Saving Crafter, page 20
Standing, Crafter carefully pulled in on the rope and brought the evil pig closer. Lifting the animal off the ground, he held Herobrine in his arms, careful to avoid his snapping teeth. Crafter walked to the massive hole that had been created by the exploding TNT. The explosive had carved a hole all the way through The End, revealing the dark void beneath the floating island of End Stone.
“This is where you go away, Herobrine,” Crafter said as the terrified little pig stared up at his captor, its eyes glowing bright white. “I’m dropping you into the void where your evil will finally perish, for nothing survives the void.” Crafter then glared at the pig and frowned. “You aren’t going to hurt my friends anymore!”
And with that, Crafter dropped Herobrine into the gaping hole. But as the animal fell, it reached out with its blunt teeth and grabbed hold of the hem of Crafter’s pants. The sudden jerk pulled Crafter off his feet and pulled him into the hole with Herobrine, disappearing from sight.
“Crafter!” Gameknight999 screamed. “CRAFTER!”
CHAPTER 34
THE PREY ESCAPES
Xa-Tul climbed out of the stronghold entrance, carving steps into the destroyed stairway as he ascended. When he finally reached the surface, he found a sea of endermen glaring down at him, hands balled into fists as a purple mist of teleportation particles surround each of the dark monsters.
“Hold!” screeched Feyd. “It’s only a zombie.”
Teleporting next to the newly formed stairs, the king of the endermen glared down at Xa-Tul, a look of excited expectation on his dark red face.
“Are you returning because the user and all his NPC friends are destroyed?” Feyd asked.
Xa-Tul looked up at the dark creature, then finished stepping out of the makeshift stairway.
“Well?” Feyd screeched.
“The User-that-is-not-a-user is gone,” Xa-tul growled. “The zombies cannot find him anywhere in the stronghold.”
“What? YOU LET HIM ESCAPE?!”
“It was the endermen’s job to keep them from escaping, not the zombies’,” the zombie king growled back.
“You are as stupid as you are incompetent,” Feyd said, his eyes glowing bright white.
Xa-Tul gripped his sword firmly and raised it, ready for battle. “Be careful what is said to Xa-Tul,” the zombie growled, his red eyes filled with rage.
Two endermen teleported next to Feyd, ready to defend their king.
“Everyone be calm,” Feyd said, raising his long arms in the air and glancing around at his army. He faced Xa-Tul. “Tell me what happened in the stronghold.”
Slowly, Xa-Tul lowered his sword, but did not put it back into his inventory.
“The zombies followed the enemy through the stronghold. They were pursued to the portal chamber where they sealed themselves in,” Xa-Tul said. “The zombies spread out around the chamber to make sure the enemy did not tunnel through the walls and escape.” The zombie king looked about at the endermen, then brought his gaze to their leader. “Escape from the chamber was impossible, but when Xa-Tul broke through and went into the portal chamber, silverfish burst from the blocks and attacked the zombies. Xa-Tul glanced into the chamber while fighting the filthy little creatures and could see the enemies were gone.”
“Was the portal activated?” Feyd asked.
“What?” the zombie replied.
“The portal—was it working?” Feyd asked again. “Did they put Eyes of Ender in all the portal blocks?”
“Xa-Tul doesn’t know anything about these Eyes of … whatever they are called,” the king of the zombies replied.
“You FOOL!” Fey’d screamed. “They did not get out of the portal chamber. They went to The End.”
“Why would the enemy do that?”
“Who knows why Gameknight999 does anything!” Feyd screeched. “We must get to The End before he accomplishes whatever he is planning. Quickly, get your zombies out of the stronghold. We’re going to The End.”
Xa-Tul looked up at the enderman, confused.
“Get your warriors up here!” Feyd commanded. “My endermen will take them to The End, NOW!”
The king of the zombies snarled, then went back down the steps. Feyd could hear the monster release a loud, angry growl that made the ground on which he stood vibrate and shake with fear.
“You won’t escape me, Gameknight999,” Feyd said. “Let’s see what you do when you have the Ender Dragon on one side, and my army of endermen and zombies on the other.”
The dark creature gave a maniacal, enderman chuckle as his body became enveloped in a mist of purple particles.
“I’ll see you soon, User-that-is-not-a-user. Very soon!”
CHAPTER 35
THE VOID
“Nooo!” Gameknight screamed as he sprinted for the hole.
Reaching the place where Crafter fell, Gameknight looked down into the gaping cavity. The TNT had torn an opening completely through The End, revealing the great endless void beneath the floating island of End Stone. On the edge of the hole, Crafter hung by one hand, his square fingers barely holding onto a block of End Stone. Dangling from his leg was Herobrine, the pig holding onto the end of Crafter’s pant leg with his little teeth, his eyes glowing white.
“Crafter, are you alright?” Gameknight said as he knelt next to the edge.
“I’m not sure I can hang on for very long,” his friend replied.
“Hold on, I’m coming.”
The edge of the hole was sheer; Gameknight could not climb down to reach his friend. Instead, he laid down on his stomach and reached down, extending his hand to the NPC.
“Grab my hand,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.
Crafter pulled up on his free hand and tried to reach but quickly gave up.
“I can’t,” the NPC said. “I’m so weak and Herobrine is too heavy. I don’t think I can raise my hand up to reach you; it’s hopeless.”
“No it isn’t!” Gameknight snapped. “You can do this. Try again.”
Crafter gritted his teeth, then lifted his hand upward. Slowly, he raised his arm, grabbing up to the next block, but he couldn’t quite get to it. Leaning farther into the pit, Gameknight reached down for his friend, trying to grasp his hand. Their fingers brushed against each other, then Crafter’s hand fell back to his side.
“I can’t do it. I can’t,” Crafter said, his voice sounding weak.
Gameknight could see the color in his friend’s face starting to fade, his skin slowly becoming pale.
Morgana’s potion is wearing off! Gameknight thought. I need help.
Gameknight could hear the shouts of his friends as the ran toward him, but he knew they were too far away to be of any help in time. He had to save Crafter on his own, right here and right now!
“I can see the worry on your face,” Crafter said. “The potion is wearing off. I can feel it. This is hopeless.”
“NO, IT’S NOT!” Gameknight shouted. “You have to try. If I crawl out of this hole without you, think about how mad Hunter is going to be. I’ll never hear the end of it!”
The User-that-is-not-a-user smiled at his friend, then reached farther into the pit, trying to get his hand on his friend’s wrist. But now, Gameknight realized that he’d gone too far and was starting to slide in. Ever so slowly, his body inched its way into the hole, moving farther and farther into the abyss that led to the void. Gameknight couldn’t stop it. He tried to dig his square toes into the End Stone, but they could not find purchase to stop his slow descent.
He was going to fall!
Panic bubbled up from within the back of his mind.
If I fall, then Crafter will die! he thought. What am I going to do?
Fear ruled his thoughts to the point that he couldn’t even speak. All he could do was stare down into Crafter’s blue eyes. He felt so alone. Both of them wore looks of panic and terror as they slowly crept a little farther over the precipice.
“Gameknight, I see you slipping over the edge,” Crafter said, his voice barely a whisper. “Just go back; it will be OK. It makes no sense for both of us to die. The others still need your help. If the User-that-is-not-a-user were to die, it would crush the spirit of NPCs everywhere. The monsters would win—you can’t let that happen.”
Gameknight could tell that Crafter was about to let go of the End Stone so that Gameknight would not risk himself.
Am I finally defeated? Gameknight thought. Is this the end of my best friend?
“Crafter, I never thought—”
“DON’T YOU DARE STOP TRYING!” sounded a loud voice from behind.
Suddenly, a pair of strong hands grabbed his legs and held them firm, stopping his slow crawl over the edge of the hole. Glancing over his shoulder, Gameknight could see a ridiculous looking monkey dressed in a Superman outfit holding onto his feet.
“You reach down there and save him, Gameknight999. That’s your responsibility,” Monkeypants said, a look of grim determination on his ridiculous monkey-face. “I don’t care if you are getting tired or your muscles hurt. You do what you do best, and that is taking care of your friends.
“Thanks, Dad,” Gameknight said.
“Don’t worry son, I’m here—really here,” Monkeypants said. “You do what you need to do. I have faith that you can save Crafter. Just get it done.”
His father’s faith in him filled the User-that-is-not-a-user with renewed strength. Looking back at Crafter, he reached farther into the pit, his dad anchoring him firmly to the ground. Stretching forward, Gameknight extended into the hole further than he ever could on his own.
“Come on, Crafter, try one more time!”
The young NPC looked even more pale now, his face looking sickly and strained. Gritting his teeth, Crafter used all his strength to reach up with his free hand. Leaning even farther into the hole, Gameknight extended his arm as far as he could. Their fingers brushed against each other again for just a moment and then the User-that-is-not-a-user lunged. Feeling something, he grabbed it—it was Crafter’s sleeve.
“I’ve got you, Crafter,” Gameknight said. “Now get rid of that thing on your leg.”
Crafter looked down at their enemy. The pig’s eyes were blazing with a harsh white glow, making it difficult to look at the beast. Herobrine slowly closed his eyes.
It’s coming—the shadow of evil, Jenny typed in the chat. It’s heading straight for you!
“The shadow is coming!” Stitcher yelled.
Gameknight could her the hum of her bow, but he knew that it would not slow the ghostly shade.
“Crafter, hurry,” Gameknight said, looking deep into his friend’s pale eyes. “If the shadow gets here and attacks …”
Gameknight didn’t finish his sentence. He knew that the shadow would attack them all. If Monkeypants released his grip, then Gameknight and Crafter would fall into the void. If it attacked Crafter, surely he would die.
They had to hurry!
“Crafter, kick Herobrine, get him off your leg, quick! Gameknight said. “But don’t kick him hard enough to kill the little monster. You don’t want to get infected with his XP. Just knock him loose!””
Looking down at the little pink creature, it almost looked harmless with its eyes closed, but they all knew different. Pulling up his free leg, Crafter kicked Herobrine hard, then did it again and again.
“The shadow is almost there, hurry!”
“Gameknight, just let me fall,” Crafter said. “The potion is wearing off and the shadow of evil is coming for me. I don’t think I can survive another of Herobrine’s attacks.” Crafter looked up into his friend’s eyes and a solemn peace came across his face. “It’s my time, Gameknight, just let me go.”
“NO!” the User-that-is-not-a-user shouted. “I will never let go—no matter how hard it is or how terrifying, I’m always going to be here for you. Ages ago, you taught me to be strong and never give up. ‘Deeds do not make the hero, the fears they overcome defines them’— you taught me that. Now it’s my turn to teach you something my father taught me: ‘Sometimes you have to reach a little farther than you can and be stronger than you are because people are relying on you.’”
“But I’m getting so tired,” his friend said, the color in his face slowly fading to bone white.
“I don’t care if you’re tired!” Gameknight shouted. “Your villagers are relying on you. Are you just going to give up and let your community suffer? What kind of crafter would that make you? Huh?”
Crafter scowled as this thought percolated through his head.
“It’s getting closer,” Hunter screamed. “HURRY!”
“Your villagers need you,” Gameknight said in a soft voice. “We all need you. I need you.”
“My villagers …” Crafter mumbled, then his face took on a visage of anger and determination.
Glancing down at the pig, Crafter scowled at the creature, then an animal-like growl came from the NPC.
“You’ve hurt too many of my villagers, and I won’t allow you to hurt any more,” Crafter said, his voice filled with strength and rage. “It’s time for you to go!”
The fabric in Crafter’s sleeve tore, causing the NPC to start slipping from Gameknight’s tenuous grip.
“Dad, get me farther down!” Gameknight yelled over his shoulder.
Monkeypants held onto his son’s legs with an iron grip, then pushed him farther into the hole. If the shadow of evil hit him, he’d likely lose his grip on his son.
“Herder, grab my waist and help me!” Monkeypants yelled.
Suddenly, a thin pair of arms wrapped around Monkeypant’s waist, then a pair of stocky arms grabbed hold of the lanky boy’s legs.
Moving forward, Monkeypants lowered his son farther down into the hole.
Gameknight smiled at Crafter, and with lightning speed, grabbed his wrist, holding on with all his might. Crafter looked up at Gameknight, and a look of determination came over his face.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gameknight could see the shadow of evil reach the far side of the hole and move quickly along its perimeter. Crafter glanced at the dark stain of hatred, then looked back at Gameknight999. Without losing eye contact with his friend, Crafter kicked with all his might, smashing into Herobrine with his iron-covered boot, then kicked again and again until the hem of his pants tore away just as the shadow of evil reached them.
Herobrine squealed, his piggy voice filled with terror. Instantly, the shadow of evil disappeared as the monster lost its concentration while it fell into the void. Gameknight watched as the vile creature plummeted into the darkness, its eyes blazing bright white. The two eyes grew smaller … and smaller … and smaller until they finally blinked out, their glowing hatred extinguished by the void.
Herobrine was gone.
CHAPTER 36
ESCAPING THE END
Monkeypants pulled his son up out of the gaping hole, Crafter dangling from Gameknight’s grasp. They landed in a heap, bodies tumbling on top of each other. Struggling to get out of the pile, Gameknight looked down at his friend. Gameknight breathed a sigh of relief when he saw color had returned to Crafter’s face; the taint of evil that had resided in the NPC’s body now gone after its master’s demise. He then looked down at Monkeypants, Herder, and Digger. They all had cubes of sweat across their faces; each looked exhausted from keeping Gameknight and Crafter from falling to their deaths.
“Thank you, all of you,” Gameknight said, and then a smile slowly grew on his boxy face. “We saved Crafter and destroyed Herobrine. Minecraft is safe!”
“Minecraft is safe!” Herder echoed as he stood and wrapped his arms around Crafter.
“We aren’t safe yet!” Hunter said from the top of a small End Stone hill.
“What are you talking about?” Digger asked. “We destroyed the dragon, sent Herobrine into the void, and saved Crafter. What else is there to worry about?”
“Ummm … how about an army of zombies and endermen?” she replied.
“What are you talking about?” Gameknight asked.
“Get up here and see,” Hunter replied, “but stay low. We don’t want them to see us, yet.”
Gameknight climbed the hill, then laid down on his stomach next to Hunter. Across The End, endermen were materializing in clouds of purple mist, a zombie held in each of their long, dark arms. As soon as they appeared, the monsters spread out in all directions.
“Are you kidding me!” Gameknight exclaimed. “Can’t we ever get a break!”
“It looks like they’re looking for something,” Stitcher said.
“Yeah, us,” Hunter replied. “We need to get out of here. There are too many of them for us to fight.”
“Agreed,” the User-that-is-not-a-user replied.
Looking to where the dragon had finally died, Gameknight saw an exit portal that had popped into existence. It was made of bedrock and floated two blocks off the ground. Torches were placed on the faces of the central pillar, lighting the structure and showing the delicate dragon’s egg, which set precariously on top.
“If we run straight for the exit portal, they will see us and teleport to our position,” Stitcher said. She had climbed up the hill and now lay right next to Gameknight. “But if we follow that recession to the left for a little while, then we can run out and go straight to the portal. That will reduce the time we can be seen.”
“That’s perfect,” Gameknight said as he tussled her red curls. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
They slid back down the hill, then stood and walked to the others.
“Everyone, Stitcher has a plan,” Gameknight said. “Listen to her, for she is going to lead us out of here.”
“Lead, me? No, no, no—I just had the idea, but you’re the leader—”
“We don’t have time for your complaining. Just lead us out of here,” said the User-that-is-not-a-user.
Stitcher smiled up at Gameknight999, then put away her bow and adjusted her armor.
“OK, here’s the plan,” she explained. “We’re going to follow the edge of that rise, staying low so we won’t be seen. When I tell you, we’ll run up the hill and sprint for the exit portal. Everyone put away your weapons and get out buckets of water. If an endermen gets close, douse them and keep running. Got it?”
