Mission to the Moon Read online

  “You think the Mars Boss is in there?” Digger asked, taking a step back.

  “Probably,” Gameknight replied.

  “It’s pretty dark.” Hunter notched an arrow to her bow and drew it back. “I don’t like dark.”

  “I know,” Gameknight replied. “But I have a plan.”

  He smiled.

  “I already don’t like it,” Hunter said, eyeing him cautiously.

  Quickly, he explained his plan, then stood next to the opening of the chamber.

  “Everyone ready?” Gameknight asked. They all nodded their heads.

  “NOW!”

  Gameknight sprinted out into the room with Weaver at his side, a handful of glowstone torches in their hands. They followed the edge of the room, placed the glowing sticks on the ground as they ran along one wall, brightening the edges of the room.

  Suddenly, the ground shook as a gigantic monster appeared at the center of the chamber, shrouded in darkness. Gameknight skidded to a stop as the floor quaked. The creature’s feet pounded the ground as it drew loud, raspy breaths, its features masked in shadow.

  “Come on, Weaver,” Gameknight said.

  They took off running, with Gameknight putting torches on the ground while Weaver placed them on the walls. Slowly, they painted the room with light.

  “WHO DARES DISTURB THE MARS BOSS?” the creature boomed.

  Gameknight said nothing. He just ran as fast as possible, not peeking up at the monster or the features of the chamber. Their goal was to illuminate the room before the fighting really started.

  “We do not mean to intrude,” Crafter called out from the entrance, trying to distract the monster. “We are just searching for the user that came before us.”

  Gameknight and Weaver moved faster, placing more torches on the ground.

  “HE SAID YOU WOULD COME TO DESTROY ME,” the Martian boomed. “THIS IS MY DOMAIN AND YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO PASS.”

  “We don’t want to fight,” Crafter continued, keeping the Mars Boss’s attention away from the User-that-is-not-a-user. “We only want to find the user, Entity303.”

  “LEAVE AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED.”

  “We can’t do that,” Crafter said. “Entity303 means to destroy all of Minecraft. He must be stopped.”

  “SHOW YOURSELF,” the monster demanded.

  “Well … I’d rather stay in the darkness of this tunnel,” Crafter replied.

  “IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE CHAMBER, THEN WHO SUMMONED ME? … SOMEONE ELSE IS HERE!”

  The monster moved out of the darkness and into the light of the glowstone torches. Gameknight was shocked at what he saw. Sparkling sheets of blue electricity sizzled through the gloom. The sparks danced across the creature like glowing spiders crawling all across the monster’s skin. The electricity outlined the monster’s body, making it glow with deadly energy. And just by the shape of the electrical blanket of energy, the User-that-is-not-a-user knew exactly what kind of creature they faced. It was a creeper, a gigantic creeper easily three times their height, if not more.

  Gameknight skidded to a halt as the monster moved further into the light.

  “Look at it,” he said to Weaver. “It’s massive.”

  “But did you see its heads?” the young boy replied.

  “Heads? Multiple?” Gameknight asked.

  And then he glanced up at the monster’s face. Instead of having just one head, the Mars Boss had three, the left and right ones sticking out at an angle. The monster turned all of its creeper heads toward Gameknight and Weaver.

  “THERE YOU ARE,” the boss growled. “NOW LEARN THE PENALTY FOR DISTURBING THE MARS BOSS.”

  “Weaver … RUN!”

  Suddenly, a flashing cube of TNT streaked down from the Martian Boss, heading straight for Gameknight999. He shoved Weaver to the right, then ducked and rolled to the left, allowing the explosive to pass over his head and detonate behind him.

  “LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!” the monster roared, then pounded its four massive, pig-like feet on the ground, causing the entire chamber to shake. Its electrical coating grew bright, then the boss fired upon those in the tunnel, before turning to search for the two intruders who had entered its domain.

  Gameknight and Weaver sprinted through the room, searching for some kind of safe place in the green, brick-lined chamber. But there was no safety to be had in the Martian Boss’s chamber … there was only death and destruction.

  CHAPTER 16

  BATTING PRACTICE

  With the room now lit, Crafter and the other villagers charged forward. Hunter and Stitcher fired arrows at the beast, but they simply bounced off the creature’s electrical coating. Crafter and Herder moved up close and swung their swords against the creature’s legs, but their blades just clanged harmlessly against the monster, as if they’d been fighting solid bedrock. They tried again and again, but just ended up damaging their own weapons.

  “Nothing’s working!” Hunter shouted.

  She fired her bow, aiming for the creature’s center head, but the arrow was deflected and clattered to the ground. The creature then fired a block of TNT at Hunter. She quickly dodged to the side as the explosive tore a massive hole in the side of the chamber.

  Gameknight and Weaver ran to the creature, their swords flashing through the air. As with Crafter, their swords bounced harmlessly off the creature’s legs. The Martian Boss glared down and kicked them with one of his four feet. They flew through the light gravity and landed with a thud, but before the monster could fire upon them, Gameknight and Weaver were both instantly up and moving.

  Gameknight put away his diamond sword, and drew his glowing yellow blade. He hoped there wasn’t some kind of limit to the power that pulsed within the deadly weapon.

  “Weaver, stay back,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.

  He ran to the monster again, swinging the infused-sword with all his might. Just as with the diamond blade, the glowing weapon bounced off the sheet of electricity as if it were just a stick; it had no effect.

  “Everyone get out of the room,” Gameknight shouted. “Go back into the tunnel!”

  Gameknight stayed in the chamber while his friends ran for safety. The Martian Boss fired a block of TNT at the escaping villagers, but it flew wide and missed. The flying explosive cube reminded him of something in the Nether. And then the image of his ancient enemy, Malacoda, appeared into his head. That king of the ghasts had loved throwing fireballs at people while they retreated, not caring if those he fired upon were warriors, women, or children. All that creature had cared about was destruction, and fireballs were his weapon of choice. But Gameknight also remembered how to defeat a ghast. The User-that-is-not-a-user chuckled, drawing the gaze of the left creeper head.

  “ANOTHER STILL DARES TO STAND IN MY CHAMBER?”

  “Not for long,” Gameknight replied, then sprinted to the entrance.

  A stream of TNT followed him, but he ran a zig zag pattern, avoiding the explosive cubes. He made it to the entrance, and the instant he stepped out of the chamber, the three-headed Mars Boss disappeared.

  “So, your plan about all of us attacking it at the same time?” Hunter said. “That was one of your worst plans ever.”

  “Yeah, it didn’t really work like I thought.”

  “You have any other bright ideas?” she asked.

  “I have one, but you won’t like it.”

  “Let’s hear it,” Crafter said.

  “I need all of you to stay near the entrance and out of the room. I know how to take care of the boss.”

  “I can’t believe it’s possible, but that plan is more idiotic than the last one,” Hunter said.

  “I know how to defeat it this time, but I need its attention focused on me,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said. “Just stay out of the room and watch my back.”

  Gameknight put away the glowing yellow sword, hoping to conserve its energy, and drew his diamond blade. He then drew his iron sword with his left hand. Glancing at his friends, he gave them
a smile, then stepped into the room.

  Instantly, the Martian boss materialized at the center of the chamber. His three heads turned and stared down at the intruder.

  “YOU’VE RETURNED?”

  “I need what’s in your locked chest,” Gameknight said. “I’m sure you gave your key to Entity303. Now you’re gonna give it to me.”

  All three heads smiled, changing the normally downturned mouth on each creeper head to a sort of jagged grimace. He then launched a block of TNT—which was exactly what Gameknight was expecting.

  “Gameknight … RUN!” Hunter shouted from the doorway.

  But the User-that-is-not-a-user stood his ground. The TNT moved closer and closer until … at the last instant, Gameknight batted the explosive back at the creeper with his sword. The TNT struck the creeper, then exploded, making the gigantic monster flash red as it took damage.

  The boss roared in pain and frustration, then launched another attack, but this time, tiny charged creepers dropped from his body and approached Gameknight999. Running forward, Gameknight knocked the TNT back at the monster, then turned his sword on the little creepers. The sound of digging filled the air … strange, he thought. He hit the first miniature creeper, driving it backward, then turned his attention to the next one. Before he could hit it, arrows streaked out from the doorway and struck the little monster. In the decreased gravity, the little creeper flew backward, but was hit in midair by more arrows, finally causing it to disappear.

  “Incoming!” Herder shouted.

  Gameknight looked up just in time to bat another explosive cube back at the Martian boss. It exploded against the monster’s chest. Blocks behind him shattered as the digging sound became louder. Gameknight tried to glance over his shoulder at the noise, but the creeper boss fired another cube of TNT. The User-that-is-not-a-user waited until it was about to hit, then flicked his sword, batting it straight back.

  Boom … the Martian boss flashed red again.

  “Gameknight, let one hit the wall behind you,” Crafter shouted.

  He was about to ask why when the creeper launched another attack. Instead of hitting the TNT, Gameknight rolled across the floor and focused on a miniature creeper, letting the explosive cube detonate against the green brick wall behind him. The blast tore open the edge of the chamber, revealing an open space on the other side of the wall. Instantly, Digger, Herder, and Weaver moved in and fired their bows through the opening, targeting the little creepers that were continuing to fall from the Martian boss.

  More TNT blocks streamed from the massive creeper, and each one was sent back to the source, blasting more and more of the creature’s HP. With his friends concentrating on the little charged creepers, Gameknight could focus his attention on the boss and the flying blocks of destruction. Moving up close, he stood right in front of the monster.

  The boss smiled and fired a stream of TNT down at Gameknight, but the User-that-is-not-a-user used both swords to swat the deadly blocks right back in its face. The creeper boss stepped back, trying to avoid the assault, but there was no place for the monster to flee. It continued to fire the explosive cubes as if it had no choice, but at the same time, the Mars Boss knew it meant its doom.

  “NO … NOT AGAINNNNNN!” the Mars Boss screamed as he flashed red over and over.

  Suddenly, the huge creature began to shake, then spin around. Gameknight backed up, scanning the ground for any of the miniature creepers, but none were present; his friends had taken care of them all.

  Suddenly, the Mars Boss exploded, tearing a massive crater into the floor of the chamber. Glowing balls of XP showered the room, giving it an almost Christmas-y appearance.

  Cautiously, Gameknight approached the rough-hewn hole. A couple of miniature creepers stared up at him from the bottom of the hole. He stepped into the recession. When the little monsters charged, he destroyed the first with his sword. Arrows rained down upon the remaining mini-creepers, eliminating them quickly. Gameknight glanced up and found the sisters standing on the crater’s edge, bows in hand and arrows drawn.

  Stepping further into the recession, he moved toward something shining at the very bottom, its shape hidden by the glowing balls of XP. The colorful spheres flowed into his inventory as he approached the golden thing. When he finally reached the bottom, Gameknight saw a bright key floating off the ground; it was the tier-four key. He allowed the key to flow into his inventory, then climbed out of the crater.

  Along the rim, his friends stood, watching him. Crafter reached out and helped Gameknight up.

  “That was fun,” Hunter said. “Let’s do that again.”

  Stitcher punched her, this time in the other arm.

  “Ouch … now both my arms hurt.”

  Stitcher smiled.

  “Come on, to the treasure room,” Gameknight said.

  He sprinted for the narrow passage that led out of the boss chamber. It turned to the left and right, then left again until it ended in a small room with columns of glowstone in each corner. At the center of the room sat a dark chest. Gameknight inserted the key and unlocked it, then slowly lifted the lid. It screeched with age as the rusted hinges strained against the ages of disuse. Dust fell from the lid, floating slowly to the ground.

  Inside were more ingots of iron, some strange components from different mods that must be overlapping with Galacticraft, and some larger rocket components. Gameknight shuffled through the chest, looking for what he desperately needed.

  “Well?” Hunter asked. “Is there anything useful there?”

  The User-that-is-not-a-user shoved aside loaves of bread and potions of healing. There was so much stuff in the chest, it was difficult to find anything.

  “You’re not answering,” Hunter said. “I don’t like it when you don’t answer.”

  “Umm …” Gameknight kept searching. Grabbing items, he started lifting them out of the chest and just dropping them on the ground. He threw a pile of coal, then a wooden sword, an iron chest plate … he littered the ground with items.

  “It must be here,” he moaned. “It must be.”

  Gameknight glanced up at Crafter, a worried expression on his square face.

  Just keep looking, child, an ancient voice said in the back of his mind.

  He pulled more items out of the chest, until … he found it.

  Gameknight breathed a sigh of relief. “This is what Entity303 came for, and what we desperately need, so we can keep following him.” He held a piece of paper in the air.

  “What is it?” Crafter asked.

  “It’s the plans for a tier-four rocket,” the User-that-is-not-a-user explained. “This will allow us to leave this solar system and go into deep space.”

  “Hmmm … Entity303 indeed seeks the edges of the Far Lands,” Forpech said in a deep gravelly voice. “That is where the path will end.”

  “We gotta get to these Far Lands, wherever they are, fast,” Herder said.

  “It’s not as easy as that,” Gameknight replied. “We have to build the next ship to get to the tier-four planet, then build the next rocket to get to the farthest planets; those are tier-eight. This isn’t easy, and we still don’t really have a plan for when we finally catch up with Entity303.”

  “Well, I know one part of the plan.” All eyes shifted to Hunter as she spoke. “We aren’t gonna catch that terrible user if we stay here on Mars. Let’s get going.”

  “Agreed,” Stitcher said.

  Pulling out his pickaxes, Digger carved into the wall, creating a tunnel that led to the surface, with Herder and Weaver at his side, a shower of ruddy Martian stone chips flying into the air from their pickaxes. As they dug, Gameknight thought about the danger he was putting his friends in. He had to stop Entity303, somehow, but he didn’t want to see any of his friends—no, his family—get hurt in the process.

  Maybe it’s better if I do this alone, Gameknight thought. I’m sure this is gonna get more dangerous as we move farther out into the universe. I couldn’t bear the thought of bein
g responsible for one of them getting hurt … or worse. But how do I tell them I need to do this alone? I feel like I’m betraying them, but what choice do I have if I want to keep them safe?

  He glanced at his friends, the pechs, the wolves … all of them were watching the three villagers digging upward through the Martian soil. None of them noticed the battle raging within Gameknight999 … one he felt he was losing.

  CHAPTER 17

  SIRIUS SOLAR SYSTEM

  Entity303 peered out the window into the endless expanse of space. The stars twinkled as the ship slowly revolved, but the blackness was even darker than before. It seemed to suck the light out of his vessel, somehow even darkening the interior. He knew this was just his imagination, but the depth of outer space around him had an ominous and spooky feel to it, as if it were some kind of gigantic monster waiting to swallow him and his ship in a single gulp.

  The reality of it was that Entity303 was very, very far from the Overworld and his native sun, Sol. With the Moon and Mars, the sun was always there in the distance, casting light on its orbiting children. But here, in deep space, there was nothing but distant stars shedding only the barest bit of light on the universe. The darkness felt cold and empty, amplifying his sense of being alone—not just on this journey, but in life. Programming Minecraft had meant everything to Entity303, and when they fired him for his overly violent sense of humor, it had stripped his sense of belonging and community away. They had no idea how much that had hurt him … or did they? Now, he was going to make them all pay.

  Suddenly, a map surfaced in his mind. Entity303 closed his eyes and was able to see it all: it was a map of the Galacticraft universe. The Sol solar system, with the Overworld orbiting third from the sun, dominated the map. But off to the right were two other solar systems. The farthest, the Kepteyn solar system, had only a single planet orbiting its small red sun. Entity303 knew, from experience, there was nothing on that planet which would be of interest to him. What he needed was something teeming with life. When his final plan eventually took effect, it would drain the innocent lives from the planet while the tainted virus tore at the fabric of Minecraft.