“This is not good,” Carver said. “Now they can drop right down on top of us.”
Gameknight quickly counted. He estimated at least thirty of the creatures approaching from the rear, and at least that many coming at them from the front as well.
“We’re surrounded and outnumbered,” someone said.
“What do we do?” another cried.
“We should run …”
Everyone was yelling out what to do, but no one knew for sure. They needed a plan.
Can I get them out of this? Gameknight thought. They need a real leader, like Smithy, not me … what should we do?
“We’re too close to fight, we need to spread out …”
“We can’t, the bridge is too narrow!” someone shouted.
Too narrow … of course! Quickly, Gameknight put away his swords and pulled out blocks of stone. “Carver, with me!” the User-that-is-a-user shouted.
Ignoring the curious looks from the other villagers, he moved to the edge of the bridge and began placing down blocks of stone. Inching to the precipice, he placed more blocks, creating a platform on one side.
“What are you doing?” Carver asked.
Gameknight didn’t even bother to look up.
“Place blocks on the edge and create a platform so we can fight.”
The NPC didn’t reply, immediately leaping into action. Gathering more villagers, Carver gave direction as Gameknight continued to place blocks. The villagers at the edges of the formation pulled out their bows and tried to keep the spiders back, but there were so many of them; there were too few villagers to slow the monsters significantly.
In under a minute, the platforms were built. NPCs now spread out across the new structures and waited, the extra room giving them more space to fight. The first wave of spiders reached them. Some of the fuzzy creatures lowered down on strands of silk, while others charged directly at them.
“Protect each other,” Gameknight called out. “Watch each other’s backs.”
Spider claws slashed through the darkness, tearing into leather armor as if it was paper.
“These spiders seem stronger, somehow,” Carver said at Gameknight’s side. “They usually aren’t this tough to beat.”
“I know,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied.
It was true; the monsters were undeniably faster and more lethal. Herobrine must have done something to them … but what?
“There’s too many of them,” someone shouted. “We can’t fight them from the front and rear at the same time!”
“What do we do, Smithy? What do we do?”
Suddenly, arrows began flying through the air from the end of the bridge. At the same time, an Oink! echoed across the Chasm.
“What was that?” Carver asked.
Gameknight turned and saw a group of villagers at the far end of the bridge, with a lone pig standing defiantly in the front. Another wave of arrows flew through the air from the new army of NPCs, then they charged forward.
“FOR MINECRAFT!” they yelled.
“It’s Weaver and the other kids from the village!” Carver said.
“Weaver?!” Gameknight growled.
The kids ran toward the spiders, some with their swords held out so they could bang them against the bridge supports, causing an earth-shattering ruckus as they charged. There were maybe thirty of them, many still firing their bows as fast as they could. The spiders to the rear felt the sting of their shafts and turned to face the new threat.
“Some of you, reinforce those facing the spiders at the front. The rest, with me … ATTACK!” Gameknight yelled.
With the spiders facing away, the NPCs fell upon them. With his two swords shining in the moonlight, the User-that-is-not-a-user dove into the formation, slashing at spiders to the left and right. His blades were a blur as he moved from one target to the next.
Behind him, Gameknight could hear the warriors at the front of the bridge in a pitched battle with the monsters. Cries of pain and fright came from both villagers and spiders as the battle raged. The fuzzy monsters before him tried to step back to regain their position, but there was no place for them to go. Now the spiders were trapped between two forces.
Quickly, the monsters’ numbers diminished. Gameknight carved away at their HP while the group led by Weaver smashed into piles of arachnids. Glancing over his shoulder, the User-that-is-not-a-user saw Carver at the edge of the spider formation. He was slashing at the spiders frantically, with Builder and Planter at his side. Gameknight thought the stocky NPC looked clumsy with the sword, as if the weapon didn’t belong in his hand for some reason.
A spider claw suddenly scraped across his leggings, tearing a deep gash into the leather and narrowly missing the flesh protected underneath. Gameknight spun and drove his swords into the creature, scoring a quick succession of critical hits that made the monster flash red as it took damage. With Carver and his warriors at one side, and Weaver’s group at the other, the spiders quickly fell until they were all gone.
Without pause, Gameknight turned and charged toward the other end of the bridge. The villagers that stayed on the platform were battling for their lives, outnumbered and facing a dangerous foe. But as the warriors closed in on the monsters, the spiders fought harder. It was clear they were not going to retreat.
“Weaver, quickly build some towers. Use the overhead supports.”
The young boy glanced upward, then nodded. He pulled out blocks of stone and constructed a small tower that would allow him to get above the warriors. With the help of the other kids, they made a wide cobblestone tower from which they could shoot down at the fighting creatures.
Their bows began to hum as arrows rained down upon the spiders, causing the black, fuzzy bodies to flash red with damage. Between the swords and the arrows, the spiders quickly fell.
“Don’t let any escape,” Gameknight said. “Charge!”
The warriors pushed forward, shoving spiders off the bridge to plummet to their doom. Finally, the last of the fuzzy monsters perished with a pop.
Glancing around him, Gameknight could see the piles of items left behind, marking where villagers had perished. Many had not survived because of his leadership. A heaviness settled in his heart as he thought about those poor souls, sadness and guilt filling his inner being. Slowly, he raised his hand into the air, fingers spread. The other NPCs saw this and followed his example, offering a salute for the dead. Gameknight spread his fingers wide, then clenched them into a fist and squeezed tight.
“We will not let our friends’ deaths be in vain,” Gameknight said as he lowered his hand.
He growled at Weaver and gave him an angry scowl. But then Wilbur came running across the bridge, oinking as he approached.
“I told you I’d keep my eye on him,” Weaver said.
“Bringing everyone here was dangerous!” Gameknight snapped. “You should have listened to me. Some of these kids could have been hurt. You could have been hurt.”
“We knew we could handle it. And besides, if we hadn’t come along, all of you would have been in trouble. So I guess we saved the day, huh? It all turned out OK.”
“The ends do not justify the means,” Gameknight growled. “I told you to stay at the village for your safety and you ignored me!”
He turned away from the boy and stared down into the Chasm, furious at Weaver.
“I’m sorry, Smithy,” Weaver said. “It’s just that all the villagers say we can’t do anything, that we’re too small and too young. But they’re wrong. We can do a lot of things to help and we’re tired of just being ignored and treated like we’re worthless.”
“I get it, kid,” Carver said. “I’m glad you came along.”
“Carver, you’re not helping,” Gameknight said.
The stocky NPC just shrugged.
Gameknight knelt before Weaver and spoke quietly. “I need you to listen to me so that I can keep you safe. Do you understand that?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Weaver replied.
> He reached out and tussled his hair, then patted Wilbur on the head. Whatever the circumstances, seeing his friend and pig always lifted Gameknight’s spirits.
“Alright then. Come on, let’s see what Herobrine is up to.”
Turning, he sprinted across Midnight Bridge and toward Dragon’s Teeth.
CHAPTER 14
ZOMBIE-TOWNS
The large group of zombies shuffled forward through the forest, nervously glancing over their shoulders. Their sorrowful moans were filled with an extra dose of fear as they strained to move fast enough to avoid punishment.
“You zombies are under my command whether you like it or not,” Herobrine growled. “Hiding in dark caves and tunnels will not allow you to escape my sight. I can see and feel everything in Minecraft.”
He had sensed these zombies cowering underground, unwilling to answer his call and come to Dragon’s Teeth to join his army. As an example to the rest of his army, Herobrine had destroyed a dozen of the decaying monsters, just so that the others knew that the consequences of disobeying his commands would be severe. It worked; after the executions, the remaining zombies had been happy to lend their claws to his war. But just to be certain, Herobrine had escorted them all to the surface, ushering them toward the Teeth as if they were a herd of cattle. Any monsters that strayed too far from the rest were greeted by the sharp point of his sword, encouraging all of the zombies to stay together and move quickly.
Soon, Herobrine could smell the smoke and ash from the lava that flowed down the side of one of the Teeth. It smelled wonderful and brought a devious smile to his square face.
“Hurry up!” the Maker snapped. “The last one to make it to Dragon’s Teeth will be thrown in the lava.”
The zombies shuffled faster; it made Herobrine laugh.
Suddenly, a purple cloud of mist formed next to him. Instantly, Erebus materialized by Herobrine’s side.
“Maker, welcome back,” the king of the Endermen said. “I see there are more zombies … excellent. But there is little room for them all in the caves.”
“I felt a large group of creepers arrive recently,” Herobrine said.
“Yes, they are here.”
“We will put them to work, then, to help with our space problem,” Herobrine ordered. “Now, have one of your Endermen escort these zombies to Dragon’s Teeth. Whichever one arrives last is to be punished … by death!”
“Understood,” Erebus said.
The Endermen king disappeared, then reappeared seconds later with another shadowy monster at his side.
“This Enderman will make sure the zombies make it to our base,” Erebus said.
“Excellent. Now, meet me at the cave opening,” Herobrine said.
At the speed of thought, the evil maker appeared next to the hole that sat between the four Dragon’s Teeth. An instant later, the dark red Erebus materialized at his side.
Herobrine stepped to the edge of the gaping hole that plunged downward into the ground. The four spires that made up Dragon’s Teeth climbed high into the night sky close around the entrance to the hole, as if guarding it with their rocky fangs. The landscape, lit from the orange glow of the molten stone that bled down the side of one of the spires, had an eerie look to it, like the scene from some kind of terrible nightmare … it was wonderful.
Peering into the shadowy passage, Herobrine could see that it went down a dozen blocks or so, then turned and extended horizontally. Steps had been carefully carved into the tunnel walls, making it easy for monsters to enter and leave, but at the moment many of the monsters were milling about outside the chamber; there was clearly not enough room for all of them underground.
Moving closer to the edge of the tunnel, Herobrine peered down into the darkness, then turned and glared at the creepers standing around.
“Get down there, you idiotic creepers!” Herobrine growled, even though he knew they couldn’t. There was nothing the evil virus liked more than making unreasonable demands.
He glanced at a group of Endermen and some newly arrived blazes.
“Endermen, help them, now! Blazes, you get down there as well. Don’t make me wait.”
He glared at them, his eyes glowing bright. With an angry scowl painted on his face, Herobrine waited as a group of blazes floated past, followed by a stream of creepers jumping from step to step as they descended down underground. He materialized at the bottom of the vertical section, where the tunnel bent and extended horizontally. He could see that it stretched forward, probably another twenty blocks or so, before it ended at a blank, rocky wall. Slowly, the smell of ash and smoke filled the air. Glancing over his shoulder, Herobrine saw the blazes approaching from behind.
“Wait next to me,” Herobrine commanded. The flaming creatures complied, the spinning blaze rods that made up their bodies glowing in the darkness.
Suddenly, a mist of purple teleportation particles formed near one wall, and then an Enderman appeared, holding a creeper with each arm. The mottled green creatures looked terrified for a moment, but when they felt something solid under their pig-like feet, the explosive monsters relaxed and began to scurry about. The Enderman disappeared, then returned with more of the green monsters. Finally, Erebus appeared with two more creepers in tow. He moved next to his Maker.
“Creepers, go to that wall and stand there,” Herobrine commanded. The monsters moved to the wall, not giving the order any thought.
“All the way against the wall,” he added. The monsters moved up against the stone edge of the tunnel.
The evil shadow-crafter gestured to the blaze and nodded his head. Instantly, balls of flame streaked out from the fiery monster and struck the creeper. The green monster began to hiss and glow brightly, swelling a bit, then detonated, tearing into the wall and carving more space into the cavern.
“Perfect,” Herobrine said, chuckling. He glanced up at the Erebus. “The creepers will obey you and all your Endermen. I want a massive cavern carved into the flesh of Minecraft, right here. It must be bigger than any cave you can imagine. Do you understand?”
Erebus nodded his dark crimson head.
“Use as many of the creepers as necessary,” Herobrine said. “We must make room for real monsters. Put one of your trusted Endermen in charge and make sure they do this right, then meet me above.”
Without waiting for a response, the evil Herobrine teleported from the cavern and back to the surface. In moments, Erebus was again at his side.
“Endermen, gather,” the Maker commanded.
The dark creatures instantly disappeared, then materialized before him in a cloud of purple mist. Herobrine addressed the congregation of shadowy monsters.
“I have created HP fountains all across the Overworld. They are hidden in caves deep within the extreme hills biomes. If you listen carefully to Minecraft, you can hear them.” He paused as the Endermen all tilted their heads slightly, listening; many began to nod. “Teleport to those locations. Take many creepers with you, as well as a handful of blazes. The creepers will be used to carve out massive caverns for the zombies that will soon arrive. The decaying monsters can feel the pull of the HP fountains. You must make the cavern large enough to accommodate a lot of monsters. Understood?”
“What do you require from me?” Erebus asked.
“You will stay here and supervise the zombie-town below us, then set up defenses in case the villagers are foolish enough to attack.”
“Where are you going, Maker?” the king of the Endermen asked.
“I am going forth to collect more monsters. Every zombie, skeleton, spider, and creeper will be forced to join our cause, or be destroyed.”
He drew his sword in a quick, fluid motion. The iron blade gleamed with a bright orange glow, the light from the lava flow glistening off the weapon.
“Soon, we will have a massive army that will strike fear into every villager in the Overworld.” He closed his eyes and reached out into Minecraft with his viral senses. “I can feel a huge contingent of creepers co
ming this way. They are easy to sense when they are on the surface.” He closed his eyes and reached out into the fabric of Minecraft. “You will be surprised by how many creepers are coming to us. There are hundreds; Oxus did well.”
Herobrine opened his eyes again.
“Shaikulud is doing the same. Soon, we will have an unstoppable force that will cover the surface of Minecraft with destruction.”
Erebus began to cackle a high-pitched, screechy laugh, his eyes glowing a bright red.
“The infestation of villagers that has taken root all throughout the Overworld will be eradicated,” Herobrine said. “When we are done, the world will belong to the monsters.”
The Endermen nearby began to cackle like Erebus, all of their eyes glowing bright.
“Endermen, go and carry out my orders,” Herobrine commanded. “Build me my zombie-towns and prepare for the multitudes arriving soon.”
The dark monsters disappeared in puffs of purple mist, reappearing next to the large group of creepers. Each grabbed two of the mottled green creatures with their long, dark arms and teleported away with them. In minutes, nearly all of the creepers were gone. Herobrine watched the creatures disappear. An evil smile crept across his boxy face.
“Soon, blacksmith, I will have a surprise for you and all your pathetic villagers!”
And then Herobrine, too, disappeared from sight, leaving Dragon’s Teeth filled with the awful cacophony of subterranean explosions.
CHAPTER 15
DRAGON’S TEETH
Carver led the way through the birch forest, keeping the Great Chasm just on their left and moving parallel to its crooked path. With the dim light from the half moon and the thick forest canopy overhead, it was as dark as a roofed forest. Which meant that a group of spiders could easily merge with the darkness and be impossible to see before it was too late …
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