“Well done, Malacoda,” Herobrine said. He turned to the spider and focused his glowing eyes on the fuzzy creature. “Where did you see Smithy and his rabble?”
“They were in the dessssert, to the north,” the spider replied. “We trapped him in a temple, but the villagerssss defeated the rest of the sssspiderssss and esssscaped. I ssstayed far from the battle sssso I could report to the Maker, no matter the outcome.”
“You did well,” Herobrine said. “Your queen will be proud of you.”
The spider beamed with pride.
Herobrine turned to the king of the Endermen.
“Erebus, gather all the spiders and deposit them at that temple,” Herobrine said.
“Yes, Maker,” the tall monster replied.
The Enderman king gave Malacoda an angry glare, then disappeared, the rest of the Endermen following him, each bathed in a cloud of purple teleportation particles.
“We’ll send a small force against them, just to get the battle started,” Herobrine explained. “And when they think they have vanquished our army, we’ll hit them with the full strength of our forces. Their false sense of victory will make their despair feel that much worse.” Herobrine laughed as his eyes glowed bright. “After the battle with our main army, the ghasts will ensnare the blacksmith and present him to me. Malacoda, lead the army to the north,” Herobrine said. “We must catch the blacksmith before he gets too far away.”
“Yes, Herobrine,” the king of the ghasts boomed, his bombastic, overly confident voice filling the forest. “Smithy will not get far. Soon, he’ll be cowering before you. With this army of monsters approaching from one direction, and the spiders approaching from another, we’ll catch the villagers between us and crush them to dust.”
Malacoda laughed a cat-like laugh that filled the air, causing the other ghasts in the area to howl. The king of the ghasts glanced down at Herobrine. The Maker’s eyes glowed bright white with excitement, while the ghast’s own glowed blood-red. Floating off the ground, he moved to the north, driving the rest of the ghasts as fast as possible.
“Come, my ghasts. We have prey that needs catching,” Malacoda thundered.
More cat-like cries came from the floating giants as the whole army moved quickly to the north.
CHAPTER 22
OLYMPUS MONS
The villagers ran through the spruce forest that sat in front of the huge mountain that loomed before them. The tall trees would normally seem impressive, but with Olympus Mons in the distance, everything seemed small and insignificant in comparison.
When Gameknight had been here before, the villagers had told him the mountain’s name, Olympus Mons, and he’d thought it was peculiar that it was named after the largest peak on Mars. On the red planet, Olympus Mons measured 16 miles high, with a width of 374 miles. It was the largest mountain ever seen by man. Gameknight learned about it in school, and remembered thinking it was strange that the same name was used in Minecraft. Now he realized that, just like the nickname Smithy of the Two-swords, he himself was responsible for the title, having traveled back in Minecraft’s past. How strange it all still was….
The last time he’d been here, there had been a different forest around the mountain’s base. That had been when they were trying to stop Herobrine’s command blocks, and they’d travelled to the mountain from a different direction. Because it was so gigantic, there were likely many biomes surrounding the monstrous peak.
Ahead, he spotted Baker. Gameknight ran ahead to catch up with her.
“Baker, I never did compliment you on that throw you made at the desert temple,” Gameknight said.
“Well, I figured we couldn’t let that spider get away.”
“You’re right. It was exactly the right thing to do.” He moved closer to her. “Once, a friend of mine named Digger did the same thing. He saved my life by throwing his pick.”
“Really?”
“Yep,” Gameknight continued. “I was stuck in a spider web. My feet were caught along with my sword, and a spider was charging straight at me. Digger threw his pick and destroyed the spider before it could reach me with its claws. Your throw reminded me of Digger.”
“Smithy, do you think Herobrine is already chasing us?” Baker asked nervously.
“Probably,” Gameknight replied. “The spider that escaped has probably already been picked up by some of the ghasts or Endermen or other spiders that prowled the land. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were heading straight for us right now.”
“But there are only about thirty of us,” one of the villagers nearby said. “How are we going to withstand an attack by Herobrine? He probably has hundreds of monsters in his army.”
“You’re correct, unfortunately. I’m sure they have a massive army,” Gameknight replied. “But we have help on the way, so you need not worry.”
“Help?” Baker asked.
Gameknight nodded.
“Carver will be here soon with the villagers from the savanna,” the User-that-is-not-a-user explained, “and Fencer will be here with forces from our village.”
“You were able to contact them?” the Oracle asked.
“Yes, I did as you suggested,” Gameknight said. “I contacted him while we slept, using the Land of Dreams to communicate with the other dream walker, Carpenter. They know our location and are running toward us as we speak. I’m sure they’ll be here any minute.”
This made the villagers relax a bit, but there was uncertainty painted on their square faces still.
“Now, let’s get up the side of this mountain and see what we can see,” Gameknight999 said.
They moved out of the forest and across the open rocky ground, approaching the foot of the mountain. Suddenly, sorrowful moans began to float up out of the forest.
“Zombies!” someone shouted. “A lot of them.”
“Smithy, what do we do?” Builder pleaded.
The clattering of skeleton bones added to the noise of growling zombies, creating a horrible cacophony of sound.
“Skeletons, too!” someone yelled.
“Smithy, what’s your plan?” Baker asked.
Plan … what plan? He thought. I hadn’t planned that they’d find us so quickly.
“We can’t stay here in the open,” Gameknight said. “We need to get to a place that is defensible, and out here in the open is the worst place we can be.”
“Then let’s get up the mountain,” Baker said. “At least we can see them coming.”
“Right!” Gameknight exclaimed. “Everyone up the mountain.”
The villagers all sprinted forward. It was a huge structure, made of stone and dirt and sand, with small clumps of grass here and there. The sides of the mountain sloped gently upward, creating easy, one-block jumps for the villagers as they ascended.
Gameknight picked up Wilbur and dashed up the mountainside. He found Weaver and handed the pig off, then sprinted up the hill, helping the elderly and wounded as he ran.
The sound of the pursuing monsters grew louder as they crashed through the forest; likely they knew the villagers would be surprised to see them and it would be an easy victory. But Gameknight999 wasn’t going to let that happen.
After climbing a quarter of the way up the slope, Gameknight stopped and had the villagers start building defenses. He knew retreating all the way to the top, where there was less land, only made it easier for the monsters to surround them.
Walls began to grow out of the side of the mountain, cobblestone structures with holes for archers and blocks to protect them from skeleton arrows. As the villagers worked, Gameknight moved to the side and watched the forest. Weaver and Wilbur moved to his side.
“Do you see them yet?” Weaver asked.
“No,” Gameknight said, “but I know they’re there.”
“Oink!” Wilbur exclaimed.
Just then, the first of the zombies emerged from the forest and crossed the open ground. It was followed by another, and another, and another, until a massive group of decay
ing monsters were all heading up the mountainside.
“Weaver, do you have any TNT left over?” Gameknight asked.
“No, I used the last of it at the desert temple,” the young boy explained. “All I have are arrows, lots of them, but I don’t know if arrows are going to be enough.”
Suddenly, a large squad of skeletons stepped out of the forest and began climbing the face of Olympus Mons behind the zombies, their bows singing as they moved.
“Quick, get behind the walls,” Gameknight said, pulling Weaver and Wilbur to safety just as arrows began streaking by.
Pulling out his bow, Gameknight found a hole in the wall and began firing, shooting trios of shots at skeleton after skeleton, silencing their bows one by one. But with the storm of monsters climbing the face of Olympus Mons, the villagers just couldn’t shoot fast enough. There were far too many for the small group of NPCs to handle. It seemed nearly hopeless.
“Have faith, child,” an ancient voice said.
Gameknight glanced to the side and found the Oracle standing at his side.
“Help is on the way,” she added.
“Really?” Gameknight replied. “I don’t see any.”
“Be patient,” she said.
“How about having your light-crafters help out?” Gameknight asked.
“Look, they already are.”
Suddenly, a cheer went up from the villagers. Gameknight turned and saw long blades of grass growing from the green patches that dotted the side of the mountain. The grass snaked outward and became entangled in the legs of any passing monster, stopping their progress and making them easy targets for the archers. Cacti then grew quickly atop the blocks of sand, their prickly spines poking into nearby zombies, causing them to flash red with damage. The zombies and skeletons now had to navigate narrow courses around these obstacles, staying on stone to avoid the light-crafters’ traps.
The sight of the light-crafters’ efforts invigorated the defenders. They fired their bows even faster, destroying the wounded and ensnared. Angry growls, cries of pain, and the clattering of bones filled the air as the villagers’ arrows rained down upon the attacking horde. Slowly, the number of monsters began to fall as they ascended the mountain.
“We’re doing it!” Weaver cried. “We’re driving them back!”
The villagers cheered, then quieted as a clicking sound began to rise from their left. A huge group of spiders burst out from beneath the leafy canopy and charged up the hill, the sloped mountainside an insignificant hurdle to the fuzzy monsters.
“Oh no,” someone said. “Spiders.”
The dark creatures scurried up the slope and headed straight for the villagers. Some became caught in the grass or were wounded by the cactus, but the onslaught did not stop. Those that became stuck were just trampled over by their own comrades.
How are we going to defend against zombies and skeletons AND spiders? Gameknight thought.
Then, just when it felt like things couldn’t get any bleaker, a loud roar came out of the forest. It was not the sound of a monster, or of some kind of terrifying beast, but a roar that instead lifted all the villagers’ hearts.
Carver burst out of the woods, an army of villagers on his heels. With his shining axe, he fell upon the spiders, tearing into their HP with swing after swing. He ran through the assembly of monsters, then turned and faced the leading ranks. The spiders, shocked and surprised, didn’t know what to do. But before they could make a decision, Carver smashed back into them while the rest of the army from the savanna village crashed into them from behind.
The fighting was fierce as the villagers fought hand-to-claw with the fuzzy monsters, but none of the NPCs yielded. They drove their attack forward, moving around their flanks and surrounding the monsters. With Carver urging them to fight harder, the villagers chiseled away at their numbers until the last of the spiders were destroyed.
A cheer rang out around Gameknight999, Baker’s voice the loudest. Maybe there was hope for them after all.
Carver led the army up to Gameknight’s position on the side of Olympus Mons, then added his group’s bows to the attack. He had arrived just in time, as another group of zombies and skeletons emerged from the forest and charged up the hill. This group was five times larger than the previous group, and silenced the cheers from the villagers.
“That doesn’t look good,” Weaver said.
“Oink, oink,” Wilbur confirmed.
The monsters advanced up the slope, pushing those stuck in the grass aside as they charged forward.
“Open fire!” Gameknight yelled.
Bowstrings sang as the villagers fired as quickly as they could. The zombies ignored the hail of pointed shafts and shuffled up the hill. Their numbers fell, but there were so many of them, it didn’t really matter.
“Half of you, draw swords,” Gameknight said. He turned to Weaver. “You stay here with your bow!”
He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, the User-that-is-not-a-user drew his two swords and jumped over the wall they’d made, screaming like a madman.
“Look at that!” Weaver shouted. “Smithy be crazy!”
Gameknight999 slashed at the lead zombie in front of him, tearing away its HP in seconds. Spinning to the left, he attacked the next monster, slicing at its decaying legs as he kicked out and knocked even more monsters over.
Something sharp tore into his shoulder, causing pain to explode from the wound. He felt himself flash red as his HP decreased, but when he turned, he found a dozen villagers around him, their swords flashing through the air like iron lightning.
The monsters hesitated for a moment as more villagers climbed over the walls and attacked. A line of fifty villagers stood before the beasts, their swords gleaning in the afternoon light, while archers poured arrows down upon the attacking monsters. Carver’s great axe cleaved massive holes in the monsters’ ranks, while Baker’s sword did a delicate dance of death. She was all grace and finesse, darting here and there like an elegant but deadly ballerina, while Carver was pure brute force. The two NPCs were a fearsome combination, each attack merging with the other like a complicated choreographed dance; they were nearly unstoppable.
Even though the villagers were grossly outnumbered, they did not yield. They fought as if everything depended on their success; but, even still, there were just too many of the monsters, and the bulk of the army came closer and closer, pushing the defenders back against their own wall.
The light-crafters jumped over the wall and added their fists to the battle. Treebrin towered over everyone as his rough, bark-like skin deflected the zombie claws with ease. His dark fists smashed into monster after monster as if he were wielding some kind of mythological warhammer. At his side, Cactusbrin jabbed his spiked fists into the monsters, making them flash red with damage and leaving painful thorns in the monster flesh. Grassbrin moved like greased lightning around the monsters as if he were untouchable. He struck at the creatures with hands that shot out like deadly green snakes. Monsters roared in frustration, turning to see who had struck them, only to be attacked from behind by the other light-crafters. The trio was a deadly combination, but even with their strength, the monsters were still too numerous.
Suddenly, what seemed like a dark cloud flew through the air and landed on the monsters. They screamed out in pain and surprise. Another cloud sailed through the sky and landed on the monsters, making some of the beasts disappear. One of the zombies fell forward, and Gameknight saw it was stuck with multiple arrows.
Arrows? Gameknight thought, and then it dawned on him.
“Fencer is here!” Gameknight shouted.
And at that moment, Fencer charged out of the forest to their right. Their army was a hundred strong, if not more. Every one of them was fully armored and bristling with weapons. They smashed into the monsters’ flank, wreaking terrible havoc. The creatures saw the incoming army and tried to turn and flee, but more grass and cactus sprouted up out of the ground, making it difficult, if not impossible, for an
y of them to retreat.
“Advance!” Gameknight shouted, recognizing they held the advantage.
“Smithy be crazy!” Carver yelled, drawing laughter from the villagers.
“SMITHY BE CRAZY!” the NPCs replied as they charged forward behind their blacksmith.
They pushed the monsters together into a small group, swords tearing through HP as zombies and skeletons disappeared, littering the ground with glowing balls of XP. But just when it seemed as if victory was within their grasp, yet another group of monsters shuffled out of the trees and began to ascend the mountain.
“More monsters!” Carver shouted.
“It’s too many,” Gameknight replied. “We’ll lose lots of villagers if we stand face-to-face with them.”
“You have a better idea?” Baker asked.
“It depends on whether Fencer brought any TNT with him,” Gameknight said.
“I did better than that,” Fencer replied. “He’s back up there with the Oracle. You should go ask her about him.”
Gameknight gave him a confused glance, then turned and surveyed the battlefield. The new monsters were getting closer, while the existing ones continued to fight, the presence of reinforcements giving them strength and courage.
“Everyone, behind the walls,” Gameknight said in a loud, commanding voice. “I think we have a surprise for our angry friends.”
The villagers cheered, but Gameknight contained his excitement. He knew that if Fencer’s plan, whatever it was, didn’t work, they’d have to fight the monsters hand-to-hand, and a lot of villagers would not survive that battle.
He shuddered as he ran up the mountainside, the growls and moans of the monsters filling him with dread.
CHAPTER 23
THE FUTURE REPEATS IN THE PAST
Gameknight sprinted up the hill and found the Oracle.
“We need TNT, and lots of it,” he said to the old woman. “Fencer said you had something that would help.”
“I do,” she replied with a smile. “Meet my newest light-crafter, TNTbrin.”
A large (actually, there was no other way to describe him but fat) light-crafter stepped forward. He wore a red tunic with bright-white stripes running diagonally across his chest. He was wider than two villagers put together, as if he were about to burst, but also taller than anyone Gameknight had ever seen in Minecraft, including Treebrin. His size would have been terrifying, except there was a huge smile plastered on his square face.
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