The Wither Invasion Page 25

  More grass grew up from bare patches of dirt, capturing every monster on the battlefield, but leaving all the NPCs alone.

  The villagers, realizing they’d just been pulled from the jaws of death, all cheered.

  “What have you done to my army?” Krael bellowed.

  The king of the withers fired a barrage of skulls at a group of flying NPCs, striking two and causing them to plummet to the ground, smoking. He then turned to the east and fired a single, flaming skull toward the rising moon, where it exploded over the forest.

  Suddenly, the growls of more monsters percolated out of the trees; the fireball had been a signal.

  “Behold, here is the rest of my army.” With a sneer, Krael laughed. “Prepare to meet your doom.”

  A huge group of monsters, larger than all the rest combined, emerged from the dark forest and charged at the NPCs. The ground shook as their clawed feet pounded the forest floor, charging at their enemy.

  Planter glanced up hopelessly at Watcher as he streaked overhead.

  What do we do? she thought, her sad words resonating in Watcher’s mind.

  I don’t know. Despair filled his mind. We’ve lost, and all of us are going to die.

  The sadness in Planter’s thoughts was almost too much to bear. Maybe a few of us can escape, Planter thought. If we—

  Wait for it. Baltheron’s voice suddenly boomed through the two wizards’ minds.

  “What?” Watcher said aloud.

  Wait for it. The voice from within the Flail of Regrets was filled with confidence.

  But if we wait, we’ll be destroyed. Planter glanced up at Watcher, confused and afraid.

  The young wizard was about to say something when a large rectangle suddenly popped into existence near the battlefield, its interior filled with a sparkling purple field. And then the most beautiful thing happened: Cleric, riding on a pristine white horse, came charging out of the portal, and behind him came a constant stream of mounted warriors, each wielding an enchanted sword in their right hand and holding a shield in their left.

  The cavalry charged toward the battle, slashing at monsters still struggling to stand. All the NPCs fell upon the monsters captured by Er-Lan’s grass, their swords, axes, and arrows taking HP from the distorted creatures until only glowing balls of XP remained.

  “Dad … you made it!” Watcher shouted triumphantly from overhead.

  Cleric glanced up at his son and smiled, then turned his horse toward the approaching mob, ready to keep fighting.

  Gameknight leapt up onto a riderless horse, then pulled Hunter up behind him. He glanced at Cleric. “It’s time for some fun.”

  The old man seemed confused by the stranger’s presence, but he still shrugged and kicked his horse into a gallop. “Attack, everyone!”

  “No, you have to yell For Minecraft!” Gameknight corrected him.

  Cleric seemed more confused. He gave the warrior a conciliatory smile and nodded. “OK, then … FOR MINECRAFT!”

  “FOR MINECRAFT!” the cavalry shouted, charging at the incoming monsters.

  Watcher launched another string of rockets, picking up speed, then climbed high into the sky again.

  “NO!” Krael screamed. “My monsters were supposed to destroy those pathetic villagers. Now they have cavalry.” He shouted in an absolute rage, his cries of fury making the very landscape quake in fear.

  Krael floated higher into the air, firing his skulls at any winged villager within range and staring at Watcher, the monster’s six eyes filled with rage. “Wizard, it’s time I revealed my last surprise.”

  “Fliers, gain altitude, now!” Watcher shouted, suspecting some kind of trap.

  The NPCs banked in graceful arcs, firing rockets to gain speed as they climbed high in the sky, veering left and right to dodge flaming skulls. They flew into a huge bank of clouds drifting across the landscape and disappeared into the mist.

  Watcher, though, dove for the Wizard’s Tower, pulling up just in time to land atop its soaring heights. He pulled out a shield, then turned and glared at Krael.

  The wither king grew brighter and brighter as the magic from the three Crowns of Skulls enveloped his ashen body with a harsh, angry hue. It soon became too intense to look at; Watcher averted his eyes.

  “Meet the last living weapons created by the NPC wizards hundreds of years ago.” Krael’s scratchy voice was filled with vicious delight.

  Suddenly, a bright flash of light filled the sky, momentarily blotting out the stars and changing night to day. Watcher looked away, protecting his eyes, and before he could turn back, a horrid scream, followed by another and another, echoed across the forest. Glancing back to Krael, the young wizard saw something he’d never seen before. A new kind of creature, one with wide wings and a narrow head, streaked through the sky, their green eyes darting to the left and right, taking in their environment as they scanned the area, likely looking for targets. From beneath, the monsters’ wings were colored a dark blue, thick brown skin protected their undersides. But as they turned in great sweeping arcs, the tops of their bodies became visible. White, exposed bones stretched across their wings as if they were part skeletons, with the same blue skin stretching between the bones.

  “Behold, the last living weapons, which the wizards were too afraid to summon.” Krael’s voice grew louder, amplified by his magical artifacts. “These are phantoms, and they only obey my commands.” The wither king’s three skulls stared straight at Watcher. “Phantoms … ATTACK!”

  The terrible creatures all banked in the air and dove down at the cavalry, their outstretched wings lined with sharp barbs. With hideous screams, they crashed into the NPCs, causing each target to flash red as they took damage. At the same time, the approaching mob on the ground charged at the horsemen and horsewomen. Just then, more withers rose out of the forest, each with a wicked smile on their three skulls.

  “Withers … destroy the NPC fliers, but save the wizard for last.” Krael laughed. “I still want him to watch the destruction of everything he holds dear.”

  The withers cheered, then fired a constant stream of flaming skulls into the clouds.

  Shouts of pain and fear came from the villagers as the phantoms swooped down and crashed into them, leaving a faint trail of smoke from each wingtip. The winged NPCs shouted more cries of terror as some of them fell from the sky.

  This is a disaster, Watcher thought. It’s hopeless.

  Use Tharus’s Answer, the wizards within his magical weapons said as one.

  “No,” someone said from behind.

  Watcher turned and found Planter climbing onto the top of the Tower, her breath ragged with fatigue.

  “You can’t just destroy an entire race of creatures for the benefit of another.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked deep into his eyes.

  Far below, a golem made a loud cracking sound as a phantom flew into it, the terrifying creature’s wings carving through the metal giant as if it were made of butter. The metallic creature groaned once, then fell to the ground and shattered, scattering blocks of iron across the battlefield.

  Metallic wolves howled in pain as the phantoms tore into them, too, the mechites on their backs dying on a single pass. It was a massacre; no NPC would survive these attacks.

  “I have to do something.” Watcher glanced at Planter. “I’m sorry, but if I don’t—”

  “If you kill every monster in Minecraft, I’ll never speak to you again.” She scowled. “There must be another way. Don’t just take the easy solution; look for the right one instead.”

  Watcher shook his head. The sounds of agony from the dying stabbed at his soul, his grief nearly overwhelming.

  “I have to do something.” His voice was weak and filled with despair.

  You have no choice. Baltheron’s voice was filled with the sound of resignation and confidence. Watcher felt as if he had to comply, as if the command were taking over his very will. Do it … now. DO IT!

  The young wizard sighed; he knew he had
no choice. Planter yelled something at him, but Watcher couldn’t hear her; somehow, Baltheron and the other wizards were blocking out the sounds.

  Destroy all of the monsters … everywhere, the magical artifacts in his inventory said. They sounded hungry, somehow, as if they’d been waiting for this moment for hundreds of years.

  With grief and despair in his heart, Watcher glanced once more at Planter, knowing this would be the final end of their relationship. Using every last drop of his magic, he allowed his powers to flow into the Tower, unlocking the nearly infinite reservoir of magical energy it contained. He could feel the Answer in there, waiting to be unleashed upon all monsters throughout the Pyramid of Servers. It would kill all of them, including his friend Er-Lan and his new friend Kobael, but Baltheron, Dalgaroth and Taerian were whispering in his mind that it was worth it, telling him he had no choice.

  With another sad sigh, Watcher took hold of all the incredible power within the Tower and started to release it, starting the genocide that would spread across all the worlds of Minecraft.

  But before Watcher released the energy that would destroy every monster on every world in Minecraft, the young wizard paused.

  What are you doing? Baltheron shouted in his mind. It can finally be done. Destroy them!

  Watcher, you can’t stop, Taerian bellowed, the Gauntlets of Life growing warm on his wrists. We’ve waited for hundreds of years … do it!

  Quick, destroy them all before it’s too late! Dalgaroth screamed, his screechy voice making Watcher’s head hurt. No monster deserves to live; all of them must be exterminated!

  But Watcher held on to all that power and waited.

  “Something’s not right.” Watcher glanced over his shoulder at Planter. She was shielding her eyes, the glow from all the power within him now was nearly blinding. “All of you are so eager for destruction. It’s as if you want this to happen more than anything.”

  Stop asking questions! Destroy the monsters … do it NOW! The three wizards sounded frantic in Watcher’s mind.

  But then Watcher felt something else hidden within the Wizard’s Tower: Tharus’s Answer woven into the magical building was not just a weapon designed to blast out in all directions; the Tower could be aimed.

  Watcher focused on every wither and phantom, causing those terrible creatures to pull back from the fighting and glare toward the young wizard. Then, using the smallest bit of his power, he targeted the warped and distorted monsters on the ground, causing those creatures to cease fighting and stare up at the Tower in fright, too.

  The three wizards screamed in his head, trying to force him to destroy the monsters, but Watcher refused. He used the smallest trickle of the magic pulsing through his body to silence the wizards; the three ancient voices became barely a whisper.

  “Watcher … are you listening to me?” Planter was shouting at him. “I’ve been telling you—”

  “Wait,” he said softly, the power coursing through his veins magnifying the sound until it was like thunder. Watcher glanced over his shoulder. Planter was still shielding her eyes, unable to look directly at him, which was good; he didn’t want to see the look on her face right now.

  Gathering his power, he reached out into the very fabric of Minecraft. The lines of code connecting every plane of existence were now visible to him. Watcher could see every world; he could feel every block and sense every living creature, both monster and NPC. He realized that if he hadn’t stopped using the Tower and instead targeted only the worst monsters, Tharus’s Answer would have killed everyone and everything.

  And then he knew what to do.

  Pulling in more magical energy, Watcher cut a small slice into the very fabric of Minecraft. In the sky, a huge gash formed in the heavens. Light streamed in through the wound, the square face of a distant sun visible through the tear. A wind picked up, not in its normal east-to-west direction but directed at the terrible slash in the sky. The wind blew harder and harder until it started dragging the withers and phantoms through the menacing hole. Then, Watcher used still more power, wrapping his magic around the creatures on the ground. The warped and distorted monsters were dragged into the air, tumbling out of control as they were pulled into the rift, their screams of terror barely audible within the maelstrom.

  “Watcher … what are you doing?”

  The young wizard ignored his friend; he had to concentrate.

  Krael fought desperately against the wind, trying to avoid being pulled into the tear with the rest of the monsters. Before the wither king could be drawn into it, Watcher sealed the gateway, leaving Krael alone where he was, still floating over the forest.

  The wither king glared down at Watcher in shock and fury. “You took my wife from me…. Kora … she’s gone.”

  A sorrowful, unquenchable rage filled the wither, his crowns glowing brighter as he readied another attack, but suddenly, the winged NPCs dove out of the clouds and surrounded the wither king, their healing arrows pointed at the monster, drawn and ready to fire.

  “You’re defeated.” Watcher pointed victoriously at Krael. “Your reign of violence is over. The Great War is over. It’s time for peace.”

  “No … never!” The monster was nearly insane with fury. “The Great War will never end, not while I still draw breath. You’ve already taken everything I care about, wizard, and now you’ve taken my Kora, too. I have no more reason to live save to destroy you.”

  NPCs on the ground rode beneath the wither with bows ready in their hands. They notched arrows and aimed up at the monster, but the young wizard raised a hand, stopping their attack.

  Watcher glared at the wither king. “Violence is the first solution of the weak-minded, and that’s you. A true leader would think about his followers first and himself last. But you, Krael, you’re nothing but a power-hungry monster who wants to see everything burn just because you can, and you were stopped not by me, but by all of us.”

  Krael screamed in frustration. He turned in a circle, glowering at the NPCs flying above him, then brought his venomous gaze back to Watcher. “You took the love of my life from me, wizard. At the very least, I can do the same to you.”

  Suddenly, the wither king drew upon the energy in the crowns, then fired the most powerful flaming skull he’d ever created right at Planter. Instantly, all of the NPCs released their arrows, but Watcher was faster; a shaft of energy burst from his chest, striking the flaming skull and destroying it in an instant. At the same time, another beam of power shot out of Watcher and enveloped the wither, squeezing him tight until the monster and his three skulls disappeared. The NPCs’ arrows passed through the empty air and landed on the ground.

  Finally, Watcher released all the power and collapsed to the ground.

  “Watcher, you killed them all,” Planter shouted in disbelief.

  Blaster and Fencer came running to the top of the tower, their swords still in their hands.

  “I can’t believe you destroyed all of the monsters.” Planter glared at him. “You’re worse than the wizards or Krael. You’re a—”

  Watcher raised a hand, then pointed at the ground, where Er-Lan struggled to his feet, his body still glowing with magic. Near the zombie, a dark shape floated in the air; it was Kobael.

  “I didn’t kill any of them.” The young wizard stood and faced Planter. “Tharus’s Answer would have killed not just monsters, but everything living in Minecraft, including plant life and animals … and NPCs.”

  “So instead you used it to kill just the monsters?” Blaster asked in awe.

  Watcher shook his head. “I didn’t kill any. That slice in the sky was a gateway to a new Minecraft world. I sent Krael’s army there. There are no NPCs in that world, just monsters. I gave them what they wanted: a world just for monsters.”

  “But what happened to Krael?” Fencer asked, confused.

  Watcher shook his head. “Krael was sent somewhere special.”

  “Where?” she asked.

  The wizard smiled. “I sent him to th
e Void, where he can do no harm.”

  “But what about the Crowns? Can he use them to get back?”

  “I’m not done yet. I’m about to make it so he can never use the Crowns again.” Watcher turned toward Planter. “I know how much you hate all this magic. This much power cannot be given to anyone … not even me or you.”

  “So?” Anger simmered within Planter’s emerald-green eyes.

  “So, I have one last thing to do. It will end the Great War, forever this time.” Watcher reached into his inventory and tossed Needle and the Flail of Regrets onto the ground. Removing the Gauntlets of Life from his wrists, he tossed them into the pile as well, then motioned to Planter. “Put the shield there.”

  She looked at Watcher, confused, but pulled out the red shield and added it to the mound of weapons. The pile of enchanted items shimmered with magical power.

  “I think everyone should stand back.” Watcher glanced at Planter. “I’m not sure what’ll happen to us, but I must do this. All this magic must be destroyed. Powerful weapons like these here,” he gestured to the pile, “can only cause more violence. I’m gonna stop it.”

  Gathering his power, Watcher connected to the massive reserve of magical energy in the Tower again, then found his targets. Some of them were nearby, while others lay hidden far away in the Far Lands, yet to be discovered. He wrapped his power around every magical thing created during the Great War, holding them all in his mind. Closing his eyes, he gritted his teeth and let every drop of enchanted power flow from the Tower and hit the targets he’d chosen.

  Pain exploded through Watcher’s body, as if he were on fire, but from the inside. The waves of agony surged through him, causing Watcher to fall to his knees, but he refused to release his magic. The energy from the Tower was tearing into him and Planter, but also the magical weapons before him.

  The Tower shook suddenly, as if it had been struck by a giant’s hammer, and the glow enveloping the structure seemed to flicker, then grow brighter as Watcher drove more power into the attack.