The Problems of King Wither (Preview)

Day 3

The dark, fiery plains of the Nether are beautiful this time of year. I suppose I am responsible for the day's lack of speed, but it has been such a long time since I've ventured out of the Red Fortress and explored my lands. Along our march we were greeted by wither skeletons who had never seen their king in all their lives. Naturally I stopped to speak with these folk and tell them there would soon be an end to the nether wart shortage. After lingering in one netherrack village to sign autographs and kiss baby skeletons, old Lefty urged me to pick up the pace.

We made good time through the Canyon of Doom—which is perfectly pleasant by the way—but I had to stop again at a particularly lovely lava oasis. One large ghast hovered lazily above us, chirping most beautifully. I saw no problem in spending an hour there to enjoy the splendor of my kingdom.

"I bet the Blaze Brothers have nothing like this in all their lands," I said proudly.

"My king, the knights are getting restless," droned Left Head. "We should keep moving if we are to reach the Glowstone Port on schedule."

"Ah! Look there!" interrupted Right Head. "Just there, on the soul sand—it's a blossom of nether wart!"

Sure enough, when we floated near the edge of the lava we discovered a single piece of nether wart. I plucked it from the soul sand and held it for all to see. "Knights!" I proclaimed. "It is for this delicious substance that we travel across the kingdom! It is all a wither or wither skeleton needs for a complete, balanced diet. Soon, our kingdom will have all the nether wart it needs and desires!"

The knights cheered, as they are supposed to whenever I say anything patriotic. But I nevertheless heard Lefty mutter under his breath, "If we make it in time." I chose to ignore this. Taking one final breath of sulfur, I once more led the expedition forward.

We set up camp several hours later in the long shadow cast by the mountain range that marks the southern border of my realm. The knights tucked themselves into the soul sand and I soon heard a chorus of snores. Those fellows can sleep anywhere. It took me a little longer to finally drift off.

"You see, tomorrow we will march through the mountain pass and we'll be at the Glowstone Port ahead of schedule," I said. "There was nothing to worry about."

Right Head had already fallen asleep, so Lefty risked speaking to me again. "I see that, my king. By the way, have you given any more thought to my proposal?"

"I'm still thinking about it," I answered. In truth I didn't want to discuss it. For some reason it made me nervous, though why should it? Left Head has been my trusted adviser for a hundred years. Nevertheless, the idea gave me trouble sleeping, and I woke often throughout the night.