The Phantom Virus

by Mark Cheverton

  Digger suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his big pickaxe on his shoulder. Without being told, he took charge of the defenses, telling the villagers where to put walls and holes for archers. In minutes, stone walls were sprouting up out of the sandy ground, forming a protective ring around the center of the village.

  “No, no … we can’t just wall ourselves in,” Gameknight said when he saw what the villagers were doing. “We have to lure the spiders into a trap so that we can destroy them.”

  “What do you suggest?” Digger asked.

  Gameknight thought for a moment, then remembered the first spider he’d ever battled when he first came into Minecraft.

  “Dig a hole here,” he said, “then build a wall here with holes along the edge, and then …”

  Quickly Gameknight explained his plan. The villagers nodded their blocky heads as he spoke, understanding not only what the User-that-is-not-a-user’s plan was, but understanding the danger they were all in as well. There was uncertainty in their eyes, but Gameknight knew … no, he hoped that they would do what they needed to when the time came. All he wanted now was for the spiders to come to them.

  “Everyone ready?” he asked.

  Blocky heads nodded slowly.

  “OK, here we go,” Gameknight said.

  Moving through the narrow passage they’d just built, he opened the wooden doors that had been placed in the makeshift stone wall. Stepping out, he removed a piece of iron armor. With the flat of his sword, he banged on the iron sheet, creating a loud gonging sound that echoed throughout the village.

  “If you want me, you have to come and get me!” he screamed. “The User-that-is-not-a-user is waiting for any spider that might be brave enough to challenge me.”

  A large, black, fuzzy body climbed around the edge of the cobblestone roof, then moved along the surface, hanging upside down. The monster reached a wall and gracefully crept down it like gravity had no effect on the creature.

  “Is that all?” Gameknight asked. “A single spider? Well, it’s more than I expecte—”

  He hadn’t even finished talking before twenty more spiders emerged behind the first, moving like a deadly black wave. They flowed over the edge of the roof, some dropping to the ground while others climbed down the walls.

  Putting away his sword, Gameknight drew his enchanted bow and fired it at the monsters. A purple fire appeared on the end of the arrow as it leapt off the bowstring, the Flame enchantment doing its magic. As the arrow streaked through the air, two more flew over Gameknight’s shoulders to join it. The three blazing arrows all found the same target, and the monster disappeared with a pop as the magical flames consumed its HP.

  Gameknight glanced over his shoulder. Hunter and Stitcher stood near the defensive wall, new arrows already notched and ready to fire. The monsters’ clicking grew louder as the spiders advanced, their eyes glowing bright red with hatred as they glared at the pile of silk lying on the ground where their comrade had stood only a moment earlier.

  One of the dark creatures scurried forward a few blocks.

  “Get back behind the wall and be ready,” Gameknight called over his back to his friends and the villagers behind him. Then he tightened his grip on the bow in his hand and focused his attention on the enemy in front of him. “Come on, you filthy spiders, come get me … if you dare.”

  Drawing another arrow back, he fired at the lead spider, hitting the monster in the shoulder. The spider shrieked in pain, then charged forward, the rest of the horde following close behind.

  Spinning around, Gameknight dashed through the wooden doors, leaving them open as he shot through the long, narrow corridor of cobblestone. He raced past NPCs tucked into every hole and crevice in the walls, their bows drawn back and ready to fire.

  “They’re coming!” Gameknight yelled as he reached the end of the passage, in clear view of any monster that followed.

  Drawing his two swords, he waited. Many of the villagers saw the blades he carried and whispered to each other, their gazes changing from fear to confidence at the sight of the dual weapons.

  “Here they come!” someone shouted.

  The first spider stepped into the narrow corridor. She saw Gameknight standing at the end of the passage, looking like a fool ready to be devoured, and charged ahead, followed by more monsters. The User-that-is-not-a-user didn’t budge. He just stood there, apparently oblivious to the danger in front of him, and this enraged the spiders even more. The creatures surged down the corridor, moving so quickly they didn’t notice any of the archer holes carved into the walls, or the two pistons at the end of the passage.

  The first spider made it the end of the corridor and reached out for Gameknight, but just as her deadly claws were about to slice him, one of the pistons was activated. The spider toppled over sideways as the piston smashed into her, sending her sliding into a deep hole filled with water.

  “Come on, I’m waiting!” Gameknight taunted.

  Just then, the second spider reached the other piston and was thrown aside just like the first monster, falling into a pool of water. Archers all around the pool fired down onto the creature, rending its HP in seconds. More spiders charged, all meeting the same fate because they were charging so quickly that they didn’t realize the trap that Gameknight had set. Eventually, enough spiders fell into the holes filled with water that those in the rear hesitated to move any closer down the corridor. That was when the archers started to fire through the holes in the walls. Arrows struck them from both sides as the monsters panicked, climbing over each other in a frenzy as they raced to retreat back out of the narrow passage.

  “They’re escaping!” Digger yelled.

  "No, they’re not,” Gameknight said. “ATTACK!”

  The User-that-is-not-a-user charged forward. He moved through the corridor and met the spiders under the cobblestone overhang. The creatures turned on him instantly, but none of them had ever fought Gameknight999 and his two swords. He quickly turned into a spinning weapon of destruction, slashing at the spider to his left, then attacking the one to his right before leaping high into the air, bringing his swords down on the doomed creature directly in front of him. As the spider disappeared with a pop, more villagers flowed out of the passage and fell on the monsters, driving them backward. Flaming arrows whizzed down the corridor between the attacking villagers at the front of the offensive, striking the retreating spiders.

  Gameknight and the NPCs had destroyed many spiders, but there were still a good number left, and he thought that some of them might actually escape as they raced down the passage ahead of them. Suddenly, a chunk of the cobblestone wall disappeared in a cloud of dust and rubble as Digger and his pickaxe tore through the wall in front of the spiders. Pulling out his second pickaxe, he stepped into the spiders’ midst, carving out great swaths of destruction. The villagers followed the big NPC, attacking the monster flank with Gameknight from the rear.

  Knowing they were surrounded, the spiders now fought for hate’s sake, their glowing red eyes focused on their enemy, Gameknight999. The NPCs quickly whittled down their numbers until only one remained. Surrounded and exhausted, the spider fell to the ground, fuzzy legs extended outward.

  Crafter approached the creature cautiously, careful to stay out of range of those deadly claws.

  “Why have you come here?” the young NPC asked.

  The spider glared up at Crafter with disdain, then turned her eight bright red eyes toward Gameknight999.

  “What is this about?” Gameknight asked as he stepped forward. “The Last Battle is over, and your Maker was destroyed.”

  “He wassss not desssstroyed,” the spider said. “The Maker left the sssserver to torture the physsssical world.”

  Gameknight looked at Crafter and smiled, then turned to the spider again.

  “You have been lied to, spider,” Gameknight said. “Herobrine was destroyed when he left the server. I destroyed him myself. He is not in the Minecraft servers and he is not in the physical world. He�
��s gone.”

  “You lie!” the spider spat.

  “Oh really?” Gameknight said. “Then why am I here if the physical world is being destroyed by Herobrine?”

  “Well … you are … umm …” The fire in its eyes faded a bit as the spider considered this new information.

  “The war is over,” Gameknight said in a soft voice. “The time for peace is now. Herobrine has been deleted and his influence over the NPCs of the Overworld is done.”

  The spider looked up at the User-that-is-not-a-user and smiled an eerie, toothy smile.

  “That issss what you think.”

  The spider launched herself at Gameknight999 in one final, desperate attack, her eight claws aimed right at his head. But before the creature could move more than half a block, arrows pierced the monster from all sides, taking the last of the spider’s HP. She disappeared with a pop, leaving behind a handful of silk and three balls of glowing XP.

  The User-that-is-not-a-user looked at Crafter, confused.

  “What did she mean by that?” Gameknight asked.

  “Who knows what any of these monsters mean?" Hunter said. “I’m just glad this attack is over. Now, let’s finish the cobblestone roof over the village before any more spiders get bright ideas. If they all think Herobrine is still alive, they’ll all be willing to risk their lives for him.”

  “She’s right,” Digger said as he headed back up the watchtower, the other NPCs following closely, blocks of cobblestone replacing weapons in their hands as they transitioned from angry warriors to peaceful villagers once again.

  Crafter looked up at Gameknight, a concerned look in his blue eyes. He shook his head, confused.

  “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the spider meant,” he said.

  “I don’t like that,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied. “I don’t like that at all.”

  CHAPTER 6

  VILLAGE IN PERIL

  With guards watching the perimeter of the village, the NPCs worked hard to complete the cobblestone roof. As the stony cover grew, Gameknight and Crafter went through the village, placing torches on every wall, erasing the shadows and gloom the overhead layer of rock was giving the town.

  “It’s important to keep the light level up,” Crafter said.

  “Why?” Gameknight asked.

  “Monsters like zombies and skeletons can spawn where the light level is low, which is why they usually spawn at night. But with this cover, the light level would always be low in the village, letting creatures appear at any time.”

  “That doesn’t sound so good,” Gameknight said.

  “No, not at all,” Crafter agreed.

  So the companions ran through the village placing torches in every shadowy corner, driving away the darkness.

  Finally, the new stone roof was complete and the village was protected from the bone and snowball downpour. Villagers went back to their normal work, replanting crops and tending to the livestock. Yes, there was a weird-looking cobblestone roof over everything, so things weren’t exactly how they used to be, but Gameknight was starting to feel confident that the threat was over, at least for the moment.

  A howling suddenly filled the air. Many of the villagers drew their swords, getting ready for another battle. But Gameknight recognized the sounds and put his hands up to indicate that they should lower their weapons, easing their fears.

  “Don’t worry. It is likely our companion, Herder, coming with some friends,” he said.

  As if on cue, Herder came through the village gates with a dozen wolves fast on his heels. He ran up to the village elders and stopped, his brow covered with sweat.

  “These wolves will help protect the village,” Herder said.

  Gameknight beamed with pride.

  “They will patrol the desert around the village and watch for monsters,” Herder continued. “Listen for their howls. With all the bones here, you should have no difficulty keeping them happy. Take care of them and they will take care of you.”

  The largest of the wolves came forward and stood next to Herder. The lanky boy motioned for the wolf to approach the village’s crafter. Moving silently, the creature approached the NPC cautiously, sniffing his outstretched hand, then wagged his tail and sat next to the village’s leader. The other NPCs cheered as more of the wolves came forward to accept pats on the back from their new friends.

  “Well done, Herder,” Crafter said, smiling at the boy. Herder smiled back.

  “It’s time we made a plan,” Hunters said as the cheering settled down.

  “I think we should—” Stitcher started to say, but was interrupted by a villager bursting out of the watchtower.

  “It’s happened again! It’s happened again,” the NPC said as he skidded to a stop.

  “What happened?” Gameknight asked.

  “There’s someone from the next village down in the crafting chamber,” the NPC said. “Come quickly.”

  That was all the information he needed. Gameknight dashed for the door and shot through the tunnels. In seconds, he was at the crafting chamber door, where he saw, sitting on the ground next to a newly-arrived minecart, a villager. The color of her smock indicated she was a woodcutter, and the look on her pale face told a grim story. Taking the steps two at a time, the User-that-is-not-a-user sprinted to the newcomer. Behind him, he could hear others following close behind.

  Gameknight slowed his pace and walked calmly across the crafting chamber floor, weaving around the numerous crafting benches and minecart tracks that covered the ground. Stepping to the NPC’s side, he crouched.

  “Is everything all right?” Gameknight asked.

  The woodcutter looked up at him and instantly recognized who he was. She breathed a sigh of relief as color slowly started to seep back into her square face.

  “They just fell all around the well!” Woodcutter cried. “We didn’t know how it was happening or why. It’s terrible.”

  “What is it?” Gameknight asked. “What’s happening?”

  She looked away from Gameknight and stared at the ground.

  “It’s terrible … their sound … awful … I can’t get it out of my head.”

  She stopped talking as her shoulders slumped. She was so traumatized that she couldn’t utter another word.

  “We have to know what’s going on,” Gameknight said. “Where did she come from?”

  “I know her,” one of the NPCs in the chamber said. “She came from the next village on that track.”

  The villager pointed at the tunnel to his right.

  “Come on,” Gameknight said.

  “Don’t you think we should wait for—” Crafter started to ask, but he was cut off.

  “No waiting,” the User-that-is-not-a-user snapped. “Let’s go!”

  Gameknight placed a minecart on the tracks and pushed it forward into the dark tunnel. As the crafting chamber disappeared behind him, images of what might be started to fill his head. But one question began to cut through all the possibilities: why was this happening now?

  CHAPTER 7

  COMMAND BLOCKS

  The constant, rhythmic clickity-clack of the minecart, coupled with the cool darkness of the tunnel, began to lull Gameknight999 to sleep. Images of Herobrine’s bright, menacing eyes filled his mind as he relived every conflict, from that first encounter in front of Crafter’s village to the terrible battle where Herder had been possessed in the Nether. In every one of the those battles, he’d had the chance to destroy that evil virus, but each time he’d fallen short and managed to let him escape, sometimes narrowly escaping his own death as well. If only he’d been able to stop him back then, they wouldn’t be chasing his dangerous pranks across Minecraft now.

  But they had, hadn’t they? He was sure that they’d destroyed Herobrine once and for all. He would have been willing to bet his life on it. He’d been so sure before these weird pranks started happening through the Overworld. But these tricks were now making him doubt his convictions. Wouldn’t it make sense t
hat they were the work of Herobrine, who had somehow still survived? Conflicting thoughts weighed heavily on Gameknight’s mind as he whooshed through the tunnel.

  His minecart burst into the bright light of the crafting chamber, and the User-that-is-not-a-user was instantly snapped awake. Pulling his minecart off the tracks, he set it in a nearby chest and waited for his friends. In a minute, they were all there, Hunter bringing up the rear.

  Gameknight gazed around the chamber. He could see tools left lying on the ground as if they had been suddenly dropped. Half-finished chests sat hovering over crafting tables and dull, incomplete iron armor was scattered about nearby.

  “It looks as if they left in a hurry,” Digger said, his deep voice bouncing off the stone walls, coming back to them from all directions.

  “I think it’s best if we go up and see what happened for ourselves,” Crafter suggested.

  Gameknight nodded and led the way. Drawing his diamond sword, he charged up the steps and through the tunnels until he reached the cobblestone watchtower. But as he peered out the windows into the grassland village, he found everything looked … well, normal. There were patches of grass growing among blocks of sand, wooden homes sprinkled throughout the village, a tall cobblestone wall ringing the community. All of that looked as it should look. But what he could not see were any villagers.

  “Where is everyone?” Stitcher asked.

  “I don’t know,” Gameknight responded. “Let’s go out and look around.”

  As soon as he opened the door, he heard a noise that he couldn’t quite place. It was the sound of terrified animals screaming as loud as they could for a few moments, before being suddenly and immediately silenced.

  “What was that?” Crafter asked, leaning out the door and looking around.

  “It’s sheep!” Herder cried as he shoved his way out of the watchtower and took off running to the left, toward the screams.

  “Herder, wait!” Gameknight yelled, but there was no slowing down the lanky boy.