CHAPTER 13 – Finding the Alamo

The two companions ran across the landscape, relentlessly pursued by the daytime monsters of Minecraft. Spiders seemed to be everywhere throughout the land, the gigantic arachnids seeing them and instantly running away, hoping to inform Erebus of their position. Likely they were being used because the zombies were too slow to be of any use for reconnaissance, and the creepers, of course, were easy to detonate, destroying any useful information they may have gleaned. Using his bow, Gameknight was able to kill the spiders from a distance, something that he was very good at. He felt guilty every time he delivered the killing arrow, his skill having been honed at the expense of many a user and NPC. He didn’t share his feelings with Crafter but Gameknight suspected that he felt his unease; the old NPC was staying conspicuously silent during the long ranged battles, his humming slow to return.

Soon, they left the grassy plains and entered a heavily forested area teeming with life. Packs of wolves could be seen moving about, their white fur standing out against the gnarled bark of the trees.

“Wait a minute,” Crafter said as he slowed to a walk.

“Why? We have to keep moving.”

“Not yet,” Crafter replied.

Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out a stack of bones, remnants of skeletons long dead, and threw them to Gameknight.

“Take some bones,” Crafter said, holding one out in his hand. “We need some pets.”

“What are you talking about?” Gameknight demanded. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Yes, we do. Now just follow my lead.”

Gameknight picked up the pile of bones and followed Crafter. The old man slowly approached the wolves with bones in hand. Tapping a wolf gently, Gameknight saw red hearts appear above the wolf’s head, then a colored band suddenly materializing around the animal’s neck. The wolf was suddenly transformed into Crafter’s pet.

“Go get some,” the NPC said sternly, making his statement sound more like a command than a suggestion.

Shrugging, Gameknight did as instructed, using the bone as a treat for the animals, winning them over as pets in an instant. In no time, both of them had half a dozen pets following them through the forest, pursuing more of them as they ran.

“Why did we want the wolves?” Gameknight asked.

“You’ll understand soon,” Crafter answered. “If you see any more, get them. We’ll need as many as we can find.”

Gameknight nodded and continued through the dense forest, a circle of furry companions ringing him closely, their occasional barks sounding almost reassuring for some reason.

I hope Shawny is ready, Gameknight thought. I hope he can convince the others, or this plan will fail.

Doubt flowed through him with every heartbeat. It chipped away at his courage, but then he looked at his companion and felt strengthened. Crafter ran next to him, confident and strong, his long grey hair streaming down his back, courage and determination painted firmly on his blocky face. Turning his head as he ran, the old NPC gave him a smile and patted him on the shoulder, bringing a growl from one of Gameknight’s wolves. Throwing the animal a steak, the two continued to sprint, picking up any stray wolves they came across as they ploughed through the forest.

Suddenly, a group of six zombies jumped out from behind a thick copse of trees, all clustered together in the shade of the thick canopy, trying to keep the lethal sun off their backs. Before any of them could attack, the wolves fell on them, snapping at arms and legs with sharp teeth. The wolf pack tore into the green monsters with a vengeance. Bright claws flashed through the air, reaching out for white fur, but the wolves were too fast for the green monsters. The zombies flashed bright red over and over as their HP slowly dropped, sharp teeth tearing at sickly emerald arms. The pack tore into the monsters, white furry missiles diving into the green cluster until the last of the monsters vanished with a quiet pop, leaving behind pieces of floating zombie flesh, and of course, XP.

“Now you see why we need the wolves,” Crafter said proudly.

Gameknight nodded.

“That was a good idea.”

Crafter beamed, then continued to run, his humming lightening their mood a little, the pack following close behind. They sprinted through the dense forest, weaving their way between low hanging leafy branches and past serene pools, their furry protectors falling on zombies and spiders at every opportunity while their destination still drew them forward. They were headed toward the distant mountain that occasionally poked its stony face through the forest’s canopy.  

“I think that’s where it’s gonna to be at,” Gameknight said as they crested a hill. The rocky peak now stood visible before them tall and majestic, the forest ending at its feet in the distance.

“You think we can make it that far before dark?” Crafter asked, worry creasing his unibrow.

“I feel like we must,” Gameknight answered. “Something feels strange, like everything is massing toward this point. I can feel all the anger and violence in this world focused on this spot … tonight. We have to make it.”

Looking over his shoulder, Crafter glanced at the sun, its golden face was just starting to caress the horizon. He didn’t need to look to know how much time they needed; it was just nervousness forcing him to check.

“If we can make it to that next hill in a couple of minutes,” the NPC said, “then we should be able to reach the foot of the mountain. I hope your friend has something ready for us, or when we get there, we’ll find our backs against the mountain and likely surrounded by every monster on this server. I hope he comes through.”

“Me too,” Gameknight answered as images of zombies storming out of his dad’s digitizer and attacking his little sister filled his mind. “Me too.”

They sprinted down the hill and bolted toward the next one, the sun racing them to the finish line. More monsters started to show their angry faces as they ran, the light level and cover from the trees making it possible for them linger about without bursting into flames. Clawed hands reached out to them, trying to dig into their flesh as they sped by. A spider jumped directly into their paths. Gameknight and Crafter hacked at the creature as they jumped over it, the two swords slaying the beast in a heartbeat.

Not stopping to collect the XP, the two companions continued their sprint; it was a race for their lives. A group of creepers tried to approach them from the right, but their tiny pig-like feet were just too slow. One wolf fell on the mottled green beasts, making them detonate, taking the entire group with them; poor wolf, Gameknight thought.

Not stopping to engage any of the mobs, the two companions just sped through the forest, letting their pack of wolves do their dirty work wherever possible. Gameknight could see a few spiders and zombies run away after seeing them, likely to divulge their location to Erebus, but that didn’t matter now, in fact, they wanted Erebus to know where they were and bring his horde.

I hope Shawny is ready, Gameknight thought.

And then they heard the sound as they raced up the next hill, the maniacal chuckle of endermen teleporting nearby.

“You hear that?” Gameknight said as they ran.

“Yep,” Crafter replied stoically. “They’re here.”

Just then an enderman appeared directly in front of them, its long dark arms down at its sides, purple particles dancing about. Weaving around the shadowy creature, the two quickly looked down and avoided contact, putting away their swords. Endermen can only be provoked into fighting by either attacking them or looking at them directly in the eyes. Running around another of the shadowy creatures, Gameknight999 and Crafter both knew this well and were careful to look away and not touch the monsters, the nightmares.

The sounds of pursuit were strong behind them, the yelping of their wolves sounding loud at their backs as the mobs fell on their furry protectors. The clicking of spiders and moans of zombies getting louder until it filled the air as their numbers increased, the rattling of skeleton bones and chuckling endermen adding to the cacophony. The growls of the wolves gradually changed from one of attack, to one of defense – terrified defense – their yelping and howling accentuating the pain they were likely feeling.

“I hope they just run away,” Gameknight said aloud to his friend, their cries of pain filling him with more guilt.

“They won’t, unless they get hungry,” Crafter answered.

More yelps and canine cries, then nothing more from the wolves, just the sounds of monsters; they were alone. Sprinting again, they finally reached the top of the last hill, the rocky mountain standing before them. Stopping for an instant to catch their breaths, they looked back toward the forest and were terrified by what they saw. Hundreds, no, maybe a thousand monsters were closing in on their position, the angry faces of zombies, skeletons, spiders, slimes, and creepers visible through the tree branches with the occasional enderman just standing … watching … waiting. It looked like the flow of a massive river, the creatures weaving around tree trunks and over small hills, all focused on their position, on Gameknight999. He could feel their anger, their rage, their desire to kill any and all creatures they encountered.

Gameknight shuttered and shook with fear.

“Come on, we have to get off this hill before we’re surrounded,” Crafter said, grabbing his hand and pulling him forward.

Gameknight ran, then sprinted down the hill toward their goal, though he wasn’t sure exactly where they were heading. Suddenly, a torch flared to life at the base of the mountain, a sign just barely visible under the glowing circle of light, a steel door under the sign shining bright.

“There, you see it?” Gameknight yelled, the sounds of pursuit getting louder.

Crafter nodded.

The moaning of zombies and the agitated clicking of spiders surrounded them from three sides, the mass of blood thirsty creatures slowly closing in. Looking over his shoulder, Gameknight could see the wave of monsters cresting the hill, the black eyes of the zombies seeming to glow with hunger, the red eyes of the spiders doing the same. They were all focused on Gameknight999. Some of the zombies tumbled down the hill in their haste as they spilled over the summit to reach the User-that-is-not-a-user, while the spiders climbed over the green bodies without a thought, their hatred focused on their target.

Shivering with fear, Gameknight pushed on, focused on the torch and doors, salvation waiting for them. As they ran, they could see arrows flying overhead landing in the ground near their path; skeletons firing at them.

“Weave around,” Gameknight said, “run a zigzag pattern.”

The two ran to the left and right, making them harder to hit. Arrows flew in all directions, but most stuck to the ground near their feet, the occasional barbed point slightly nicking an arm or shoulder. Running zigzag kept the arrows at bay, but allowed the other monsters to catch up a little, slowly closing the distance as their hungry growls got louder. Would they make it in time? Off to the left, Gameknight could see a cluster of spiders closing in on them – no, not spiders, cave spiders … oh no. Milk, they didn’t have any milk. How could they fight cave spiders? Their poison would certainly get them and milk was the only antidote. Another cluster of cave spiders appeared to the right, farther away than the first, but still effectively boxing them in.

The torch was getting closer; they had to make it. Sprinting as fast as they could, the two friends crossed the last bit of ground as deadly iron-tipped rain sprinkled down on them from the skeletons, the growling sound of monsters at their backs getting louder, angrier.

The duo finally reached the iron doors only to find no switch or button, no pressure plate or means of opening their escape route; they were trapped. Turning to look at the sign, Gameknight saw what was written in large, capital letters: THE ALAMO. It was a joke from Shawny, referencing the last stand of the Texan army facing off against the Mexican army, the famous battle now being relived here in Minecraft. Unfortunately, they were playing the part of the Texans, and that historic battle didn’t end very well for the defenders.

Crafter banged on the iron door with his fist, yelling to be let in. As he yelled, Gameknight turned and faced their pursuers. The monsters had stopped running and were slowly approaching, apparently wanting to revel in the moment of destroying the last user in this world. Gameknight could see endermen standing at the back, just watching; a cloud of purple dust formed a colored haze around the dark creatures. Then a new enderman appeared amidst the mob, this one a little taller than the rest, colored a dark crimson instead of the characteristic black; it was Erebus, his eyes blazing. Gameknight could hear Erebus chuckle in the distance, then his maniacal voice rose above the din of the mobs, uttering a single word, the word all the monsters had waited to hear.

“ATTACK!”

The monsters charged forward, a thirst for death filling their eyes, and all Crafter and Gameknight999 could do was draw their swords and wait.