Chapter 5
Like the night before, Wolfie's bark warned Herobrine of oncoming danger. Running across the courtyard Herobrine met SparkleGirl already awake and rubbing her eyes. “The barking what’s happening,” she asked. “Hostile mobs are on the way SparkleGirl. You'd better get prepared for what’s ahead,” Herobrine said and gave her a sword and a bow.
Standing on the high perimeter wall Herobrine, SparkleGirl, and Wolfie looked out in the distance. The darkness didn't give much away but they could all sense the hostile mobs getting ready for an attack. “I'm sorry I didn't have enough time to teach you more. Just do the best you can SparkleGirl. But if anything happens to me just make for one of the escape tunnels and take Wolfie with you. He knows the way out and he'll protect you,” Herobrine remarked patting his dog on the side. “Don’t talk like that Herobrine we'll be fine here. Just look at those walls nothing can get into this place,” SparkleGirl said pointing to the walls that surrounded her. “Don’t ever take your safety for granted SparkleGirl. I've seen bigger places than this fall to hostile mobs. Now stay here while I check the other walls for activity," Herobrine said and ran along the battlements.
Looking around his home Herobrine got an uneasy feeling that his home was being surrounded. Returning to SparkleGirl he gave her the bad news. “It doesn’t look too bad out there but I don’t know for sure. They could be getting organized in the dark and we wouldn’t know,” Herobrine said. As he said those words the darkness around his home seemed to move toward them.
Then without warning three arrows came flying from the darkness and headed their way. “GET DOWN!” Herobrine screamed just in time to see one arrow fly over SparkleGirl’s head. “I think it’s best if you keep your head down and just supply me with arrows while I get busy with my bow,” Herobrine said loading his first arrow into his bow. Holding his bow in his hands Herobrine remarked to himself on how he loved using it. Over the many weeks he'd lived in Minecraft he’d become a crack shot with it. In some ways, he preferred it to his sword. While using a sword took skill he found that taking down a hostile mob from a long distance away was even more satisfying.
Looking over his wall Herobrine could see that this was no disorganized mob below him. Like before they looked too well organized. There has to be someone out there putting this rag-tag group into order, Herobrine wondered, but why. Why someone would be out there testing him night after night it just didn’t make sense. Putting all those questions to the back of his mind Herobrine grabbed his bow tightly and got ready for his first target.
He didn’t have to wait long before a skeleton came racing out of the dark intent on doing harm. Without wasting a second Herobrine quickly took aim and launched his arrow. It was a good shot that sent the skeleton flying backwards on its back dead. After that it all quickly became a blur. Wave after wave of creepers, zombies, and skeletons came charging from all directions. Because Herobrine knew he was well outnumbered he picked his fight well. While the skeletons caused plenty of trouble with all their flying arrows it was the creepers that Herobrine was more worried about. One hole blown in his wall or a door taken down and his home could easily be overrun. “We're going to need every arrow we have SparkleGirl. It's going to be a long night tonight,” Herobrine said and watched as SparkleGirl ran off to bring back as many arrows as she could carry.
When she returned SparkleGirl found Herobrine down to his last arrow and sweat pouring from his brow. “This is harder than I thought it was going to be. Whoever is behind all of this is really trying to tire me out,” Herobrine said. “They don’t seem to care about these mobs. They just keep on coming.” A battle even a battle in Minecraft had some satisfaction if it was for a good cause Herobrine thought. But this fight wasn’t. Although the bodies of the hostile mobs had faded away to nothing Herobrine could still feel their death lingering on in the surrounding air. Then just when things seemed like they were going his way his luck changed.
Chapter 6
Whether it was bad luck or taking the health of his weapon for granted, but Herobrine now found himself with a broken bow. “Damn!” Herobrine swore to himself as he watched the creeper he would have shot now standing right at his wall. With barely a moment to spare Herobrine screamed a warning just before the creeper exploded punching a hole in his perimeter wall.
Without wasting a moment Herobrine raced down the stairway as fast as he could to the source of the damage. He may have had escape tunnels to escape to, but they weren't in his mind right now. This was his home and he was going to protect it with his life if he had to. Arriving at the place where the wall had been breached, Herobrine could see all the hostile mobs outside start to change direction and move toward the wounded wall. “What will we do Herobrine? Is it time to go to the escape tunnel?” SparkleGirl called to him above all the noise. “You go and take Wolfie with you. Head to the tunnel and run quickly!” he screamed back. Without waiting for an answer Herobrine ran to find a nearby sword and got ready for action. “If they want a fight, then that’s what I'll give them,” Herobrine said running to face the hostile mobs.
Through both anger and a kind of energy he didn't know he had, Herobrine slashed his way through the hostile mobs. A skeleton who had assumed the coast was clear paid for its mistake by losing his head. After that a nearby zombie was stopped in his tracks with a quick stab to its belly. Before he knew it Herobrine found himself facing waves of creepers, zombies, and skeletons without no sign of it ending.
While Herobrine had been a fit match until now, he began feeling his energy level drop and his sword arm begin to slow. Maybe he should have gone into the escape tunnel with SparkleGirl and Wolfie. It was just a house and he could build another one. But by now it was too late and he was too deep in the fight to give up now.
Like the sea going in and out, some battles seem to go one way and then suddenly change back. Where once the hostile mobs seemed to have the upper hand, it then changed back in Herobrine’s favour. But now it looked like the hostile mobs were in command of things again. Herobrine could feel it in the way they grew in confidence. Some mobs going to the left to distract him while others went to the right to get past him. Fighting as close as he could to the gap in the wall, Herobrine tried his best to block the way inside. The only problem was he was only one person with one set of eyes. Herobrine watched as if in slow motion as his battle with a skeleton when interrupted by a pair of red eyes that came into view.
A spider, so this is how it was going to end, Herobrine thought to himself as he cut through the skeleton. Knowing he wouldn't have enough time to prepare for the fight with the spider Herobrine closed his eyes and waited for death. He'd fought well but sometimes that wasn't good enough. Counting the seconds over in his head Herobrine waited until he'd be respawning back in his bed. Then surprisingly nothing happened. Opening one eye Herobrine stood and wondered what had happened. He’d been expecting his death to come quickly, but all he saw was a dead spider fading away in front of him. Had the spider been shot by a stray arrow from its own kind, he wondered.
“RUN YOU FOOL, DON’T JUST STAND THERE!” Herobrine turned to see SparkleGirl standing behind him lowering her bow. “Come on. Are you going to help me or what?” she said loading her bow. For a split second Herobrine stood frozen in confusion. “Er yeah, coming,” was all he could think of saying before he ran to take his place beside her. “You didn't think I'd really leave, did you,” SparkleGirl said firing another arrow into the head of an oncoming creeper. “Where did you learn to shoot like that?” Herobrine asked. “No time for small talk. There’s a battle going on here and we’re going to win it,” SparkleGirl said with a huge grin on her face.
Whether it had been the death of the spider or the loss of so many, but Herobrine could see the battle had now been won. “We did it. We did it!” SparkleGirl cried jumping up and down in excitement. Herobrine let out a sigh of relief as he watched the last of the hostile mobs begin to leave. He hadn't felt this tired in a long while and bet his he
alth level had almost bottomed out. Although he was too tired to think and drained from battle, there was something that stuck in his mind.
Where did SparkleGirl learn to shoot a bow like that? He hadn't taught her and that wasn't beginners luck she'd had. Was there something else going on that he didn't know about? Herobrine decided that he was too tired to think about it now. First he'd get the wall fixed and then get some sleep. Thinking and talking could come later.
Chapter 7
By the time Herobrine woke from his sleep the sun was already starting to go down. “What, how, aargh!” Herobrine exclaimed and jumped out of bed. Running outside he found SparkleGirl and Wolfie sitting enjoying supper in the last rays of the setting sun. “What, you never woke me SparkleGirl. We need to prepare for tonight. What if it’s going to be as bad as last night? We’ve wasted all those hours!” Herobrine said annoyed with the two of them. “Don’t worry Herobrine, Wolfie and I’ve been busy. Your supper is waiting on the furnace and I've already checked all escape tunnels and weapon levels. We may be a bit low on arrows but that’s all you will need to take care of. Now go get your supper,” SparkleGirl said with a smile. “Go on, off you go.” On hearing this Herobrine began to relax a little. “Thanks… I." “Go get your supper we've everything in hand here,” SparkleGirl said scratching Wolfie under the chin. Still in shock at how well she’d handed things, Herobrine left to find his supper and then came back out to join them with his meal.
“Do you think they'll be back again?” SparkleGirl asked. “I don’t know it’s hard to tell. I used to look forward to those nights when I had something to fight. But now I'd just like a few boring nights where nothing happens,” Herobrine said eating his supper as fast he could. Waiting while he got his meal out of the way Herobrine knew he'd have to ask the question.
“So how did you ever learn to fire a bow like that? That was a difficult shot you took and you could have hit me in the process but you didn't. So, am I missing something here or have you been telling me the truth SparkleGirl?” Herobrine asked. For a second SparkleGirl looked away and then turned back to face him. “I guess it was just beginners luck. I was watching you use your bow so much, I must have picked up some tips along the way,” Sparkle said with a little redness showing in her cheeks. Although Herobrine didn't want to come straight out and call SparkleGirl a liar, it just didn't seem like she was telling the truth.
“Are you lying to me SparkleGirl?” Herobrine asked. SparkleGirl blushed even more when she heard this and took a moment to answer him. “Really, it was beginners luck Herobrine. You told me you had your eyes closed at the time, so how do you know it was such a difficult shot,” SparkleGirl replied. Herobrine had to admit his eyes had been closed so maybe she was right maybe the shot hadn't been a difficult one. Maybe the spider had given SparkleGirl a bigger target to hit than he'd thought. “I’m sorry I just thought well, I don’t know what I really thought... sorry,” Herobrine said now getting embarrassed that he'd asked. “That’s fine let’s not worry about that right now. Come on we need to get ready for tonight," SparkleGirl said getting up and dusting herself down.
With most of the things already organized and put away. Herobrine concentrated on the low supply of arrows they'd in stock. “Do you think we have enough this time Herobrine?” SparkleGirl asked looking over the pile of arrows he'd created. “Who knows? If it’s going to be like last night probably not. But if things get really bad its best if we use the escape tunnel this time. My stubbornness last night almost got me killed, and that’s one mistake I’m not going to make tonight. Come on let’s get some sleep. We could do with it,” Herobrine replied.
*****
Herobrine woke in the middle of the night and looked around him. That’s strange he thought to himself, Wolfie would usually be up and barking by now. Although he trusted Wolfie with his life Herobrine still got out of bed and headed to the high wall to check for danger. It was a quiet night which was weird for Minecraft. There always seemed to be at least a handful of hostile mobs wandering around looking for trouble. But tonight, nothing. While a quiet night was welcomed by Herobrine it still didn't give him any peace of mind. If someone were out there controlling hostile mobs it also seemed like they could hold them back when they wanted to. And if they were holding them back, what was the reason.
Whatever the reason, this peaceful night was welcomed. Herobrine’s food stocks had been getting very low and he needed to go out hunting. All the fighting and repair work had been a distraction that had taken him away from his survival needs. “Can’t sleep?” Herobrine turned with a start, sword at the ready. “I never heard you coming up behind me. You're as quiet as a cat SparkleGirl you know that. So, you couldn't sleep either?” “It would be hard to relax after the night we had. I lay there tossing and turning wondering what else was coming our way,” SparkleGirl added. “I need to go out tomorrow SparkleGirl. I've been neglecting our food stocks for a while now and I need to get around to it. Will you be all right here on your own? I could leave Wolfie here with you if you want the company?” Herobrine asked. “Don't worry I'll be fine. You know what, take Wolfie with you if you want. You told me he's a good hunting dog so bring him. I bet he'll enjoy it," SparkleGirl said. “And anyway I'm a big girl so what could go wrong.” “Well if you’re sure that’s OK,” Herobrine asked surprised by her reply, “It looks like it’s going to be a quiet night tonight so I'll leave at daybreak. Try to get a little sleep and I'll see you in the morning.” “Maybe tonight’s the night that everything starts to get better,” SparkleGirl called after him.
Maybe, but I doubt it, Herobrine thought, that would be too easy.
Chapter 8
It was nice to wake in the morning feeling fresh and well rested, and that’s how Herobrine felt right now. He missed waking up like this, but that was the nature of the game. Survival was the mode his was in and that was the one he liked. Peaceful mode was fun, but it never tested you or made you a stronger player. If you could take everything that Minecraft could give you in survival mode and still come out on top. You were a true Minecraft player in Herobrine’s eyes.
“Ready to stretch those legs of yours Wolfie?” Herobrine asked sitting on the edge of his bed. On hearing this Wolfie leapt around in excitement barking for all he was worth. He loved running free in the world beyond the walls following scents and hunting game, that was when he was at his happiest. Grabbing his bow and packing a small amount of food rations and water, Herobrine went to find SparkleGirl. “Morning sleepy head. Come on get up the day's almost over,” he joked pulling the blanket off her. “Are you sure you'll be OK? I mean if you've changed your mind about me heading out, please tell me.” “Don’t worry about me Herobrine. I'll be fine,” she said. “I promise I won’t set foot outside the wall. Now go have fun,” SparkleGirl giggled seeing Wolfie's excitement. “Alright then. See you later!” Herobrine said heading off in the direction of the main gate.
Opening the gate Herobrine took a deep breath of fresh air. He missed the world outside and the freedom to go in any direction he wanted. Home was fine, but he loved to explore. This was where he was able to relax and it also gave him time to think. This was what he needed right now time to think. Although Herobrine had taken SparkleGirl at her word something still didn't feel right about her. She'd told him she'd been a new player, but the way she handled a bow. Then there was the way she quickly mastered crafting. She was either a very good student or knew more than she was letting on. Then again maybe he was looking for something that wasn’t there.
Letting these thoughts go from his mind Herobrine got back to the matter in hand looking for food. It didn’t take long before Wolfie caught a scent of something and he let out a bark. “Go on do your magic. Off you --!” Herobrine was about to say before Wolfie took off without waiting for an answer. Over the time they'd worked together Herobrine and Wolfie had worked out a system. It wasn't much of a system but it worked well. Wolfie working like a sheep dog would herd the pigs or cattle into a s
mall group and send them back in Herobrine’s direction. There Herobrine would be waiting with a freshly dug pit to trap them in. Then it was just a simple job of shooting all the animals that had fallen in. It was a simple idea that worked well. And Herobrine liked simple ideas.
Standing by his freshly dug pit Herobrine waited impatiently for Wolfie's return. There was no sign of him. “Where did you get to,” Herobrine swore, “After all this digging and you go walkabout. You and I are going to have some words mister.” Fed up and giving up on the idea that Wolfie was coming back to him. Herobrine ran off in the last direction he’d seen him go. Climbing to the top of the closest hill, Herobrine stopped to catch his breath and scanned the countryside below. “What the…” Herobrine exclaimed seeing a farm house that lay in ruin.
Curious to see what had happened to it, he made his way downhill. Now closer Herobrine could see the tell-tale signs of an attack. It didn’t look good. Whoever had done it had come at the house in great numbers and attacked it from all sides. Herobrine was doubtful anyone made it out alive. Looking around for any sign of activity, Herobrine spotted Wolfie also looking at the ruin. “Come here boy," Herobrine called to his dog. “Things don’t look too good, do they? I wonder if anyone's still alive. Let’s go and check.” As walk closer Herobrine could sense Wolfie thought that this was a bad idea. As the closer they got to the ruin the more his dog slowing its walk.