Battle for the Nether Read online

  Also by Mark Cheverton

  The Gameknight999 Series

  Invasion of the Overworld

  Battle for the Nether

  The Algae Voices of Azule Series

  Algae Voices of Azule

  Finding the Lost

  AN UNOFFICIAL NOVEL

  BOOK TWO IN THE

  GAMEKNIGHT999 SERIES

  AN UNOFFICIAL MINECRAFTER’S ADVENTURE

  MARK CHEVERTON

  SKY PONY PRESS

  NEW YORK

  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.

  Copyright © 2014 by Mark Cheverton

  Minecraft® is a registered trademark of Notch Development AB

  The Minecraft game is copyright © Mojang AB

  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.

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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

  Cover design by Owen Corrigan

  Cover artwork by JiaSen (jiasen.deviantart.com) and Cindy Anderson

  Technical consultant—Gameknight999

  Print ISBN: 978-1-63220-712-8

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63220-714-2

  Printed in the United States of America

  All of the characteristics of Gameknight999 in the story are completely fabricated and do not represent the real Gameknight999, who is the opposite of his character in the book and is an awesome, caring individual.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  As always, I would like to thank my family: Geraldine, with her ever-present optimism and glass-half-full view of the world, Jack, who reminds me to face my fears and pursue my dreams, and Holly, my inspiration, my rock, and the one that brightens my life. I’d also like to thank the many readers who have reached out to me and given me encouraging messages of support, without which I would have succumbed to discouragement and doubt, and likely not finished this book. I hope you all enjoy it.

  “To fight fear—act.

  To increase fear—wait, put off, postpone.”

  —David Joseph Schwartz

  WHAT IS MINECRAFT?

  M

  inecraft is 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 in Creative mode that defy gravity or have no visible means of support.

  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 quickly approaching, users must gather resources—wood, stone, iron, etc.—in order to craft tools and weapons so that they can protect themselves when the monsters come; nighttime is monster time.

  To find resources, the player must create mines, digging deep into 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 dangers also lurk within passageways and chambers patrolled by monsters (zombies, skeletons, and spiders) waiting to snare the unwary.

  Although 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 the other creatures in Minecraft. Villages dot the surface of the game, with NPCs (non-player characters) populating them. The villagers scurry about the village doing whatever villagers do, with chests of treasure—sometimes great, sometimes insignificant—hidden within their dwellings. By communicating 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 through which people can design machines (powered by redstone, much like electrical circuits), unique games, custom maps, and PvP (player vs. player) arenas. It is filled with exciting creativity, spine-tingling battles, and terrifying creatures. It’s a world where adventure and creativity can be both unlocked at the same time. Enjoy.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I’

  ve come to love playing Minecraft with my son. I didn’t get here easily though, in fact my son had to drag me there kicking and screaming. But now . . . I love it.

  You see, he saw a video about Minecraft on YouTube and of course said he had to have it. Over the next month, he was persistent in reminding my wife and I that Minecraft was great and the he couldn’t live without it.

  So finally, we caved and bought Minecraft. I helped him load it on the computer, create his user name, Gameknight999, select his character appearance and off he went. At first, he played it on his own, but soon he was calling us into our office so that he could show us what he created . . . and it was pretty amazing. He had built a gigantic castle, and then an obstacle course with moving parts, and then an underground village . . . his creations blew us away. As an engineer, anything that offers me a chance to build something sounds instantly intriguing. So I sat there with my son and let him teach me how to play Minecraft. In no time at all, I bought a license for me to use, Monkeypants271 being my user name, and off we went into the digital realm together, building towers, fighting with zombies and dodging creepers.

  He loved playing Minecraft so much that we bought a server for him the next Christmas. He spent months building things on his server: castles, bridges, underwater cities, factories, everything and anything his imagination could conceive. Next he brought in his friends from school to build some really gigantic structures. Of course I helped too, partially to monitor what was going on, but also because I’m a big geek and like playing the game. I was overwhelmed with how proud he was about his creations. He made videos showing off his creations and posted them on YouTube. Well, one day, some other kids were able to get onto the server, probably because my son or one of his friends gave out the IP address. These new kids destroyed everything that he’d built, griefed everything until only a crater was left. They leveled everything to the ground, obliterating months of work. The next time my son logged on, he saw his creations destroyed and was crushed. Then to make matters worse, these kids posted the video of their griefing his server on YouTube.

  This was the ultimate “teachable moment” to talk about cyber-bullying. I tried to answer my son’s questions about why someone would do this, what kind of person would take pride in destroying someone else’s creation, but my answers just fell flat. That was when I came up with the idea of teaching my son through his favorite thing—Minecraft. I wrote the first book called Invasion of the Overworld, and it taught kids about cyber-bullying and how it a
ffects others as well as hammering away at the importance of friendships, using Minecraft as the tapestry on which the lesson was written.

  My son and I are still playing Minecraft together, and have built structures that appear in Battle for the Nether. Looking ahead, I’ve nearly finished writing book three, Confronting the Dragon, which follows Gameknight999 and his friends into The End. In addition, a fourth book, Trouble in Zombie-town, has been started and will see Gameknight999 facing a new Minecraft villain.

  Thank you to all the people that have emailed me through my website, www.markcheverton.com. 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.

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

  Mark Cheverton

  CHAPTER 1

  GAMEKNIGHT999

  H

  e sped down some kind of track, a set of metal rails stretching out into the darkness. The rhythmic clatter of the wheels beat at a constant pace—chu-chunk, chu-chunk, chu-chunk—that echoed throughout the tunnel, reflecting back like a percussive symphony. Looking about, he could see short grey sides and a boxy interior to the vehicle in which he rode, the appearance and the clatter of the wheels telling him that he was in a minecart. The cramped space made him feel like a giant in the small iron cart, but the blur of the cold stone walls speeding past gave him a feeling of being small and insignificant.

  Gameknight999 was scared.

  Uncertainty and fear filled his mind. He didn’t know where he was, what he was doing in the minecart, or even where he was going. All he knew was that he was heading somewhere—fast.

  Just then, the tunnel wall opened, and he could see a huge cavern—no, it was a giant crevasse that opened up to the blue sky. He could see zombies, spiders, and creepers on the sheer walls, leaping from one position to the next, the clumsiest of them falling to their deaths. Looking down, Gameknight saw the floor of the crevasse filled with monsters from the Overworld, all milling about as if looking for something to devour . . . or someone. Many of them looked up at him, and their ravenous, burning eyes chilled his soul. They wanted to destroy him for no reason other than that he was alive. Shuddering, Gameknight was glad when the crevasse passed by, the tunnel wall once again filled with solid stone.

  Looking back along the track, Gameknight could see the metal runners disappearing into the distance, the wooden cross braces a blur of brown streaks. But then he noticed that the cart was decelerating, the clickity-clack of the wheels slowing their drumming until the minecart gradually came to a halt in the middle of a tunnel. Feeling that he was expected to get out, Gameknight stepped out of the cart, his body shivering with fear. Looking around, he could still see the minecart tracks stretching out to infinity, the iron rails standing out against the gray stone. But then they started to fade, becoming fuzzy and out of focus somehow, the straight rails losing their definition until they dissolved into nothing. At the same time, the rocky walls that hugged close to the tracks seemed to fade as well, turning from hard granite to a swirling gray mist. The cold, wet fog enveloped him, its clammy presence wrapping around him like a heavy, damp cloth. Something about the blurring cloud of obscurity frightened him, like it was hiding something dangerous and threatening.

  And then the mournful wails started.

  It was a sorrowful moaning that seemed to suck all hope from him, a moaning that sounded doomed and sad at the same time, but also hateful and angry at those living things that still possessed any faith in a good life. It was aimed at the creatures of light who still clung to the thought that being alive was a good thing, and not just a lesson in torment and despair; it was aimed at him.

  The wailing was from a zombie . . . lots of them. Gameknight started to shake, the morose wails stabbing at him with icicles of fear.

  And then green claws reached out to him from the darkness, the terrible moaning filling the air as razor-sharp nails sliced just inches from him. Overwhelmed with panic, Gameknight999 stood frozen in place as the decaying zombie approached, slowly materializing through the fog, the putrid stink of its decomposing flesh assaulting his senses and adding to his fright. Looking down, he realized that he had an iron sword in his hands, his arms and chest also covered with iron. He was wearing armor and had a weapon; he could fight back. Struggling to draw a morsel of courage, Gameknight willed his arm to swing the sword and strike down the beast, but fear ruled his mind. Memories of clawed zombie hands and fanged spiders striking out at him filled his mind—the pain of that moment when he’d detonated the TNT on the last server still haunting his dreams. That last Minecraft world had been saved because of his selfless, heroic act—probably his first ever. But the cost had been his spirit and courage, and that had left his mind in a constant state of panic. Monsters terrified him, the great Gameknight999; how was that possible?

  Stepping away from the zombie, he turned to run. He knew this was only a dream, but the terror and panic still felt real. As he turned, he found himself facing a tangle of furry black legs, each tipped with a dark, curved, wicked-looking claw: giant spiders, at least half a dozen of them. They were pressed together, forming an impenetrable wall of hatred and spite.

  “I can’t fight that many,” Gameknight said to nobody.

  He shuddered.

  Just then, a rattling noise trickled through the darkness, the sound of loosely fitted bones clattering together. He knew exactly what those sounds meant—skeletons. The pale white figures slowly emerged out of the swirling fog, closing off any avenue of escape to the right. Each of the boney monsters held a bow at the ready, arrow already notched and drawn, the barbed projectiles pointing directly at him.

  Gameknight started to shake.

  How was he going to fight all of these monsters? He wasn’t brave anymore, his courage having been blown apart by all that TNT—no, torn to shreds by all those claws and fangs on the last server. He was just a hollow shell, a husk filled with dread.

  Turning to his left, he slowly shuffled away from the three groups, hoping to escape without having to fight, but as he moved, a high-pitched chuckle filled the air. It was a maniacal kind of sound, like laughter focused on another’s misery, like glee being felt while another creature suffered. It was a terrible sound that echoed throughout his soul, causing needles of panic to pierce the last vestiges of control he had over his own mind. And then the source of the chuckling came forward out of the darkness. It was a shadowy creature, the color of dried blood, a dark, dark red, with long, lanky arms hanging down, nearly reaching the ground, and skinny legs supporting an equally dark torso.

  It was Erebus, the King of the Endermen from the last Minecraft server—the server that Gameknight had saved. This beast was his personal nightmare, the most violent and evil creature that he could imagine.

  Turning, he faced the monster. As always, its eyes were burning bright white with a hatred for all living things. Its desire to destroy emanated like its own personal force field of malice. Gameknight took a step back. The creature was partially transparent, as if not completely there. The monsters behind the enderman were visible through its translucent body.

  “So, User-that-is-not-a-user, I see that we meet again,” Erebus cackled in a high, screechy voice.

  Chills ran down Gameknight’s arms.

  “This is just a dream; it’s not real,” he said to himself over and over.

  Erebus laughed a spine-tingling laugh, making him become momentarily solid, then faded back to partial transparency.

  “It is indeed a dream,” Erebus screeched, his voice reminding Gameknight of the sound of glass grinding against glass; it made his teeth hurt. “But that does not mean this is not real, fool. You still know nothing about Minecraft and the server planes on which it exists.” He laughed again. “Your ignorance will cause your downfall.”

  “No, you aren’t real,” Gameknight said, pleaded. “You can’t be.
I . . . killed you on the last server . . . You can’t be real.”

  “You keep telling yourself that, User-that-is-not-a-user, and when I find you on this next server, I’ll remind you of how unreal I am . . . when I destroy you.”

  Erebus cackled again, the laughter resonating within his mind like a hammer to a crystal vase, his will to live nearly shattered.

  “I . . . w-will . . . fi-fight you, like on the last server,” Gameknight stammered, his words unconvincing.

  “Ha . . . what a laugh,” Erebus screeched in his high-pitched, piercing voice. “I can see the cowardice within you like a malignant tumor. All of your bravery was apparently left behind on the last server. You are an empty husk, a hollow casket waiting for a cold body. You will be mine soon enough.”

  The enderman stepped forward menacingly, the transparency of its body not diminishing its threat in the least. Gameknight looked down quickly, not wanting to provoke the creature with a direct gaze. The dark monster towered over him, seeming to get taller and taller as he approached, until Gameknight felt like a tiny gnat standing before a giant.

  “I can see defeat in you, User-that-is-not-a-user. I have already won; your cowardice guarantees the outcome of our battle.” Erebus paused, then tilted his head down so that his glowing, malice-filled eyes were glaring straight down at Gameknight999. “You may have defeated me on the last server, but I still made it to this server plane. And when I destroy this world, I’ll reach the Source, and that too will feel my wrath until all living things cry out for mercy that will never come. Await my arrival and despair.”

  With a flick of his wrist, Erebus signaled the monsters around him to advance. Decaying green-clawed hands reached out toward him, tearing at his flesh, while a hundred arrows pierced his body. Poisonous spider fangs then darted into the fray until his body was consumed with pain. Slowly, the world dissolved into darkness, with the eyes of the enderman being the last thing visible, their expression filled with overwhelming, unbridled hate.