Attack of the Shadow-Crafters

by Mark Cheverton

  The last to fall were the zombies. The decaying monsters charged forward, many of them shouting at Smithy, trying to destroy him, but there were just too many swords and arrows. The green monsters slowly succumbed until only the gold-clad general remained. Feigning injury, he suddenly charged at Gameknight999, but Carver was there with a flash of iron. The monster disappeared, his golden armor clattering to the ground.

  “We did it!” Weaver yelled.

  A cheer rose up over the Great Chasm as the warriors cheered.

  Moving through the water, Weaver and the other kids rejoined the warriors. Gameknight patted the boy on the back, then turned and faced Carver.

  “You were … incredible,” Gameknight said.

  “Well, I dropped my sword back there,” Carver said sheepishly. “I guess that wasn’t a very good thing to do. The axe was all I had left.”

  “I’m glad you dropped your sword,” Gameknight said. “Your axe won the day for us and allowed us to keep this bridge.”

  The other NPCs shouted Carver’s name, many of them slapping him on the back.

  “It seems you found something worthy enough to carve with that glorious axe,” Gameknight said with a smile.

  “He’s the carver of monsters!” one of the warriors shouted.

  “Carver, the carver of monsters!” the others shouted.

  “Savior of Midnight Bridge!”

  The stocky NPC just smiled as they shouted praise, his hand moving along the handle of his now-famous axe.

  They moved back to their side of the bridge. Carver pulled out the diamond pickaxe and created a hole in the cobblestone defenses, allowing everyone to pass through. He then moved to Gameknight’s side and extended the diamond pickaxe to the blacksmith.

  “I think this is yours,” Carver said. “You should keep it.”

  “No,” Gameknight replied. “I need you to hold onto that pick. You have an important job to do with it still.”

  Carver looked at him, confused.

  “You need to pass it down through your family, giving it to every male baker.”

  “But I don’t understand,” Carver replied.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Gameknight replied. “This is the task I’m asking you to do for me. Pass it down to your baker son, then his baker son and the next and next. One of the bakers in your family tree will have an important task to do with that pickaxe, and the lives of many will depend on it. Will you do this for me?”

  Carver, though he still seemed confused, nodded his head. “As you wish.”

  “Excellent,” Gameknight replied. “Now, I must do the next task. I fear everything will rely on its success, for I’m sure the rest of the army is completely outnumbered.”

  “You can’t go!” Carver snapped. “Your place is with the army, not out there risking your life.”

  “No, I won’t ask anyone else to do this thing for me,” Gameknight replied.

  “We can do it!” snapped Weaver. “I know more about TNT than anyone else, and me and my friends are faster than everyone. We can do it, and we won’t be noticed because we are so small.”

  “He’s right,” Carver added. “Your place is with the army, as their leader. I will go with Weaver and make sure they are safe.”

  Gameknight looked at Carver, then flashed a glance at Weaver. He could see the confidence in all their eyes, and he knew they were right.

  With a sigh, the User-that-is-not-a-user nodded his head.

  “You’re right about most of that,” Gameknight said. “Weaver and his friends will plant the surprises. But Carver, you aren’t going with them.”

  The stocky NPC glanced at the blacksmith, confused.

  “Instead, Carver, the carver of monsters will be at my side,” Gameknight said. “Your axe will be better put to use out there in the desert, rather than sneaking around behind Herobrine’s back. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” Carver replied.

  “Remember, Weaver, when you see me give you the sign, that means we’re going to start, and you need to get out of there,” Gameknight explained. “And you’d better be fast.”

  “There’s no one faster than me and my friends,” the young boy replied with a smile.

  “OK. It’s time.” Gameknight gave Weaver one last look, then nodded. “Be safe.”

  “No problem,” Weaver replied. “We’ll just be solving this monster problem with a little creativity and a lot of TNT.”

  The boy smiled, then all the kids ran across the bridge and into the darkness. At the same time, Gameknight999 and Carver headed back northward to where the biggest battle ever seen in Minecraft would soon be fought.

  CHAPTER 31

  THEY ARRIVE

  Herobrine paced back and forth, the light from the lava flow casting a warm orange light on the stone ground. He peered up at the four mountains that stood around him and glared, his eyes glowing bright white with frustration.

  Around him stood his shadow-crafters, each shaped or shaded like their subjects. Zombiebrine was working on the monsters’ claws, making them sharper, while Skeletonbrine was trying to improve the strength of the pale monsters’ bows. Every chance they had, the strange creatures stopped to work on their charges, seeking to make the monsters of the night stronger and more vicious. They had already improved on the monsters significantly, but Herobrine demanded more, and those that did not deliver, like Lavabrine, were eliminated.

  “Where are they?” the evil virus growled. “Those foolish Endermen should be here by now.”

  “They’re probably gathering all your followerssss,” Shaikulud said.

  “Well, we aren’t going to wait. Go in the zombie-town and tell them to all come out. It’s time to start the battle that will destroy the blacksmith and all his pathetic villagers.”

  Herobrine turned and glared at the spider queen.

  “I gave you an order … GO!”

  The fuzzy monster bowed her head, her multiple purple eyes glowing in the darkness. She turned and scurried into the hole that led down to the underground cavern. Seconds later, the sorrowful moans and growls of the monster army grew louder as they emerged out of the shadowy passage.

  Herobrine teleported to a grass-covered hill nearby and glared at the monsters, his glowing eyes shining like two hate-filled beacons.

  “This way, you fools!” the Maker shouted. “Come this way!”

  The monsters headed toward his voice, the zombies’ claws clicking on the stone ground as they shuffled away from the boiling lava and the surging waterfall. Spiders climbed out of the hole and moved quickly to the hilltop, surrounding Herobrine and keeping the zombies and skeletons from getting too close.

  “Hurry, you idiots,” the evil virus demanded. “I want to attack the blacksmith at dawn.”

  He glanced up at the square face of the partially-filled moon. The lunar body was heading down from its zenith and would meet the horizon soon.

  Perhaps I need to make an example of someone so they’ll all speed up, Herobrine thought.

  He reached into his inventory and drew his iron sword. The blade scraped against the edge of the scabbard, making a metallic hissing sound like that of a mechanical snake. The nearest zombies eyed Herobrine nervously, and some of them stepped back. He was just about to teleport into the zombie-town when a cloud of purple mist formed on the ground between the Dragon’s Teeth. An Enderman with four monsters clasped to his body appeared, his long, clammy black arms holding the monsters close. He released the creatures, then disappeared to collect another load while more of his dark brothers and sisters materialized on the rocky plain, each with monsters in their grasp.

  “Excellent!” Herobrine exclaimed.

  Just then, one of the Endermen appeared at his side. Herobrine turned and found himself staring up at Erebus.

  “You finally arrived,” Herobrine said, an annoyed look on his square face.

  “Some of the monsters did not want to volunteer,” the Endermen king said. “We had to destroy a few to encourage the rest to c
ome with us.”

  “I hope you made them suffer,” the evil virus said.

  Erebus smiled, then cackled with glee.

  More of the dark creatures materialized all around them, depositing their monsters and quickly disappearing to get more. Slowly, across the Overworld, one zombie-town after another was drained of monsters as they were all brought to Dragon’s Teeth.

  Herobrine’s army grew larger and larger every minute, and the Endermen began having difficulty finding places to deposit their charges. But after another ten minutes, the Endermen had finally completed their task. Herobrine’s army was finally assembled.

  Their leader looked down upon his troops and smiled.

  “My subjects!” Herobrine shouted, waiting for the monsters to grow quiet.

  Some of the zombies far from Herobrine were still growling and moaning. The Maker glanced at Erebus and pointed with his sword at the offending group. The shadowy king teleported to the monsters and pummeled them with his fists, causing them to flash red as they took damage.

  “Listen to your Maker!” Erebus screeched.

  The rest of the army grew quiet, no one wanting to be the next example.

  “My subjects,” Herobrine continued. “You are about to witness an historic event. This is the largest monster army ever formed in Minecraft. Soon, we will meet the blacksmith, Smithy, and his villagers in battle. The cowardly creepers have slinked away in the night, but a group of monsters were already sent forth to begin the battle, and since we have heard no reports, I can only assume they have been successful.”

  The monsters growled and clicked and clattered and screeched. Herobrine held his arms up into the air, quieting the mob.

  “When we are done squashing this NPC army, we will then sweep across the Overworld, destroying all the villages. After we have exterminated all of our enemies, then Minecraft will belong to the monsters.”

  They cheered and growled and moaned again.

  “Everyone, forward,” Herobrine shouted. “It is time to start the real invasion.”

  The monstrous army shuffled forward, across the extreme hills biome and into the darkness. But as they moved away from Dragon’s Teeth, none of them noticed the group of young boys in the forest, watching … and waiting.

  CHAPTER 32

  FACING THE BEAST

  Gameknight and Carver ran back to the village, leaving the rest of the bridge defenders manning their defenses in case the monsters made another attempt to cross the Great Chasm. As they sprinted, the User-that-is-not-a-user felt as if he was racing the moon. The pockmarked face that floated high overhead was slowly sinking toward the horizon and would eventually bring forth the day. Gameknight wanted to be with the army in the desert when that happened, to call Herobrine to battle at dawn.

  When they reached the village, the duo found it thankfully empty. That meant everything had been prepared and the army had moved out. The scouts had all returned and reported back on the massive number of monsters that had been hiding within the huge cave under Dragon’s Teeth. They also found a great place for the battle, between two large sand dunes at the northern end of the Great Chasm. Gameknight had drawn out on the ground with the tip of his sword what he had wanted for the defenses, then left it to Fencer and Farmer to make it happen. Now, he hoped the villagers had reached the battlefield with enough time to construct the defenses. Without these structures, they would surely be overrun in the first monstrous charge.

  Passing the village, Gameknight and Carver found a wide path of footprints heading northeast, away from the village. It wove around the green, prickly cactuses that dotted the landscape, sometimes parting to flow around the painful plants, while other times just veering away from the large clusters. The small, dried bushes had been ignored and trampled; the remnants of the brown shrubs looked like piles of ashes crushed under many boots.

  The trail quickly met up with the Great Chasm and moved parallel to the jagged gash in the Overworld. As he walked, Gameknight thought about Weaver and the other kids.

  “Are you OK?” Carver asked. “You look as pale as a skeleton.”

  “I’m just worried about Weaver and the others,” Gameknight replied. “Those kids are in terrible danger because of me, and if they are unsuccessful, then we are all in big trouble.”

  And if Weaver is killed while setting the trap, Gameknight thought, what will happen to Crafter and all his friends in his own timeline? Without Weaver’s teachings in the future, then Crafter might never become skilled with fireworks and explosives. TNT had been a decisive tool in their battle against Erebus, Malacoda, and Herobrine. It was critical that Crafter’s knowledge of those blocks was still there when Gameknight finally made it back to the future.

  “It was the right decision, leaving Weaver in charge of that task,” Carver said reassuringly. “He knows more about TNT than anyone else. I don’t care what the elders say—being young doesn’t mean you’re useless and can’t contribute. That little NPC and his friends are braver than a lot of warriors I know, including even myself.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “Anyway,” Carver continued. “I’m sure they’ll be alright. Those kids are smart and fast. They’ll be OK.”

  “I hope so,” Gameknight said.

  “Look,” Crafter said, pointing to a large hill with his axe.

  Ahead, they could see a cobblestone structure slowly rising out of the desert. They were running up the gradual incline of a wide, tall sand dune, but as they reached the top, they could see the entire landscape before them. Just barely visible in the darkness was a cobblestone structure being frantically erected atop a large sandy hill. Torches were placed haphazardly on the structure to give the workers enough light to build upward and still not lose their footing in the gloomy night.

  “Look, there’s another one over there,” Carver exclaimed.

  As they neared, torches from another tower were just becoming visible. The second structure, like the first, was being built atop a large sand dune. The tower on the right nearly touched the end of the Great Chasm, while the tower on the left stood tall on the steeper hill. Gameknight knew that the left tower was the weak point in their defenses, and Herobrine would recognize it as well. That was where this battle would be won or lost. If their defenses didn’t hold until Weaver had completed his task, then they would all likely perish under a storm of claws and fangs.

  Between the two towers was a long cobblestone wall standing four blocks tall, and still growing. Like a colony of ants swarming over a discarded apple, the workers climbed all over the structure, placing blocks of stone as fast as possible. Gameknight could see walkways being added to the structure, with holes left open above the causeway where archers could fire their arrows without being exposed to the arrows of the enemy. As the wall grew, more protected positions were added for the archers. Gameknight knew that their arrows would be critical in the first stages of the battle. But when the monsters reached the wall, it would be a simple contest of swords versus claws.

  Suddenly, a voice rang out, cutting through the dark desert night.

  “Smithy and Carver are coming,” an NPC shouted.

  A cheer rang out across the desert.

  Gameknight cringed; he hoped they weren’t advertising their position to Herobrine, not yet—although it was likely the virus already had Endermen out there in the darkness … watching. Their presence here was probably not a secret.

  “How did it go?” Fencer asked. “Any creepers?”

  Gameknight shook his head.

  “None,” he replied. “Either Herobrine changed his plans and is saving the creepers for this battle, or Oxus took them away.”

  “I vote for the latter,” Fencer said with a smile. The villagers chuckled. “We thought you were staying out there to plant the little surprises.”

  “Carver thought it would be better if I was here with the rest of the army,” Gameknight replied. “Instead, Weaver and the other kids are doing it.”

  “C
arver was right. That is a better idea,” Fencer said.

  “So you held the bridge?” Farmer asked.

  Gameknight smiled, then placed a hand on Carver’s shoulder.

  “Carver here drove the monsters back almost singlehandedly,” Gameknight said.

  “Well, that’s not really true,” Carver said, embarrassed.

  “Really?” Farmer replied.

  “The warriors at the bridge now call him Carver, the carver of monsters,” Gameknight said proudly. “He saved a lot of lives with that axe of his.”

  “Is that true?” Farmer said suspiciously.

  The stocky NPC ignored the comment and moved off to help with building the walls, the old village leader eyeing him as he went.

  “You need to take it easy on him,” Gameknight said to Farmer. “He is likely the greatest warrior you have in your village, and you should show him a little more respect.”

  “The greatest warrior … ha!” the old NPC replied. “If he was a great warrior, then he’d know how to use that sword of his. But as it is, I always must assign someone to watch his back in battle.”

  “You will have a different opinion of him after this battle, I can assure you.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Farmer added, then turned and moved toward the far tower to direct some of the workers.

  Gameknight looked at Fencer and shrugged.

  “Is everything almost ready?” Gameknight asked as he peered up at the moon. The silvery body was approaching the horizon; it would be dawn soon.

  “The walls and towers will be done before sunrise,” his friend reported. “Villagers are digging holes all throughout the desert. Hopefully, some of the monsters will fall in and not be able to get out.”

  “Good thinking,” Gameknight said.

  He reached up and stuffed a finger under his helmet to scratch his head, then glanced back at Fencer, a worried look on his face.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Fencer objected softly before Gameknight could even speak. “We need Smithy now more than ever. Look around you … these villagers are terrified. They all know if Weaver and the other youngsters fail, then none of them will survive this battle.”