by Terry Mayer
"But there's nothing you can do to stop it. Even if you control the sun here and keep us in eternal darkness, the moment you invade Earth they will burn in the sunlight."
"You are partly correct Notch, there is nothing I can do to control the weather on Earth but there is something you can do to help."
"Yeah right, last time I checked I did not have the power to control the weather."
"Correct again Notch, but what you can do is change the code so they no longer burn in sunlight."
"Never in a million years will I help you."
"Oh, too late Notch you have already written it. Install Mod Pack Notch. Ah yes, just in time, observe."
As the sun lifted itself above the horizon and the first rays of daylight fall on the Zombie hoards, Notch watches in horror as absolutely nothing happens.
"You see Notch, one daylight proof army, courtesy of the code you wrote a few weeks ago."
"It does not matter, I've just remembered why I'm here. You will never get the chance to use your army, I will still defeat you."
"Really Notch, and how on earth, or rather Minecraft, are you going to do that."
"Nathan."
"NO, it was YOU."
"Yes Herobrine, I think it was. Even when you had me under your spell I never trusted you and deep down I knew I had to do something to stop you, so I introduced some rogue players."
"But, how?"
"You made a mistake Herobrine. You were so certain that I was under your spell you had the audacity to send me an invitation to the tournament. Did you really think that I would accept?"
"I hoped your ego would get the better of you. If you had accepted and lost in the tournament I would be the soul heir to this kingdom."
"Yeah, well thanks for that. When I received the invite something clicked in my subconscious, my real subconscious, not the place that you have wormed your way into and I must have realized what you were trying to do. I reached out to the first person who accepted the invite, that was Jay, and when he was brought into the game I made his Xbox bring anyone else who was within touching distance with him."
"Why Notch, this is our destiny, why are you trying to deny it?"
"It was never my destiny you crazy messed up freak. You drugged me and convinced me this was all a dream, just a game."
"Ah yes, how easy it is to convince you humans to perform any atrocity as long as it's only a game."
"That's because it's just a game, it's not real. No one would ever really do these things if they knew it was real."
"Really Notch, and yet here we are."
"Arggh, you drive me nuts Herobrine. I can't believe I ever fell for your lies."
"Our lies Notch, we are one and the same."
"No, I can't believe that, I cannot believe you are part of me. You're a virus, some sort of Trojan Horse that's been implanted in me."
"Believe as you wish Notch, but the reality is still the same. We are one and when this tournament ends I will be in charge of that pathetic excuse you call a body."
"Unless Nathan wins."
"What?"
"Unless Nathan wins, then your demonic dreams will be finished."
"How?"
"If Nathan wins then the computer will reset as there is no parameter for a non player winning the tournament. Everyone will be kicked out of the world and it will restart. That means that you will no longer be here Herobrine, no longer in charge and when I get back home I will turn off Minecraft forever."
"Oh Notch, you are so cute, you can't turn off Minecraft. It's is no longer yours, it is owned by the world."
"Yeah, well I still own the company that controls it, so I can turn it off if I want."
"Can't and won't happen. Too many people have access to the source code. You made it available to the world, for anyone and everyone to contribute to. Even if you wanted to close it down it is no longer possible, it would just go underground."
With a look of horror on his face Notch finally realizes the true magnitude of what he has created. "I've created a monster, a beast of mythical proportions."
"Indeed, unleash the Kraken Notch," laughs Herobrine manically. "Now, are you ready to witness the start of a new era Notch. An era that will see me ruling not only Minecraft but the Earth too?"
"It will never happen, I will stop you Herobrine."
"Yeah, yeah Notch. Of course you will, but until then let us proceed. Guards, restrain Notch. Now, let the Final Begin!"
With a crack of lightning, two avatars are instantly teleported into the arena.
"Welcome contestants," announces Herobrine. "Jay Lighningbuilder and Nathan the Noob, you two are the last survivors of The Masters Of Minecraft Tournament. Congratulation on your achievements to date. The final stage will be decided here, to the looser - death, but to the winner VICTORY"
The assembled army cheers, making an ugly noise that rumbles through the arena.
"Players - The rules of The Final are simple. Kill or be killed. Take your weapon and let The Final commence."
Immediately two large chests rise out of the ground next to the players. Opening his chest Jay reaches in and pulls out a Glowing Diamond Sword. "Hm, Level V Sharpness enchantment - This thing is deadly." Taking a practice swing Jay, moves towards the centre of the arena.
Reaching into his chest Nathan withdrawals a wooden sword. "That's it, you have got to be kiddin' me." Looking up to where Notch and Herobrine are standing he sees Herobrine grinning wickedly.
"That's not fair Herobrine, he does not stand a chance against Jay with just a Wooden Sword."
"I never said anything about fair Notch. Do you really think I would leave this to chance? Players - Fight to the death."
*****
"You're awfully quite back there Jay, is everything ok?" asks Hailey, turning in her seat just as Jay disappears with a slight pop.
"Jay!" she screams, almost falling out of her saddle as she franticly looks for her friend. "Oh Jay, what's happened to you now?"
*****
"Nathan, are you ok?" asks Jay, running to his friend.
"Yeah Jay, uh, your not going to use that on me are you?" he asks, pointing at the glowing sword.
"What? Are you mad, I can't believe you just asked that."
"Sorry Jay, so much has happened since I met you I wasn't sure. So what's the plan?"
"Kill Herobrine. It's the only way to get us both out of this alive."
"Is that even possible?"
"Don't know, but how about we find out," he replies, winking at Nate and slapping him on the back.
"Ok, so how are we going to do this?" he replies looking around the enclosed arena. "The only way out is through those doors but they look like they would keep out King Kong and I can't even see any other way to get up to them."
"You got you bow?" Receiving a nod from Nate he continues. "Good, on the count of three, draw you bow and start shooting Herobrine, maybe he'll do something stupid and give us an opening. One, two, three."
Each drawing their bows, they notch an arrow and let them fly at Herobrine, who simply stands and watches them.
As the arrows are almost at their target they strike an invisible wall and fall harmlessly to the floor.
"Players, your mission is to kill each other. You can not attack me, I am protected. Now proceed."
"Uh, guess that didn't work out quite how I thought it would. You got any ideas Nate?"
"Nope, sorry."
"Ah well, if we both do nothing then we might be ok," replies Jay, sitting on the floor and placing his back against the chest.
"I see that you are not inclined to fight each other. Very well, maybe you would like to fight something else instead. Zombies!" screams Herobrine.
Huge horns rip through the silence and as the massive doors to the arena rumble open, two dozen zombies shamble in and move towards Jay and Nate.
"Ah man, nothing is ever easy in this game." Looking at Nate holding his Wooden sword Jay moves forward and shouts over his shoulder, "Na
te, stay behind me and watch my back, I've got this buddy."
Rushing to meet the Zombies Jay swings his diamond sword in a huge arc and connects with the first of the Zombies head, slicing it clean off it's shoulders. Continuing his swing he connects with the second Zombie and the blade slices into its head, killing it instantly. Pulling the blade free he turns to face the next Zombie but it's too late and the hoard is already on top of him, arms outstretched and reaching in for the kill.
Watching is friend under attack Nate jumps into action, throwing the useless wooden sword on the floor and drawing his own diamond sword, he runs towards the hoard just as they over power Jay. Screaming at the top of his lungs he swings for a Zombie as it pushes past Jay and heads in his direction. Connecting with the Zombies skull, making a satisfying clunk, Nate downs his first Zombie and desperately tries to see Jay, who has disappeared under a pile of bodies.
"Jay, hold on, I'm coming," he screams as he slices into the next Zombie, downing it in one fluid motion. As hard as he tries to push forward, slicing and killing, there are just too many Zombies and they start to drive him back, away from his friend.
"Jay, Jay!" he screams as time and again he cuts into the Zombie hoard, only to be driven back by their numbers. Growing tired he moves back to the chest in the middle of the arena and climbs on top, trying to gain a little height so he can not only see if Jay is still alive but also get an advantage over his attackers.
Looking out over the hoard he nearly stops breathing, the Zombies are still flooding in through the doors, maybe as many as hundred now pack the arena with many more just waiting to enter. "You have got to be kiddin' me. This is beyond a joke."
Scanning the arena again, desperately trying to see Jay he notices some movement at the back of the hoard. "Jay, Jay, is that you!" he screams, all the while slicing Zombies as they move into range.
Receiving no reply he has no choice but to stand his ground but as the bodies start to pile up around him the height advantage he acquired is starting to be lost. Jumping off the chest he slashes and thrusts his way through the hoard, intent on reaching the second chest, and regain a small advantage but the Zombies now outnumber him by almost 200 to 1 and he is starting to loose control.
In a blind blood rage he slashes out, slicing and dicing Zombies as soon as they move into range but he realizes that this can not continue forever. Forgetting his original target of the second chest he pushes forward, toward the commotion, which is now just a few blocks away, knowing that his only chance is if Jay still lives.
*****
As he pulls his sword from the Zombies head Jay turns to face the on rushing hoard and is immediately overwhelmed as more that a dozen Zombies reach out and grapple him to the ground. Screaming in both frustration and fear he continues to stab the Zombies but is limited in his movements by the mass of bodies that are moving over him. Hang on a minute, they aren't attacking me, I'm just in their way, he realizes as the Zombies continue to push past him.
Oh no, Nate doesn't stand a chance. Imbued with a new found conviction he takes advantage of the dead Zombies as they disappear and he rolls to the side, avoiding the shambling monsters as they push forward towards Nate.
Something is really messed up here, why won't they attack? Testing his theory he slashes a Zombie and watches it's head roll to the floor. Expecting the Zombie hoard to turn and attack he readies himself but the worst that happens is an accidental push as one Zombie tries to pass him. "Come on, attack me," he screams, killing the next two Zombies as they try to pass him. "Come on, why won't you attack?"
This is so messed up but I guess Herobrine wants me to win, he thinks as he lashes out, sending another head flying. Well, if I have immunity from Zombie attacks for whatever freaky reason then I better take advantage of it. Swinging his sword against the defenseless Zombies he makes short work of those surrounding him and starts to move towards the last location he and Nate were together.
As he reaches the first chest, all he finds is blood and piles of floating flesh, testament to Nate's new fighting skills. H smirks as he continues to cut a swath through the hoards. Guess you mobs bit off more than you could chew attacking Nate, he's not such an easy kill is he meat heads, he shouts into the hoard, slashing and thrusting as he continues his advance.
*****
Blocked by the Zombie hoards Nate is forced to stop and fight, no longer able to move in any direction he traces a circle on the floor and shouts into the hoard. "Come on meat heads, enter my circle of death and meet your demise." Looking out at the hoard he can't help laughing at himself as he realizes that he has drawn a square on the floor, as there are no circles in Minecraft.
Raising his sword in defense, Nate blocks an attack by a Zombie as it steps across the line and then swings the sword and cuts deep into it's side, sending it to it's death. Hey, is that right, can I kill a Zombie if it's already dead, he laughs out loud as he decapitates the next Zombie to come within range. So am I sending them to their death, or is it re-death?
"It's death as far I'm concerned."
"What?" Spinning Nate is nearly overwhelmed with joy as Jay steps into his circle of death.
"You make a habit of talking to yourself when you're killing, eh Nate?"
"Jay! I thought you were dead."
"Nah, they can't kill me."
"Yeah I know you're tough Jay but.."
"No really Nate. They can't kill me, they won't even touch me unless it's a mistake. It's like Herobrine wants me to win or something," he replies while cutting down a couple more Zombies entering Nate's circle.
"Oh that's just messed up Jay. I can't keep this up forever."
"Oh I don't know Nate, you seem to be doing a pretty good job so far," he replies looking at the dozens of Zombie flesh surrounding them.
"Yeah, but eventually I'll make a mistake and with this many Zombies it will be over in seconds. Hang on," he shouts, as three more Zombies push forward and he sends them to their deaths. (Yep, I think we will stick with deaths!)
"So what do you suggest Nate?"
"No idea, but let's try and close those doors and stop any more Zombies from getting in, then we can clear some of these meat heads out of here so we can grab a minutes breathing room to think. Right, stay behind me Nate, I've got this."
"Yeah, like I haven't heard that before!"
"Oh touché Nate. But seriously, I'll stay in front because they won't attack me and I'll slash as many as I can as I push forward, any that push past me you kill. We should be able to tank them. Lets go."
The two intrepid hero's step out of the circle of death and push into the Zombie Hoard. Jay slashes like a madman, taking down dozens of Zombies as he pushes towards to arena doors while Nate kills any that push their way past Jay.
"Ok buddy, we are almost there."
"So what's the plan Jay?" shouts Nate, looking past Jay to the arena doors. "There are hundreds of Zombies waiting to get in, we don't stand a chance."
"Oh don't give up now, we've got this Nate. Let's push forward to the doors, when we get there I'll jump outside and kill any Zombies that try to get in, you push those doors closed. Shout me at the last second and I'll run back inside and lock the doors. How's that for a plan?"
"It sucks Jay."
"What, why?"
"Because we don't even know if the doors have a lock. What happens if we slam the doors and the Zombies just push it open again, then what?"
"Then Jay my boy, we think of a new plan, or better yet we are in Minecraft, so we build. When you slam the door, grab some blocks from your inventory and place them in front of the door, that will stop the Zombies from opening it."
"OMG I am thick."
"Why Nate, what's wrong?" replies Jay, looking back over his shoulder.
"I could have built a wall, a tower, anything to protect myself from the Zombies, but I could see was that damn chest to stand on."
"Ah don't beat yourself up Nate, it's a noob mistake, besides, what matters now is stopping any m
ore Zombies from entering. Right you ready?"
Nodding, even though Jay can not see him, they push forward, intent on closing the door on the Zombie hoards. Reaching the doors first, Jay slashes at the Zombies and clears a way through the tunnel to the entrance. Stepping through the doors out into the open he nearly chokes on the sight that greets him. Thousands of Zombies surround the arena with many more thousands of Skeletons and Creepers waiting on the fields, ready to finish them if the Zombies somehow fail.
"Uh Nate, get those doors closed, we've got big trouble out here."
"I'm trying Jay, just one more second," replies Nate, killing the last few Zombies that are stopping the doors from closing.
"Ok, Jay, now."
Dashing back through the doors into the tunnel, Jay turns and pushes with Nate and the huge wooden portal swings shut. "Now Nate, place blocks against the door."
Reaching into his inventory, Nate withdraws a stack of Soil and starts to place blocks against the door, while Jay jumps back into the hoard inside the arena, slashing at them as they try to push past, intent on reaching their prey.
Turning from the door Nate's spirits sink at the sight of more than 50 Zombies still pushing towards them. Swallowing, he jumps forward and builds a two block high wall across the tunnel entrance, leaving a one block wide opening and shouts to get Jays attention.
"Jay, get in here, we can defend from above."
Turning, Jay grins at his friend, and runs inside the temporary barricade. "Nice work Nate, now that's using your head."
The Zombies inside the arena swarm against the barricade but for the time being cannot get to their prey, so the guys take the opportunity to catch their breath.
*****
"Herobrine, you are a sneaky cheat. I can not believe that even you would stoop so low."
Turning to face Notch, he gives a wicked smile then turns back to the arena.
"But....it does not seem like your little plan is working. The guys are kicking' some pretty serious Zombie butt down there, and now they have the doors closed I guess it's time out for your Zombies."
