The Wither Invasion Read online

  Krael snarled as he fired his flaming skulls into another small building, peeling off the roof as if it were paper. Floating over the half-destroyed structure, he peered into its interior … nothing, again. Krael glared down at the empty room, his anger causing the Crown of Skulls on each of his three heads to glow bright.

  “I grow frustrated, wife.” The wither king glanced at Kora. “It must be here, but there are thousands of buildings in Wizard City; this is taking too long.”

  “I’m sure we’ll find it soon. The arrogant wizards cannot hide anything from the great king of the withers.” Kora’s soothing voice always seemed to calm Krael’s rage.

  “You have such patience, Kora. I admire that,” Krael said, and his wife beamed with pride at the compliment. We must find that portal. I can feel that idiotic wizard across the Pyramid of Servers. He’s likely getting ready for our invasion, and the longer this takes, the more prepared he will be.”

  “Is there something we can do to hinder him?” Kora asked.

  Krael gave her a knowing smile. “I’m already doing it. The monsters in the Far Lands grow restless because of the messages of hatred I’ve been whispering in their ears. The dim-witted monsters think these thoughts are true.” Krael’s smile grew even bigger. “I’ve been saying the NPCs want to destroy all their children. You can’t imagine the anger that’s blossoming within these monsters as a result. I can sense their rage … almost taste it.” The wither king smiled. “It’s delicious.”

  “That’s brilliant.” Kora’s voice made Krael beam with pride.

  “The monsters will attack Watcher and his foolish companions at every opportunity. By the time we get to the Far Lands, the NPCs there will already be too scared to help that pathetic wizard and his puny band of followers. We just need to find that por—”

  Suddenly, a distorted enderman with the arms of a spider and the head of a blaze appeared on the roof nearby, the monster wrapped in a mist of purple teleportation particles.

  “My king, I think the portal has been found,” the enderman said. “Follow me.”

  The dark monster teleported down to the street, Krael floating through the air as he followed. The shadowy monster then teleported to the end of the street and waited for his king. As Krael approached, the monster disappeared, then materialized at the door of a small structure, far from the center of Wizard City. The building had the same iron walls all of the structures did, though this one was only six blocks high and as many wide. An iron door set in the middle of one wall was the only feature on the cube-shaped structure. No lever, button or pressure plate was visible to allow them to enter. As Krael moved near, he spotted a strange green light seeping around the edges of the door, a faint humming from inside.

  “Everyone, get back.” Krael’s voice boomed off the buildings lining the street, echoing back and forth, making it seem as if there were many Kraels speaking at once. The Crowns of Skulls gave off a bright lavender glow as his power built, filling the wither’s body with energy.

  And then he fired.

  A flaming skull smashed into the door, causing it to bend inward and glow a soft orange. The wither fired again, sending two more skulls at the metal barrier. The iron door glowed brighter and brighter, denting under the assault, then shattered into a million shards, a cloud of dust and smoke billowing into the air. Instantly, green light from within the tiny building flooded into the street, painting the stone-covered ground and iron walls with an emerald hue.

  The wither king glanced at the nearby withers. “Where’s Kobael?” He floated higher into the air and shouted. “KOBAEL, COME HERE NOW!”

  The tiny wither emerged from behind a tall structure, an expression of perpetual fear on the small monster’s faces, as always.

  Krael scowled at the small creature. “Go into that building and tell me what you see.”

  Swallowing nervously, Kobael bowed. “Yes, my king.”

  The wither shook nervously. To refuse an order from Krael was to invite death. With a sigh, Kobael descended to the door and floated into the tiny building. Almost instantly, the creature emerged again.

  “I told you to go in and check it out, you fool.” Krael scowled at the wither.

  “The portal … it’s there.” The fear painted across Kobael’s dark skulls was replaced with expressions of relief. “It’s sitting right in the center of an empty room. There are no traps anywhere in sight.”

  “Excellent.” Krael smiled at his wife who floated nearby. “All monsters, come to my voice. Our portal has been found.”

  The wither king’s voice boomed across Wizard City. A cheer rose into the air as the monsters ran toward his voice, his withers flying across the rooftops like an unstoppable flood.

  Krael floated high into the air, making himself easily visible to the approaching mob. The withers headed directly for their leader, while the warped and distorted monsters on the ground ran through the streets, coming from all directions. Their pounding footsteps echoed off the tall buildings, making it sound as if they were in the middle of a thunderstorm.

  “Go through the portal, my brothers and sisters. The Far Lands yearn to be conquered.”

  The monsters snarled and growled as they charged into the squat building. Krael descended and watched the monsters file into the glittering portal, his angry glare making them move faster. When the ground forces had all passed through the magical doorway, the withers descended and moved into the building, their skulls glancing about nervously in all directions, looking for threats. They didn’t like the confines of the iron-clad structure, but knew if the King’s command were refused, it would likely mean their deaths.

  When the last of the floating creatures passed through the portal, Krael and Kora approached the doorway.

  Krael glanced at his wife. “This will mark the end and the beginning.”

  “The end and the beginning of what?” she asked.

  He gave her a vicious grin. “The end of the Great War started by the ancient wizards hundreds of years ago, and the beginning of the new Great War started by me.” He laughed.

  “And also, the beginning of another historic event.”

  “What?”

  This time Kora gave the evil grin. “The extermination of the last wizards in Minecraft.”

  “Wife, you are perceptive, as usual.” Krael beamed with pride in his mate. “Come, it’s time for us to go to the Far Lands again. I have a little gift for that fool Watcher.”

  Both withers chuckled with evil glee as they passed through the portal and began the destruction of the Far Lands.

  As the group rode, a chill suddenly spread across Watcher’s skin like the slow creep of the arctic tide as it moves inland, freezing everything with its icy touch. The sensation made his flesh feel cold and lifeless, as if his body were dying, but the feeling also spread inward, to his very soul. They were in a cold taiga biome, the ground and soaring spruce trees all covered with snow, but it wasn’t the chill in the air giving him this terrible feeling; it was something else, something … evil.

  Pulling on his reins, Watcher brought his mount to a halt, then drew his weapons, Needle in his left hand and the Flail of Regrets in his right. Scowling, he turned in the saddle and stared at Planter; she had the same expression of horror on her face. She pulled out her bright red shield, the three wither skulls across the center staring out at the environment as if they were alive. A look of pained resignation spread across Planter’s face as her magical power built, making her body give off a bright iridescent glow. She sent the magic into her shield, igniting a wreath of purple flames dancing along the edges of the wooden rectangle.

  “Did you feel it too?” Watcher asked.

  She nodded, but remained silent.

  “Mira … I think—”

  “I know … he’s here.” The ancient wizard’s scratchy voice was edged with fear. “Krael must have found Tharus’s portal.” She gave off a low growl. The wolves heard it and did the same, the metallic animals feeling her frustra
tion. “I told that arrogant wizard having his own, unprotected portal was dangerous, but he just denied its existence.” She turned to Watcher. “Now he’s let untold numbers of monsters into the Far Lands. I knew Tharus’s overconfidence would be his undoing, but I didn’t think it would be ours as well.”

  “Maybe we should find out how many monsters the wither king has,” Blaster suggested.

  “You’re so smart.” Fencer urged her horse closer to the boy’s side and smiled, their legs brushing against each other.

  Blaster grimaced and moved away from her; some of the NPCs giggled.

  “I think you’re right, Blaster.” Watcher reached into his inventory and pulled out the Eye of Searching, then glanced at Planter. “Last time I used this, Krael made it burn my skin, so we need to be fast. You have healing potions?”

  She nodded, her blond hair spilling down her shoulders, the morning sun making her locks appear like a golden waterfall.

  Watcher jumped off his mount and sat on the ground, leaning against the trunk of a tall spruce. His breathing grew rapid as he thought about the imminent pain to come, each exhalation forming billowing clouds of fog in the icy air.

  Planter dismounted and moved next to him, a splash potion of healing held at the ready. Her arms and chest gave off a bright radiance as magic flooded her body. She glanced down at the iridescent glow, a look of disgust spreading across her square face.

  Watcher glanced up at her; she nodded. With a sigh, he wrapped the leather straps around his head and tied them at the back, then positioned the glass lens over his eye. Instantly, the artifact gave off a flash of purple light, then reached into Watcher’s HP and took what it needed. He groaned as pain seeped through his body, his skin feeling as if it were aflame. Planter held the splash potion of healing over Watcher, but he shook his head.

  “Not yet,” the young wizard groaned; he could still withstand a little more.

  Closing his eyes, he concentrated on Krael. Instantly, an image of the wither king appeared in his mind. The monster was floating across what looked like a poisonous bog. Stagnant pools covered the ground with a sickly shade of green, a putrid mist clinging to the poisonous surface. Behind him, his army of withers floated, likely two hundred strong. They smiled down at the foul landscape as if they enjoyed the terrible biome.

  “I can see the withers, they’re—” Watcher groaned, gritting his teeth to hold back a scream. He glanced up at Planter and nodded. A liquid splashed across his shoulders, easing some of the pain. “They’re floating across some kind of foul, stagnant pools—the water’s colored a terrible green.”

  “It’s poisonous swamp far to the west,” Mira hissed. “I knew it.”

  “Are there any of the other monsters with him?” Blaster asked.

  Watcher closed his eyes again. The image of Krael appeared, the monster’s skulls each showing vicious grins. Imagining himself moving away from the wither king, Watcher made the image zoom out, allowing more of the swamp to come into view. He gasped in shock. “Yes, he brought those distorted monsters with him. I can’t see them all because of a pale mist covering the ground, but some of them are visible. I bet Krael probably has a hundred of them with him … maybe more.”

  “You mean those things that were part skeleton, part zombie, part … whatever?” Cutter asked.

  Watcher nodded.

  “This just gets better and better.” Blaster laughed.

  “What do you mean part skeleton, part zombie, part … whatever?” Winger asked.

  “They’re a mishmash of body parts, something the wizards created during the Great War.” Planter glared angrily at Mira. “The wizards discarded them in that world when they thought the War was over, letting them suffer through their lives. Now, they’re with Krael, which means apparently we must fight a ground force as well as an air force.”

  “There’s time for recrimination later.” Mira glanced at Watcher. “Find the portal. We need to know if any more monsters are coming through.”

  Watcher nodded, then closed his eyes again and concentrated. Needles of pain jabbed at his skin as the Eye of Searching took more HP. Agony swept over his body, but Watcher pushed the pain aside and focused on Krael. The image appeared again. Drifting to the back of the army, Watcher moved higher into the air. Finally, a rectangle of iron blocks came into view, a sparkling sheet of green energy filling the ring; it was empty.

  “No more monsters are coming through.” Watcher gave a sigh of relief. “Krael just has the monsters I’ve seen on the ground and in the air.”

  He reached up and was about to remove the Eye of Searching when something dark flashed past his view. A cold, prickly sensation spread across his body, like a thousand frozen spiders crawling across his skin.

  “Krael,” he whispered.

  Watcher turned his view and moved backward, bringing the king of the withers into sight, his three Crowns of Skulls glowing bright with magical energy.

  “I see you, boy. You still think you can spy on me with that pathetic Eye without me knowing … ha!” Krael laughed, his eyes filled with vicious hatred. “I’m coming for you and your friends, and if you think this is my entire army, then you’re a bigger fool than I thought. Soon, I’ll crush you and that pathetic girl with the shield and the old woman, but not until I destroy every other NPC in the Far Lands. You’ll be forced to watch their suffering while I punish them for their crimes.”

  “What did they do?!” Watcher demanded. “What did the NPCs of the Far Lands ever do to you?”

  “They exist, and for that, they will be punished. And after I’ve forced you to watch all their suffering, then it will be your turn. Prepare to meet your doom.”

  The wither king’s three crowns grew bright with power, then he shot a ball of magical energy straight at Watcher. Instantly, searing heat enveloped the Eye of Searching again. Watcher pulled the enchanted artifact off his face just before it shattered, throwing tiny shards of glass across his face; the Eye of Searching was gone.

  “That discussion didn’t seem like it ended well.” Blaster didn’t give Watcher a sarcastic smile this time.

  “No, it didn’t.” Watcher stood and tossed the now-useless leather straps on the ground. “We need to find more troops. There’s a large village to the north-west, in the Extreme Hills biome; my dad told me about it once.”

  “That’ll put us closer to Krael and his army.” Planter sounded scared.

  Watcher nodded. “I know, but if we don’t get to that village before Krael, they’ll never know what hit them. Those monsters will wipe out every man, woman, and child. We have to get there first and evacuate that village, then try to slow that monster horde and give the villagers back at the Wizard’s Tower time to prepare.”

  “We’re with you, Watcher.” Blaster nodded.

  “Yeah,” Fencer added, throwing a grin towards Blaster.

  The young boy cringed; Watcher smiled.

  Planter just shook her head, the glow from her body getting dim.

  “Planter, are you alright?” Watcher asked.

  She shook her head. “I don’t have a good feeling about this. Something, deep inside, is telling me to run.”

  “I know, I’m scared too,” Watcher said.

  Fixit moved next to her and purred, driving the worried scowl from Planter’s square face. The tiny mechite attached a sharp knife to his right wrist and held his hand up high, flashing a confident smile to the young wizard.

  Reaching down, Planter ran her fingers through Fixit’s soft metallic hair. “I feel better knowing you’re there to protect me, Fixit.”

  The mechanical child smiled, then turned to the wolves and whistled. Three of the majestic animals moved next to Planter and stared up at her, their eyes filled with strength.

  “Fixit told them to protect Planter,” Er-Lan said. “Now, Planter has four protectors.”

  “Four?” Winger asked.

  Sharp claws slowly extended from the zombie’s fingers. Cutter reached for his sword, but Er-Lan
ignored him. “Er-Lan is the fourth. Nothing will be allowed to harm Planter.”

  Planter nodded. She reached down and patted each of the metal animals on the head, then hugged Er-Lan. “I feel better knowing you’re all there for me.” She glanced up at the rest of the villagers and smiled. “All of you, too.”

  The NPCs smiled. Planter stared down at her glowing arms again and the smile instantly faded.

  “If we’re gonna do this, then let’s get it done.” Blaster nodded to himself, then drew his two enchanted curved swords and jumped back into the saddle. “I think it’s time we rode hard. I don’t like the idea of trying to fight those monsters at night.”

  “Agreed.” Cutter’s voice boomed across the frozen landscape. He glanced down at Fixit. “We’ll need perimeter guards and forward scouts.”

  Fixit whistled the commands to the other mechites, wolves, and golems, then jumped up onto the back of one of Planter’s wolves and glanced at Cutter impatiently.

  “Fixit is ready, so let’s get going.” Planter smiled down at her protectors, then mounted her horse and urged it forward.

  The rest of the NPCs drew their weapons and nudged their mounts in the ribs with their heels, moving them to a gallop.

  Watcher climbed into the saddle as the company rode past. He looked at every face, some appearing strong and brave, while others looked terrified. They all knew Krael was out there with his monster horde, and when their forces clashed, a terrible battle would ensue.

  How many of them will die because of my decisions? Watcher thought. There was a time when he’d been just an insignificant, almost-invisible villager who no one noticed or cared about, other than Planter. But now, he was the one to decide if they fought or ran, if they charged into battle or used some kind of trick that would turn the tide; he was the one to decide who lived or died. The weight of this responsibility was almost unbearable … it made his soul ache.