Invasion of the Overworld

by Mark Cheverton

  A circle of torches ringed the cavern, each placed four blocks high and spaced five blocks apart, but the burning embers offered little light compared to the orange glow of the lava, their existence likely left over from the incredible building process for this massive chamber. A set of stone stairs descended from the narrow tunnel to the cavern floor, the steps leading to a narrow bridge of stone that spanned the boiling lake and opened to the huge island in the center. On the other side of the stone island was another bridge, its construction similar to its twin, one bridge to get on the island, and one bridge to get off. All the way on the opposite side of the burning lake was a small ledge, ten blocks wide, ringing the far side. The shelf was large enough to hold perhaps a hundred defenders, though currently there were none, now.

  “Where is everyone?” Crafter asked, fear in his voice.

  “They said they’d be here,” Shawny replied, his voice sounding agitated and a little scared.

  The sounds of monsters could be heard in the tunnel behind them. Gameknight could almost feel their malice and hatred. He was scared.

  “Quickly, across the bridge,” Shawny said, running across the stone path, lava flowing on either side.

  The three companions crossed the stone bridge and reached the large central island. They could feel the heat from the lava as sparks and ash leapt up into the air, the molten rock lighting the chamber as if it were day.

  “How are we gonna do this?” Gameknight asked. “We can’t hold the bridge with just three of us.”

  “We don’t want to hold the bridge,” Shawny explained. “We need to lure them all onto this island. Then we’ll have a little surprise for them.”

  Just then the sounds of the mobs filled the cavern, the tunnel opening filling with zombies and cave spiders, white skeletons and glowing green slimes showing between the arms and legs of those in front. A chill flowed down Gameknight’s spine as fear—no, terror—filled his soul. There are so many, hundreds, maybe a thousand. How can we do this? How can we survive? If only I hadn’t been so selfish, so arrogant and disrespectful, so . . .

  Suddenly, a presence appeared next to him, popping into existence noiselessly. It was a user. Gameknight could see letters hovering above his head, a long silvery thread reaching up and piercing the stone ceiling as if it were not there. The letters spelled out “Disko42,” the famous redstone master. Then another user appeared, another silver thread stretching up into the air, “PaulSeerSr.” And in an instant, the island was flooded with users appearing from nowhere, each one with sword drawn, many with diamond armor, some shimmering with enchantments, others just dull iron, but all ready for battle. The island was now crowded with probably thirty to forty users, their sudden appearance making the mobs at the tunnel opening stop, their hungry eyes focused on the new threats. More people were appearing in the cavern, some adding to their numbers on the island while others appeared on the rocky ledge on the opposite end of the chamber. A look of determination was painted on every face.

  The users were ready for battle.

  Gameknight999 looked about him and was stunned at the high-level players he saw: AntPoison, SkyKid, HoneyDon’t, Zefus, Sin, Pips, SgtSprinkles . . . the most prominent and most skilled players in the game, and they were here to help him; he felt honored.

  “Thank you all for coming and helping me out,” Gameknight yelled so that all could hear.

  Some of the players laughed.

  “We aren’t here for you, Gameknight,” scoffed one voice off to his left.

  “Yeah, we’re here because of the weird things happening with Minecraft,” said another voice.

  “And because of Shawny,” said AntPoison next to him. “He said this was important and that someone needed our help. He didn’t tell us it was the great Gameknight999.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

  A few more grumbles could be heard throughout the crowd, the thought of helping the worst griefer in Minecraft not sitting well.

  “Look, the mobs are trying to take over Minecraft, and we need to stop them,” Gameknight pleaded. “Forget about me. Right now we need to save Mine-craft or these mobs will break through into the physical world.”

  Some laughed, but most just stayed silent, glaring at Gameknight999.

  “I hear that laughter and see the disbelief in your faces,” Crafter snapped, “but there is more at stake here than your silly game.” The users were shocked to hear this NPC speak and even more surprised to see a sword in his hand. “The NPCs in Minecraft are alive, like me. We are self-aware, know that we exist, and feel a sense of self-worth. We have hopes and dreams, and you griefers and trollers think this is just a game and that NPCs are expendable. Well, here’s a news flash for you: WE FEEL PAIN. We feel despair when our wives or children are killed. We feel sadness when our homes are destroyed by your careless use of power. But right now, all the NPCs across this server are fighting the mobs, putting their lives on the line to save this world and yours as well.

  “There are servers above this world that are closer to the Source, each level having stronger and stronger mobs, and the zombies, spiders, endermen, and creepers want to destroy it all—everything, all the way up to the Source. And when the Source goes, everything goes, and the mobs will be released into your world, the physical world.”

  Crafter turned to glare at those on the island, pointing an accusatory finger at the users. “So you keep laughing at me and Gameknight, but remember this moment, the time when you had a chance to stand against the flood. And when the creepers come to your house and blow a hole in the wall to let the zombies and spiders come into your bedroom, you can remember that you had a chance to make a difference, but instead of fighting, you just laughed . . . and in the end, when the black claws of the spiders are shredding through your bedsheets and the zombies are tearing at your flesh for real, you’ll probably hear their moaning laughs. Remember this moment then and despair.”

  “He’s right,” Shawny said. “I’ve seen what’s going on here, and it’s something bigger than just us. We need to stop these mobs right here, right now, or who knows what will happen.”

  The users listened to Crafter and Shawny, considering their words, then talked amongst themselves, some of them stopping their debate to glare at Game-knight. Then they continued to argue, the mobs still holding their position on the other side of the bridge, unsure, waiting. Finally, a voice of reason, HoneyDon’t, rose above the rest. His voice normally sounded funny and silly but the seriousness of his words and his commanding tone swayed the masses.

  “We’ve talked,” said HoneyDon’t, “and we’ll help, but not for him,” he said, gesturing at Gameknight, “for Minecraft. We can all tell there’s something brewing on the servers, and if this battle will help, then let’s get it done.”

  Gameknight breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the presence of these users might make the difference, tipping the scales in their favor, hopefully.

  “Thank you all,” Gameknight said, then turned to face the mobs, sword drawn, ready for battle, but the monsters still remained motionless at the mouth of the cavern, sensing the trap.

  “Why won’t they attack?” Shawny asked.

  “They suspect a trap,” Crafter whispered. “We have to get them onto this island.”

  “How?” HoneyDon’t asked. “Maybe we could offer them some Jaffa cakes?” His laughter filled the chamber.

  “Get serious,” Zefus snapped, giving his friend a shove. “What are we going to do?”

  “We have to draw them to us,” Crafter said in a low voice, “but how?”

  “Like this,” Gameknight said as he stepped forward toward the monsters. “EREBUS, SHOW YOURSELF!”

  Nothing happened. Gameknight walked across the island and stood near the end of the bridge, the monsters glaring at him from the other side, their moans and growls filling the air.

  “EREBUS, SHOW YOURSELF OR BE KNOWN AS THE MOST COWARDLY ENDERMAN IN MINECRAFT!”

  This insult caused the zombies to cease their
moaning and the slimes to stop their bouncing. All of the mobs were shocked at the challenge. Suddenly, a dark red presence appeared at the other end of the stone bridge, a purple haze floating about him; it was Erebus, the leader of the mobs on this server. The enderman glared across the bridge at Gameknight999, its eyes burning white hot with rage. Gameknight quickly looked down.

  “What did you say, User-that-is-not-a-user?” Erebus cackled in a high-pitched screeching voice. “You want to come over here and talk? Well, come on over.”

  “I have nothing to say to you, beast, I just pity you and your little pets behind you. Your cowardice will be known across all the servers of Mine-craft; a thousand mobs afraid of a few users . . . you’re pathetic.”

  This brought forth a grumbling from the mobs, the zombies being the loudest. A few stepped forward, wanting to attack, but Erebus held out a long arm, holding them in place, his tall, dark form blocking the bridge.

  “Ha ha ha,” Gameknight laughed. “You can’t even control your own beasts. I pity you the most. You were no match for me back at the village, and you’re no match for me here. You are wise to stay out of this battle, though your death will be no loss to this world, just another insignificant bug getting squashed.”

  He could see the enderman start to shake, his eyes now burning red.

  “You endermen are nothing but thieves, taking a block of dirt here, sand there. Is that all you can do, steal? You have no purpose, just like your little pets. You are all pathetic, a programming mistake. Well, you will go no further. I forbid it.”

  Gameknight drew a line on the ground with his diamond sword, a long scratch visible at his feet.

  “You have terrorized villages all across this server, taken the lives of NPCs and users for no reason other than to satisfy your thirst for death . . . well, you are now forbidden from causing any more misery. I draw the line, here,” Gameknight yelled. “None may pass unless they go through me first, though I doubt any of you are strong enough or brave enough to try.”

  Erebus was about to burst; he was now shaking visibly.

  Filling his mouth with saliva, Gameknight spit toward the clusters of monsters, a scowl on his face, and then he laughed at the mob, a disrespectful, mocking cackle that echoed throughout the chamber.

  And that was the last straw. The rusty wire that held the cork in place, that kept all of that anger and rage bottled up in the passageway, suddenly broke free. Rushing forward, the mobs charged toward the users with only one thought in mind: kill. Gameknight drew his bow and fired missiles at the oncoming wave of death, killing a zombie, then a cave spider, then a skeleton, but then he was pulled back across the island by a set of strong hands, firing as he was dragged away. Turning, he saw Shawny on one side of him, SkyKid on the other. Releasing him, they both drew their swords.

  “Remember the plan,” Shawny yelled, then turned to face the onslaught that was rushing toward them.

  Gameknight notched another arrow, then moved to the front of the group of users, the eyes of a thousand monsters focused on him, and to his surprise, he was not afraid. For the first time, he was doing something to help others instead of himself, and it felt good. He hoped it would still feel good when the mass of fangs and claws started to tear into his flesh. Sighing, Gameknight stood his ground and waited.

  CHAPTER 15

  THE TRAP

  T

  he mobs charged across the stone bridge with only one thought in mind, “Kill Gameknight999.” In their haste to get across, many were pushed off the narrow walkway, falling into the waiting arms of the molten lava that surrounded the bridge and island. It made no difference, though, a handful of monsters killed by their own thirst for violence as compared to the hundreds streaming out of the tunnel; the odds were still impossible.

  The defenders opened up with bows, striking out at the monsters from a distance. Gameknight’s enchanted weapon was singing as the bow string vibrated after every shot, reverberating with the other bow strings nearby, creating a sound like an orchestra warming up, every filament oscillating on a different note, both dissonant and harmonious at the same time. He fired a headshot at a zombie, then another one at a cave spider, then a skeleton, his hand not able to draw back the bow fast enough to hit all the targets before him. An arrow bounced off Gameknight’s armor, a gift from a skeleton. Brushing it aside, he kept firing.

  “Concentrate on the cave spiders,” Shawny yelled.

  The cave spider’s poison was lethal, the only antidote being milk, something that none of them thought to bring to this battle. The smaller cousin of the standard Minecraft spider, they were ferocious in battle, typically found in dungeons underground. Now, they led the charge across the stone bridge, their furry dark blue bodies scuttling across the ground on eight short, hairy legs. All the bowmen focused their shots on these beasts, firing arrow after arrow at the furry black terrors. In no time, all of the spiders had become pin cushions, feathered spikes sticking out of their bodies. Then they popped into nonexistence.

  Another arrow streaked over Gameknight’s shoulder, striking the user behind him.

  “Now, aim for the skeletons,” Shawny yelled as the monsters came closer. “Take out their archers.”

  Some of the zombies were pushing forward, almost within reach of the defenders. Their bows would offer little defense against the green monsters when they were close. Drawing his sword, Gameknight999 charged forward.

  “FOR MINECRAFT,” he yelled, the battle cry resonating off the stone walls of the cavern.

  Reaching the first zombie, Gameknight struck out at his head, killing him in three blows. He then turned and sliced at his neighbors, but some of the zombies were trying to get around him, encircling him with their extended green arms. Suddenly, there were users at his shoulders: Disko42 on his right and PaulSeerSr on his left, each with an enchanted diamond sword in their hands. Then Zefus came forward, adding to their numbers. Their blades were shimmering cobalt blurs as they came down on their opponents, cleaving zombie bodies into nonexistence, but the mass of attackers was too much for the four defenders to stand their ground.

  “We have to pull back!” PaulSeerSr yelled.

  “No, fight like in Wing Commander,” Game-knight said as he slashed at a gold-armored zombie, “hit and run, hit and run. Come on, follow me.”

  Gameknight then ran to the left, the three users following. They streaked across the battlefield, striking out at all targets of opportunity as they passed, not killing the zombies, just doing damage as they streaked by. After running across the width of the island, they turned around for another pass. This time, their second attack on those at the front of the mob was lethal, their blades killing the zombies and brushing away the leading edge of the monster army like an eraser to a white board. Still the mobs pushed forward. Now regular spiders were pushing their way to the front while the slower bouncing slimes were just starting to make their way across the rocky bridge.

  “This isn’t working,” Disko42 said. “We have to get off this island.”

  “Not yet,” Gameknight yelled, slashing at a spider, the furry beast managing to land a blow before disappearing, “we have to get all of them on the island, so that we can spring the trap.”

  “Then we need to pull back, to make room for them,” Zefus said, slashing at a nearby skeleton, changing the creature into a pile of bones after two swings of his shining blade. “Move back to the other bridge.”

  “Right,” Gameknight agreed.

  Disengaging from the battlefront, he moved back to their archers, Shawny at the front.

  “Pull back to the other bridge,” he said to his friend. “Have swordsmen go to the front and protect the retreat, archers to the other side of the lava. Get ready with the redstone.”

  Shawny nodded and gave the commands. Half of the archers quickly filed across the bridge as the other half drew their blades and charged forward. Gameknight could see one of the users, HoneyDon’t, move to a lever that was placed on the dirt wall of the caver
n, waiting for the signal to throw the switch; it was the first half of their little surprise.

  “Swordsmen, forward!” Gameknight yelled, his own glowing sword held up high. “FOR MINECRAFT!!!”

  The warriors charged forward, echoing the battle cry. To his surprise, he found Crafter at his side, his own iron sword swinging wildly, cleaving monsters in two.

  “What are you doing here?” Gameknight yelled. “Get to the other side of the bridge where it’s safer.”

  “Our fates are tied together, my friend,” Crafter replied. “I stand with you.”

  A spider leapt at the duo. Their swords rang together as they simultaneously attacked the furry beast. Sprinting across the battlefield, Crafter and Gameknight were a whirlwind of death, spinning between monsters, one of them attacking while the other defended. It was like watching a graceful ballet, except, of course for the mass of claws and fangs that were reaching out at them, looking to rend flesh from bone. As they made their second pass, Game-knight noticed that most of the monsters were on the island now except for the creepers, who were staying back, all of them clumped on the bridge at the other side of the cavern, the endermen still in the mouth of the tunnel. Gameknight could feel all of the monsters’ anger and hatred, their thirst for his death somehow resonating within his mind. It was a terrible feeling having all of that malice focused on him, but he had to shove it aside and throw up some kind of barrier or he would be overwhelmed. Pushing back his fear—no, his terror—he sought out his friend, Shawny, and found him on the right flank, sword flashing through slimes, cutting them in half, then chopping at the smaller green bouncing blobs. Moving to his side, Game-knight pointed at the creepers and then gestured at all the monsters.