The Infection – Book 4

Chapter 5 – WonderWriter2000 and the Land of Dreams (and friends)

 

“Are you going to pass out?” Was the first thing Gameknight999 heard that morning.

Hunter frowned at him. “You don’t look so good. Are you feeling alright? Do you need some water?” Gameknight scowled. Of course he wasn’t alright. Last night, he had barely slept, he had experienced part of the most disturbing childhood he had ever dreamed of, his friend had almost died a miserable death and didn’t know it, and then he had walked out on her, and he was confused and afraid and constantly panicking, and this was during one of the most depressing times of his life, and he had been given no rest for weeks. So, no, he was not and had every reason not to be alright.

“I’m fine,” He snapped.

“No, you’re not. You look like you just broke down a Nether fortress with one hand tied behind your back while skeletons shot at you. I heard from some of the guards about last night in the castle. Is everyone alright? And don’t say they’re fine.”

Gameknight’s scowl deepened. His tired face was somewhere between a pale white and an ashy gray and there were heavy bags under his blue eyes. His dark hair was knotted and messy, and his clothes were rumpled and creased.

“I heard about Wonder,” Hunter said gently. Gameknight rubbed his eyes. “If Sky hadn’t been there, and hadn’t gotten there as fast as she had, Wonder would have been toast.” Hunter glared at him. “I mean, she wouldn’t have survived!” Hunter just sighed and gave him a sad look. “You had to break the Land of Dreams thing to her, huh?” Gameknight nodded. “How did she take it?” Gameknight shook his head. Hunter sighed again.

 Digger suddenly appeared from behind, laying a huge hand on Gameknight’s shoulder. “I’m assuming that didn’t go according to plan.” Gameknight sighed, staring at the grassy ground. “I didn’t do very well. I didn’t mean to, but she said…” He swallowed, his voice becoming very quiet. “She saw Crafter. He…” The User-that-is-not-a-user felt a single tear slide down his face, and he quickly wiped it away. Digger slipped his arm all the way around his grieving friend, squeezing gently. “It will be alright,” He said in a reassuring voice that wasn’t completely sure. “We’ll figure this out, just like we have before. Nothing will bring this village apart.” Gameknight smiled gratefully up at his companion, leaning his head gently on the large man’s shoulder. He’s the true leader here, Gameknight thought wistfully. I’m too scared to do anything, but Digger is so strong and so encouraging. He’ll be the one to fix it, not me. He winced.

   “Gameknight!” A chirpy voice called from the other end of the square. Wonder came bounding towards them, a huge grin on her face. “Good morning! Oh, gosh, you look awful!” Digger and Hunter were gaping at her face. The entire left side was swelled up and bruised, as if she had been in a fist fight and lost. One eye had doubled in size and was completely shut. “Oh, ignore me!” Wonder laughed. “It’ll heal. And that’s not important!” Gameknight stared at her in bewilderment as she plowed right on with her story.

“Gameknight-you-will-not-believe-what-I-figured-out!” She gasped for air. “Herobrine did tell me something! But it wasn’t a plan at all! He was boasting about how he was going to take over Minecraft, and his exact words were ‘And then no one will be able to stop me. I will spread across this landscape until I take my revenge on them, for causing my defeat… and no potion, person, or power will take me from ruling all.’” Her eyes lit up. “He gave me an idea! Isn’t that great?”

   Hunter stared at her blankly. “That’s a very cheery statement, but I don’t get it,” She announced. “The potion!” Wonder screeched. Gameknight made a mental note to catch her if she suddenly collapsed. “Remember what we used on Erebus, to keep him from teleporting? That’s what we need! And if my calculations are correct,” She yanked a book filled with agitated scribbles out of her inventory and shook it wildly. “Then it should spread to all of his bodies once one is infected! He would be reduced to nothing but a regular NPC!”

  Gameknight felt a tiny seedling of hope sprout within him. “So if we just made more of these potions…” Wonder looked proudly at the User-that-is-not-a-user. “Then we could defeat him!” Digger ran his fingers through his hair in amazement. “Wonder, this is amazing!” Wonder nodded. “I’ve been up all night, ever since Gameknight and Sky left. I already told Harvester and Morgana, and they’re starting the first batch as we speak.” She looked up at the sun. “In fact, they should be almost done as we speak. Just wanted to check in!” She began to spin around. “Woah,” Digger said, grabbing her shoulder firmly. “Don’t run out on us, now. Are you alright? You’re a bit… ah…” Wonder nodded and took a few calming breaths. “Thanks,” She said, the slightly deranged smile on her face. “I feel sort of ah, most definitely. When I went to ask about the potion early this morning I asked for healing for my face, which as I’m sure you can imagine is very painful. I also have no sight in my left eye, and Morgana says it has a seventy-five percent chance of coming back! Anyway, Harvester gave me something she made herself for bruises and possibly permanent injuries, only when she gave me the bottle I drank the whole thing which I wasn’t supposed to do. Now everything’s spinning and I’m supposed to get an antidote as soon as I get back to the cast- the casssss.” She stumbled slightly and Digger leapt closer and caught her as she tipped. “Thanks, Gameknight,” She mumbled while her one open eye spun around lazily.

   “No problem,” Gameknight said.

    A presence suddenly appeared beside them and Sky came into sight, her ever present sword positioned in her hand. Wonder sat up quickly, a look of pure determination on her blocky face. “I must leave,” She gasped dramatically. And before Gameknight could try to suppress his laughter, she had disappeared. And now she was already running back in the direction of the castle. “See you later!” She yelled over her shoulder. Sky looked back at the disappearing woman. “Well, she’s perky,” the glowing-eyed girl noted. Hunter laughed. “Thanks to you,” The archer praised. “You saved her from turning into froast!” Gameknight groaned. “Toast! Hot bread!” Digger gave a huge booming laugh.

“I’ll be in the crafting chamber,” He informed them as he headed for the watchtower. “You should probably go catch Little Miss Loopy before she tumbles off the highest tower.” He drew his pickaxe, throwing the huge diamond tool over one shoulder as if it were made of paper. “I’ll make sure everything is going smoothly,” Digger called back. Gameknight groaned, rubbing his sore eyes. “Lovely,” he muttered under his breath. Digger smirked and walked towards the watchtower.

    “Tell me about it,” Hunter said, rolling her eyes as she began the trek through the village at a fast pace. “I’ll be in the crafting chamber,” She mocked in a ridiculously low voice. “And what are you standing around for? You’re the User-that-is-not-a-user, for Notches sake! That deranged lady won’t save herself! Now, come on.” She began to pull him the same way Wonder had gone. “But afterwards we can rest, right?” He asked, glancing pleadingly at the closely following Sky. “You know what we have to do,” Hunter said firmly. “This whole battle will continue to happen, until your white-eyed friend wears us down! This could be it! Now let’s go find her!” She let go of his hand and beckoned him forward. “Wait, what are you talking about?” He stammered as Sky narrowed her eyes and drew her sword once more. “Obviously Wonder has no clue on how the Land of Dreams works. Which is why we,” She hooked arms with her befuddled friend, “have to teach her. Now hurry! Before our newest casualty falls out the window!”

  Gameknight sighed. He just wanted to go back to his bed and curl up in the dark, hiding from the responsibilities and pain that seemed to follow him everywhere. But he couldn’t just leave, lest he be seen as even less in his friends eyes. So Gameknight999 begrudgingly walked alongside Hunter.

  “What are you talking about?” Sky called out, teleporting to catch up. No one answered.

  They arrived in the castle and took the steep stairs down towards the basement. The entrance to the potion lab was a plain spruce door set in a stone wall. A sign reading ‘Morgana’ had been placed above the door, but someone had written below it ‘and Harvester’ in bright blue dye. Boldly, Hunter stepped forward and banged on the door.

  “Oh, come in! Come in!” A scratchy voice grumpily called out from somewhere in the chamber beyond. “We’ve already had so many visitors, we might as well take in a few more!” Hunter opened the door and stepped inside, undeterred by the angry voice. Inside was a large room with stone walls and a curved roof. Down the middle was a long row of brewing stands with rows of chests and cauldrons lining the walls.

   At the far end a staircase had been carved into the earth, sunlight streaming in from above. A Nether portal was visible as well, purple particles flowing outward into the air only to be pulled back into the shimmering field by some unseen force. A dark door led towards a pitch black room- who knew where that went?

   In the middle of the torch lit cavern, WonderWriter2000 stood next to a stooped old woman. The elder was wearing a purple robe with a green stripe, a black hat with an emerald set in the middle, and a disapproving scowl. Wonder barely looked up at the newcomers, her eyes marveling at a bottle she was holding up to the light. “Back when I lived in the swamp,” Morgana began grumpily, “I didn’t have to worry about my laboratory becoming a tourist site!”

   A young girl came running out of the dark room, all smiles as she stared at the User-that-is-not-a-user. “Oh, they’re friends, Morgana dear. Don’t be so negative, remember?” Harvester ran up and flung her arms around Gameknight’s waist, squeezing so hard he had to gasp for air. “Missed you too,” He managed to choke out when she finally stepped back. Harvester wore a stained tan smock with an almost golden stripe running down the middle, like the color of wheat when ripe and ready to be picked. Her light brown hair was just down to her shoulders, and her grass green eyes stared worriedly up into Gameknight’s tired face. “Stay right there,” She said sternly, and then ran off towards one of the chests. She reappeared a moment later with a bottle full of red liquid. “Drink,” She ordered. Gameknight felt reassured as soon as the potion touched his lips, strength returning to his sore muscles. He smiled down at the short girl, feeling rejuvenated and slightly more at peace. “Still playing around with those mixed potions, huh?” She nodded, pushing a lock of unruly hair out of her eyes. “Why do you need more of the teleportation potion?” Sky perked up at these words, confusion evident on her face.

   “Guys! Look at this!” Wonder yelled from her spot farther into the room, a smile on her blocky face. She waved the bottle overhead, walking towards them at a brisk pace. Fortunately, it seemed the antidote had been administered as soon as she had arrived. “One of twenty-three!” She crowed happily. Morgana grumbled. “I wasted half my supply of ender pearls on all of her ‘extras’,” The old witch griped. “How many do you need to wipe out one person?”

  Hunter shuddered. “A lot,” She said. Wonder nodded her head excitedly. She grinned and tossed the potion to Sky, who nimbly caught it and stared down at the purple liquid in confusion. Before she could ask for an explanation, Wonder had spun on her heel and faced Gameknight once more. “Harvester and Morgana work fast! I was just going to come and show you… but you popped up anyway!“

   “And a good thing, too,” Gameknight interrupted. “Harvester, why on Earth… ah, the Overworld would you let her wander off while she was like that?” Harvester glared at Wonder. “I didn’t,” She said crossly. “She ran for the hills as soon as I turned around!” Wonder just shrugged, obviously not sorry.

  Morgana scoffed. “No one has answered my question! Why has no one answered my question?” Wonder laughed. “Alright, alright. We need lots of potions in case I was wrong and the effect doesn’t-“

  A large bang! erupted around the room. All heads whipped towards the sound, ears ringing. Sky was standing crossly next to a cauldron, her arms crossed and her sword in hand. “What are you talking about?!” She snapped. “Why do you need a teleportation potion? Tell me!” A look of fierceness emitted from her, and the scowl she was wearing was anything but pleasant. “Now,” She added. The four others shared a look, slightly afraid of the angry sword-bearer. When no one else stepped forward Gameknight sighed for the billionth time that day and stepped forward, dropping to one knee to be closer to her face. “When we had Erebus in the village, we used a certain potion on him,” He explained. Sky nodded, her hair partially obscuring her face. She pushed away the strand and raised her eyebrow. Gameknight smiled. “We think we can use the same potion to help stop your-“

  A look of panic came over Sky’s face and her wide eyes spun a turbulent shade of light purple. She clamped her hands over her ears and then squeezed her eyes shut, just for good measure. “La la la, I’m not listening!” She shouted. Gameknight stood up and backed away, bewildered and partially blind at the strange sight. “What’s wrong, kiddo?” Hunter asked. The tall girl glared fiercely at them, still pressing her palms against the side of her head. “You can’t tell me your plan!” Gameknight999 gave her an odd look. “Why not?” Sky huffed. “He’ll get it out of me! Then he’ll know everything and sabotage you!” And as this revelation was voiced yet another… yes, the User-that-is-not-a-user sighed with exhaustion. When was she going to feel safe?

  “Sky, you’re alright here!” He said. “No one will hurt you, not as long as you’re with me.” Understanding passed over Harvester’s face and she went over and comfortingly wrapped one arm around her comrade, who quickly removed herself from the touch. “No one can get into the village, I promise,” Harvester continued, returning her arm to her side. “As long as Gameknight is here, Herobrine wouldn’t dare to come.”

   “No, no, no!” Sky snapped, trying hard to muffle all sound. And then she suddenly disappeared, her frightened eyes the last things to fade away. Gameknight slumped, a look of defeat in his tired eyes. “She’ll be back later,” He promised as he turned towards his friends. Wonder had a worried look on her blocky face. Morgana was the first to speak up. “Strange child,” She pondered, partly to them but mostly to herself. “Good witching material, you know. She could be one of the greats. The name needs work, though.” Harvester sighed. “Don’t be rude, Morgana,” She reprimanded. “Come on, let’s let them talk.” Harvester took her mentor’s arm and they both disappeared into the dark room beyond.

   “Think she’ll be ok?” Hunter asked as soon as they were alone, a tone of uncommon seriousness in her voice. Wonder nodded. “She’s tough. She will turn out just fine, and once all of this drama works out she can have a real life here. That is, if she wants to stay.” Both young women turned towards Gameknight999. What are they looking at me for? He thought. I don’t know what the kid is going to do! His lack of ideas must have shown on his face, because they both continued on with their conversation after a short pause.

   Gameknight felt awkward and useless, trying to be as silent as possible. “We still have something to do,” Hunter was saying. Wonder smiled and tried to look calm, but she involuntarily touched the bruise next to her eye. “What?” “You can travel through the Land of Dreams now,” Hunter continued. “If you go again, even if on purpose, you need to know how to move around and stay safe. We need to be sure that nothing else like this ever happens again. Which is exactly why Gameknight and I will teach you!” Gameknight was suddenly pulled out of his stupor at the mention of his name. “Wait, what? Oh… oh, that. Yeah.” He didn’t sound very convincing.

  Wonder looked terrified at returning to the scene of her nightmare, but she took a deep breath. “Okay.” “Really?” Gameknight asked. “You’re not, like, scared?” Wonder laughed and grabbed his arm. “I’m absolutely terrified. But better have a panic attack now than die later, I always say!” With the confused User-that-is-not-a-user in tow, they headed for the door and the surface.

 

Hunter’s house was in the center of the village. From the front window the well was visible, with NPCs flooding around it like the water filled structure was a rock in the middle of a river. Hunter opened the door to her small home with a flourish, dramatically flipping her hair over one shoulder. “Is this a good idea?” Gameknight asked. Wonder looked nervously on. “Maybe Gameknight is right,” She said hurriedly. “We can always come back later, or, something.”

  Hunter laughed. “Yeah, I’m not waiting for that,” She dismissed. “Come on! What, are you scared?” Gameknight huffed. “No! I’m just… apprehensive.” She snorted. “Wonder is too!” He whined, pointing at his purple eyed friend. This sent Hunter into hysterics. She rolled her eyes. “Geez, you think that I was suggesting we try to swim in lava. Come on! Nothing’s gonna happen!” She pointed Wonder towards Stitchers bed.

  “What about me?” Gameknight asked, looking at the two beds.

“You can have the floor.”

“But- But-“ He cried. “Can’t I go back to my own room? And actually sleep? I think I should probably actually sleep.”

Hunter pointed at the ground.

He laid on the ground.

  “Great! Now how do we get there?” Wonder chirped as soon as she had flopped onto Stitcher’s bed. “Just close your eyes and let your mind drift,” Hunter instructed. “You’ll get there. It’s the place between the waking world and the sleeping one.” Wonder frowned, going quiet for a moment. “I’m a bad sleeper,” She complained. Hunter groaned from her bed in the opposite corner. “Figure it out!”

Hunter was the first to go. Her breathing became slow and rhythmical and her face became peaceful and calm. The User-that-is-not-a-user sighed and stretched his arms out behind his head. Gameknight could feel himself slipping as well. He was exhausted. Maybe this would be over soon, and he could go to his room in the castle, and sleep for real…

   Gameknight999 was sitting up on the floor of Hunter’s home, but mist swirled around him and everything was somewhat dreamy and unreal, like a world from a fantasy novel. Hunter stared confidently at him from across the room with a smug look on her square face. She was already standing with an enchanted bow in her hands, iron armor rippling with magic clothing her body. Gameknight looked back into the mist. Wonder was still lying on the bed but looked partly transparent- she was not present in the Land of Dreams. “Just be patient,” Hunter said. “She’ll get here.” Gameknight nodded and stood, envisioning a diamond sword into each hand.

  Hunter was right. They watched as Wonder’s face became more and more peaceful and then suddenly, she was there. WonderWriter2000 stood up quickly and looked around frantically, expecting Herobrine to pop out of the mist at any moment. “It’s alright!” Gameknight said. “We’re right here.” Wonder relaxed as soon as she saw her friends. Then she was frustrated again. “There! How did you do that?” She yelled, gesturing at their weapons. “Where do you get it?”

  Hunter stepped forward. “It’s simple,” She said. “First, to get items, all you have to do is imagine having them.” Wonder looked at her doubtfully. “That’s it?” She asked. Hunter nodded. “Yep. Just think about having-“ A set of sparkling diamond armor formed around Wonder, a diamond sword sparkling in her hand. Enchantments cascaded down the diamond surfaces, enough to throw small colorful sparks into the air. Hunter did a double take, blinking rapidly and staring in awe at her pupil. “You catch on fast,” She said with a smile. Wonder shrugged. “It was easy,” She said truthfully. “Just make the mist become what you want it to be.” 

Gameknight999 frowned. “The mist?” He asked. Wonder nodded, tossing the sword from hand to hand. “The items are made out of the mist,” Her violet eyes sparkled in the light from her magical weapons. “In fact, everything here that we see is actually the mist. Can’t you hear it?” Wonder tilted her head slightly and stared past the others, her eyes glazing over slightly. “It’s like a sort of buzzing, I think,” She began slowly. “But… no, it’s a song. Or a conversation, but I don’t know with whom. I can’t explain.” She shifted her gaze to Gameknight and Hunter. “You hear this, don’t you?” Gameknight shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” He said. “Sounds? I don’t hear anything. Are you sure you aren’t listening to the Music of Minecraft?” Wonder shook her head.

  “This is different,” She struggled to explain. “This is… older. More powerful, but it lets you use some of that power, if you ask.” She nodded to their items. “Like that. Can’t you sense it? It’s the mist, really, just in a different form. But that isn’t everything you can do.” And just like that, she disappeared, only to reappear behind them. “Come on!” She laughed, grabbing onto both of them. The group disappeared, then reappeared somewhere none of them had ever seen before. It was a rocky cliff scattered with spruce trees. Beyond the cliff a gray, roaring ocean splashed against the cliff and behind was a huge mountain stretching up into the swirling clouds overhead. “But how are you doing this?” Hunter asked, finally regaining her voice. “Dream-walking has run in my family for generations, and no one has ever mentioned these things you speak of. Like the buzzing, and the mist. The mist is just there, it isn’t the actual place!” 

  Wonder laughed, and it was full of life and contentment. “That’s where you’re wrong,” She said. “Watch!” WonderWriter2000 reached out with her hands. It looked like she was holding the mist, and oddly enough, it started to twist and contort into shapes. The figures took color and depth, until an image was visible in the mist. It was the same thing Sky had done in the Land of Dreams the night before, and Gameknight recognized the scene. 

Wonder, Sky, Gameknight, and Digger were standing in the village square.

Wonder threw her hands up in the air. “I give up!” She shouted. “You’re never going to listen! Why am I still trying?” She started to stalk off.

   “Gameknight!” Digger boomed, weaving through the crowd. Gameknight sighed. Why can’t anyone leave me alone? He thought angrily. “Yes?” He replied. Wonder spun around, her mouth gaping. “Seriously?” She shrieked. “I try to get your attention for twenty minutes, and as soon as Digger says something you- oh, never mind!” Digger ignored her and continued to walk toward Gameknight. “We need to talk,” He said, lowering his voice slightly. “Things are happening, and all the village elders are getting worried.” Dread kneaded Gameknight’s soul. This was exactly what he was afraid of.

 Wonder seemed to understand their need for privacy. “Come on, Sky,” She said, gently tugging on the girl’s arm. “Let’s go.” Sky pulled her arm away. “No! I want to stay,” She whimpered. Wonder sighed, exasperated. “What are you so scared of?” She asked. Sky froze, her eyes darting around. “Him,” The girl whispered. “Him?” Digger asked. “As in your… ah…”

“How are you doing that?” Hunter yelled. “Is it magic?” Wonder paused the scene, and the figures froze. “No,” She was beaming. “Just tell the mist what you want to happen, and it does the rest.” 

  Hunter looked ready to explode from confusion and shock. “But- but- but what?” She sputtered. “I mean, how? It makes no sense!” She whirled around to look at Gameknight. “Have you ever seen anything like this?”

Gameknight just laughed. Hunter rolled her eyes. “Well, I guess we don’t need to teach you anymore, Miss Mist-controller,” Hunter said sarcastically. “Any last comments on the subject?” Wonder shook her head, staring upward at the fog covered mountain with awe in her eyes. “Can I stay for a little while longer?” She begged. “I want to explore.” Hunter sighed and then laughed. “Oh, why not? You can go, Gameknight, since you’re feeling so anti-social anyway.” Gameknight felt his face burn with embarrassment. Wonder wasn’t paying any attention, moving her hands once more through the mist made scene. 

Gameknight999 gave a deep sigh, then nodded and closed his eyes. Concentrating hard, he focused on returning to his sleeping body, imagining waking and rising, until he felt himself slowly…

Gameknight999 sat up on the wooden floor of Hunter and Stitcher’s home. Wonder and Hunter were still lying on the two beds, breathing deeply. Gameknight quietly stood and walked through the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click. Once more in the warm sunlight, he stood still for a moment, unsure on what to do. For a moment, he stared around at the village as preparation for whatever came next continued. No one stopped to talk, for they all had jobs to do and a determination to do them. The only sound was that of crunching gravel and shrieks from somewhere up in the sky.

  Gameknight suddenly leapt in alarm and began scanning the sky, only to calm down once more. It was only Comet and Hail, the young phantoms that had been staying at the village. The brother and sister had insisted on helping the User-that-is-not-a-user, since they needed to keep watch in case their queen Soar appeared. The giant phantom had been taken over by Herobrine, and had been under his spell for months. Gameknight had seen her briefly in the Land of Dreams and still shivered at the thought of those angry green eyes.

  Comet and Hail were flying through the air on unseen gusts of wind, laughing and chasing each other. Hail did a flip to show off, and Gameknight could see the light blue sun-protective scales covering her back. This was another one of the secrets kept from normal users- the phantoms could fly just as easily during the day as at night, as long as they had time to reveal their strong outer shell.

  Gameknight smiled as he watched the two happy monsters. He could see villagers glancing upward as well, the airborne game bringing joy to all. The sun was just starting its westward trek, it was past noon. Gameknight hurried towards the watchtower. He wanted to check and make sure that everything was running smoothly, that nothing had gone wrong while he was away.

I hate all this responsibility! He thought. Why couldn’t everything have stayed calm and peaceful this time? Instead, I come into Minecraft and everything blows up in my face! He felt angry, not at the villagers, but at Minecraft. Why can’t you just stay safe? He inwardly snapped. The lives that have been lost never stop growing, and for what? You just keep finding a new problem… causing more trouble and forcing me to solve these issues all over again. A rage was building within the User-that-is-not-a-user, red hot and ready to ignite. Just stop it! JUST STOP!!

Gameknight999 suddenly stopped. He had reached the entrance to the room before the crafting chamber without realizing. He had walked the path to the watchtower and down the tunnel by memory, instead focusing on his thoughts. Now he was here.

A wave of sadness crashed down upon him, putting out the fire of his anger with a hiss of steam. He missed his friend, Crafter, missed his encouraging words and quotes. Gameknight missed the ever present sparkle in Crafter’s eyes, his constant flow of stories and the feeling of a warm hand on his shoulder. Crafter was never mad or disappointed, and when everything was out of control he was the one who kept things calm. Now everything was complicated and new things were popping up all the time. First the Far Lands, then Void, then Wonder, then Herobrine, then Herobrine even stronger than before and Sky suddenly an unrecognizable piece of the puzzle with seemingly no place.

Gameknight removed the old blue book from his inventory, where it had been patiently waiting. Maybe he should read the Far Lands Prophecy book. Calm reading would do him some good.

Help will be sent to the User-that-is-not-a-user long before this happens. 

There will be a savior.

The Hero.

 

“What does this mean?” Gameknight asked. “I’ve been watching and waiting for a long time now, and I still don’t know what the Hero or even this prophecy is about. Why didn’t I ask you?” Gameknight leaned against the wall and slid until he was resting on the stone floor. “I was an idiot,” He mumbled more to himself than to anything. “I never asked you or anyone else about this book. I just let it sit here, waiting.” Gameknight flipped through the pages of the book. The volume was thick and worn, filled with hundreds of stories and having been held by hundreds of hands. The User-that-is-not-a-user felt a strange power within the pages, like he was traveling back in time with every crease of the paper. Gameknight999 held the Prophecy book gently in his hand. He stood and moved towards the door of the crafting chamber, then hesitated. Inside he could see Digger orchestrating the huge mass of workers, minecarts zipping along the rails weaving through the room. Everything looks alright, Gameknight thought to himself. He turned towards the dark tunnel carved into the wall near him. That passage led to the keep of his castle. Gameknight thought for a moment before making his decision and turning away from the iron doors. Maybe he didn’t need to be around people and try to fix his problems. Maybe he just needed to be alone.

 

The Infection – Book 4

Chapter 6 – Alone

 

Gameknight999 read for a very long time.

Lying in bed with the window shutters closed, he kept his eyes glued to the blue Prophecy book, flipping carefully through the worn pages. There were hundreds of entries and retelling and histories. Each was written in a different hand, some with cramped letters and endless paragraphs and others with large words and short abrupt sentences. There were stories about past battles and places, letters that had been copied back down, diary entries that lasted a few days and pages and then ended, summaries of important events, other small prophecies that depicted future issues. But the author who wrote the most was the Listener.

The author who had written the small history talking about the real Prophecy, or at least, the one this book was about. The Listener, or whatever their real name was, wrote histories and secrets about things Gameknight999 had never heard of before. He flipped randomly through the book for hours, each page holding something entirely different. There were more stories every time he skimmed through, and he wanted to read them all.

It was hunger that drove him out more than everything.

  He had been completely lost in the pages until his stomach started to growl. Searching his inventory, he quickly realized that he had already eaten all that he had. For a while, he tried to ignore it. But after over twenty minutes, he couldn’t stand it any longer. Gameknight stood up and opened the shutters on his window, blinking at the sudden brightness of his room. The sun, which before had been almost at its zenith, was now invisible from his window. It was sinking behind the mountains and casting a warm red glow over the world outside. Gameknight rubbed the sleep from his eyes and then looked at the Prophecy book, which was almost purple in the sunset. Carefully tucking the book back into his inventory, Gameknight opened the door and stepped back into the hallway. He navigated the maze of passageways of his castle with ease, and soon found himself outside. Running towards the tunnel leading back to the village, he left the green grass of the courtyard behind and dived underground.

  When he finally crossed back into the village and arrived at the village center, he noticed his friends grouped together around the bell. He drew closer still, and after a moment could hear their voices. Hunter and Digger were arguing profusely, while Stitcher tried to keep the peace and Monet, Wonder, and Herder were deep in discussion.

  “Just ask them for more time!” Hunter was saying. “What are they going to do? Disconnect you from the Source?” Digger huffed indignantly. “You can’t just waltz up to the Council and ask for something you already have! And who knows what they’ll do if we’re here by the end of the week when they come and check?” Hunter laughed. “Sure, a bunch of crafters are gonna come and throw us in the Void.” Stitcher looked horrified. “Hunter!” Hunter ignored her younger sibling. “Who’s coming, anyway? They can’t all come.” Digger hissed with anger. “The top crafters of the server,” He said. “At least, that’s what they said when I talked to them.”

  “Ah ha!” Hunter exclaimed, pointing fiercely at her friend. “So you can talk to them!” Digger threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. “They contacted us!”

 “Gameknight!” Stitcher gasped with relief, noticing her friend. “Where have you been?” “Ah,” Gameknight stammered, slightly afraid of joining the group. “In the- in the castle. What’s happening here?” Hunter scoffed. “Digger won’t ask the Council of Crafter’s to give us more time,” She said indignantly. “That’s because the idea is ridiculous!” Digger snapped. “They would never agree! It would just upset them even more!”

  “Wouldn’t hurt to ask!” Hunter shot back. Digger opened his mouth to complain. Just then, a piercing whistle cut through the air. Gameknight whipped around to see Herder lowering his hands from his mouth. With a bark, two wolves believing they had been called rounded the corner and bounded up to their master. “While you two have been bickering,” Wonder said forcefully, effectively ending the argument, “we’ve been trying to think of a solution.” She gestured towards Monet, who proudly stepped forward. “Well, earlier I was thinking about how crafting powers have to be transferred,” She began. “Then I wondered if it was possible to get those from somewhere else. So I went to Grassbrin and Treebrin, and asked if it was possible for Villagerbrin to do anything like that.” She beamed, pushing a strand of blue hair behind one of her ears. “Turns out, they have a Crafterbrin!” She gestured towards her two companions. “We talked, and the only problem is…” She frowned. “We don’t know where he is. All the light-crafters split up after the battle at the Source, remember?”

   “He could be anywhere in the pyramid,” Herder piped up.

  “So then we thought about the powers themselves,” Monet continued. “I mean, what can a crafter do that another villager can’t?”

“Lots of things,” Digger said. “Call villagers to them, join a villager to a village, teleport items, activate the Source portal, give over the powers themselves, create a-“ Wonder waved her hands dismissively. “Not the point,” She snapped. “Crafter’s are just leaders of a village. Just give someone else the title!”

  “No, that would never be allowed,” Hunter said. “Anything else?” “Can we get another crafter to transfer their powers?” Herder asked sheepishly. Digger shook his head. “Not without losing their powers and condemning their village.” Monet shrugged. “That’s all we got,” She said apologetically. Stitcher groaned. “We might as well leave the village now and call it quits!” The group lapsed into arguing once more, leaving Gameknight to think.

   Something just didn’t feel right, like he was missing a piece. He looked around the group, as if expecting someone else to be there. Maybe Stitcher was right. Maybe they should just leave and go somewhere else, admit that they didn’t…

  “That’s it!” He yelled, startling the others and bringing all eyes to him. His face was shining, and for just a moment he was the old Gameknight999. “We don’t have a way to save the village, so let’s just leave it!”

  “He’s lost it,” Hunter said firmly. “We can’t just leave!” Monet stammered, looking horrified at the idea. “But why not?” Gameknight was bouncing up and down on his toes. “That would solve all of our problems! They can’t kick us out of a place we aren’t in!”

  “Hey, the kid’s onto something,” Wonder said, deep in thought. “In fact, if we don’t all die from starvation and secret monster militia’s and rebels with torches, it just might work!”

  Digger frowned. “I don’t know,” He said nervously. “I’m not sure if the Council would like that very much.” Hunter laughed. “Better their sore ego’s than our broken up village!” She crowed. “I can be packed by dawn!” Digger looked uncertain. Gameknight didn’t care. He closed his eyes and turned away, thinking through his new plan. They would take only what they needed… lots of horses, yes, but where to find them… and lots of TNT, and as many potions they could carry. But where would they go? They still didn’t have any idea where Herobrine was. He could be anywhere, and in multiple bodies he could be everywhere. But Herobrine loved taunting the NPCs of Minecraft with multiple trails of destruction. They had to do nothing but wait for news of a ruined village.

  These thoughts were all going through Gameknight’s brain, but something still felt wrong. Crafter’s absence felt like a painful needle in the back of his mind… or was it Crafter?

He was beginning to turn to ask if anyone was missing when his suspicions were confirmed. There was a loud rattling from behind, and Rakier suddenly ran into sight. The huge skeleton was panting from exertion, a look of desperation on his bony face. “User-that-is-not-a-user,” the monster gasped. “Do you know- where Sky- went?” Wonder spun around. “What?” Rakier gulped in air. “I’ve been looking for hours,” He said. “I can’t find her anywhere!”

  Two blue streaks dived down towards them, landing in a heap on the grass. “We’ve been looking too!” Hail squeaked, removing herself from her older brother’s wings. “But she didn’t come when we called!” Comet bobbed his head fiercely. “Did you check her room?” Wonder asked. All three mobs stopped. Rakier nervously adjusted his leather helmet. “Oh,” Comet said very, very quietly. Gameknight999, however, did not hear those quiet words. Gameknight was already moving.

  He sprinted for the tunnel, weaving between buildings and people. He traveled the underground passage in the blink of an eye, then shot out into the ending daylight. The sun was slowly setting behind the mountains, casting a reddish hue over the landscape and causing the obsidian castle to glow. Gameknight threw open the door to the main building and bolted up the staircase, desperately trying to remember the location of Void’s room. He could hear nothing but the blood in his ears. And then he skidded to a stop before a simple wooden door, ramming his shoulder into the oak panel and forcing it open.

  A moment later, Hunter and Stitcher appeared around the corner, followed closely by the rest of the group. Rakier and the phantoms came last, the skelton wringing his hands and mumbling. Comet and Hail were whispering complaints and whining about the low roof and tight passage, restricting their small wings from expanding. Monet rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her brother, who was staring dumbly through the opening in the wall. “Gameknight, what is it- oh! Oh, this is bad.” Rakier made a strange wheezing sob-like sound like he was breathing in toxic gas. He shoved forward and lurched into the small room.

  It was as if a wild animal had snuck in and had done its best to destroy the space itself. The room had been almost entirely empty except for a small bed and chest shoved in the corner. Now the chest was on its side, spilling unrecognizable items onto the floor. The bed’s wooden frame looked about ready to collapse in the middle and the blanket and pillow were shredded as if by some terrible beast with sharp claws. The wall was covered in deep gouges as if a blade had scratched its surface. The area was a war zone. Obviously, someone had been attacked and fought back. But who had won?

  The room was absolutely lifeless, Gameknight saw as he slowly crept inside. And then he gave an involuntary gasp as he glanced at the wall behind him. Rakier saw it as well and gave a wail of horror. Something red had been smeared on the cobblestone, making out a messy and dripping word. Gameknight could just barely make it out.

Gift

Underneath the word was a red handprint trailing down the wall, as if the owner’s arm had slipped down. Rakier’s eye sockets grew bigger and bigger, until he suddenly snapped into action and began to search around in the spilled items. “What are you doing?” Digger asked incredulously. The group was now completely gathered in the room beside Gameknight, staring at the strange word. “Where is it?” Rakier muttered to himself, on his hands and knees. “Where is it?”

  Wonder grabbed Gameknight’s arm, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Do you think it’s…” She said, looking at the red stain. Hunter stepped closer to the wall, her eyes narrowed. “Hmmm,” She said. She leaned in even closer, until her large boxy nose was almost touching the still damp spot. “Oh, Hunter, get back!” Stitcher moaned. “Oh, it’s too gross, it’s EW!” Hunter in less than a second had suddenly moved forward and licked the red smear. Her face contorted from the bitter taste. “Bleh,” She snapped, smacking her lips and reaching for a bottle of water. “That’s dye, alright.” Her friends were staring at her with horrified green expressions and many of them were keeling over, struggling to not throw up and to forget that moment. “What?” She asked. “Someone had to do it.”

    “I found it!” Came Rakier’s jubilant if not muffled cry from under the bed. He emerged, grinning despite the circumstances. “I’ve got it! Now what?” “Let me see it,” Hunter ordered, holding out her hand for the small object tightly wrapped in Rakier’s clenched fist. He carefully handed it to her, handle first. It was a dagger, a small yet lethal weapon about the length of Gameknight’s outstretched hand. It had a short wooden handle and a jagged edged blade, made from the purest of crystal. “She made this a while back,” Rakier babbled. “Back when Herobrine was trying to control her mind… she wasn’t thinking right… something about it being a gift for the User-that-is-not-a-user, but that was before, I mean, so…”

  Gameknight stopped listening. He carefully took the dagger from Hunter. It was a beautiful weapon, and the crystal caught the light in a thousand colors. But why would she leave him this?

   He didn’t stop to dwell on it. All previous thoughts of solutions and escaping had left his mind. Void was gone, kidnapped, and he had done nothing.

An aching sadness spread through him once more. What was wrong with him? He knew that Void was more powerful than she seemed, and was a powerful asset, which Herobrine knew as well. Of course her father would come back for her- she had been right all along. He should have sent someone with her, protected her… but it was too late. The poor, poor, girl.

   “Gameknight? Are you alright?” Came someone’s voice. He felt numb to the world. The answer was no, he was most definitely not, and has every reason not to be, alright.

 

Later That Night

 

The stars twinkled high overhead, beautiful safe pinpricks of light. Sky wished she could grow wings and fly far, far away, and find out what stunning world the stars were hiding. But she couldn’t fly, and most likely wouldn’t be part of any world soon enough.

  She was in some dark village, nestled in the taiga. And this was where Herobrine was hiding. Every single one of him. She saw now that he had nearly fifty bodies, each with hateful white eyes and malicious smiles. She was being marched down the main street of the village by two of them, each with a firm and painful grip on her arm. The possessed bodies were lining the edge of the road, laughing and throwing insults at her, like she was a thief being dragged to the gallows. Intermixed with the Herobrine’s were slumped and tired slaves, NPC’s who were unlucky enough to be captured. These came from the taiga villages population and that of another village that had been taken over that afternoon. Not a single person had been able to escape, as the infected individuals had blocked off the minecart rails before doing anything else. The attack had been successful, the crafter killed, and the others turned into forced labor, infected, or exterminated.

   The slaves pleading eyes reached out for Sky, their tired bodies already looking overworked and starved. They would get much worse in the following days. She could see the watchtower coming closer, eerie white light pouring from the windows. There were more up there, waiting. Despite the pain in her arms and the evil faces, she kept her head up straight and made eye contact with everyone she passed. They were almost there.

  She was deposited on the ground in front of the tower, where a small one-block rise of dirt had been placed. He wanted a stage.

  Pop! A dark figure appeared in front of her, an eerie smile on his face. His smock seemed to soak in all the light around it, one gray stripe reflecting the silver moonlight. Black jagged shapes lined the edge of the clothing. Herobrine smiled down at her, one pale hand reaching out of his sleeve like a snake and wrapping around her wrist. He squeezed, sending pain shooting up her arm. “You didn’t think I would forget about my child, did you, Void?” He said almost as a lecture, the smile turning into a mock frown. “Not for an instant,” She hissed, eyes spinning with dangerous red light with black oily streaks swimming slowly through. Herobrine squinted slightly, his grasp tightening with anger. “Speak up, so the others can hear you,” He said threateningly. Sky fought the urge to scream the words into his face. Instead, in a overly loud voice, she asked “Why did you bring me here, Herobrine?” Her father’s smile crept back onto his face. “Multiple reasons,” He responded. “Bargaining chip, your impressive abilities, and information.” He stroked her cheek, causing her to recoil. “Tell me, Void. What are the User-that-is-not-a-user’s plans?” Sky shivered as he leaned in even closer. “I don’t know,” She said stubbornly. “I never heard anything.” Herobrine laughed. “But you did, Void. Gameknight999 would never expect me to take you from right under his nose, so of course he would tell you probably to get you’re advice or some other idiotic idea. And I know he has a plan, because he always has a plan. So what is it? A trap? A user army? Light-crafters?”

   Sky had to resist an urge to laugh. She knew that the group hadn’t come up with anything as complex as that- she really knew nothing. For once, Herobrine was overestimating Gameknight instead of underestimating. Oh, how the tables had turned.

Herobrine suddenly pinched her, hard, and brought her so close she could  smell his hot breath on her neck. “You will tell me or else I will get very, very angry. I would rather save my energy for bigger purposes than playing with a child, but believe me, push too hard and your cute little eyes will be watering very much. Do you understand what I am saying?” His eyes darted back and forth, burning white into her corneas. There was shadows under his eyes and a desperation to his haggard face. He was very stressed about something. Something new.

   Sky stared right into his eyes, no emotion present in her body as her voice raised steadily. “Do as much as you want, virus. I know nothing and will show no reaction however much pain you inflict upon me. You are wasting your time. Do you understand what I am saying, or is that squealing piggy mind to dumb to hear?” A collective gasp came from everywhere throughout the village and even far beyond it as fifty-three pairs of eyes glowed bright with rage. The Herobrine standing in front of Sky growled and slapped her across the face. She didn’t flinch. “You will not be so cocky come tomorrow, girl,” He yelled. “For now, I think we will test your so-called immunity. Soar, the phantom queen, happens to be a bit lonely and more than a little hungry. You will be very acquainted with her soon enough.” He paused and cocked his head slightly to one side, sending invisible messages to another body. A roar of pain and anger erupted from another side of the village. Sky felt one small twitch of fear deep within her at the malicious sound.“But one last thing!” Herobrine laughed. “I had these specially made for you.” Another body, this of a brown haired Metalworker, appeared with his arms full of heavy long chains.

   Sky’s stomach dropped and she began to breathe heavily. How did he know? How does he know? The infected worker threw the metal bundle at her. As soon as the first link touched her skin the chain magically came alive and wrapped itself tightly around her body like a constrictor, a dark serpent making its kill. They were made of dark metal, most likely Netherite, and weighed her down as if an anvil had been attached to her back. Her upper arms past her elbow were unable to move and her legs were partly pinned together. Her heavy breathing caused a sinister clinking sound as her new captor swayed back and forth.

There was a tightness in her chest as she couldn’t move, couldn’t get away, couldn’t stop it. Black rimmed her vision and tears stung her eyes. Her fingers twitched and pulled at the freezing metal.

Herobrine knelt down on one knee and looked straight into her face, his mouth turned up slightly at the corners. “Are you afraid, Void?” He asked, black hair rippling in the breeze. The spruce trees swayed menacingly and somewhere deep in the black forest a wolf howled. Sky tried to think of another remark, but it was all she could do to not start panicking. The shadows seemed to be whispering to her, a feeling of being watched spreading over her skin. “Did we finally get to you? Tell Daddy the truth.” She growled meekly. She was no longer looking him in the eye.

Herobrine’s voice was low and breathy, eyebrows raised. Deep in his throat was a pulse of glee. “Boys, I think we found the great Void’s weakness!” Laughter and insults came from the possessed bodies. Sky was shaking. Not again, not again, not again…

 

A single note of the Music of Minecraft went silent.