Saving crafter, p.17
Saving Crafter, page 17
“You ready?” he asked.
Monkeypants looked down into the endless expanse of space that filled the portal. Gameknight could tell that his fear of heights was overwhelming his mind.
“It’s not real; it’s just an illusion,” Gameknight said.
“Tell that to my brain, which is terrified,” his father answered.
“I know an easy way past this fear,” Hunter said as she approached, one hand outstretched in front of her.
“No, not that again,” Monkeypants said and leapt into the portal.
Gameknight smiled, then stepped into the portal, his two swords in his hands, ready for battle.
CHAPTER 29
THE END
They materialized on a flat piece of obsidian, completely surrounded by End Stone and buried underground. The pale yellow stone hugged close to their dark platform, a roof pressing down on them just three blocks high.
Without waiting to be told, Digger pulled out his big pickaxe and started digging a set of steps to the surface. Herder and Stitcher did the same.
“Remember, the edge of the floating island is likely near these walls,” Gameknight said. “So everyone must be careful.”
Hunter pulled out her own pickaxe and began digging. Moving to her side, Gameknight helped her carve into the soft walls, shattering through the End Stone as if it were glass.
“Collect as many of these blocks as possible,” Gameknight shouted over the sounds of iron shattering blocks. “As soon as we’re to the surface, Herder, take the pig to the edge and throw him over. Remember, don’t bump into any of the endermen. We want to keep them out of this fight as long as possible.” He turned and faced Herder. “For now, tie the pig to a post so you can help with the digging.”
Herder pulled out a fence post from his inventory and placed it in the ground. The pig’s leash was tied firmly to it, though Herobrine was testing the strength of the rope, pulling against the knots with all his little piggy strength. Treebrin moved next to the pig and tapped it with his thorny branch. Grumbling something to the small pink animal, he wagged a gnarled finger at Herobrine, then swatted him again with his barbed stick. Oinking in pain, the little pink monster moved away from the light-crafter and stood near the fence post, his eyes glowing bright white with hatred.
“I’m through,” Digger said.
“What do you see?” Gameknight asked. “Which way is the edge? How many endermen are nearby?”
Instead of answering, Digger came down the steps, a look of confusion and fear on his square face.
“What is it?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked.
Digger said nothing, just stared back at Gameknight999. Shoving past his friend, Gameknight put away his pick and drew his diamond sword.
“Come on, everyone,” Gameknight said as he bolted up the makeshift stairs. “Let’s get this done!”
When he emerged from their hole, he was shocked at what he saw. The landscape was completely empty—no endermen were visible anywhere.
Great, the dragon will pick us out almost instantly, Gameknight thought.
He scanned for the edge of the island and couldn’t find it. The pale yellow stone stretched out into the distance. They had spawned in the largest End landscape he’d ever seen, and worse yet, they were in the middle.
“We’ll have to make a run for the edge,” Gameknight said as he scanned the sky for what he knew was up there. “Herder, get up here with the pig. We have to—”
GROAR!
A growling roar pierced through the silence of The End, shattering any remote thoughts that they might be alone in this land. Overhead, Gameknight could see two bright purple spots of light floating on unseen currents of air. Turning in a graceful arc, the purple eyes turned and headed down to the ground. As they neared, the body around the glowing orbs emerged through the darkness. Gameknight could see the dragon’s massive head as it approached, its sharp, white teeth somehow glowing bright in the pale light of The End. Gray thorny horns protruded from the creature’s head, matching the spiky ridges that ran down the monster’s neck and back. Spreading its wide leathery wings, the Ender Dragon banked slightly as it lined up to attack the new intruders. Gameknight shuddered as it extended its clawed paws, the razor-sharp talons gleaming with deadly intent. Locking its purple eyes on the User-that-is-not-a-user, the monster tucked in its wings and accelerated toward its target, another mighty roar coming from its throat.
“DRAGON!” Gameknight yelled.
Sprinting away from the hole, he dove to the ground just as the dark claws swiped at the air just above him. The dragon beat its heavy wings and climbed back into the sky, but he wasn’t fast enough. Hunter emerged from the hole with an arrow already drawn. The flaming projectile leapt from her bow, curved through the air and hit the creature on the back, making it flash red. The flying demon yelled out in pain.
“Did you get him?” Monkeypants asked as he emerged from the hole.
“I hit him alright,” Hunter said with a smile.
They watched as the dragon flew to one of the many tall obsidian towers that dotted the landscape. Atop the nearest, a pink crystal floated in a bath of fire, bobbing up and down as if it did not need to follow the commands of gravity. As the dragon flew near, a purple shaft of light shot out of the crystal and hit the flying giant.
“What’s that?” Monkeypants asked.
“On top of each obsidian pillar is an ender crystal,” Stitcher explained as she moved next to her sister. “They heal the Ender Dragon. We have to destroy all those crystals before we can take on that dragon.”
“But we don’t have to fight the dragon,” Monkeypants said. “We just throw Herobrine over the edge and we’re done, right?”
Stitcher tried to give Monkeypants a reassuring smile, but did a poor job.
“What?” Monkeypants asked.
“We have to destroy the dragon so that a new portal will appear that will take us out of here,” Hunter explained. “No dead dragon, no portal. Got it?”
“Here he comes again!” Digger yelled.
Spinning around, Gameknight could see the monster coming straight at them. But before he could move, Treebrin stepped in front and placed a block of dirt on the pale ground. Plunging his hands into the cube, he made a tall oak tree suddenly burst into life. The leafy giant shocked the dragon, making it climb upward and out of reach. Hunter and Stitcher fired their enchanted arrows at the beast, but it climbed too fast and was quickly out of range.
“Nobody told me about fighting a dragon,” Monkeypants complained.
“Well, we don’t have a choice,” Crafter said in a still weak voice. “We can’t make a run for it; the dragon will pick us all off. It’s time to fight.”
Crafter reached into his inventory for his sword, but just as he did, a shadow of evil materialized under him. Dark jagged shapes jutted up from the ground and hit the young NPC over and over, making him cry out in pain.
Moving without thinking, Gameknight streaked to his friend side and lifted him up off the ground. Holding him as high as he could, the User-that-is-not-a-user let Herobrine’s evil shade jab at him with its evil, serrated shadows. Hunter moved next to his friend and placed a block of end stone on the ground, then placed two more next to it, then a stack of three, building a set of stairs. Gameknight quickly climbed the steps, getting as far from the shadow as he could.
But as quickly as the shadow appeared, it disappeared, evaporating into a dark mist. Gameknight came down from the steps and carefully placed Crafter on the ground.
“I don’t think it will be back for a while,” Digger said. “Herobrine seems to only have strength for so many attacks before he needs to rest.”
Gameknight turned and looked at the pig Herder was dragging out of the buried end stone chamber. The pig looked exhausted, as if it had used all its strength to sustain this attack.
Pulling out a piece of bread, Gameknight ate it quickly, hoping it would help rejuvenate his HP.
“Herder, place a fence post here, next to the tree,” Gameknight said as he chewed. “Crafter and Morgana are going to stay here and guard the pig. The rest of us are going after the Ender Dragon.”
“But it’s so huge,” Monkeypants objected. “How are we going to do this?” His father turned and faced Gameknight. “No, this is just too dangerous. I forbid this.”
“But dad, we have to—for Crafter, for my friends, for everyone.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Monkeypants repeated. “I could lose you, my boy, my little Tommy. How could I live with that?”
“You told me I needed to decide who I am and what kind of person I want to be. Well, I want to be a person who is there for his friends and family. I’m a big boy, and I think I can shoulder the responsibility heaped on me, with the help of my friends, that is.”
Hunter moved next to Gameknight’s side and put a hand on his shoulder. Herder and Stitcher then moved to his side. They all looked at Gameknight999 and gave him a smile, then turned and looked at Monkeypants271.
“You don’t get it,” his father said. “If you were to die, then—”
“No, you don’t get it,” Gameknight snapped. “If I run away from my friends and just let them perish here in The End, then what kind of person am I?” He took a step closer to his father and lowered his voice. “Is that the kind of child you raised? One who would just run away when things got hard? One who would abandon his friends when they needed help?” He paused as Monkeypants considered his words, then continued. “These are the people I care about. If I abandon them, then I will regret it for the rest of my life. Is that what you want for me?”
Gameknight sighed. He felt trapped. The idea of battling an Ender Dragon again scared him all the way down to his toes, but he had no choice; he had to stay and help his friends. And then the realization hit him—this was probably how Monkeypants felt. His dad didn’t want to travel, but he had to take care of his family and was willing to do anything he needed to do to make sure that they were safe, and fed, and had a roof over their heads. Even if it meant traveling all over the country to sell his inventions, his dad was willing to do it. Gameknight now understood that his dad had no choice; he had to be away from home to do what he needed to do, to sell his inventions.
A new appreciation for his father filled Gameknight. He was proud of him and was about to say something when the dragon roared in the distance. Turning to the sound, he could just barely make out the mighty beast in the darkness as it carved a graceful arc in the sky.
Monkeypants looked up at the dragon in the distance, then back to his son, worry and uncertainty still showing in his monkey-eyes.
“I knew all along that I’d need to stand up to the Ender Dragon to save Crafter, even though that monster terrifies me, but I don’t care. All that matters is that I need to help my friends.” He moved next to his father and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Will you stand with me?”
Monkeypants smiled and a look of pride came across his square face.
“Let’s do this,” his father said. “How do you say it? GO, MINECRAFT!”
“No, it’s for Minecraft,” Gameknight corrected, rolling his eyes.
Hunter laughed.
“Oh, sorry,” Monkeypants said, then drew his sword. “FOR MINECRAFT!”
“FOR MINECRAFT!” the others yelled as they ran toward the first obsidian pillar, the Ender Dragon’s terrible roar echoing overhead.
CHAPTER 30
THE FIRST ENDER CRYSTAL
They sprinted toward the nearest obsidian pillar. Because the pillars of dark stone are randomly generated, one never knew how tall or how many of them there would be in The End. Smiling, Gameknight could see that the nearest was a small one, only four blocks across and short—good. They could get this one with arrows.
As they ran, Gameknight scanned the sky for purple eyes. He knew the dragon was watching them, planning when to strike, and he had to be ready. Then he saw them, the two blazing orbs of purple hatred. The dragon was coming in low, close to the ground, hoping to avoid detection.
“Digger, to the left,” Gameknight said as he pulled out his bow. Digger did the same. “Hunter, Stitcher, focus on the ender crystal. Digger and I will keep the dragon busy.”
Peeling off from the rest of the party, Gameknight999 and Digger ran straight for the dragon, arrows notched. As it neared, its terribly sharp white teeth could be seen against its black skin. It snarled, then beat its huge leathery wings, making the gray spikes that ran down its back curve like some kind of armored snake. The dragon sped up, beating its wings even harder while it gnashed its frightening teeth together.
“Ready?” Gameknight said.
Digger just grunted as he loosed his arrow, Gameknight’s following close behind.
Not waiting to see if they hit, the pair continued to fire, their pointed shafts arcing through the air in a graceful curve. The first few landed short, but as they closed the distance, their projectiles began hitting their target. Gameknight’s third arrow pierced a wing while Digger’s fourth found a shoulder. The dragon roared in pain and dove at them, seeking revenge.
As Digger kept firing, Gameknight put away his bow and drew his two swords. Charging straight at the monster, he yelled at the top of his lungs.
“FOR CRAFTER!”
His ferocious charge, coupled with the damage the dragon was taking from Digger’s arrows, made the monster break away and seek out the closest ender crystal. It approached the nearest pillar. Instantly, a purple beam of light shot out from the dancing crystal, but as the dragon neared, the crystal exploded.
“Take that!” Hunter shouted as her arrow found its target.
The dragon flashed red as the exploding crystal sent blast damage up the purple shaft of light, injuring the dragon even more. The monster roared in anger and pain, then curved and sought out another crystal.
“Hurry, it will be back soon,” Gameknight said. “Let’s get to the next one.”
Gameknight followed the dragon to the next pillar. It was a tall one, maybe thirty blocks high. As they neared the next pillar, healing beams of light shot out to the dragon from the neighboring crystals, rejuvenating the beast until its HP was back to full. When it was healed, it turned and dived toward the intruders.
“Get ready to scatter,” the User-that-is-not-a-user shouted. “He’s coming in fast!”
Gameknight could hear the twang of Hunter’s bow, Stitcher’s adding to the melody, but the dragon was flying too fast and their shots were all missing.
The dragon was now like a winged missile, streaking straight at him, but Gameknight knew that the monster had traded agility for speed. It was going so fast that it wouldn’t be able to turn quickly.
“Swords out!” Gameknight yelled.
The monster was getting closer. He could now see the dark pupils within the blazing lavender eyes.
“SCATTER!” he shouted.
Everyone shot out in a different directions and dove to the ground, except for Gameknight999, who stood his ground. With his two swords extended, he ran toward his attacker, yelling at the top of his lungs.
The dragon smiled and beat his wings even harder. The User-that-is-not-a-user saw the monster reach out with its pointed talons, ready to tear into his prey. But at the last instant, Gameknight laid on the ground and extended his two swords straight upwards. His pointed swords dragged across the dragon’s stomach as it flew over his body, its dark claws lightly scratching across his chest plate. As it zipped over his head, Gameknight999 saw it flash red, his weapons tearing its long dark body.
The monster roared in frustration as it climbed into the air.
Smiling, Gameknight stood and continued to run toward the pillar.
“Look out!” Monkeypants yelled.
Looking over his shoulder, Gameknight found the dragon almost upon him. It hadn’t flown off to get healed. Instead, it turned and attacked.
Rolling to the side, Gameknight avoided its sharp claws, but as the dragon passed, the monster whipped its long, pointed tail. It smashed into Gameknight’s chest, knocking him to the ground and filling him with pain. Struggling for air, the User-that-is-not-a-user tried to get up, but found he was too stunned to stand.
The dragon roared.
It was coming closer. Gameknight could hear its panting breath getting near. Then a twang sounded, followed by another and another. The dragon roared as arrows struck his body, making him flash red. Leaping into the air, it flew off toward its ender crystals and their healing rays. But as it soared upward, the creature glared hatefully down at Gameknight999, its eyes burning with purple fire.
Finally able to stand, Gameknight turned and faced his friends. He rubbed the diamond chest plate and knew the armored coating had probably just saved his life.
“We have to hurry,” he said.
“Are you OK?” his father asked. “It looked like the dragon hit you.”
“Yeah, I’m OK. Let’s get these crystals.”
They ran to the nearest pillar and stood at its base. It seemed impossibly tall. Gameknight knew he had to go up there and destroy the crystal; their bows would not reach. Pulling out a stack of End Stone, he jumped up into the air and placed a block under his feet, then paused for a moment. He looked at his friends.
“Digger, I’ll come down either on this side or the opposite side, be ready,” Gameknight said.
Digger nodded, then grabbed Herder’s arm and whispered into his ear.
“What’s happening?” Monkeypants asked. “Is this dangerous?”
“Of course not,” Hunter added. “Gameknight does this all the time.”
“Yep,” his son replied with a smile.
“Come on, Monkeypants, you’re with us,” Hunter said. “Our job is to encourage the dragon to go away.”
“Treebrin, Grassbrin,” Gameknight shouted. “Go out and plant grass and trees all across the land. It will confuse the dragon about where we are.”
“It willll be donnne,” Grassbrin said.
Treebrin grumbled something unintelligible, then the two light-crafters ran off. Pausing for just an instant, they placed blocks of dirt on the ground, then brought forth lush plants that grew long and tall on the barren landscape.
