Escape from the Nether Read online

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  Copyright © 2019 by Hollan Publishing, Inc.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

  Cover design by Brian Peterson

  Cover art by Bill Greenhead

  Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-4117-1

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-4130-0

  Printed in the United States of America

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: Running on Empty

  Chapter 2: Nether Expected This

  Chapter 3: In the Rain

  Chapter 4: Behind the Wall

  Chapter 5: Rescue Mission

  Chapter 6: Desert Rain

  Chapter 7: Familiar Finds

  Chapter 8: Hot and Cold

  Chapter 9: Moment in the Mine

  Chapter 10: The Portal

  Chapter 11: Back Home

  Chapter 12: The Eight Alchemists

  Chapter 13: Pop-up Portals

  Chapter 14: The End Doesn’t Mean It’s Over

  Chapter 15: Blizzard

  Chapter 16: The Journey

  Chapter 17: Nether Forever

  Chapter 18: Brewing

  1

  RUNNING ON EMPTY

  Brett stood over his crafting table and stared at the empty bottles. “It seems like we have a lot of bottles but nothing to fill them with,” he remarked as he picked up a bottle and looked inside.

  “We’re out of Nether wart, ghast tears, and blaze rods,” said Poppy.

  Their friends Helen and Nancy walked inside Brett’s house. “Are you guys planning another prank?” asked Nancy.

  Poppy laughed. “I wish. We have no time to plan pranks. We’re out of potions. There isn’t an alchemist in the town, so we can’t buy any. We need to get a bunch of supplies from the Nether, or we’ll never be able to make more potions.”

  “Look at how many bottles we can fill.” Brett pointed to the rows of empty bottles that lined his crafting table.

  Nancy and Helen looked through their inventories. As Helen surveyed her potions, she told them, “I’m very low on potions, or I’d lend you some.”

  “Same here,” said Nancy. “It’s been awhile since we traveled to the Nether. Perhaps we should go on a trip.”

  Poppy grimaced. She disliked the Nether. Although she had been there multiple times and learned several tricks to survive, she didn’t enjoy visiting the hot and inhospitable biome. “Do I really have to go to the Nether with you guys? Can’t I just stay here, and you can bring back Nether wart and the other stuff we need, and I can trade with you guys?”

  Brett was surprised. “Poppy, nobody likes to travel to the Nether, but we all do it because we have to gather ingredients for our potions. You can’t stay behind.”

  “Seriously? But I’ll trade with you,” Poppy pleaded.

  Helen agreed with Brett. “You know Brett is correct. This isn’t something anybody wants to do. If we all go together, we’ll work as a team and get everything we need to craft potions. We won’t be there too long.”

  “Yes,” added Nancy. “It will be a quick trip. We don’t have to search for treasure unless you guys want to. Do you?” Nancy loved treasure hunting and would find any opportunity to unearth diamonds and other valuables that were found in a Nether fortress.

  “I am definitely not going to search for treasure. You’re lucky I’m even going to the Nether,” proclaimed Poppy.

  Brett didn’t like the way Poppy was acting, and he asked Poppy if she would walk outside with him. As they stood underneath an apple tree, Brett picked an apple and handed it to Poppy.

  “Thanks. Why did you give me an apple?” she asked and then took a bite. “I didn’t ask for one.”

  “I gave you the apple because I’m your friend and I saw that your health bar was low. Friends do nice things for one another, and they are thoughtful.”

  “Thanks,” said Poppy.

  “You’re welcome. But do you know why I asked you to come outside?”

  Poppy didn’t reply.

  Brett said, “I just wanted you to know that I don’t care for the way you’re acting.”

  Poppy felt a lump in her throat. She knew Brett was right, she wasn’t being nice about the trip to the Nether, but she had an excuse: she disliked the Nether. However, she had to admit that she didn’t personally know anyone who enjoyed a trip to the Nether. She pulled obsidian from her inventory. “I’m sorry. I’ll craft the portal.”

  “Great.” Brett smiled. “Tell the others.”

  While Poppy went into the house to tell Helen and Nancy that she was crafting a portal, a familiar voice called out in the distance.

  “Brett!”

  Brett looked up and saw Joe racing toward him, his blue hair waving in the wind. “Joe!” Brett exclaimed. “It’s been awhile. What are you doing in Meadow Mews?”

  “I was asked to create a farm in Verdant Valley, and I was hoping you’d be able to help me. It’s just a small project, but with your help, we could probably finish it in a few days.”

  “I’d love to work on the farm, but I was about to go to the Nether with Poppy, Helen, and Nancy.”

  “Can you do that in a few days?” asked Joe.

  “No, we are about to craft the portal. We have no potions left in our inventories,” explained Brett.

  Joe looked through his inventory. “I’m also running low on potions. Perhaps I can do a quick trip to the Nether with you guys. I don’t start the project for a few days.”

  “Wow, that’s perfect. I’d love to work on the farm with you after we get back from the Nether.”

  “Amazing. This is great timing,” said Joe.

  The duo raced inside the house. Brett was excited Joe was back, and he was anxious to announce that Joe would be joining them on the trip to the Nether. But they were so excited, he didn’t have a chance to tell them. The gang cheered the minute they saw Joe walk through the entrance to Brett’s house.

  “Joe!” Poppy called out. “I feel like we haven’t seen you in forever.” She held the obsidian in her hand and pointed toward it. “We are going to the Nether right now. Want to come?”

  “He’s joining us,” answered Brett.

  “I’m so excited to gather ingredients with you guys,” said Joe.

  “Great,” Poppy said. She walked out of the house and announced, “Let’s all create the portal.”

  As Poppy placed the first piece of obsidian on the ground, a loud thunderous boom rattled Meadow Mews. Rain bega
n to flood the ground, saturating the lone piece of obsidian. The gang raced toward Brett’s house, but a barrage of arrows flew at them.

  “Ouch!” Joe called out as an arrow ripped through his black leather jacket and pierced his shoulder.

  Brett quickly pulled his diamond armor from his inventory and put it on, then grabbed his diamond sword and raced toward the skeletons advancing in their direction. Brett slammed his sword into the bony beasts, destroying them. The rest of the gang suited up in armor, except Joe, who was still wailing in pain.

  “Joe, are you okay?” asked Brett.

  “I will be fine.” He looked in his inventory for a potion to regain his strength, but there wasn’t anything there. He pulled out a glass of milk and took a quick drink, then put on his diamond armor and readied himself for an attack against the skeletons. Luckily he had his armor on when another arrow struck him. This time he didn’t feel any pain, as the arrow grazed his diamond armor. He sprinted toward the skeleton and ripped into the rattling bones with his diamond sword. As Joe swung his sword, the rain stopped, and the remaining skeletons disappeared.

  “What an annoying rain shower,” remarked Helen.

  Poppy looked down at the obsidian on the ground. “This isn’t damaged. We can still craft a portal.”

  The gang put down obsidian, and they ignited the portal. They hopped on, and a purple mist surrounded them.

  2

  NETHER EXPECTED THIS

  There wasn’t even a moment to warn one another about the sudden attack. The purple mist was still clouding their vision when Nancy screamed out in pain, “My leg burns!” She lost a heart. Three ghasts flew above them, shooting a succession of fireballs at the gang.

  “Ouch!” Brett cried out as a fireball singed his leg. Poppy handed him a bottle of milk and instructed him to drink it to increase his health bar. Brett sipped the milk and grabbed his bow and arrow. He tried to shoot at the ghasts, but another fireball landed on his arm, and he dropped the bow and arrow. As he reached for the bow and arrow, he was struck by another fireball. Despite drinking the milk, he had only one heart left. He was fading, and his energy was almost depleted.

  “Help!” he cried out as another fireball flew toward him.

  Poppy pushed Brett out of the way, and the fireball landed on her armored chest. She shot an arrow at the ghast and destroyed it. A ghast tear fell to the ground, and she quickly picked it up and placed it in her inventory. She pulled out another bottle of milk and handed it to Brett. “You will be okay.” She smiled.

  Brett didn’t have time to thank Poppy. The second after he ingested the last drops of milk, he shot an arrow at a ghast and destroyed it. Nancy, Helen, and Joe aimed their bows and arrows at the final ghast, then destroyed the flying menace. Ghast tears dropped down, and the gang was soon happily refilling their inventories.

  Joe looked up. “It looks like we won’t have to battle any flying mobs for a while. The sky is clear.”

  Nancy called out, “Look guys! I see a Nether fortress.”

  Poppy squinted. “Where? I don’t see one.”

  Nancy pointed. “It’s far off in the distance.”

  The others stood by Nancy and looked at where she was pointing. Brett said, “I don’t see it, but let’s travel in that direction. You might have better vision than we do.”

  “It’s there, I promise,” said Nancy.

  “I hope you’re right,” said Joe as he walked behind Nancy.

  “You don’t believe me.” Nancy was annoyed.

  “We do,” Brett explained, “but we just don’t see it.”

  “You’re a treasure hunter,” Helen told Nancy, “which means you have better instincts and can spot Nether fortresses.”

  Helen stopped to look at the lava waterfall, which was flowing into a long lake that lined the path to the Nether fortress. Nancy said, “Don’t stop. We have to keep going.”

  “I hate to admit this,” said Helen, “but there is something very beautiful about lava.”

  “I don’t think lava is beautiful,” grumbled Poppy.

  Poppy wanted to leave the Nether as fast as she could. She didn’t like being there, and everyone knew it. She hoped Nancy was correct and that they were headed in the right direction. It seemed as if they were following her for a long time, and they still hadn’t reached the Nether fortress. She wondered if Nancy was wrong. Maybe she didn’t have great vision. Poppy questioned, “Nancy, are you sure you saw the Nether fortress? I feel like we have been walking forever.”

  “I promise you, the Nether fortress is not much farther. Just follow me,” Nancy replied.

  Poppy hoped Nancy was correct. Sweat formed on Poppy’s forehead, and she was very thirsty. She stopped to take a drink from her inventory.

  “Why are you stopping?” asked Nancy.

  “It’s so hot. I just despise the Nether,” she said as she sipped her milk.

  “Nobody likes the Nether,” said Joe.

  Helen called out, “I see it!”

  “You do?” asked Poppy.

  “Yes, Nancy is right,” said Helen. “Look ahead. There’s a Nether fortress.”

  Poppy stared ahead and saw the Nether fortress. She was relieved and apologized to Nancy. “I’m sorry I’m complaining. Thank you for finding the fortress.”

  As they made their way to the Nether fortress, four zombie pigmen walked past them, and Poppy tried not to lock eyes with them. She didn’t want to battle anyone. She just wanted to get to the Nether fortress and get the Nether wart and other supplies.

  The Nether fortress was in view, and the gang picked up their speed. Before they could race toward the entrance, Nancy called out, “Stop!”

  The gang halted. Nancy pointed to a small cavern-like structure that was surrounded by mushrooms and dead shrubs. Poppy asked, “What’s that?”

  “It’s a cavern. They are very rare. We have to go inside,” Nancy said as she walked toward the cavern’s entrance.

  “Why? We are so close to the Nether fortress. Why do we have to take a detour?” Poppy questioned.

  Joe replied, “Nether quartz. Am I right, Nancy?”

  “You are correct,” said Nancy. “This is the only place we can get it. Let’s mine in this cavern and then head over to the fortress.”

  Poppy didn’t fight back. She just followed her friends into the cavern. She knew Nether quartz was a rare find and very valuable. She pulled out her pickaxe and joined them for the quick trip to unearth the quartz. However, the trip wasn’t quick, and the gang mined for a while before one of them found the precious quartz. When they finally found a bunch and were satisfied with the amount they unearthed, they exited the cavern, but as they left, they were surrounded by another group of ghasts.

  “Not again!” Brett called out as he put his pickaxe away and pulled out his bow and arrow. The gang evaded the harsh burns from the fireballs while they shot arrows at the red-eyed beasts. The creatures unleashed a loud, high-pitched scream when they were hit by the arrows.

  A fireball burned Joe’s shoulder, and he wailed and lost a heart. He had one heart left, and Brett wanted to hand him a glass of milk to help him recover, but he didn’t have a chance. More ghasts flew toward them and shot more fireballs. One hit Brett, and he also cried out in pain. Another fireball struck Joe, and he vanished.

  “Joe!” Brett cried as a second fireball hit him, leaving him with only one heart. He shot arrows at the ghasts, but they didn’t seem to have any impact on this hostile Nether mob. They weren’t being destroyed, and the group wasn’t being rewarded with ghast tears. Another fireball hit Brett, and he awoke in his bed in the middle of a rainstorm.

  The rain fell down on his roof, and he could hear the sounds of skeleton bones rattling outside his window.

  “Brett!” A faint familiar voice called in the distance. “Help!”

  3

  IN THE RAIN

  Brett jumped out of bed and raced toward the window when he heard the voice call out again, “Brett! Help!”
r />   It sounded like Poppy, but he thought she was still in the Nether with the others. Brett readjusted his armor and took a large gulp of milk, then rushed out of his bedroom. When he entered his living room, he saw his front door being ripped from its hinges.

  Brett clutched his diamond sword as he watched two zombies rip his door off. He held his breath to avoid puking from the rancid odor of rotting flesh. Brett slammed his diamond sword into the zombies’ stomachs, destroying the undead beasts. When they were gone, he gasped for air and sprinted outside into the rain.

  Skeletons crowded around the streets of Meadow Mews, and the residents were outside battling the bony beasts. Brett joined his neighbors in battle as he kept a close eye out for Poppy. He hadn’t heard her cries in a while, and he was wondering if he had imagined it. Brett swung his diamond sword at a skeleton that lunged at him. The sword cracked one of the skeleton’s bones, which infuriated the bony beast. The skeleton retaliated by shooting two arrows at Brett, which cost him two hearts. Brett slammed his diamond sword into the skeleton again and destroyed it. While sipping some milk to aid in his recovery, he heard another voice call out to him.

  “Brett!” Joe said, “I’m here!” and raced toward Brett.

  “Have you seen Poppy?” asked Brett.

  “No, I thought she was in the Nether,” said Joe.

  “I did too, but I thought I heard her call out to me, and I can’t seem to find her. This worries me,” Brett said as he leaped at a skeleton that stood inches from him.

  “What is up with this zombie and skeleton invasion?” asked Joe. “I mean, we have rainstorms, but they never produce this many hostile mobs.”

  “Do you think something more sinister is happening?” Brett questioned as he slammed his sword into a skeleton.

  “I hope not. I just want this to end so we can go to Verdant Valley and create the farm,” said Joe as he de-stroyed a fetid-smelling zombie with his diamond sword.

  Brett also wanted this to end and was looking forward to spending a few days with his friend in Verdant Valley, but that seemed so far off. It seemed as if they were never even going to make it back to the Nether. The rain fell harder, and the streets of Meadow Mews were saturated in water. Puddles formed all around them, and their feet were soaked. The rain fell into their eyes, clouding their vision, and Brett was exhausted.