He reached down and flipped a lever, activating a redstone circuit. Instantly, the trail of crimson powder that snaked around the room lit up bright red; repeaters glowed bright and added a delay for his escape. He could see the redstone signal moving past the repeaters and finally reaching the blocks of TNT that ringed each minecart tunnel.
“NOOOOO!” Xa-Tul screamed.
Pushing his minecart forward, Gameknight999 sat down and smiled at the monster as he disappeared down the tunnel. Seconds later, the ground shook with the explosion of TNT, the bombs closing off all the tunnels, denying the zombies access. And through the booming echoes, the User-that-is-not-a-user could hear Xa-Tul yelling out in frustration.
Gameknight smiled.
“I’m done being afraid!” Gameknight999 said to no one … to everyone. “I’m tired of being fearful of this responsibility because I might fail. Those days are over. I’m done playing your game, Herobrine!” Gameknight999 shouted with all his might. “It’s time we played mine!”
CHAPTER 14
THE NETHER
Herobrine materialized on a jagged outcropping that overlooked a massive ocean of lava. The ground around him was made of the rust-colored netherrack, with patches of shining nether quartz placed here and there. Looking up at the rocky ceiling, he could see clusters of glowstone clinging to the roof as if cemented in place, their yellow glow adding to the orange radiance of the lava.
Herobrine took in a slow breath, filling his lungs with blazing hot air mixed with smoke and ash … it was wonderful.
Turning to take in the scene, he could see the dim-witted zombie-pigmen walking about, their golden swords held before them. In the distance, he could see the large, bone-white ghasts floating over the boiling sea. Many of them dragged their nine long tentacles through the molten stone as they drifted across the burning ocean of lava, their baby-like cries filling the air.
Closing his eyes, Herobrine teleported to the far shore of the ocean, then turned and looked at his surroundings. It was still much the same, with streams of lava falling from great heights, forming massive pools of molten stone that eventually flowed down hill to the ocean. Everywhere, he could see the zombie-pigmen and ghasts, but they were not what he wanted.
Then he spotted what he was looking for: a lone pillar of dark stone jutting up from the lava shore. He teleported to the structure and found that there were more pillars nearby, each of them constructed from dark burgundy nether bricks. Above the pillars, Herobrine could see a walkway suspended over the tall supports. Teleporting upward, he materialized above an enclosed causeway that extended off into the distance. Moving along the walkway, he could see that it stopped at the side of a mountain of netherrack and soul sand.
Herobrine laughed.
Most users figured that the building ended right there, at the side of the rusty mount of netherrack, but that was his little joke. A century ago, Herobrine had altered the code that governed the nether fortresses so that some of it would be obscured by the netherrack, keeping the users from seeing what was there. Stepping up to the blocky barrier, Herobrine closed his eyes and gathered his crafting powers. As his hand started to glow the sickly yellow that he’d come to expect, he plunged his hands into the mountainside, then concentrated with all his might. Slowly, as if being gradually erased, the netherrack mountain faded from view, disappearing as if it never existed. But it was not just the mountain that stood before him that disintegrated; it was all the blocks that obscured the nether fortress.
In an instant, the entire fortress was exposed to Herobrine … every raised walkway and balcony and treasure room and spawning chamber. The structure stretched out in all directions; it was far bigger than any user or NPC had ever suspected. Long raised walkways spanned the landscape, with tall pillars of nether brick holding them aloft. They loomed high above the Nether, some of them intersection through boxy chambers while others stretched straight out into the distance, disappearing in the haze and smoke. At the center of the complex of passages sat a huge rectangular structure; all the raised corridors slowly snaked their way to this massive building. As Herobrine gazed at the entire fortress, he realized that it reminded him of some kind of massive dark spider. The elevated walkways looked like spiny legs, all connected to the central bulbous body and reaching out across the landscape. The titanic creature looked ready to strike some unsuspecting prey.
The comparison made Herobrine smile. Closing his eyes, he drank in the feelings around him, the heat, the smoke … everything.
It was wonderful.
He was surrounded by the sounds of the Nether: the cat-like purring of the ghasts, the sorrowful moans of the zombie-pigmen, the clattering of the wither skeletons, the sticky bouncing sounds of the magma cubes, and the mechanical wheezing sounds of the blazes. They had all sensed him now and were unsure if they should move toward him, or flee.
Herobrine looked up at a huge group of ghasts that was approaching and frowned. His last attempt to destroy the Source and escape these pathetic servers had failed miserably because of that fool of a ghast, Malacoda, the King of the Nether. That floating gasbag had built a fortress as big as this one … maybe even bigger. But that idiotic ghast had built it out of greed, not strategy. He wanted the biggest army and the grandest fortress just to satisfy his own image of himself. But his greed and conceit had led to his downfall and the failure of Herobrine’s plan. He would not make that mistake again … ghasts are too selfish … too focused on their overinflated egos. Herobrine knew the floating giants had too much to prove because of the shameful act that had gotten them sentenced to this burning world, their faces forever scarred with the tears that never came. No, this time he needed something sensible and vicious.
The robot-like breathing of a blaze sounded directly behind him. Spinning, Herobrine drew his sword and faced the burning monster. It floated there, staring at him with its dark, coal-black eyes, a glowing blaze rod revolving about its interior, bathed in a body of flame.
“Blazes … that’s what I need,” Herobrine said to the creature of fire, then teleported away.
Instantly, he materialized in the huge square structure that sat at the center of the fortress. It was a massive gathering chamber with a tall pedestal at the center from which he could address the creatures of the Nether. But today he wasn’t here to talk … today he was here to create. He teleported toward a group of approaching blazes. Drawing his diamond sword he attacked them as he had done with the skeletons and zombies to create his previous kings. As with the others, the blazes fell to the floor, their HP nearly consumed. Drawing on his crafting powers, he pulled the creatures together and formed a new blaze, this one bigger and stronger than any others.
As the new creature’s life force stabilized, Herobrine disappeared, then reappeared an instant later with a bucket full of lava. The dark shadow-crafter poured the molten stone next to the creature. The new blaze leaned forward and drank in the burning liquid, the molten stone causing its internal flame to grow brighter and hotter, restoring its fiery health. As the large blaze became stronger, it stood up and floated over the small pool, continuing to draw live-giving HP from the lava’s heat, its eyes glowing blood red.
By now, the massive chamber had filled with the creatures of the Nether. Blazes crowded forward to see the new creation standing tall next to the Maker. The elemental creatures of fire knew that their position in the pecking order of the Nether had just been significantly improved.
As more monsters moved into the huge chamber, Herobrine teleported to the pedestal that stood at the center.
“Friends, the time of our retribution is at hand,” he shouted to the multitudes. “The Last Battle draws near, and this time we will not rely on a ghast to lead us.”
Zombie-pigmen moaned, skeletons clattered, blazes wheezed, and magma cubes bounced, all the creatures staring up at the ghasts that floated high overhead.
“This time, we will destroy the NPCs of the Overworld, and you will get to watch me destroy the
User-that-is-not-a-user.”
The monster all cheered in their own way. It was a strange sound that didn’t sound like jubilation, but Herobrine understood the intent.
“You have been banished from the land of sky for too long.”
That word triggered a solemn response from the monsters; their eyes drifted upward, not toward the ghasts or the overhead rocky ceiling, but to the imaginary blue sky that had been denied them so long ago.
“And now it is time to take your revenge on the NPCs and their leader. Your new blaze king will lead you to victory, but you must gather your people and bring them here, for we will launch the assault on the Overworld from this fortress!”
More cheering.
Moving to a doorway, Herobrine extended his hands and allowed his crafting powers to build. As they glowed, a portal started to form in the doorway, its purple teleportation field growing brighter and brighter. Soon, an undulating surface stabilized as sparkling lavender particles floated around the edge of the field, making its perimeter sparkle and shine.
Walking through the portal, Herobrine disappeared for an instant, then returned, pulling a chestnut-colored mare behind him. The horse looked terrified at being in the Nether; the heat was intolerable for the beast. It did not matter; it would soon be something else.
Pulling Herobrine pulled the horse toward some blazes, he then struck at it with his sword, drawing its HP from the animal. Herobrine then reached into the center of some blazes and pulled their glowing blaze rods out of the creatures. Without the rods to hold their elemental flames together, they burst outward, showering the nearby flaming creatures with fire, which they happily drank up. Crafting the blaze rods into what was left of the horse, Herobrine created a new kind of horse. It was an animal of flame and smoke, of fire and ash. As the creature stood, the shadow-crafter stepped back and admired his handiwork. The horse now looked something akin to a skeleton horse, only its body was not composed of bone—rather, it was composed of blaze rods. Flames encapsulated the beast, its body formed of fire, the blaze rods glowing bright orange from within.
Herobrine brought the fire horse to the blaze king and motioned for the new ruler to mount. Climbing atop the fiery steed, the blaze king looked down on his new subjects.
“Behold, I give you my third horseman, Charybdis, king of the blazes. He will lead the creatures of the Nether in glorious battle to destroy the NPCs of the Overworld and take back what was stolen from you … the sky!”
The monsters cheered … even the ghasts.
Moving close to Charybdis, Herobrine spoke in a low voice.
“Gather all your blazes and bring them here,” the Maker commanded. “Use the other creatures of the Nether for this task. When I signal, you will come through this portal and will be at my side for the Last Battle. Do you understand?”
“Charybdis understands,” the blaze king said, his voice wheezy and mechanical.
“Excellent,” Herobrine answered, then allowed his eyes to glow bright. “Failure will not be tolerated … is that understood?”
Charybdis nodded.
“Then prepare and do not fail me.”
The king of the blazes nodded again, then turned and began to give orders. The monsters of the Nether listened to their commands, then left the gathering chamber and to pursue their tasks.
Herobrine closed his eyes and imagined the look on Gameknight999’s face when hundreds of blazes emerged out of this portal and into the Overworld. He started to laugh, first with the faintest of evil giggles, but then it built to a raucous, gut-splitting roar that filled the chamber with echoes.
“One more horseman,” Herobrine shouted to the wall of the chamber, “then I’m coming for you, User-that-is-not-a-user.”
With his eyes blazing bright, he disappeared from the Nether and headed for his last king … the one who would make his enemy’s blood run cold and destroy all hope from the NPCs of the Overworld.
CHAPTER 15
SQUID
Gameknight emerged from the minecart tunnel to sounds of confusion. The tunnel had led them to another village, which was not a surprise, but a hundred minecarts suddenly appearing was likely a huge shock to the community they were invading.
Gameknight stepped out of the minecart, moved to the center of the chamber, then jumped into the air and placed a block of stone under his feet. He did this again and again, continuing the process until everyone stopped talking and looked up at him. Once the commotion finally stopped, Gameknight999 was standing seven blocks into the air.
“Everyone stop talking and listen,” he said to the NPCs. “Where’s the village’s crafter?”
“Here,” said a voice from the crowd.
An old, gray-haired NPC stepped forward, his body bent with age. As expected, his smock was black with a gray stripe running down the center.
“What is the meaning of all this?” the crafter asked, his voice gravelly and coarse.
“We’ll explain in a minute,” Gameknight replied. “But, first, answer me one question … is this village on the coast?”
“No—we’re in the middle of grasslands with a birch forest biome on one side and a mega taiga on the other. Why?”
“We need to find an Ocean Monument, fast,” Gameknight said, then turned to scan the crowd. “Where’s Crafter?”
“Here, Gameknight,” said a young voice, a small hand sprouting out of the crowd.
“Come closer,” Gameknight said as he carefully dug away the blocks under his feet with his pick. When he reached the ground, Crafter was standing before him. “We need riders going out to look for a village on the ocean shore. Herobrine knows where we are and will be coming fast.”
“But we aren’t there anymore,” Digger said as he pushed his way through the closely packed bodies.
“Yes, but he knows that we’re close,” Gameknight added. “We have to move fast now or be destroyed.” He then turned and faced Crafter. “I have to find the Ocean Monument and the Book of Wisdom so that I can figure out how to defeat Herobrine.”
“But where do we look?” his young friend asked.
“I don’t know, but we do know that it will be in the ocean, so we need to find a village on the ocean shore. That will be the first place to look. Send out riders on all the minecart tracks. We need to search everywhere as quickly as possible. All our lives depend on this.”
Crafter nodded, then turned and spoke to some of the NPCs from his village. They quickly pulled out minecarts and jumped on the tracks, shooting down the tunnels. As they disappeared, more people grabbed minecarts and followed, thirty riders searching Minecraft for the survival of everyone.
“Now tell me what is going on,” the old crafter asked.
Gameknight explained what was happening; he did not try to comfort the aged NPC or ease his fears … there was no time for that. As Gameknight spoke, the crafter kept glancing up at the letters that floated above Gameknight’s head, noticing the conspicuously absent server thread.
Pausing for a moment, Gameknight turned and faced Digger.
“Go check the surroundings for monsters, and quietly bring everyone from the village down here,” Gameknight explained. “Take whomever you need to help, but keep it quiet. There could be eyes watching from the forest or even closer.”
“Got it,” the big NPC replied, then took off running, taking four others with him.
“Hold on,” the old crafter said, then pointed to some of his villagers. “Runner, Planter, Smithy, go with them and help.”
The NPCs sprinted up the steps and headed to the tunnels that led to the surface.
“OK, continue,” the old crafter said.
“You’re pretty much caught up,” Gameknight said.
Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out the spotted pink egg and held it in his hands.
“The Oracle told me that this could be used to defeat Herobrine,” Gameknight explained. “She also said, ‘Look to the lowliest and most insignificant of creatures, for that is where your sal
vation will lie.’ I still have no idea what that is supposed to mean, but one problem at a time. We need to find the Ocean Monument before Herobrine gets here, or we’re all dead.”
“You’re a lot of fun to have around,” Hunter said from behind.
“I’m just telling it like it is,” Gameknight replied.
“What do we do while we’re waiting for the NPCs to come back from their search?” Monet113 asked.
The old crafter turned to see who was speaking, and his green eyes grew wide with amazement. He stared at the letters over her head, then glanced up in the air, noting the lack of a server thread.
“There are two of them?” he stammered.
“Yeah,” Hunter answered. “If you thought one of them can cause trouble, just imagine what two of them can do.”
Everyone in the crafting chamber burst into laughter as Hunter slapped Gameknight on the back. Once they calmed down, Gameknight spoke.
“We should be preparing while we wait,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “Armor needs repairing, bows need to be restrung, swords sharpened … let’s all get to work. We can’t waste any time; I’m sure Herobrine isn’t.”
The name of their foe snapped everyone into action. The crafting chamber suddenly became a beehive of activity, with the village’s NPCs banging out armor and weapons while Crafter and his people set up their own crafting benches. As they worked, a gradual trickle of people slowly came down into the crafting chamber from the village overhead. Some of the village diggers went to work on one of the walls, slowly expanding the crafting chamber so that there would be enough room for everyone.
“Everyone, quiet!” an NPC yelled by the minecart rails. “One of the minecarts is coming back.”
All activity ceased as they waited for the rider to return. When the minecart rolled into the crafting chamber, the rider was shocked to find all eyes on him.
“Well?” someone asked. “Did you find it?”
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