Trouble in Zombie-town (Book One):
$9.99 paperback • 978-1-63450-094-4
The Jungle Temple Oracle (Book Two):
$9.99 paperback • 978-1-63450-096-8
Last Stand on the Ocean Shore (Book Three):
$9.99 paperback • 978-1-63450-098-2
AVAILABLE NOW FROM MARK CHEVERTON AND SKY PONY PRESS
HEROBRINE REBORN SERIES
Gameknight999 and his friends and family face
Herobrine in the biggest showdown the Overworld has ever seen!
Gameknight999, a former Minecraft griefer, got a big dose of virtual reality when his father’s invention teleported him into the game. Living out a dangerous adventure inside a digital world, he discovered that the Minecraft villagers were alive and needed his help to defeat the infamous virus, Herobrine, a diabolical enemy determined to escape into the real world
Gameknight thought Herobrine had finally been stopped once and for all. But the virus proves to be even craftier than anyone could imagine, and his XP begins inhabiting new bodies in an effort to escape. The User-that-is-not-a-user will need the help of not only his Minecraft friends, but his own father, Monkeypants271, as well, if he has any hope of destroying the evil Herobrine once and for all.
Saving Crafter (Book One):
$9.99 paperback • 978-1-5107-0014-7
Destruction of the Overworld (Book Two):
$9.99 paperback • 978-1-5107-0015-4
Gameknight999 vs. Herobrine (Book Three):
$9.99 paperback • 978-1-5107-0010-9
AVAILABLE NOW FROM MARK CHEVERTON AND SKY PONY PRESS
HEROBRINE’S REVENGE SERIES
From beyond the digital grave, Herobrine has crafted some evil games for Gameknight999 to play!
Gameknight999, a former Minecraft griefer, got a big dose of virtual reality when his father’s invention teleported him into the game. Living out a dangerous adventure inside a digital world, he trekked all over Minecraft, with the help of some villager friends, in order to finally defeat a terrible virus, Herobrine, who was trying escape into the real world.
Gameknight thought that Herobrine was gone for good. But as one last precaution before his death, the heinous villain laid traps for the User-that-is-not-a-user that would threaten all of the Overworld, even if the virus was no longer alive. Now Gameknight is racing the clock, trying to stop Herobrine from having one last diabolical laugh.
The Phantom Virus (Book One):
$9.99 paperback • 978-1-5107-0683-5
Overworld in Flames (Book Two):
$9.99 paperback • 978-1-5107-0681-1
System Overload (Book Three):
$9.99 paperback • 978-1-5107-0682-8
AVAILABLE NOW FROM MARK CHEVERTON AND SKY PONY PRESS
THE GREAT ZOMBIE INVASION
The Birth of Herobrine: Book One: A Gameknight999 Adventure
Can Gameknight999 survive a Minecraft journey one hundred years into the past?
A freak thunderstorm strikes just as Gameknight999 is activating his father’s Digitizer to reenter Minecraft. Sparks flash across his vision as he is sucked into the game … and when the smoke clears, he has arrived safely. But it doesn’t take long to realize that things in the Overworld are very different.
The User-that-is-not-a-user realizes he’s accidentally sent himself one hundred years into the past, back to the time of the historic Great Zombie Invasion. None of his friends have even been born yet. But that might be the least of Gameknight999’s worries, because traveling back in time also means that the evil virus Herobrine, the scourge of Minecraft, is still alive… .
$9.99 paperback • 978–1–5107–0994–2
EXCERPT FROM HEROBRINE’S WAR
A BRAND NEW GAMEKNIGHT999 ADVENTURE
The army ran all through the night and into the morning. Gameknight had them shift frequently from running to walking to sprinting. He knew they couldn’t sprint the whole distance to the savanna village; some of Carver’s NPCs were still weak from their battle with the ghasts that had destroyed their village. But they moved as fast as they could, with the stronger occasionally scooping up the weaker NPCs and carrying them.
It started to rain just near sunrise. Many of them grumbled about getting wet, but rain meant they were more difficult to see. Unfortunately, the rain only lasted a few hours, and by the time the sun peeked up over the eastern horizon and began repainting the heavens overhead, the rain clouds were gone.
“We are making good time,” the Oracle said. She’d been keeping to his side during the evening, her light-crafters always nearby.
“Yes, I agree,” Gameknight replied. “I think we’ll get to the village before long.”
“I see the village!” one of the scouts said.
It was one of Baker’s villagers. They’d been sent up ahead and told to climb one of the birch trees. Through the night, they passed from the mega taiga biome, through a grassy hills biome, across frozen rivers, and now finally into a birch forest.
Gameknight sprinted forward and found a tall tree. Placing blocks of dirt under his feet, he built a tiny tower that would give him access to the treetops. Once he was on the leafy canopy, he looked in the direction the scout pointed … south.
In the distance, he could just barely see structures peeking through the haze of Minecraft. The next biome was savanna, just as predicted, and the village was there, waiting for them. If he squinted and blocked the sunlight from hitting his eyes, he could just barely make out a wall around the village, but that was all he could see.
“I see it, too,” Gameknight exclaimed. “Let’s head south and get to that village.”
But as the User-that-is-not-a-user climbed down from the trees, a chill spread over his body. The faint moaning of zombies could be heard in the direction of the village. And then the chuckles of Endermen added to the sound, causing tiny square goose bumps to form on his arms and neck.
Quickly, he ran back up to the treetops, then gasped in shock at what he saw. Monsters were appearing between his army and the savanna village. Endermen were teleporting them into position, then disappearing in clouds of purple mist, only to reappear again with more snarling creatures in tow. As he watched, hundreds of monsters materialized and then stood next to each other, zombies, skeletons, and Endermen forming a lethal picket fence, blocking them from the salvation of the village.
Icicles of fear stabbed at Gameknight’s soul as he descended from the treetops. By now, everyone in the army could hear the monsters.
“What is it?” Carver asked.
“Monsters,” Gameknight replied.
“You think?” Baker added.
“They’ve blocked us off from the savanna village,” Gameknight explained. “If we head south, it will mean a direct battle with them. And with their numbers, I don’t think we can win that fight.”
“Maybe we can go back and sneak around them,” Weaver suggested.
Just as Gameknight was about to answer, a clicking sound percolated through the forest from behind. It was like a million crickets were out there among the trees. He could tell from the volume that they weren’t close, but there were a lot of them, and they were probably coming fast.
Everyone heard the spiders and turned to face Gameknight999, expecting him to say or do something that would make everything OK. But he had nothing to say; there were two armies closing in on them and they were totally exposed, with no village walls to hide behind.
Feline cries then drifted to them from the north.
“Ghasts,” Gameknight moaned. “What next … the Ender dragon?”
“There’s a dragon?” Weaver exclaimed, his eyes wide with fear.
“No, there’s no dragon, just a lot of monsters,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied.
Another ghast screeched from the north. Anxious eyes glanced toward the sound; none of them wanted to face the ghasts again, especially out here in the open.
“It seems we have no choice,” Gameknight said. “The on
ly direction we can go is west.”
“Then let’s get moving,” Carver said in a loud, commanding voice. “Archers to the outside of the formation. Elderly to the center. If anyone needs help running, let someone know and you’ll be carried. LET’S GO!”
The army, buoyed by Carver’s confidence, started running to the west. They emerged from the birch forest and began moving across the savanna, the hot, dry air hammering into them as if they were standing before a furnace. But this time no one complained—hot, dry air was preferable to claws and fangs.
Acacia trees, each bent and twisted into a different shape, dotted the landscape. They were the only things visible around them, but as they ran over the large, rolling hills, Gameknight became nervous.
We’re easy to see on the hilltops, he thought. We need to be more careful.
Motioning to the big NPC, he had Carver lead the army around the hills instead of over, in hopes that the monsters would lose track of where they were.
Suddenly, a group of spiders jumped out from a hole in the ground, their black bodies scurrying over the savanna hill. They charged at the villagers, their sharp mandibles clicking together as their eyes glowed bright red. Without thinking, Gameknight drew his two swords and attacked.
Sprinting to the lead spider, he leapt high into the air, then landed on the beast, smashing it with his swords. The monster squealed in pain and tried to knock him off, but Gameknight kept attacking until the monster disappeared with a pop.
There were only five of them left. Turning to the next one, he slashed at it as he ran past, then shot through their formation and attacked from the rear. By know, Carver and the other swordsmen had formed a line of armor and were pushing forward. The spider claws were scratching at the metallic plating, causing damage, but as they focused in the warriors before them, Gameknight attacked from the rear. He slashed and poked with his swords, tearing at their HP as he sped by. Not bothering to stand and fight them one at a time, the User-that-is-not-a-user ran past and did small amounts of damage with each pass, just like in his dad’s favorite game, Wing Commander. Hit and run, that’s what he did, zipping past the fuzzy monsters with his swords spinning like a razor-sharp tornado. By the time the monsters reached Carver and his warriors, they had little HP left and were quickly destroyed.
“SMITHY!” the warriors chanted as he stepped through the battlefield, glowing balls of XP flowing into his feet.
Many of the NPCs had stopped during the attack. Those from Baker’s village were shocked at the ferocity of Gameknight’s attack, not to mention his two-sword fighting tactics.
“They should have known not to mess with Smithy of the Two-Swords,” Weaver said, pride filling his voice. More villagers cheered, their shouts drowning out the clicking of the massive spider army that was still moving through the forest.
“SMITHY!” they shouted again.
“That doesn’t matter right now,” Gameknight said. “We don’t stop … we keep going. That horde of spiders back there will not be so easily overcome.”
The army kept running. It was Gameknight’s plan that they’d go far enough to the west that they could swing around the monster army, and sneak into the village. But to do that, they had to move faster than Herobrine expected. And for that to happen … they had to run!
Suddenly, an Enderman appeared behind the army with two skeletons in his arms. The creature disappeared, then reappeared with more of the pale bony monsters. The skeletons instantly began firing at the villagers, their arrows streaking through the air. Some bounced off armored bodies while other pointed shafts found flesh.
Archers formed a line at the rear of the army and returned fire. At the same time, Carver and a group of warriors moved around a hill and surprised them from behind. Carver’s diamond pickaxe carved through the monsters, cleaving multiple skeletons with a single swing. In seconds, the bony monsters were destroyed.
“I don’t like this,” Gameknight said.
“Why?” Weaver asked.
“Those attacks aren’t meant to do any damage. They’re just to keep pushing us to the west,” Gameknight said.
“But we won every battle,” Baker said. “Those monsters didn’t have a chance.”
“That’s just it,” Gameknight replied. “They never had a chance. Those skeletons and spiders were completely outnumbered and they knew it, but they attacked anyway.”
“The skeletons didn’t seem too excited about that battle,” Carver said as he returned to the army with his squad of swordsmen and swordswomen. “They kept looking to the south when we attacked. It was as if they were expecting reinforcements, but obviously, none ever came.”
“You see, Herobrine is sacrificing these creatures to keep us going west,” the User-that-is-not-a-user complained. “The questions is … why?”
“I’m not sure we have much choice,” Weaver said, pointing to the south.
Gameknight turned and looked in that direction. The line of monsters still stood just on the horizon, their bodies forming a multicolored line along the savanna. The sun was now high in the sky and beat relentlessly down upon the villagers, making the monsters easy to see.
“Behind us!” someone shouted.
Gameknight turned to the east. Fuzzy black spiders could be seen emerging onto the savanna, cresting over a distant hill and flowing over the acacia trees as if they were twigs in a raging river. More spiders appeared to the north; not as many as those to the east, but there was no way the villagers could head for the smaller group without the larger catching them.
“It seems we have no choice,” Baker said, her bright blue eyes filled with worry. “Herobrine seems insistent we continue to the west.”
“I think you’re right,” Gameknight replied. “If we are going to be pushed to the west, let’s see if we can get there before their trap is ready. Now, what we need is speed. COME ON, EVERYONE!”
The warriors beat their swords on their chests as they began to sprint to the west, the sun now at its zenith. Dashing across the savanna, the army took the two monster armies by surprise and quickly left them far behind. Gameknight led them around hills and in shallow ravines whenever possible, keeping their position hidden from their pursuers. It was a hard run, with the hot savanna desert sun beating down upon them, but fortunately, clouds were slowly moving in from the east. They all knew the blazing yellow square overhead would soon be blocked and they’d get at least a small amount of relief from the sweltering temperature. After ten minutes of running, Gameknight slowed to a walk and looked back along their path. No monsters were visible anywhere … perfect.
“Since we can’t see them, they can’t see us,” Gameknight said.
More clouds moved in, dropping the temperature even more. Many of the villagers seemed relieved with the cool air finally hitting their sweaty bodies, some smiling for the first time since they had left the birch forest.
Gameknight looked around and thought this part of the savanna looked familiar. It reminded him of Herder, his friend from the future, as well as Cobbler, the young boy whose village was taken by the zombie king. It seem so long ago when that had occurred, yet it had to wait for a hundred years before it could happen again … strange. Then he realized it: the savanna village to the south was the one Cobbler had taken them too, but he couldn’t remember why. There was a river just on the other side of the next hill, and … something else, he couldn’t quite recall.
“We need to do what Herobrine doesn’t expect,” Gameknight said as he brought his attention back to the moment. He glanced at Baker and Carver, who were now running side-by-side. “We’re going to start veering to the north in hopes of attacking that small group of spiders.”
The two leaders smiled and nodded their blocky heads.
But just as they started to head northward, a hideous catlike yowl filled the air. Gameknight glanced around, looking to see if it came from behind. The sound came again, this time with an evil baby-like cry on top of the feline howl.
The noise was
n’t coming from behind or from the north or south. It was coming from straight overhead. Directly above them, a massive cluster of ghasts lowered down from a strange-looking cloud. They all had a hateful, evil look to them, the innocent babe-like faces completely erased and replaced with the terrifying look of a nightmare.
“OINK, OINK!” Wilbur squealed as the monsters began forming fireballs beneath their tentacles.
“GHASTS!” Weaver yelled as he scooped up the pig and began to run.
And as Gameknight looked up, he saw three massive fireballs heading straight for him. Fear pulsed through every nerve in his body as he watched the flaming balls of death descend down upon him, and all he could do was stand there and wait for his doom.
COMING SOON:
HEROBRINE’S WAR:
THE BIRTH OF HEROBRINE BOOK THREE
Attack of the Shadow-Crafters Page 19
