts at that one to the left,” Digger said, pointing with his pickaxe.
They moved toward the tall structure. Dark ravens swooped down on them, squawking as they flew by, their black bodies standing out against the pristine white of the castle and towers. Tux squawked back at them, trying to make them go away, but the birds ignored their distant cousin. Stitcher aimed an arrow at one of the dark birds.
“The birds are not a threat,” Empech said, his dark eyes focused warily on the young girl.
The gnome reached for something in his inventory, his eyes narrowing as Stitcher pulled back the arrow a little farther. But when Stitcher lowered her bow, Empech shifted his reach and pulled out a loaf of bread, an expression of relief on his gray face.
“Look, there’s some kind of door at the base of that tower,” Woodcutter said.
Gameknight turned to where the tall villager was pointing, then ran across the plateau toward the wooden door. Suddenly, a wave of fur sped past him as the wolves dashed for the entrance. Herder’s animals reached the tower in seconds, then set up a protective ring around the structure, their red eyes checking the area for threats.
As he ran, the User-that-is-not-a-user also scanned their surroundings for monsters; there were none. So far, this had been too easy, and that made Gameknight worry.
When they reached the tower, the User-that-is-not-a-user approached slowly with his diamond sword in his hand. He scanned the surroundings, convinced there should be some threat nearby. Still he saw none; now he was getting really nervous.
The door on the side of the shining white tower was not a normal door, but was made up of small wooden squares, a small red ring at the center of each tile and a larger red ring near the edge. Three of the tiles lacked the red rings, and instead had recessions carved into them. Crafter moved close to the door and studied it with a critical gaze.
“You ever see a door like this?” Gameknight asked him.
Crafter shook his head. He moved his hand along one of the squares, then pressed it firmly. The door didn’t budge.
“The trophies, yes, yes,” Empech said. “You must use the trophies.”
The tiny Pech pointed to the three recessed tiles that ran down the middle of the door, their empty centers yearning to be filled. Empech set his pack on the ground, then pulled out the golden trophies, each adorned with a monster’s face. Gameknight took them from the gnome and carefully put one in each recession. They fit perfectly, as if this were their only purpose.
“Press one of the tiles,” Empech said.
Crafter reached out and touched the tile with the Naga’s face on it. Instantly, it disappeared, then the neighboring tiles vanished one after another, each making a sound
like a soap bubble popping, until all of the wooden tiles making up the door were gone.
Suddenly, a skeleton stepped out of the opening. It was draped in a tattered, forest-green shirt and equally torn pants. A golden necklace with a blood red gem at the center hung from the monster’s bony neck, the ruby pulsing with magical power. In its hand, the monster held a golden hoe.
“Skeleton druid!” Empech shrieked.
The creature glanced at the gnome, then flicked its hoe toward Crafter. A sparkling green ball of magic streaked right at the young NPC, striking him in the chest. Instantly, green spirals formed around Crafter as he fell to his knees, the enchantment poisoning him.
“Wolves, attack,” Herder growled.
The wolves charged at the skeleton, snapping at legs and arms. The monster moved back into the tower as it tried to escape the animals, but it didn’t stand a chance. In seconds, it was destroyed.
Gameknight ran to Crafter’s side. He offered his friend a piece of steak, hoping food would slow the effect of the poison. The NPC took the meat and ate it quickly, but the spirals around him only grew brighter. He moaned, then fell backward into Gameknight’s arms.
Empech reached into his pack and pulled out a glass bottle. He pulled out the stopper and handed it to the villager.
“Drink, yes, yes,” the gray creature said.
Crafter took the bottle and drank quickly. The potion of healing stopped the poison from spreading and slowly erased the green spirals that hovered around his head.
“Thanks, Empech,” the young NPC said. “That poison was powerful.”
“Skeleton druids should be treated with cautious respect, yes, yes,” replied the diminutive gnome.
Gameknight helped Crafter to his feet, then moved into the tower. Hunter and Stitcher were already inside, the enchantments on their bows casting splashes of iridescent purple light on the walls. But even with the magical illumination, the tower was incredibly dark.
“The Moonworm Queen, yes yes,” Empech said. “The Lich King dropped her and Gameknight999 picked her up. Use the Queen.”
“What are you talking about?” Gameknight asked.
“The glowing insect from the tower,” the little gnome insisted. “Use the Queen.”
And then he remembered … the large glowing insect. Reaching into his inventory, the User-that-is-not-a-user drew out the large bug and held it in his left hand. Instantly, its eight legs wrapped around his wrist, not like an attack, but more like a gentle embrace. The glowing creature felt comfortable against his skin, warm and kind.
“Squeeze,” Empech said.
Gameknight gave the Moonworm Queen the smallest of squeezes. Instantly, a glowing yellow worm shot out of the creature and stuck to the wall, casting a wide circle of fluorescent yellow light. It lit the interior of the tower, showing a set of stairs that climbed high into the tower.
“Moonworm Queen will give us many more worms than Gameknight has torches, yes, yes,” Empech said.
Gameknight nodded his head, then cast the little gnome a smile.
“OK, we have light; now let’s go find Weaver,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.
With the Moonworm Queen in his left hand, and his enchanted diamond sword in his right, Gameknight999 climbed up the stairs toward the trap that he knew lay waiting for them.
CHAPTER 27
MAZE OF TOWERS
They ran up the stairs of the first tower as Gameknight placed moonworms on the walls to provide light to see where they were stepping.
“Empech, how many worms does the Queen have in her?” Gameknight asked.
“It is unclear, yes, yes. But the Moonworm Queen can be recharged with torch berries.”
“Oh, that’s really helpful,” Stitcher said in a mocking tone. “Anyone have any torch berries?”
“Stitcher, be nice,” Hunter said in a low voice.
“Perhaps we’ll come across some,” Crafter added. “Just keep placing those worms. It helps a lot.”
After multiple turns and many flights, the stairway finally came to the next floor. It was dark … pitch black. Gameknight approached cautiously, sticking his head up through the opening, then ducking back again in case there were more skeleton druids. Nothing happened.
“We’ve reached the next floor, but I don’t hear any monsters,” Gameknight said. “I think it’s safe.”
“Wolves, forward,” Herder commanded, his voice as crisp and sharp as the edge of a sword.
The animals streaked up the steps and moved into the room. The pack leader barked once, signaling it was safe.
Gameknight moved into the room and placed moonworms on the walls. “There’s another door here,” he said.
“We can see that, genius,” Stitcher replied sarcastically.
He looked at the young girl and just sighed, the guilt of what had made her so cold filling his soul.
“Apparently, we go through the door now,” Hunter said.
The door was similar to the one that had let them into the tower: many square wooden tiles, each with a small ring of red surrounded by a larger one. But this time, there was no place for monster trophies.
“Hunter, Stitcher, you two get in the center,” Gameknight commanded. “Crafter, get on the left with your bow; I’ll be on the right. The rest of you, watch our backs. All of you ready?”
They moved into position, then nodded. Reaching out, the User-that-is-not-a-user touched one of the door tiles. Instantly, they began to disappear, each making a popping sound until every square evaporated. Before them stood a raised walkway that stretched from one tower to the next; it was completely empty.
“No monsters?” Crafter said, confused.
“Why complain?” Stitcher said. “Come on.”
She ran across the causeway, the rest of the party following her. They lined up at the next door and Gameknight touched the wooden tile. As with the last, the door disappeared with a cascade of popping sounds, revealing another empty tower bathed in darkness and another stairway leading up into shadows.
This happened in three more towers as the explorers moved higher and higher into the White Castle towers. Finally, they reached a room with a stairway piercing the ceiling, the sparkling stars shining through the opening. Gameknight ran up and moved out onto the roof of the building. Snow fell silently from the perpetually half-day/half-night sky that covered the Twilight Forest, the white dusting giving a fantastic, almost fairytale quality to the castle.
From atop the tower he could see the entire structure. Sixteen towers stood around a massive central square structure, everything made of pristine white quartz. Between the towers stretched raised walkways, some near the top while others punctured the structures’ midpoints like sharp skewers, holding the massive columns apart. Some of the towers near the gigantic central structure gave off a soft blue glow as long vertical stripes of color leaked the cerulean light, bathing the neighboring towers in a wash of color.
The central tower itself seemed deserted. There were no guards along the edges, no archers manning turrets … nothing. The lighting was dim enough across the massive structure’s roof that zombies and spiders could spawn, but there were too few to be of any concern. They all knew the real danger resided somewhere deep within the castle.
“I can see the path we need to take,” Hunter said. She jumped off the quartz blocks that lined the edge of the walkway. “Let’s get moving. I’m getting hungry and I wanna finish saving the world before dinner.”
They all laughed except for Stitcher.
“Ok,” Gameknight replied. “I wouldn’t wanna get in the way of your eating schedule. Lead on.”
Hunter ran forward and opened the next door. An arrow shot out of the opening as a skeleton fired at her. Before the bony creature could shoot another, Hunter and Stitcher silenced the monster, leaving a pile of skeleton bones that Herder’s wolves happily devoured.
They moved quickly through the towers. It worried Gameknight that it was so easy.
“Why do y
ou think there are so few monsters guarding these towers?” Gameknight asked the group.
“You want more monsters?” Stitcher replied, sounding shocked.
“No, I didn’t say I wanted more monsters. I asked why this was so easy.”
He reached the next doorway and pressed his hand against the square wooden tiles. Instantly, the concentric red rings turned green and the tiles disappeared with a popping sound. Inside, the shadowy tower was empty except for a set of stairs, one flight going up, the other heading down.
“I just worry that there’s something terrible waiting for us.” He glanced back at Herder. “Which way?”
“The next bridge is below us,” the lanky boy said as he stood precariously on the edge of the walkway, peering down.
As Gameknight headed for the stairs, he fired a moonworm onto the ground at the top of the steps to mark that they’d been here before, then moved down the stairway. It was easy to get lost in all these passages, and leaving a trail to follow was important.
The central castle was growing near; they were almost there.
“Come on,” Hunter said. “We’re getting close, let’s hurry up.”
“Caution is advised,” Empech warned.
“Caution for empty towers?” Stitcher asked mockingly. “Ha!”
She moved down the steps with her bow ready in her hands, the others struggling to keep up. Pressing on the door tiles, Stitcher opened the door to the next walkway and sprinted toward the tower that loomed ahead.
“Wait for us!” Gameknight yelled.
The young girl ignored him. She opened the next tower and stepped into the darkness with a few of Herder’s wolves on her heels, the rest of their party struggling to keep up. Then, pausing for just a moment, the NPC allowed the others to reach her side. As soon as Gameknight stepped into the tower, she sprinted forward again, climbing the next set of stairs. The User-that-is-not-a-user cast a worried glance at Hunter, then followed the young girl, placing more of the glowing worms on the walls to give them a little light. When they reached the top, Stitcher opened the door and peered across the walkway that stretched from the last tower to the huge White Castle. Then she bolted across the bridge and stood at the door that would allow them to enter the White Castle.
Terrors of the Forest Page 17
