Confronting the Dragon Read online

  Books by Mark Cheverton

  The Gameknight999 Series

  Invasion of the Overworld

  Battle for the Nether

  Confronting the Dragon

  Trouble in Zombie-town (forthcoming)

  The Algae Voices of Azule Series

  Algae Voices of Azule

  Finding Home

  Finding the Lost

  Copyright © 2014 by Mark Cheverton

  Minecraft® is a registered trademark of Notch Development AB

  The Minecraft game is copyright © Mojang AB

  This book is not authorized or sponsored by Mojang AB, Notch Development AB or Scholastic Inc., or any other person or entity owning or controlling rights in the Minecraft name, trademark or copyrights.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

  Sky Pony Press books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Sky Pony Press, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or [email protected].

  Sky Pony® is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation.

  Visit our website at www.skyponypress.com.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

  Cover design by Owen Corrigan

  Cover artwork by JiaSen (jiasen.deviantart.com)

  Technical consultant - Gameknight999

  Print ISBN: 978-1-63450-046-3

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-047-0

  Printed in the United States of America

  For those that suffer in silence

  WHAT IS MINECRAFT?

  Minecraft is an incredibly creative game that can be played either online with people from all over the world, or just played with friends, or played alone. It’s a sandbox game that gives the user the ability to build amazing structures out of textured cubes with various materials to choose from: stone, dirt, sand, sandstone . . . Normal rules of physics don’t apply because it’s possible to build structures that defy gravity or have no visible means of support. Below is Gameknight’s space station that he built on his own server.

  The creative opportunity that this program offers users is incredible, with people building entire cities, cliff hanging civilizations, and even cities in the clouds; the real game, however, is played in Survival mode. In this setting, users are dropped into a blocky world with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Knowing that night is fast approaching, users must gather resources: wood, stone, iron, etc., in order to craft tools and weapons so they can protect themselves when the monsters come; nighttime is monster time.

  To find resources, the player must create mines, digging deep into the flesh of Minecraft in hopes of finding coal and iron, both necessities in order to make the metal weapons and armor that are essential to survival. As they dig, the users will encounter caverns, lava filled chambers, and possibly the rare abandoned mine or dungeon, where treasures wait to be discovered; but with passageways and chambers patrolled by monsters (zombies, skeletons, and spiders) waiting to snare the unwary.

  Though the land is filled with monsters, the user is not alone. Vast servers exist where hundreds of users play the game, all sharing space and resources along with other creatures in Minecraft. Villages dot the surface of the game, with NPCs (non-player characters) populating these small cities. The villagers scurry about the village doing whatever villagers do, with chests of treasure, sometimes great, sometimes insignificant, hidden within their dwellings. By talking with these NPCs, it’s possible for users to trade items to get rare gems or materials for potions, as well as obtain the occasional bow or sword.

  This game is an incredible platform for creative individuals that love to build and create, but they are not just limited to constructing buildings. With a feature called redstone, users can create electrical circuits within the game, using redstone circuits to power pistons and other devices so that complex machines can be created. People in the past have created music players, fully operational 8-bit computers, and sophisticated minigames within Minecraft, all powered by redstone. With the introduction of command blocks in version 1.4.2, command scripts could now be use to control game mechanics. This opened a new creative avenue to Minecraft programs all over the world, allowing them to make even more sophisticated mechanisms in the game. The beauty and brilliance of this is that it’s not just a game, but an operating system that allows users to create their own games and express themselves in ways that were not available prior to Minecraft. It has empowered kids of every age and gender to create unique games, custom maps, and PvP (player vs. player) arenas. Minecraft is a game filled with exciting creativity, spine-tingling battles, and terrifying creatures. It’s a blank canvas that is filled with unlimited possibilities.

  What can you create?

  FROM THE AUTHOR

  Many of you know the story about how I came to write these books. If not, look at the beginning of Invasion of the Overworld or Battle for the Nether. I’ve been touched by all the thoughtful emails that have been sent to me through my website, www.markcheverton.com. Thank you to all of my readers for your encouragement. I heard from your messages that griefing and cyber-bullying is something many of you have experienced, and that makes me sad. I hope my books help a little to deal with the bullying and the fear and anxiety that go along with it.

  I’ve had my own challenges with bullying in my lifetime and will talk about that at the end of the book. I hope Confronting the Dragon and my own mistakes can help those of you out there that are experiencing the same thing that I experienced as a kid. Be strong and speak out.

  Thank you to all the people that have emailed me. I appreciate all the kind comments from both kids and parents. I try to reply to every email I receive, but apologize if I’ve missed anyone; there have been a lot. I’ll be adding more things to my website to let fans of the Gameknight999 series speak out, share your thoughts, and share your screenshots from Minecraft. I encourage all of you to build one of the scenes from one of the books and submit it to the website. I’ll be posting those images for everyone to see.

  Look for us, Gameknight999 and Monkeypants271, out there on the servers. Keep reading, be nice, and watch out for creepers.

  Mark Cheverton

  CHAPTER 1

  THE LAST BATTLE

  Gameknight999 floated through a silvery mist, a feeling of dread pulsing through every nerve. Something was about to happen . . . something bad, and somehow, he knew that he could not avoid the deadly consequences of what was about to transpire.

  Gradually, the cloud started to clear, and he found himself on a large plateau atop a huge mountain of bedrock. As the silvery fog settled to the ground, figures started to emerge from behind its misty veil . . . NPCs, all of them armored and carrying weapons; they were the surviving defenders of Minecraft.

  Sensing a presence next to him, Gameknight turned and found Crafter and Mason standing next to him. They talked quietly to each other, their faces grim with determination. They glanced out across the plateau to the vast plain that sat at the mountain’s base. Something seemed to be moving through the shining fog that obscured the ground . . . angry things . . . hurtful things.

  Does the mist mean this is a dream? He thought. That shiny fog seemed to be in all of the strange dreams I’ve been having lately.

&nb
sp; He couldn’t explain it, but something inside told Gameknight he was looking at the future . . . that he was seeing his own future. And somehow, a feeling from within made him shake with fear as he realized the truth about what was going to happen.

  He was about to witness his own death and the end of Minecraft.

  Shuddering, he turned to look at his friends. Next to Mason, he found Hunter standing rigid and strong, enchanted bow in her hand, and now he knew for sure that this was a dream. She looked haggard and exhausted, almost translucent, but with a look of deadly anger in her eyes.

  How could this be the future when Hunter had already been captured by Malacoda and Erebus on the last server? Gameknight thought. How was this possible?

  Gameknight looked about the plateau, and found that it was covered with what looked like beacons, transparent glass cubes with light emitting blocks trapped within. He could see a whole field of beacons, hundreds of them, maybe thousands. But the curious thing was that they were all dark save for two. One shone bright, sending a brilliant beam of white light straight up into the sky. It was bigger than the rest, in fact it was massive, taller than any of the NPCs, its base surrounded by diamond blocks that also cast shafts of icy blue light up into the sky. It was so bright that its light felt blazing hot, as if anyone that touched the glowing beam would be vaporized instantly. All of the other beacons were normal sized, even though they looked tiny in comparison. Only one of these smaller beacons shone with light, its brilliant beam feeling just as hot and deadly as its larger companion.

  What’s going on here? Gameknight thought. What am I doing here? What’s that beacon for? Is this the Last Battle for Minecraft?

  Gameknight could see that everyone on top of the mountain had looks of fear and uncertainty painted on their faces. In front of them was a steep stairway that led from the plains below up to the flat mountaintop where they stood. It was the only way up to the plateau of beacons; the sides of the plateau were sheer and unscalable.

  Gameknight watched as Mason peered down the sloping hill and surveyed the landscape. He then turned and focused his green eyes on him.

  “They’re coming,” he said with a grim voice. “There must be five hundred monsters, maybe a thousand, right behind Erebus.” He reached up with a blocky hand and stroked his neatly trimmed beard, his eyes scanning the faces of his warriors. “I fear there is no way for us to stop this horde. Minecraft is doomed.”

  Doomed?! Gameknight thought. If this is the future, does this mean we’re going to lose the battle for Minecraft?!

  He wanted to yell, tell them to not give up, but his voice would not respond. He felt trapped within his own body, unable to do anything other than be a spectator from behind these helpless eyes.

  “Do not despair, User-that-is-not-a-user,” Crafter said, his wise voice resonating across the mountaintop. “You did all that could be done. There is no shame in failing after doing your best.”

  “What are you talking about?” Hunter snapped, her voice sounding dreamlike and surreal to Gameknight. She had a transparent look to her, as if she were not completely there, her fate still uncertain. “If we lose, then we lose. There is nothing to be proud about.”

  Gameknight turned and looked at Crafter. The young boy with the old eyes gazed up at him, a look of sadness across his face.

  “I’m sorry we couldn’t do more,” Crafter said in a low voice, his words meant only for Gameknight. “You’ve seen the horde below. You know we cannot defeat Erebus and the monsters of the night this time. We have barely a hundred soldiers left. They cannot stop the approaching tide of destruction.”

  Crafter turned to look up at the massive beacon, the Source, and sighed.

  “I guess there is nothing left to do other than fight and die,” Crafter said as he drew his own blade.

  Gameknight looked at the scene with an overwhelming sadness. If this is the future, does this mean I led everyone to this point, to failure? Is there really nothing left I can do? Why does my body, my entire being feel so . . . so . . . defeated? He couldn’t bear to witness the destruction of his friends . . . of Minecraft. He wanted to turn away, but he couldn’t; he had no control over this body.

  I have to do something . . . I have to try to help them! he thought.

  Gameknight could now hear the moaning of the monsters as they reached the foot of the stairway that led to the mountaintop. The clicking of spiders, wheezing of blazes, and wailing cries of the ghasts echoed across the strange landscape, making the defenders on the plateau all cringe.

  “There is still something I must do,” Gameknight said to all the NPCs.

  NO! That’s not me talking! he yelled from within his mind, but his body would not answer.

  Moving on its own, his body put away his sword, then stepped up next to the beacon, the shaft of blazing light just inches from his face. He could feel the unbelievable heat from the beam, like all the heat in the Nether compressed into this glowing ray.

  “Gameknight, what are you doing?” Crafter screamed.

  What am I doing?! Gameknight thought, panicking. Am I going to jump into that beam? Why aren’t I trying to save everyone?

  “That’s the coward’s way,” Hunter yelled. “Don’t give up, fight with us . . . with me.” There was a peculiar sadness now to her voice, her eyes pleading for him to abandon this path.

  “No, this is something I must do,” Gameknight’s body said in a loud voice.

  Looking at his friends, Gameknight saw disbelief on all their faces as they watched him move closer to the brilliant shaft of blazing death. Then, Mason stepped away from the other NPCs and stood next to Gameknight, a curious knowing smile on his face.

  “No, not you too!” Hunter cried, disbelief in her voice.

  “You will come to understand in time,” Mason replied.

  Then, moving to the other side of the beacon, Mason raised his sword up high, grasping the hilt with both hands. With all his might, he brought the sword straight down, plunging it into the ground. It sounded like a crack of thunder when it pierced the bedrock, causing the whole landscape to shake. Grasping the hilt firmly with one hand, he extended his other blocky hand to the User-that-is-not-a-user, his green eyes locked onto Gameknight’s.

  “For Minecraft,” the big NPC said in a surprisingly soft and reassuring voice

  “For Minecraft,” he heard his body repeat, then stepped into the blazing hot shaft of light.

  Is this the end?! Gameknight thought. This can’t be how it all ends. If this is the future, then is there any hope . . . can the future be changed? What about . . .

  And suddenly, everything went brilliantly bright as pain erupted throughout his body, then everything started to fade. But just before everything became completely black, he thought he could hear something . . . voices . . . hundreds of them, and one in particular that he hadn’t heard for what seemed like forever. It was a familiar voice of a friend that he missed so deeply, and as the voice started to fill his mind, Gameknight999 almost started to smile. Then darkness claimed him.

  CHAPTER 2

  FOLLOWING THE TRAIL

  Gameknight woke up abruptly, his mind swirling with confusion and his brain trying to comprehend what he’d just seen.

  Was that just a dream, he thought, or was it something else? It felt real, but different . . . like somehow he was looking into the future.

  He could still remember the look of resigned acceptance on all the NPC’s faces as they stared down at the massive monster horde that was approaching. There was no way that small group of defenders could protect the Source from the invading army. They would surely lose and there was nothing that Gameknight999, the User-that-is-not-a-user, could do about it.

  Shaking his head, he tried to push the images from his mind. But they just rattled around in his brain like little hammers, each one chipping away at his courage. Sighing, he sat up and glanced around the camp, looking for any evidence of that monster horde here. Fortunately, he only found NPCs; bakers, carpenters,
farmers, tailors, diggers, builders . . . every facet of Minecraft society now pressed into armor, weapons lying nearby. They were all here for him, because he’d guilted them into coming to the Source. They’d failed to stop Erebus and Malacoda on the last server and had followed the massive horde of monsters to this server, to the Source. But they were grossly outnumbered and didn’t know where to go or what to do. So instead of making a plan and doing something useful, they were just following the blackened and charred path left behind by the monster horde in hopes of learning what the terrible creatures were planning.

  Gameknight stood and stretched, reaching high up into the sky then arching his back, knots and cramps slowly releasing after sleeping on the hard lumpy ground. Looking up at the dark sky, he could see the square face of the moon starting to dip toward the tree line; it would be dawn soon. A faint red hue shone from the lunar body, something that they’d all noticed as soon as they’d come to this threatened land, something to do with all the monsters that had invaded, staining the very fabric of Minecraft with their violent hateful presence.

  I wonder if the sun and moon will ever go back to their original color, Gameknight thought.

  Scanning the camp, he saw soldiers stretched out anywhere that was flat, their army camped in a gentle valley on the edge of a pine forest. Small piles of armor-covered bodies here, blanket-covered NPCs there; they were spread out all throughout the bowl. He could see torches planted around the campsite, partially to keep monsters from spawning nearby, but also to put the NPCs at ease. Darkness seemed to make those from the Overworld nervous, for they had all learned a long time ago when they were but innocent children, that nighttime was monster time.

  Stepping carefully around the sleeping bodies, Gameknight reached the edge of the campsite and came upon Mason, the actual leader of the army, walking along their perimeter.

  “User-that-is-not-a-user,” the big NPC said as he stopped and put his fist to his chest in salute, “you should be resting.”