The Jungle Temple Oracle Read online

  Books by Mark Cheverton

  The Gameknight999 Series

  Invasion of the Overworld

  Battle for the Nether

  Confronting the Dragon

  The Mystery of Herobrine Series: A Gameknight999 Adventure

  Trouble in Zombie-town

  The Jungle Temple Oracle

  Last Stand on the Ocean Shore (forthcoming)

  The Algae Voices of Azule Series

  Algae Voices of Azule

  Finding Home

  Finding the Lost

  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 © 2015 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.

  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)

  Technical consultant - Gameknight999

  Print ISBN: 978-1-63450-096-8

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-097-5

  Printed in the United States of America

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I’d like to thank my family for their continued support and understanding for my constant, compulsive need to write at 4 a.m. and at night and every minute over the weekends. Without your support, I could have never written these books.

  I’d also like to thank Sara Klock for her continual excitement and support from day one of this adventure. Her enthusiasm and energy was contagious and appreciated.

  I’d also like to thank the fantastic people at Skyhorse Publishing. Their tireless work is inspiring and keeps me writing when I’m exhausted.

  Lastly, thank you to all the readers out there. Your adoption of Gameknight999, Monet113, Crafter, Hunter, and Stitcher into your hearts and imaginations is sincerely appreciated. Keep reading, for there are more adventures coming . . . and watch out for creepers.

  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 likely one of the most creative things I’ve seen come to computer gaming in a long time. Referred to as a sandbox game, it gives the player the ability to build anything their minds can imagine using textured cubes as their building materials. Of course, most players first build a castle . . . that seems like a rite of passage in Minecraft. Players quickly realize, though, that the rules of physics don’t apply to this digital landscape. In Creative mode, you can build floating cities in the sky, a bridge to nowhere, or an underwater village of glass (that was one of the things that were destroyed on my son’s server!). I’ve seen people build massive, ornately decorated spiral staircases that extended from deep down at the bedrock level all the way up to the build limit (layer 255) and others building massive space stations that float in the sky and span hundreds of blocks in all directions. Anything is possible as long as you follow two important rules: 1—everything is made of blocks, and 2—you can build anything! I’ve included an image of something Gameknight and I built using the amplified terrain setting: a creeper prison. You can see some of them escaped and are now swimming with their guards.

  The creative opportunity 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., 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 for making the metal weapons and armor 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 online where hundreds or even thousands of users play the game, all sharing space and resources along with other creatures in Minecraft. These servers host many types of gameplay, from minigames, to spleefing (my favorite), to PvP (I’m terrible at Player-vs-Player battles), to fractions, to Survival, to Creative . . . It’s amazing what people have created with Minecraft, and these many, many servers are evidence of the creative potential Minecraft offers those with imaginative minds.

  This game is an incredible platform for creative individuals who 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 be used 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 Minecraft 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. With the many updates constantly flowing from Mojang, the game is continuing to evolve and get better. The creative programmers at Mojang have been expanding the instructions available for command blocks, allowing games to be constructed like Missile Wars (one of my favorites) and of course the classic, Cake Defense (another of my favorites). If you haven’t tried these, you should; they are a lot of fun when played with friends. The newest update, called the Bountiful Update, has added some really cool features. My favorites are the Ocean Monument, the Guardians, and of course the rabbits. (Did you notice the last line in the update description? Interesting. Maybe he was there all along. Maybe he’s still there.)

  Minecraft isn’t just a game, an operating system, or a computer programming environment . . . it is something more. It’s like a blank canvas that extends in all directions, forever, and is filled with unlimited possibilities.

  What can you create?

  “We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood unti
l we move from the passive voice to the active voice—that is, until we have stopped saying ‘It got lost,’ and say, ‘I lost it.’”

  —Sydney J. Harris

  CHAPTER 1

  HISSING VILLAIN

  The silvery mist swirled around Gameknight999 as he walked across the featureless terrain. Faint outlines of blocky trees stood out through the shining haze, their stiff upright forms barely visible through the fog. As Gameknight approached, they seemed to evaporate, turning to smoke.

  Pivoting in a tight circle, he scanned the area around him. Everywhere he saw the same thing; a silvery mist masking the features of the landscape. Gameknight999 could start to make out more shapes through the fog: another tree here . . . a grassy hill there . . . but in every case, when he closed the distance, they just disappeared.

  It was strange, but also oddly familiar. He’d been here before . . . not in this land with the disappearing trees and nonexistent hills, but in this silvery mist. The memory struggled to come forth from the back of his mind, but there was also something else lurking in that memory . . . and it scared him.

  “What is this place?” he said aloud to no one. “It’s almost like I remember it from a . . .”

  And then it came to him; this was the Land of Dreams. The first time he’d been pulled into Minecraft—when he’d first met his friends Crafter, Hunter, and Stitcher—he had come to this place of silvery mist. Crafter had called it the Land of Dreams and had referred to Gameknight999 as a dream-walker; a person that could intentionally move through the Land of Dreams. This was the place between being awake and fully asleep, where nightmares could come to life . . .

  Peering into the silvery mist, he looked for the glowing red eyes of his old enemies, Erebus and Malacoda. They had led the assault on Minecraft and had tried to destroy the Source, the place from which all Minecraft code originated. Gameknight and the NPCs of the Overworld had turned back the crashing tide of monsters and protected the Source, saving Minecraft and all the digital lives within. But now he was back in Minecraft again . . . this time with his sister, as well.

  Suddenly, a hissing sound pierced through the fog. Turning around, he looked at the ground, expecting to find some kind of snake. But that was silly . . . there were no snakes in Minecraft . . .

  The last time he’d been in the Land of Dreams, he’d been fighting for his life, locked in battle with Erebus, the King of the Endermen. That battle had nearly cost him his life, but he had triumphed with the help of his friends and countless users at his side. Now, in the silvery mist of the Land of Dreams, he was alone, completely alone, and he could tell that there was something in here with him.

  Hisssssss.

  There it was again!

  He reached into his inventory and tried to draw his sword . . . but he had nothing with him. Then Gameknight remembered two things about the Land of Dreams: first, it was a dream world and whatever you could imagine would become real in the misty realm. Closing his eyes, he imagined he had his favorite bow, with Punch II, Power IV, and Infinity enchantments on it. Suddenly, the bow appeared in his hand, waves of iridescent light shimmering along its enchanted length. The magical weapon cast a blue illumination into the mist, allowing him to see a little further ahead . . . good. And the second thing he remembered: even though things looked dreamlike in the Land of Dreams, they were real and they could hurt you. In fact, in his last battle with Erebus, the evil enderman learned that if you die in the Land of Dreams, you die for real. And that made the Land of Dreams an incredibly dangerous place.

  Hissssssss.

  As he peered into the silvery mist, something materialized. It wasn’t really a shape, but a color . . . purple. A single point of purple light started to form . . . then another and another until there were many spots of light floating in the mist.

  What are those? Gameknight thought.

  Taking a step closer, Gameknight readied himself for an attack. With a thought, diamond armor suddenly materialized on his body, its crystalline surface also shimmering with enchantments. As he moved forward, the hissing returned . . . it was coming from those purple lights.

  They grew brighter.

  Could it be my old enemies, Malacoda or Erebus, came back to life? Gameknight thought. No, it couldn’t be that.

  And then one of the purple spots blinked. They were eyes . . . spider eyes!

  The eyes grew brighter as the monster took a step closer to Gameknight, but they were not just giving off more light. No, they were giving off something else . . . hatred. These eyes hated Gameknight999 with every fiber of their being, and he could tell that if they had the chance, they would destroy him right then.

  “So, I meet that User-that-is-not-a-user at last,” said a voice from the mist.

  “Show yourself, monster!” Gameknight shouted.

  “When we are ready,” the spider answered. “Why don’t you come near and give usssss some nice hugssssss?”

  The extended hissing-like sound of the monster’s voice made Gameknight’s skin crawl.

  A clicking sound then came from the monster as it snapped its razor sharp mandibles together.

  “I have been waiting for a hundred yearssss to meet you, User-that-is-not-a-user,” the monster said. “Come, let ussssss get acquainted.”

  “Stay away from me, beast!”

  He fired an arrow at those purple eyes, but the projectile just passed through what he thought would be the monster’s head like there was nothing there. He could hear his arrow clatter to the ground far into the mist, the spider unharmed.

  “Ha ha ha, that wassss nice,” the spider mocked. “Thank you for your little gift. Now, let me introduce myself. I am Shaikulud, the queen of the spiderssss, and soon I will destroy you.”

  The clicking of her mandibles intensified as she moved closer. Gameknight could hear the razor sharp claws on the end of each of her eight legs clicking on the hard ground as she moved forward, but her body still remained shrouded in mist.

  “I have been commanded by the Maker to destroy you and your friendssss. Once you are gone, my children will flow across the surface of Minecraft and destroy the NPCssss once and for all. With the help of the greenssss, we will take back the world that wassss meant for ussss.”

  Gameknight drew another arrow and aimed at one of the hateful eyes. Releasing the arrow, he saw it fly straight for the purple-glowing spot then pass through as if it were made of smoke.

  “Ha ha ha . . . that tickled,” Shaikulud mocked. “You must stop your pathetic resistance and come to me so that I can destroy you.”

  Suddenly, clicking sounds came from all around him. Looking into the mist, Gameknight999 could see red spider eyes materialize, every one of them burning with unquenchable hatred. Drawing arrow after arrow, he fired at the red eyes. But the same thing happened: his arrows flew through them as if they were made of nothing but shadows . . . and rage. Turning back to Shaikulud, Gameknight dropped his bow then held out his hand. A shimmering diamond sword materialized in his right hand.

  “If you want me, spider, then you’ll have to come here and get me.”

  “In time, User-that-is-not-a-user, in time. But for now, I will let my daughterssss have a little fun with you.” Shaikulud then raised her voice so that it resonated throughout the Land of Dreams. “Children . . . attack!”

  Gameknight could hear the spiders charging at him from all sides. If he stayed here, he would be destroyed. Instead of fighting, he dropped his sword and closed his eyes. And then, with every bit of mental strength he had, he shouted as loud as he could.

  “WAKE UP . . . WAKE UP . . . WAKE UP!”

  CHAPTER 2

  CRAFTER’S PLAN

  Gameknight woke with a start. Reaching into his inventory, he drew his sword as he stood, ready for the spider attack that was not coming.

  “You have a funny way of waking up,” said a voice behind him.

  Turning, he found his friend, Hunter, standing behind him.

  She stepped toward him and carefull
y put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It was dawn and the morning rays from the sun were piercing through the overhead leafy canopy, the golden shafts of light shining down on the two of them. The light made Hunter’s curly red hair almost seem to glow, momentarily giving the appearance that she was surrounded by some kind of magical crimson aura. But then the sun rose a bit higher, the lighting changed, and the moment was gone.

  “Are you OK?” she asked.

  Gameknight looked down at his shimmering diamond sword, then up into Hunter’s warm brown eyes. He could see the look of concern on her face and knew that his face must be betraying the sense of terror he felt. Carefully, he put away his sword and looked around. They were in their makeshift camp in the middle of the woods, hiding from Herobrine and his zombie horde. Looking to the perimeter of their camp, Gameknight could see the wooden barricades that had been constructed at nightfall; a temporary barrier to keep the monsters out. Glancing up to the treetops, he could see archers perched amidst the branches, their keen eyes looking for movement in the forest below.

  There were no spiders attacking. It had just been a dream. And yet, maybe it had been more . . .

  “Gameknight . . . what’s wrong?” Hunter asked, pulling at his sleeve to get his attention. “Would you tell me what’s going on? Is there . . .”

  “The Land of Dreams,” he said in a shaky voice.

  Instantly, Hunter grew silent. She too could travel through the Land of Dreams, as could her younger sister, Stitcher. All three of them were dream-walkers, which was incredibly rare in the world of Minecraft.

  “What was it?” she asked in a low voice as she moved closer. “Not Erebus or Malacoda?” A look of fear crossed her face as she spoke the name of their old enemies.

  “No,” Gameknight answered. “Something else. A spider named Shaikulud.”

  “Did you say Shaikulud?” a young voice said from behind.

  Turning, Gameknight found a young boy with shoulder-length blond hair approaching. He had bright blue eyes that seemed to peer straight into Gameknight’s soul. But the eyes also held a look of ageless wisdom, as though they’d been in Minecraft for decades longer than possible. He wore a smock that covered him from neck to ankles, as all the villagers did, but his was colored black with a gray stripe down the center. The color of his clothing marked his position in this community: village crafter.