The Wither Invasion Read online

  Suddenly, a silver wolf emerged from the tree line, a mechite hanging on to its thick, wiry fur. The metal animal easily leaped over the cobblestone wall, then skidded to a stop next to Fixit. The tiny creature on its back gave off a series of squeaks and whistles, Fixit nodding as he listened, then glanced up at Er-Lan. An expression of fear covered the zombie’s face.

  “What is it?” Watcher asked.

  “The mechite says there are many monsters coming, more than the NPCs in this village.” Er-Lan reached down and patted the mechite on its head. “The wolves can slow them now.”

  “No. We won’t risk anyone unnecessarily.” Watcher glanced down at Fixit. “Have all the wolves and golems come into the village, send half there and the other half there.” He pointed to a pair of large buildings.

  Fixit nodded, then gave off a shrill whistle. Wolves and golems emerged from the forest and moved into the village, the NPCs from the community looking shocked at what they were seeing. Watcher nodded in satisfaction, then turned and searched their troops. He spotted Planter near the back, shaking, as if she were terrified. Waving his hand, Watcher motioned for her to come next to him. She sighed, then pushed through the crowd of warriors, her eyes cast to the ground.

  “Planter, we’re gonna need your help.” Watcher pulled out his enchanted bow, then gestured with it for her to do the same. With a reluctant smile, she drew her bow, standing up tall.

  “Here they come,” an archer shouted from the rooftop nearby.

  The smell reached them first: the odor of rotten meat left out in the sun. Watcher held a hand over his nose, trying to block out the stench, but it did little good. Soon, the clattering of bones began to echo through the forest, with the clicking of spiders audible in the treetops. A wave of panic spread through Watcher as he imagined this battle going very wrong.

  I’m responsible for these people. I can’t let them down, he thought. He stood up straight, trying to look brave, but inside he was terrified. If I can’t stop this mob of monsters from the Far Lands, what hope do I have at stopping Krael?

  The sounds of monsters crashing through the undergrowth filled the air, amplifying everyone’s fear, but the NPCs remained silent. They all knew they had to stand and fight to protect those behind them hiding in the homes.

  The cold fingers of doubt wrapped themselves around his soul, his fear feeding its icy grip, until Watcher didn’t know what to do. Then, paralyzed with uncertainty, the young wizard did the only thing he could do: wait for the battle to crash down upon them.

  He wouldn’t have to wait long.

  “Here they come—I can see them through the trees,” one of the archers said from the rooftop.

  Blaster jumped up on top of the fortified wall, his enchanted curved swords absent.

  “Get down from there, Blaster.” Fencer moved to the wall and pulled on the hem of his pant leg. “The monsters will be here any minute.”

  Turning, Blaster just glanced down at her and smiled, then leaped off the wall and stood in front of it, waiting for the wave of fangs and claws to smash upon their fortifications. Fencer screamed, then scrambled onto the wall and stared down at the boy.

  “What are you doing?!”

  Blaster gazed up at her and smiled, then held a redstone torch high in the air. “My dad had a saying: ‘Surprises are so much more fun when there’s a big bang.’ ”

  “You’re insane.” Fencer glared at him, then jumped down and stood at his side. “If you’re gonna be stupid and just stand here, then at least I can try to protect you.” Fencer drew an enchanted curved sword; it was one of the weapons she’d taken from Wizard City. She pulled out a wooden shield and held it in her left hand, then stared at the forest, the crashing footsteps of the approaching monster horde filling the air.

  “I think now’s a good time,” Blaster said with a mischievous grin.

  “A good time … a good time for what?” Fencer asked, confused.

  Blaster smiled, then placed the crimson torch on the ground. Instantly, a line of redstone powder turned bright red, the glowing dust stretching off into the forest. A group of zombies showed their faces through a copse of trees and snarled … that was the last thing they did.

  Blocks of TNT, hidden behind bushes or buried under sheets of grass, came to life, surrounding the monsters with their fiery embrace. The zombies went from angry to terrified as the blast threw them through the air, burning away their HP until they disappeared, leaving only glowing balls of XP falling to the ground.

  “Is that all you were planning on doing?” Fencer asked.

  Blaster raised a hand, signaling her to wait; the growing smile on his square face suggested the show wasn’t over.

  More explosions rocked the forest, tossing more monsters and debris into the air. With each detonation, Blaster laughed like a child opening a present, at times jumping up and down with excitement.

  “I love TNT!” he exclaimed to Fencer, the young girl smiling at him. “It’s almost over. We need to get back behind the wall.”

  Blaster placed a block of dirt on the ground as the last of the TNT detonated in the forest, then climbed up onto the wall, turned, and extended a hand to help Fencer. Her smile grew even wider at the offer, causing the boy to pull it back quickly, letting her climb atop the wall without any aid. Once she was behind the wall, Blaster dug up the dirt block with a shovel, making the wall unscalable again.

  “Here they come,” someone shouted from a rooftop. “They look a little beat up now, but really angry.”

  Just then, a horde of spiders, zombies, skeletons, and endermen charged out of the forest and crashed against their barricade. Immediately, pointed shafts rained down upon the monsters, the archers firing as fast as possible. Skeletons replied with their bows, forcing the NPCs on rooftops to move back and seek shelter.

  “Planter, help the archers.” Watcher pointed to the roof.

  Relief covered Planter’s face as she put away her magical shield and pulled an enchanted bow from her inventory. Nodding, she climbed the steps to the top of the house, then fired down at the monsters, her arrows wreathed in flame.

  “Archers, aim for the skeletons,” she ordered.

  They launched their projectiles as quickly as possible, targeting the bony creatures. With the monsters bunched together against the wall, if they missed a skeleton, their arrows almost always found another monster. Screams of pain filled the air, but the monsters refused to yield; they just kept trying to destroy or climb the stone wall.

  “What’s driving them?” Winger asked next to Watcher. “It’s as if they’re insane.”

  Watcher was about to answer when a pair of black, fuzzy legs appeared atop the wall, each tipped with a wicked curved claw. The legs dragged a massive spider to the top, its eight eyes flaring red with crazed hatred.

  Before he could even think, Watcher drew the Flail of Regrets and charged, his body blazing with magical power. He swung the weapon over his head, allowing his magic to flow through the wooden handle and metal chain until it settled into the spiked cube, which was glowing bright.

  The spider before him paused for a moment, shocked at what it was seeing; that was its first mistake. Using every bit of his strength, Watcher brought the weapon down upon the creature. He missed; the fuzzy black monster leaped out of the way at the last instant. It then turned and charged at his sister, Winger; that was its second mistake. As the spider’s claws sliced through the air, heading for his sister’s head, Watcher dashed forward and held the Flail’s handle in the air, blocking the attack before anyone was hurt. Then, spinning, he brought the weapon down onto the monster, the glowing ball smashing the monster and its HP. Struggling, the spider tried to regain its feet, but Blaster was there with his two curved swords, taking the last of the monster’s health. It disappeared, leaving behind three glowing balls of XP.

  “More are coming over the walls,” Winger shouted in warning.

  “Good.” Watcher smiled. “Everyone, back up!”

  T
he warriors gave ground to the approaching spiders. At the same time, the cobblestone blocks in the wall finally shattered under the claws of the zombies. The green monsters along with the few remaining skeletons moved through the debris and followed their spidery companions. Endermen teleported back and forth, trying to get into the fight, but they couldn’t attack unless they were attacked first, or were stared at by an NPC.

  “Keep moving back!” Watcher shouted.

  “No, don’t retreat!” Cutter stepped forward, his diamond sword slashing at the spiders with lethal precision.

  “Cutter, retreat!” Watcher tried to get to his friend’s side, but a spider was in the way. “Stay with everyone else.”

  But the big warrior refused to retreat; it wasn’t something he did very well, and Watcher knew it. Suddenly, a green body streaked past, then stopped right behind Cutter; it was Er-Lan. The zombie grabbed the back of Cutter’s armor and pulled him backward, toward the rest of the villagers.

  “Hey … what’s happening?” Cutter tried to look over his shoulder, but a spider stepped near, distracting him. He slashed at the monster as he moved backward, allowing more monsters to flow into the village after him.

  “Keep going back … keep retreating.” Watcher glanced at the large buildings to the left and right; they were almost there.

  Another spider charged toward Cutter, but Blaster appeared at his friend’s side, the boy’s enchanted blades carving paths of destruction through the monster’s bodies. The two continued to retreat as the horde flooded into the village.

  Fencer ran across the spiders’ bodies, stepping lightly on their fuzzy backs, as if they were part of some parkour course. She landed next to Blaster, her curved sword, like Blaster’s, glowing bright with magical enchantments. Slashing at the monsters like a skilled warrior, she kept the creatures from attacking Blaster’s flanks, helping them retreat faster.

  Watcher glanced at the buildings again, then raised a fist into the air. “NOW!”

  Suddenly, wolves and golems from the left and right charged into the fray, catching the monsters by surprise. Before the shocked attackers could respond, Watcher shouted again, “CHARGE!”

  The NPCs closed in from the front, while the wolves and golems attacked from the sides, nearly surrounding the monsters. Watcher hoped they would just retreat, but he saw the same look in all of their terrible eyes: pure, uncontrolled rage.

  As he reached the monsters, Watcher swung the Flail with all his strength, smashing zombies and spiders. Winger stepped up to his side, her enchanted bow humming a song of death. The Flame enchantment on the weapon set each of her shots ablaze, making the pointed shafts do extra damage. Because of Blaster’s TNT, only a single hit was required to destroy most of the monsters.

  “Run away,” Watcher shouted at the monsters. “Don’t just fight and die.”

  A zombie stared at him, then snarled viciously. “The voices say NPCs want to destroy our children. We’ll never let you do that.”

  “We don’t want to—”

  The zombie didn’t listen. Instead, it dove at Watcher with its sharp claws extended, reaching for his throat and catching him by surprise.

  Suddenly, a wall of purple flames enveloped Watcher. Glancing to the left, he found Planter at his side, her magical shield in her grip. She grimaced, then sent more power into the shield. Monsters threw themselves at the enchanted barrier, but the iridescent purple flames projected by the magical artifact just burned away the monsters’ HP.

  “Planter, move forward!” Watcher grabbed her arm and stepped closer to the monsters. “They’ll see your shield and run away.”

  She sighed and stepped forward, staying at his side.

  The monsters, seeing the magical duo, charged at the two wizards, but none of them stood a chance.

  Suddenly, Mirthrandos appeared atop one of the houses, her crooked wooden staff held over her head. She pointed it at the monsters, then poured her magical power into it. Tiny, glowing projectiles shot from the end and bombarded the monsters. As they struck, black smoke rose from the creatures’ seared skin, the monsters howling in pain until they disappeared as their HP burned away.

  Finally, the last of the monsters perished, leaving the village and surrounding forest eerily quiet. Watcher glanced around, seeing countless glowing balls of XP on the ground; they all seemed to be from the monsters. But then he spotted a pile of discarded items on the ground, then another and another; it was the inventory of fallen villagers, the only things left marking their existence in Minecraft. Tears welled up in Watcher’s eyes, but he knew he couldn’t cry, not now; there would always be time for tears later… if there was a later.

  Bending over, Watcher picked up an iron sword and held it in the air. “This is what Krael sends us; death and destruction.”

  “Why do you think this was Krael’s doing?” Blaster asked.

  “Did you see the crazed expressions on their faces?” Watcher bent down and picked up a bow that lay surrounded by the XP of countless monsters. “These weren’t normal monsters; they were insane, thirsting for our destruction. One of them said something about voices whispering to them, telling them we were gonna destroy their children.”

  “Why would the monsters think we’d do something that terrible?” Planter stuffed her magical shield into her inventory, a look of relief washing across her square face, then looked down at the dark blue armor still wrapped around her body. She reached up and tried to pull the sparkling helmet off her head, magical red embers dancing around its edges, but it didn’t move. With a scowl, she turned to Watcher.

  “I’m telling you, it must be Krael,” Watcher said. “Somehow, the wither king is whispering things in the monsters’ minds, making them hungry for violence.” He looked up toward Mira. “It’s possible, right?”

  The ancient wizard’s long gray hair swayed as she nodded. “With all three Crowns of Skulls, that wither possesses a lot of magical power. Who knows what he can do with it?”

  “This is a great talk and all, but I think we should be moving.” Blaster put his enchanted swords into his inventory. He glanced at Fencer, then stared down at the ground, eyes wide; glowing balls of XP from the many monsters she’d destroyed littered the ground around her feet. “Which way do we go from here?”

  Watcher glanced at Mirthrandos. “What do you think?”

  The ancient wizard shrugged. “I guess we keep going deeper into the Far Lands.”

  “I think we need a better plan than just heading in some random direction.” Blaster stepped away from Fencer and moved to Watcher’s side. “Let’s look at some maps.”

  With a nod, Watcher scanned the sea of faces around him. “Mapper, where are you?”

  “Here.” The old man pushed through the crowd until he reached Watcher. Then, reaching into his inventory, he pulled out a map, its edges frayed and torn, as if it had been ripped from a larger sheet. “You remember this map?”

  “Sure. It’s the magical one we took from the forest mansion,” Watcher said.

  “Touch it, so we’ll know where we’re at.” Mapper extended the frayed map.

  With an extended finger, Watcher touched the ancient chart. A purple spark leaped from his finger and danced on the edge of the map, then disappeared. Instantly, the image on the map blurred and slowly resolved, showing the terrain around them, the villager at the center. Watcher placed two fingers on the paper and drew them together, causing the map to zoom out until the village was just a faint dot, the biomes of the Far Lands looking like swaths of cloth in a strange and colorful quilt. Sections of forest could be seen butting up against patches of desert and areas of frozen tundra. Every biome in Minecraft was represented on the map, but one of them seemed strange.

  “What’s that sickly green spot?” Watcher asked.

  Mapper shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  Mira jumped down from the house, surprisingly agile for an ancient wizard. She peered over Mapper’s shoulder. “I think I know what that is. Zoom in on
it.”

  Watcher placed two fingers on the strange section of the map, each next to the other, then separated them quickly; the map zoomed in until that bizarre section was visible. “It looks like a swamp, but the color is weird.”

  “That’s because it’s not just any swamp.” Mira brought her gaze to Watcher, her bright green eyes boring into his blues. “It’s called the Poison Swamp.”

  “Poison Swamp?” Watcher was confused. “Why would a swamp be poisonous?”

  “Many thought it was Tharus’s doing.” She glanced at Er-Lan. “Some claim it was the monster warlocks … no one is sure. The paths leading through that swamp curve in all directions like a maze. Those who have entered were never heard from again.”

  “That sounds like a wonderful place.” Blaster grinned sarcastically.

  “I may not know much about wizards and magic,” Mapper said. “But if I wanted to hide a portal somewhere in the Far Lands, in the middle of a mazelike poisonous swamp would seem like a good place.”

  Watcher nodded. “Mapper, you’re probably right. If we could get there before Krael and his army of monsters comes through, we could destroy the portal and stop this war before it even starts.” He glanced at his companions, all of them nodding in agreement. “I say we head for the Poisonous Swamp; it’s in the right direction.”

  “You mean deeper into the Far Lands?” Winger asked.

  “Yep, and on the way, we stop at every village we can find and bring those NPCs to our cause.”

  “Agreed,” Mira said.

  Watcher waited for objections, but he heard none. “Alright, then. Gather everything you’ll need; we leave in five minutes.”

  The villagers murmured to each other as they headed to their homes to gather what they needed for war.

  Glancing down at the map again, Watcher got an uneasy feeling. That tingling sensation was still there in the back of his mind; he could feel Krael, and he felt certain the wither could sense him as well. Were they doing the right thing? Or were they running directly into the jaws of the beast? Uncertainty and fear spread through Watcher’s body, igniting every nerve with anxiety, but he knew there was no other choice; they had to go to the Poisonous Swamp and find Krael, even though it would likely cost many lives.