System Overload

by Mark Cheverton

  The dark creatures disappeared from sight, some in a puff of purple. For others, the violet clouds only appeared moments after the monster had already vanished.

  Strange … it’s almost like Minecraft is having a hard time keeping up with us, like it’s lagging behind, Feyd thought. He shrugged, then he, too, disappeared from the End in search of information about the zombies and in search of his enemy, Gameknight999.

  CHAPTER 14

  ENEMY SIGHTED

  Xa-Tul paced back and forth in front of his commanders. Before the terrified zombies lay a pile of gold armor, three glowing balls of XP, and a pile of zombie flesh. The zombie king put away his massive broadsword, then stepped forward and allowed the XP to flow into his body.

  “Xa-Tul told all the zombie generals that this was a staging area, and that attacking the villagers was not part of the plan,” the king of the zombies said. “Were those instructions that difficult to understand?”

  The gold-clad zombie looked down at the armor that floated on the ground. It was the only thing that remained of the zombie general who had ordered the attack.

  “WAS THAT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND?!” Xa-Tul yelled.

  The monsters shook their head vigorously, their gazes cast to the ground.

  “The purpose of bringing all these zombies to this server was not to fight with the NPCs and reduce the size of the army here,” the zombie king growled. “Herobrine gave Xa-Tul a command before he left Minecraft. And to follow through on that command, all zombies must be brought to this server. Having them killed in pointless battles makes it hard for Xa-Tul to carry out Herobrine’s final wishes.”

  He took a step forward, then stomped his massive clawed foot down on the gold chest plate that floated before him. The metal crunched and folded under his weight, as if it were made of paper. The monster glanced down at the destroyed armor, then shifted his gaze to the surviving commanders.

  “Do the generals understand their commands?” Xa-Tul growled, then drew his golden broadsword. “Or must they be explained again?”

  “They are understood,” the generals all said quickly in unison.

  “Good,” the zombie king replied. “Now that the NPCs know where the zombies are hiding, it is necessary to move. Take all zombies through the green portal and to the next ancient zombie-town. That was their end destination anyway. Perhaps the final gathering will happen sooner than expected.”

  The generals all nodded their decaying heads.

  “Now go and clear all zombies from this zombie-town,” Xa-Tul commanded.

  The generals shuffled quickly away, grateful to have survived the meeting. Xa-Tul watched them and sneered.

  “Pathetic cowards,” he growled.

  Suddenly, the zombie king saw a single weak zombie stumbling across the cratered zombie-town. He struggled through the river that ran through one side, then shuffled straight toward the zombie king, screaming something at the top of his lungs.

  “THE ENEMY … THE ENEMY!” the monster yelled.

  He tripped and fell over the uneven ground, then struggled to stand again. Xa-Tul could see the zombie was exhausted, its HP nearly depleted. Rushing to his side, the zombie king grabbed the monster and threw him over his shoulder. He then moved to the HP fountain, knocking aside the other zombies with his free hand. When the green sparks of HP fell on the zombie, the monster began to breathe easier, his pale skin slowly returning to its naturally decrepit green hue.

  Xa-Tul put the creature roughly on the ground, then turned him around.

  “What is this about the enemy?” Xa-Tul asked. “Gameknight999 has been spotted?”

  “Yes, sire,” the zombie replied. “The User-that-is-not-a-user was seen during the fighting in the crevasse. This zombie saw the enemy with the two swords.”

  “What is this zombie’s name?” Xa-Tul asked.

  “Ho-Lin, Sire.”

  “Well done, Ho-Lin. Bringing this news to Xa-Tul has been a great service to all zombies,” the king said. “Xa-Tul promotes Ho-Lin to Nu-Lin.”

  The zombie stood up taller, his new name increasing his rank amongst his peers.

  “If Gameknight999 was here, then it is certain that they will return with an NPC army,” Xa-Tul mused.

  “Will the zombies wait to destroy the enemy?” Nu-Lin asked.

  “No, your king has other plans,” the zombie king said. “It is more imperative that the zombies leave this cave quickly.”

  Xa-Tul drew his massive golden broadsword, the keen edge making a terrible screeching sound as it slid from the scabbard. The noise drew the attention, and fear, of all the zombies.

  “Brothers and sisters, the enemy, Gameknight999, will soon be here. A surprise is necessary to properly greet the User-that-is-not-a-user. It is time to prepare, though the battle that will crush our enemy will not happen here. Instead, Xa-Tul will draw the User-that-is-not-a-user to a place much more convenient for the zombies.”

  The monsters nodded their scarred heads and moaned in excitement.

  “A trap will be set up in the next ancient zombie-town,” Xa-Tul said, his eyes glowing bright with violent anticipation. “This time, Gameknight999 will not be underestimated. This time, it will be Xa-Tul who will be victorious.”

  The zombie-king laughed a malicious, evil laugh that spread through the army until the uproar filled the entire chamber.

  “Quickly, remove all evidence that zombies or NPCs were here and go to the next zombie-town.”

  The monsters moved about the cavern and picked up all evidence, then headed for the portal chamber. Xa-Tul followed the massive monster horde down the stairs and grabbed one of his generals.

  “Find a volunteer,” the zombie king said.

  The general quickly pointed to one of the zombies from the mob.

  “What is this zombie’s name?” Xa-Tul asked.

  “Da-Ler, sire,” the zombie replied.

  “Excellent. Da-Ler has been chosen for an important assignment,” Xa-Tul explained. “With this assignment comes a promotion. Da-Ler will be known as Pe-Ler.”

  The zombie’s eyes grew wide with excitement.

  “What must Da-Ler do?” the zombie inquired.

  “Pe-Ler must stay behind and close the portal,” Xa-Tul explained. “There is a captive creeper held in this chamber. The monster will be released, then Pe-Ler will attack the creature and detonate it next to the green portal. Xa-Tul does not want Gameknight999 following the zombie army to the next ancient zombie-town until the trap is prepared and ready for him. Pe-Ler will help insure victory over the enemy. Understood?”

  The young zombie nodded his head eagerly.

  “Excellent,” Xa-Tul said.

  The zombie king pulled the soon-to-be-promoted Pe-Ler aside as they waited for the zombies and their prisoners to move through the sparkling green portal. As Xa-Tul watched, he thought he saw the portal flicker momentarily, as if the shimmering green field disappeared for just an instant. But then it was back again, carrying his army to their new location.

  Once the last of the zombies was through the gateway, Xa-Tul turned and faced the lone monster that remained. With his golden broadsword, the zombie king pointed to a chamber near the portal. He smashed one block, revealing a creeper, who peered out with dark black eyes. The captive monster paced back and forth in his prison cell, waiting to be released.

  “Ready?” Xa-Tul asked.

  The zombie nodded his head.

  “Keep the creeper close to the portal so that its explosion will destroy the green teleportation field,” Xa-Tul said. “Understood?”

  The zombie nodded again, though fear began to trickle into its dead eyes.

  “Do not fear. Just step away at the last instant, and Pe-Ler will be fine,” Xa-Tul said, making the lie sound convincing.

  The king of the zombies swung his sword down on the remaining block of dirt. With a second hit, the cube of brown dirt shattered, releasing the creeper. The mottled green monster stepped out of the hollow, but Pe-Ler grabbed it
and pulled the monster to the green gateway. Xa-Tul nodded to the monster then stepped through the portal. As his vision wavered, he could see the zombie striking the creeper over and over until it started to glow bright white.

  He stepped out of the green portal on the other side just as the sound of an explosion trickled out of the glistening doorway. Suddenly, the sparkling gateway went dark.

  “Pe-Ler did it,” Xa-Tul said with pride in his raspy voice. “His sacrifice will help the zombies to defeat Gameknight999.” He growled in appreciation of the now-destroyed monster.

  He stepped out of the portal room and into the much larger zombie-town. A small hill sat at the center of the cavern, an obsidian platform resting on its peak.

  All around, the zombies stared at him with uncertainty in their eyes. They needed direction. Putting away his sword, the king of the zombies strode across the cratered ground until he reached the hill. Walking up the incline, he stepped onto the obsidian platform and glared down at his subjects.

  “This will be the new home of the zombies for a while,” Xa-Tul growled. “Many more will join soon.” He turned and glared at his generals. “Get the pathetic villagers working. This cave must be bigger! While the NPCs dig, the zombies will prepare a surprise for the User-that-is-not-a-user.”

  The monster horde moaned and growled in excitement as they raised their decaying hands into the air, their razor-sharp fingernails sparkling in the light from the many HP fountains that dotted the cavern.

  Xa-Tul scanned the forest of claws that had sprouted up into the air and laughed an evil, malicious laugh.

  “You will not stand a chance, Gameknight999,” he growled, then strode off the hill and began making preparations.

  CHAPTER 15

  SEARCH FOR INFORMATION

  Gameknight999 paced back and forth, confused. The army had made it back to the village in the savannah in record time. The wounded were healed while others repaired weapons and armor. Everyone rested through the remainder of the night and then headed back to the zombie-town at dawn. But now that they were back, the place was empty … not just empty, but scoured clean.

  “Let’s check that room they always have at the back,” Hunter suggested.

  Gameknight nodded and followed his friend. They ran across the uneven floor, weaving around and climbing through the numerous craters that dotted the chamber floor. A small group of warriors followed closely behind them, while the rest of the army searched the huge cavern.

  When he reached the stairway that led down to the portal room, Gameknight stopped and waited while the rest of the warriors caught up. The passage was lit by a strange blue light that flickered and pulsed as if it were alive.

  “OK, everyone ready?” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.

  They nodded.

  “Let’s go!”

  The NPCs, led by Gameknight999, charged down the steps. As he took the steps two-at-a-time, Gameknight drew his swords and steeled himself for battle. But to his surprise, when they rounded the corner and entered the chamber, they found it empty, just like the cavern above. Before them stood three portals; a sickly yellow one, a purple one, and a third obsidian ring, which lay empty. Beneath the third portal was evidence that an explosion had occurred next to it, including a pile of zombie flesh and a small bit of gunpowder floating at the bottom of the newly-formed crater.

  Hunter went down into the depression and grabbed the gunpowder. She held it in her hand for a moment, then knelt and placed her hand on the stone.

  “It’s still warm,” Hunter said as she stepped out of the recession. “It must have been a creeper, and it seems like it exploded recently. But why would it detonate right next to the portal?”

  “Hmm …” Gameknight mused as he stared down into the cavity.

  “They wanted to close the portal after they left so we couldn’t follow them,” Cobbler said from the entrance to the room.

  Gameknight turned and found Crafter standing there, his bright blue eyes sparkling in the strange portal-light.

  “Maybe we should go through the different zombie-towns,” Digger said. “You know, like the one your sister was in? There would probably be a portal room in each of them, just like this one.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Crafter said. “We could—”

  “No!” said a strong voice from the doorway, causing everyone to turn and stare.

  Herder pushed his way through the crowd that was growing near the portal room entrance.

  “The zombies used this ancient zombie-town for a reason,” Herder said. “Maybe they’re trying to hide what they’re doing. These older zombie-towns are probably not on the same portal network as the newer ones. But they chose this one, with its cratered floor and single HP fountain, for a reason, and it wasn’t convenience. I mean, look: there is a river running straight through it.” He stepped closer to Gameknight999 and stared up into his eyes. “This terrible, inconvenient zombie-town must be a part of their plan, and that’s important to remember.”

  “Hmmm …” Gameknight said as he considered his friend’s words.

  “I agree with Herder,” Digger said, stepping forward and patting the skinny boy on the back. Herder nearly fell over, causing many of the villagers to chuckle.

  “OK, if you’re right, then where do we go to find the closest ancient zombie-town?” Gameknight questioned.

  All eyes swiveled to Crafter, expecting some kind of response, but the young NPC was lost in thought. He paced back and forth across the portal chamber, then turned and faced the crowd of villagers.

  “Where’s Bookman?” he asked to the NPCs.

  “Here,” said a scratchy voice.

  An NPC pushed through the armored bodies and stood at Crafter’s side. He wore a white smock with a gray stripe running down the center. His hair matched the color of the stripe but was messed and disheveled. Gameknight thought he was possibly the oldest NPC he’d ever seen in Minecraft—besides the original Crafter, of course.

  “Gameknight, Bookman is the village’s librarian,” Crafter explained. “You probably haven’t seen him before because he is always in his library, reading books.” Crafter turned and faced the librarian. “Bookman, you remember telling me about that book on the Great Zombie Invasion?”

  The librarian nodded his gray head. “Hmm … yes … it said something about how Smithy of the Two-Swords defeated Herobrine’s forces, and how the zombie-towns were made. They apparently used exploding creepers to expand the caves, which many believe led to the creeper king pulling his monsters out of the war. I find it fascinating that during—”

  “Bookman … Bookman, that all sounds very interesting, and some other time I’d love to hear more about it, but right now we need you to focus,” Crafter interrupted gently. “Did the book happen to mention where the old zombie-towns were located? Do you remember?”

  “Hmm … I know the original book was badly damaged when I first read it,” Bookman said. “I wrote down what I could understand, but there were many pages missing.”

  “All we need to know is where one zombie-town is located,” Gameknight added.

  “Hmm … yes … I do remember something,” the librarian said. “There was a zombie-town near a deep ravine, or something like that …”

  “That sounds just like the one we’re in right now!” Hunter exclaimed.

  “Oh … hmm … yes, of course,” Bookman continued. “And then there was one near the giant waterfall, but I’m sure you all knew about that one.”

  “A giant waterfall?” Gameknight asked.

  “Yes, yes,” Bookman replied. “The waterfall was the scene of a pivotal battle during the Great Zombie Invasion. The zombies had a town hidden in the rocks behind the waterfall. The stories say that Smithy of the Two-Swords was able to feel the zombie-town’s presence and led his army right to it. I’m sure villagers already know about that one. I told them all to read that book … quite interesting … quite interesting indeed.”

  Gameknight snapped his head to C
rafter. The young boy with the ancient eyes just shrugged.

  “Bookman, none of us have had a chance to read that book yet,” Crafter replied. “Sorry, but you’ll have to give us a quick summary.”

  “Oh my … that is unfortunate. It is quite an exciting history of the events during—”

  “On second thought, maybe we can discuss the book later,” Hunter interrupted. “Right now I’d say our best bet is finding that waterfall. Anyone have any ideas where it is?”

  Everyone glanced about the chamber, but the room stayed silent. Gameknight sighed and was about to speak when he heard a meek voice beside him.

  “I think I know where it is,” Cobbler said, his voice barely a whisper.

  “You do?” Gameknight exclaimed.

  The boy nodded.

  “Well?” Hunter probed. “Are you gonna tell us or keep it a secret?”

  “Oh … umm … it’s near my village,” Cobbler said.

  “Great!” exclaimed Crafter.

  “Here’s what we will do,” Gameknight said. “I will go back to Cobbler’s village with the bulk of the NPCs. Crafter, you go back to the village and bring the rest of the army. We’ll meet back up at Cobbler’s village as soon as possible. Let’s go!”

  The warriors stormed out of the portal chamber and back to the tunnel that led out of the zombie-town.

  “You see, Cobbler,” Crafter said as he veered around a crater, “it was good luck that you were here.”

  “Yeah, but now I’m going to lead everyone to another zombie-town that will likely be filled with hundreds of monsters,” the boy said. “That doesn’t seem very lucky.”

  Crafter sighed and glanced at the User-that-is-not-a-user. Gameknight could tell that his friend wanted him to say something reassuring to Cobbler, but he just couldn’t find the right words. After all, Cobbler was probably right. Gameknight999 knew they would likely find a massive army at the waterfall zombie-town, and he would have no choice but to lead his friends in battle, again. They would almost certainly be completely outnumbered, again, and he would have to figure out a way to save the NPCs and stop Xa-Tul’s evil plans. Glancing around at all the villagers around him, he shuddered when he thought about some of them getting hurt, or worse.