Terrors of the Forest

by Mark Cheverton

  “Then let’s get moving!” Stitcher exclaimed. Gameknight ran through the passage, placing the glowing worms as far apart as possible.

  “Hurry,” Gameknight encouraged.

  They ran through the rune dungeon, weaving past blue and green and yellow glowing cells until Crafter spotted a pink one in the distance. They sprinted toward that glowing chamber and found the door on the side. Once it opened, they moved in and built a stone barrier, blocking the entrance.

  In the middle of the pink cell was another set of stairs, but this time, they were not the pristine white of the castle, but the gray color of deadrock.

  Gameknight and his friends moved down the stairs, placing the worms on the walls as he went. As they descended, a strange rumbling filled the air. It was like the deep-throated purring of a cat … a gigantic cat. But the sound was not pleasant, like the purrs of Gameknight’s cat at home, Tiger. No, this sounded as if it came from something angry and hateful. The rumbling grew louder as they descended, the sound reverberating in the stairs and walls.

  “What’s making that sound?” Digger asked, his voice shaking.

  “Something unnatural,” the pech said. “Empech has never heard that sound in Minecraft. All must be careful.”

  “Pffft, it’s just a monster, and all monsters can be destroyed,” Stitcher growled.

  “Perhaps, child, but perhaps not,” the pech replied sagely. “Humility and caution may serve you better.”

  Stitcher gave the little gnome a scowl, then continued down the stairs. Finally, they reached the end of the passage, where the stairway ended in a large chamber with an ominous hole in its center. The hole was like a dark circle of nothingness, the space beyond its opening cloaked in absolute darkness. The sounds of monsters could easily be heard below, but it was not the angry growls they were used to hearing. Instead, the monsters sounded scared, which was strange.

  Then an earsplitting roar thundered through the very fabric of Minecraft. The beating of heavy, leathery wings filled the air as something big flew past the opening, then smashed into the floor from underneath, making the entire castle shake. A blast of foul-smelling air shot out of the opening as something gigantic exhaled and snorted, then growled in frustration.

  Gameknight teetered on the edge of the hole when the creature smashed its wings against the floor again, almost causing him to fall in. Digger reached out quickly and grabbed his armor, pulling him back from the precipice.

  “What was that?” Digger asked.

  Squawk, Tux said, the tiny penguin sounding terrified.

  “I don’t know, but it was big,” Woodcutter said.

  “Even bigger than a dragon, that’s for sure,” Herder added. “My wolves can take care of any normal Minecraft monster, but not something that big.” He took a step backward, away from the hole, his wolves moving with him.

  “Come on … it’s just a monster like any other,” Stitcher said.

  Another roar filled the chamber, making the walls shake. This one actually hurt Gameknight’s ears, causing them to ring after the sound faded.

  “At least we didn’t have to smell its bad breath that time,” Hunter said with a small, hopeful smile, trying to cheer the group up.

  No one laughed.

  Suddenly, a scream floated from out of the darkness.

  “Smithy, it’s a …” The voice was quickly muffled.

  “That was Weaver’s voice!” Gameknight said. “We have to go down there. If we can just save Weaver and put him back into the past again, we can restore the timeline and heal Minecraft.”

  The rest of the party stared at the User-that-is-not-a-user as if he were insane.

  “Don’t you get it? If we save Weaver, then it all goes back the way it’s supposed to be,” Gameknight said, his voice shaking slightly with fear.

  No one said anything.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user shot a moonworm onto the deadrock floor. The creature writhed as it struggled to survive, its normally bright yellow body flickering with an unsteady glow as the deadrock slowly drained its HP.

  “Look … the very fabric of Minecraft is dying,” Gameknight said. “If we don’t get Weaver back into the past, then nothing will survive.”

  “You have a plan?” Hunter asked.

  “Well …” Gameknight couldn’t look at her. He lowered his head in shame.

  “That thing down there sounds gigantic,” Hunter said. “We need a plan.”

  She’s right; I don’t even have a plan, he thought. How can I ask them to have faith in me when I don’t have any faith in myself?

  Gameknight shuddered as waves of fear and uncertainty crashed down upon him, washing away the last vestiges of his courage. He glanced at his companions. They wouldn’t look him in the eye, their faith in him shattered by the monster’s roar and his own lack of confidence.

  But then his eyes fell upon Empech. The gnome’s two gem-like blue eyes reflected his image, and he didn’t like what he saw. The multi-faceted orbs showed Gameknight what he thought of himself: he resembled a hunched-over, pathetic, weak, cowering child. His skin appeared to droop off his diminutive frame like a suit three sizes too big. But the worst part was his eyes. They seemed to be filled not just with defeat, but with an acceptance of defeat, as if trying wasn’t even an option.

  You can do only what you believe you can do, the high-pitched voice echoed in his head. You can be what you choose to be, and do what you choose to do, but only if you believe in yourself.

  How can I believe in this? Gameknight replied in his mind. That monster down there is huge and will likely tear us to pieces.

  “Empech has memories he does not understand,” the gnome said, his squeaky voice piercing the momentary silence. “Empech can see Gameknight999 battling a spider with purple eyes, and standing before four horsemen, and facing a dark creature with glowing eyes. That Gameknight999 from Empech’s memories stands here now, yes, yes.”

  “No, that was different,” the User-that-is-not-a-user snapped.

  “Oh?” the little gray creature asked.

  “Was it really any different?” Crafter asked. He stepped forward and stood at Gameknight’s side. “I remember when you faced the spider queen. We all said you were completely crazy, but you did it anyway, because you were brave.”

  “But that was a long time ago,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied.

  “And remember when you faced Herobrine’s four horsemen of the apocalypse?” Hunter added. “You stood before them, totally unafraid, and dared them to attack. Those cowardly monster kings ran away because of the courage you showed in the face of those overwhelming odds.” She too moved closer, her hand settling gently on his shoulder.

  “You even faced an entire army of zombies, just to save me,” Herder said. One of the wolves barked in agreement. The lanky boy reached down and petted the animal. “You didn’t really have much of a plan then, and you were still successful.”

  “I had a plan,” Gameknight insisted.

  “Yeah, well, I was there, and your plan was terrible,” Stitcher said.

  “Stitcher, be nice,” Hunter chided.

  “I’m just saying, his plan was terrible, and he just made it up as he went,” the younger sister replied. She turned and faced him. “Your ability to react to new situations, and change battle plans on the fly, that’s what made it possible to defeat all those monsters. No one can predict what the King of the Griefers will do.”

  She laughed, causing Gameknight to smile just a bit.

  Digger stepped forward and said nothing, just laid his strong hand on Gameknight’s other shoulder. Gameknight looked up at him, and could see the fear in the stocky NPC’s eyes, but he could see faith as well.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user glanced back at Empech and gazed again at his pathetic, wretched image in the gnome’s eyes, but the stooped form was beginning to grow straight and tall as Gameknight999 began to believe. Memories of Herobrine’s defeat and the destruction of Reaper, the skeleton king, filled his
mind.

  His reflected image in Empech’s deep blue eyes grew stronger and more confident.

  Thoughts of when he’d saved Hunter in his own timeline from the wither skeletons came to him as if he were reliving the experience. They hadn’t cared about the odds or the danger. All that mattered was that their friend was in trouble … just like now.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user’s icy blue reflection grew stronger and taller in the gnome’s eyes until he it was that of a warrior … like a mythical hero … like Gameknight999.

  “Gameknight999 believed back then,” Empech said. He took a step closer to the User-that-is-not-a-user. “Believe now.”

  He glanced around at his friends and saw newfound courage, not because they now believed in him, but because Gameknight finally believed in himself. And as his confidence and strength blossomed, they naturally spread to the others until the whole group was brimming with courage.

  Another roar punched through the air, shaking the ground.

  “I’m getting pretty tired of that,” Stitcher growled.

  “Me too,” Gameknight agreed.

  Squawk, squawk, Tux shouted, her tiny features bristling with courage.

  “I think it’s about time we go down there and find out what’s making all that noise,” Crafter said.

  “Absolutely,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said resolutely.

  Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out a pail of water and poured the contents over the edge of the dark hole, Hunter and Stitcher doing the same. Gameknight glanced down at the hole and imagined it was the mouth of some kind of gigantic creature, and he was about to jump into the belly of the beast.

  He glanced at Empech and smiled.

  “I believe we can do this,” Gameknight said, his confident voice booming off the cold stone walls, then jumped into the watery flow and fell into darkness, his friends following.

  CHAPTER 33

  MANTICORE

  As Gameknight floated down the watery column, the sounds of monsters penetrated the liquid. Growls and snarls and the snapping of sharp teeth filled his ears, but they were not as loud as the bellowing roar from the great beast hidden in the shadows.

  As soon as he touched the ground, the User-that-is-not-a-user quickly placed moonworms all around the flowing pool. The worms squirmed and writhed at the touch of the deadrock, their glowing bodies flickering; they weren’t going to last long. The great beast roared again. It was even louder from down on the ground, and the stench of the creature’s breath wafted throughout the chamber.

  The sounds of monsters surrounded them, but none of the creatures charged; there was something keeping them hidden in the darkness. Gameknight moved farther into the darkness, placing additional worms on the ground. The glowing creatures revealed more of the chamber; deadrock stretched out in all directions, with dark obsidian pillars standing here and there, the walls of the impossibly huge chamber still hidden within the shadows.

  Suddenly, a vile, malicious laugh echoed through the chamber. The User-that-is-not-a-user instantly knew the mocking voice to be that of Entity303.

  “So, you finally made it here, Gameknight999,” Entity303 said from the darkness.

  “Come out and show yourself, coward,” the User-that-is-not-a-user snapped.

  “Coward … ha!”

  Three flaming arrows streaked through the darkness. Each burning shaft hit a piece of netherrack that stood atop the tall obsidian columns. The unquenchable fire of the burning netherrack cast a flickering yellow light, unveiling more of the chamber. Another flight of arrows came out of the darkness, lighting more trios of the flaming pillars. Slowly, the burning netherrack pushed back the shadows, revealing a massive chamber built from the gloomy deadrock stone, the dull, gray walls merging with the floors in the distance.

  Along the edge of the huge cavern were monsters of every kind, some they’d seen incarcerated in the glowing prison cells of the rune dungeon above, and others that were still unrecognizable. They hugged the walls as if deathly afraid to venture out into the center of the room. Glowing balls of XP, skeleton bones and pieces of zombie flesh showed that some of the monsters had tried to move away from the perimeter, but unsuccessfully.

  On the far side of the room stood Entity303, holding a rope that was wrapped around Weaver, a terrified expression on the young NPC’s face. They stood on a mound of deadrock that seemed as if it had oozed out of the wall, creating a gently sloping pile that spread across the floor. Next to the mound sat a small enclosure glowing a sickly yellow, the sides of the box made of force fields like in the rune dungeons. Trapped within the pale sheets of light was a chest that sparkled with magical energy. Entity303 stared down at the chest, a look of crazed desire in his eyes.

  He wants that chest, that’s why we’re here, Gameknight thought. He can’t get past the force fields on his own.

  ROAR!!!

  A massive creature glided in from the dark side of the cavern and settled at the user’s side. It had the body of a lion, with a thick, bushy brown mane ringing its face. The furry cowl stood out against the short-cropped tan fur that covered the rest of its body. It looked strong—really strong—with clawed front and back paws and legs rippling with muscles. From its back jutted two large, bat-like wings, their leathery skin as dark as the deadstone that surrounded them. At the tips of the wings, Gameknight could see what looked like razor-sharp horns that could probably tear through iron armor as if it were paper. This was a creature built for destruction.

  “What is that thing?” Digger hissed.

  Before anyone could answer, the monster moved, revealing its tail. Instead of seeing a lion’s tail, the monster extended a segmented thing that was similar to the tail of a scorpion. The thick, scaly thing writhed in the air, snake-like, showing a deadly scorpion’s stinger at the end.

  “We studied mythological creatures in school last year,” Gameknight mumbled, his fear barely held in check.

  “What is it?” Hunter asked, her voice actually shaking with fear.

  “That thing is called a manticore, and it was considered a creature of incredible strength and ferocity,” Gameknight whispered as he slowly put away the Moonworm Queen and drew his iron sword with his left hand. “In our textbook, it said these creatures were capable of destroying entire armies.”

  “Good thing we brought an army with us,” Stitcher said with a smile.

  No one found it funny.

  The monster turned its massive head and faced the intruders. Gameknight was shocked to see its face; it was not that of a lion. Rather, the manticore had the face of a villager, with a large, bulbous nose and deep-set eyes that glowed red with anger. Large white teeth jutted from the side of the creature’s mouth, the sharp tips gleaming in the light of the burning netherrack.

  The villagers around Gameknight999 gasped in shock when they saw the monster’s face.

  “I can see you noticed my little pet manticore,” Entity303 shouted from across the chamber. His voice echoed off the walls and mixed with the growls and snarls of the monsters that ringed the chamber. “They are very loyal creatures, and since I saved this one from certain death, it is now mine to command.” The crazed user took a step forward and patted the mighty beast on the side. “The mindless brute doesn’t know that it was I who put it in mortal danger in the first place. Ha ha ha. That’s what you get for not having much of a brain.”

  “Just give us Weaver and we’ll let you leave, unharmed,” Gameknight shouted.

  Entity303 smiled and shook his head. “You must earn your little prize.” He patted the manticore on the side again. “First, I want to do a little experiment. Let’s see how many monsters you can battle at once.” He pointed at the monsters along the wall. “Manticore, send the monsters into battle!”

  The huge beast sprung into the air, its dark wings flinging ash from the burning netherrack into the air. It streaked along the sides of the room, dragging the horn at the end of one wing against the dark wall. The scraping sound scared the
monsters into action. They scattered away from the walls and into the center of the chamber. When the myriad of growling creatures realized they would not be slain for standing out into the open, they turned and glared at the intruders, their snarling voices growing loud.

  “Everyone stand with your backs to the water,” Gameknight said. “We need to stay close and watch out for each other. Remember …”

  Before he could finish, Stitcher yelled a vicious battle cry and charged toward the monsters, her bowstring singing its song of violence.

  “Stitcher … come back!” Gameknight shouted, but the young girl was lost to the fury of battle.

  “We have to protect her,” Hunter said and ran after her sister, her own bow twanging away.

  “This is bad, yes, yes, very bad,” Empech said as he pulled out a potion of something and threw it at Gameknight999.

  Instantly, sparkling purple swirls floated around this head. The User-that-is-not-a-user stared at the gnome, confused..

  “Potion of swiftness, yes, yes.”

  Gameknight smiled, then turned and sprinted after the sisters. “Come on, everyone, we need to protect our friends!” he yelled to the others.

  He streaked forward, zipping past Hunter and quickly catching Stitcher. He found the girl on one knee, firing at some kind of icy sparkling creature. It reminded Gameknight of a blaze, only without the wreath of flames and smoke around it. Instead of being a bright yellow, it was the color of snow and ice. The monster fired something at the young girl. Gameknight batted the frosty projectile back at the creature. It hit the monster in the head, making it flash red and expire, a loud clanking sound filling the air.

  “One down!” Stitcher giggled.

  By now, Hunter had reached her side and was also firing at the monsters, an expression of grim determination on her face. Gameknight could see they were completely outnumbered, and being out here in the open was not ideal. Putting away his sword, he pulled a stack of dirt blocks from his inventory. Using his swiftness, he ran around his friends, placing the blocks on the ground, building some defenses. Quickly, he constructed a wall two blocks high, then placed cubes of dirt behind the wall for his friends to stand upon.