The Hardcore War Read online

  Hannah rushed toward a skeleton and shot an arrow. “I got it!” she shouted, and the skeleton was destroyed.

  Once the hostile mobs were gone, Violet looked at the jailhouse. She saw Daniel peering through his jail cell window. Violet peered right back through the window. “If I find you were behind this attack, I will destroy you.”

  Daniel was angry. “I wasn’t behind this attack. I wanted to help you battle the skeletons, so you wouldn’t be destroyed, but I’m helpless because I’m in this jail cell.”

  “Helpless?” Violet laughed. “And you wanted to help us? I don’t believe you.”

  Noah walked over and confronted him. “Daniel, you were constantly threatening to put us on Hardcore mode, so how can we believe you now care to help us?”

  Daniel paused, and then replied, “I think being in this jail cell has changed me. I’ve watched your townspeople every day as they pass my window and are friendly to each other, and I’ve grown to like it here. I felt guilty when I saw some of your townspeople destroyed as Thomas helped me escape. And I was devastated when I found out they wouldn’t respawn. That is pure evil.”

  “Wow, if you think someone is evil, they must be really bad,” Violet said. She didn’t know if she and her friends should trust Daniel, but she did know they had to find Thomas, and they had to do it quickly.

  “We have to go,” Noah told her. “If we don’t stop Thomas, he might summon more mobs, and we won’t be able to survive multiple attacks. The odds are against us. We were lucky this time.” And without a second thought about Daniel, they turned and walked away from the prison.

  The gang was ready to set out for the Ocean Biome. They walked toward the shorefront hotel. The guests had assembled in the lobby to figure out a plan for survival. Now that the Overworld was on Hardcore mode, everyone was looking out for each other. They needed to make sure they were all safe and wouldn’t be destroyed. The hotel guests decided to stay in the hotel until the world was safe again.

  One hotel guest told Violet and her friends, “I know Thomas. I think I can help you.”

  “You know Thomas?” Violet asked.

  “Yes, he was once a good friend of mine.”

  “Who are you?” she pressed him.

  “My name is Adam. I come from Thomas’s town.”

  “Do you have any idea where he might be?” asked Noah.

  “I can’t say for certain, but I can tell you that he is extremely tricky and smart.”

  “We’ve heard that before,” Noah noted. “I think you should come with us, though. Any help is great.”

  Adam added, “I’m an alchemist. I have a bunch of potions that might come in handy, too.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell us about Thomas that might be helpful?” asked Hannah.

  “Yes, he likes to dig and hide in tunnels. He also likes to leave a mark. Last time he left wool whenever he griefed someone,” replied Adam.

  “I found wool in the hallway of the hotel and also at the jailhouse!” exclaimed Violet.

  “That is Thomas’s mark!” cried Adam. “I must help you guys find him.”

  The gang walked toward the edge of the shore. Adam handed everyone a potion of water breathing, and they all dove into the deep blue water.

  4

  OCEAN BLUE

  The group swam through the water searching for Thomas. Violet pointed out an ocean monument not far away. Before the gang could explore the monument, though, they heard a loud growl.

  “Oh no!” Hannah called out.

  A one-eyed blue guardian swam toward them. The guardian’s tail swung back and forth as the evil fish shot a laser at Hannah. The laser turned from purple to yellow.

  “I’ve been struck!” Hannah cried. “I’m very tired. I don’t feel well.”

  “It’s Mining Fatigue.” Adam handed Hannah some milk, which made her feel better after she drank it.

  Noah shot an arrow that struck the guardian and weakened the hostile creature who was guarding the ocean monument. Adam shot more arrows at the fish until it was destroyed.

  The gang entered the ocean monument, keeping a close eye out for any guardians that might be swimming nearby.

  “I think I see an elder guardian!” Hannah called out to the group. The one-eyed fish swam into the temple. Hannah quickly hid behind a pillar—she didn’t want to be the victim of another attack.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t be searching an ocean monument right now,” said Violet. “This is too risky. We need to keep searching for Thomas.”

  Adam swam next to Violet. He pointed to the floor of the monument and called out, “Look down!”

  There was a small hole in the floor. Violet hollered back, “Do you think it’s the entrance to a tunnel?”

  Adam nodded his head. “This looks like the sort of tunnel Thomas would dig,” he replied.

  “No!” Ben shouted as he attempted to swim away from the blue guardian with the yellow laser, but it was too late. He was struck.

  Adam handed Ben milk. “I don’t have much milk left. We must find Thomas and stop the Hardcore mode now. This is getting too dangerous.”

  Violet’s heart skipped a beat when she watched Adam swim toward the hole in the ground. She was afraid that if they got stuck in the tunnel, a hostile creature would destroy them.

  “This is the only way we can find Thomas,” Adam reassured the group as they followed him into the tunnel.

  The tunnel was very long, and they seemed to swim forever. Violet said, “I hope we don’t lose too much energy from swimming.”

  “I’m worried we’ll run out of water breathing potion first.” Adam checked his inventory as they approached the end of the tunnel.

  “A door!” Hannah swam to the entrance and opened it.

  The doorway led to a cavernous room filled with gold bars. “I bet this is where Thomas stores his loot. He can’t be far from here.”

  Two guardians weaved through the stacks of gold bars and aimed their lasers at Violet and Noah. Adam and Ben shot arrows at the guardians, while Violet and Noah tried to shield themselves from the attack.

  Adam handed the two friends the last of the milk. Suddenly, he spotted Thomas swimming in the distance.

  “I see Thomas!” exclaimed Adam.

  The group swam toward Thomas as he left the gold storage room through another door.

  “Thomas!” Adam called out. “Stop! You can’t get away with this.”

  The evil griefer turned back and laughed, “I think I already have.”

  Thomas took out a potion of invisibility and splashed it on himself. He could no longer be seen and escaped again. The group was upset to lose him, and they were also running low on their potion of water breathing.

  Violet noticed a block of wool on the floor, but she didn’t pick it up. She was in a rush to get out of the water before the potion for water breathing wore off.

  “We have to swim to the surface,” Noah gasped. He could barely breathe. The group swam back through the tunnel and into the ocean monument. They needed to get out of the monument and into the open water quickly so they could swim to the surface.

  Violet felt defeated as she reached the shore. The hotel guests hurried out to greet them.

  “Are we still on Hardcore mode?” one guest asked Violet.

  Violet looked down at her feet in the wet sand. She didn’t want to reply. The answer would only disappoint the hotel guests. “I’m sorry. We saw Thomas, but we weren’t able to change the settings. We are very upset.”

  The sky turned dark and rain began to pound the shoreline. The hotel guests ran into the lobby to avoid getting drenched. Just then, a horde of skeletons spawned on the shore and attacked the guests fleeing into the hotel.

  Violet and Noah ignored the rain and struck the skeletons with their diamond swords. Hannah and Ben shot arrows at the creatures. Adam splashed potions on the bony beasts as rain fell from the sky.

  Two skeletons cornered Hannah against a tree, and she panicked. Hannah cried t
o the others for help, but they were all busy fighting their own skeleton battles. Hannah struck one of the skeletons with her diamond sword, but the other skeleton hit her. She was rapidly losing hearts, and her energy and health bars were dangerously low. Hannah used her last bit of energy to destroy one of the skeletons, but she couldn’t fight anymore.

  “I’m here!” Ben called out, and he struck the skeleton a final blow. Hannah was safe.

  Adam rushed over and gave Hannah a potion of healing. She thanked him and admitted, “I don’t know how much longer we can battle these hostile mobs while we’re on Hardcore mode.”

  Ben and Adam agreed. Something had to be done.

  Adam said, “I’ve defeated Thomas before. He isn’t going to win. We just have to find out where he’s hiding and change the setting.”

  “You make it sound so easy,” sighed Hannah.

  Violet called out to her friends, “Don’t just stand around and talk. We need help. There are still two skeletons left.”

  Ben, Adam, and Hannah ran toward their friends and helped them defeat the remaining skeletons. Once all of the skeletons were obliterated, Adam said something that shocked everyone: “We are running low on resources. I think we have to travel to the Nether to get more Nether wart to brew potions.”

  “Not the Nether!” Violet dreaded the thought of going to the Nether.

  “He’s right. We need to go to the Nether,” Hannah said. She was a potion expert and knew they needed supplies if they were ever going to win this battle.

  Adam began to build a portal. “It’s the only way we can survive,” he conceded.

  Purple mist rose through the air as the group hopped onto the portal and began their journey to the Nether.

  5

  NETHERMIND

  Violet looked up at the sky, searching for ghasts and blazes. “We have to be very careful,” she reminded her friends.

  “This will be a quick trip,” Adam reassured her. “We will just get the supplies we need for potions and then head back to town.”

  A zombie pigman walked by them, but the group didn’t make eye contact as they trekked through the red Nether landscape. Violet would be the first to admit she didn’t want to be in the Nether, but she couldn’t help stopping to admire a lava waterfall.

  “There is something very beautiful about this waterfall,” remarked Violet.

  Hannah walked over to gaze at the attraction with Violet. “You’re right,” she agreed.

  Violet glanced down at the edge of the lava-filled river and spotted a block of wool. “Oh my!” she said, pointing at it.

  Hannah retrieved the wool and broke it apart. “What is this?”

  Violet said, “I think Thomas is in the Nether.”

  Noah, Ben, and Adam heard her and hurried over. Noah asked, “Did you say Thomas is in the Nether?”

  “I think so,” Violet said. She pointed to the wool Hannah had found.

  “Where can he be hiding?” asked Ben.

  Adam answered, “It doesn’t matter. We need to find a Nether fortress. That’s usually where you can get Nether wart.”

  “That’s easier said than done,” Violet said. “It’s hard to find a Nether fortress. And we really have to find Thomas. If we don’t, we’ll never get off Hardcore mode.”

  A high-pitched shriek split the air, and Noah looked up. “A ghast!” he shouted. He grabbed a snowball from his inventory and aimed it at the fiery beast.

  “Watch out!” Violet screamed, and Noah raced away from the fireball the ghast shot at him.

  Ben and Adam also threw snowballs at the ghast. After several hits, it was destroyed.

  The ghast dropped a tear, and Adam rushed over to pick it up. “This ghast tear is essential for brewing a potion of regeneration,” he told the others.

  “I’m glad you are getting resources for potions. But I still believe we are wasting too much energy here.” Violet was annoyed. She really didn’t want to be in the Nether.

  Noah continued to lead the group forward. While they walked, Violet listed the reasons she disliked the Nether: “There is no day or night, and the hostile mobs are much more deadly than the ones in the Overworld.” She was about to list a bunch more reasons why she hated the Nether when Hannah interrupted her.

  “Enough, Violet. Nobody wants to be here. But Adam and I are alchemists and we can’t help everyone with our potions if we don’t have any ingredients to brew with.”

  Violet remained quiet as they walked along the ground made up of netherrack and past more lava rivers.

  Noah called out, “I think I see a Nether fortress in the distance!”

  Adam rushed ahead and shouted, “You’re right! It is a Nether fortress.”

  The group sprinted toward the fortress, but a Nether brick fence surrounded it. Noah took out his pickaxe and began to knock down the fence. The others joined him. As Hannah banged her pickaxe against the fence, she spotted another block of wool.

  “Wool!” Hannah cried out.

  “I’ll bet Thomas is hiding in this fortress,” Adam said as he knocked down the fence with his pickaxe.

  The gang entered the fortress cautiously. Hannah and Adam looked for soul sand and Nether wart by the stairs. Noah wanted to search for treasure, but instead he inspected the floor for tunnels.

  “We found Nether wart!” Hannah called to the others. The gang joined them and helped gather the Nether wart and place it in their inventories.

  As they readied themselves to exit the Nether fortress, four magma cubes bounced in their direction. Violet grabbed her sword and hit a cube. Hannah attacked the smaller cubes that had broken off the large magma cube.

  The gang waged a battle with the cubes, which they had to win quickly. They were losing hearts, and everyone’s food bar was low. It was a race against time. One by one, as each magma cube was defeated, Adam grabbed the magma cream that dropped on the ground.

  “I can use this magma cream to brew potions of fire resistance,” he told them once they had defeated all the magma cubes.

  “That’s great,” Violet said quietly. She wanted Adam to stop talking about the potions he could brew. She wanted them to leave the fortress and to start building a portal that would bring them back to the Overworld.

  Two blazes flew toward them and the group dashed out of the fortress.

  “We need to build a portal, now!” Violet called out.

  The gang threw snowballs at the blazes. As Noah began to construct the portal, Violet noticed a block of wool on the ground. She was about to pick it up when Noah called out, “Quick, Violet! The portal is closing!”

  6

  RAINBOW REBELS

  The group emerged in the center of town just as a roar rippled the air above them.

  “An Ender Dragon!” Violet screamed in terror.

  “Thomas!” Adam shouted.

  Thomas was standing by the village shops, laughing and striking townspeople with his diamond sword. As the Ender Dragon flew toward the gang, Thomas splashed the potion of invisibility on himself and disappeared. Violet sprinted to the jailhouse to see if Daniel was still in his cell. As she approached the jail, she spotted a block of wool.

  “Violet!” Daniel called from the window of his jail cell. “Let me out,” he pleaded.

  “You know I can’t do that,” Violet said as she drank milk to regain her strength before beginning to battle the Ender Dragon.

  “Thomas summoned the Ender Dragon. And I think he is summoning a Wither, too,” Daniel told her.

  “We’ll stop him,” Violet said as she shot an arrow at the Ender Dragon, which was lunging into Valentino’s butcher shop.

  Valentino called out, “My shop!” But he knew there was much more to be lost now that the world was set to Hardcore mode. He could rebuild the shop, but if he was destroyed, he’d never respawn.

  The townspeople fought together, using all the supplies they had on hand to destroy the Ender Dragon. Arrows and snowballs flew through the air. The Ender Dragon let out another
roar and swung its large scaly wing into the jailhouse. The wing created a gaping hole in the side of the building, and the rainbow griefers escaped from their cells.

  Violet wanted to go after the escaped griefers because she knew they would start to attack the townspeople. She ran toward them, but stopped when she saw a purple griefer take out a bow and arrow and shoot at the Ender Dragon. The escaped griefers were joining the townspeople in battle. Daniel also made his way out of the jailhouse through a hole in his cell wall.

  Violet and her friends were shocked when they saw Daniel race toward the dragon and strike it with his diamond sword, delivering the final blow to the beast.

  “I can’t believe I’m about to say this,” Violet said as she walked over to Daniel, “but good job.”

  “I told you. I want to redeem myself and help you defeat Thomas. This is my fault. I started all of this. I’m the one who found Thomas and asked him to come here and break me out of jail. We had a plan to attack the Overworld together. But I would never have been so cruel as he’s been. I’d never set the entire Overworld to Hardcore mode and put everyone in jeopardy.”

  Now that Daniel had escaped, and the jailhouse was destroyed, the gang had to figure out what they should do with him. They weren’t sure if they should build another structure to confine Daniel or if they should let him join them in a battle against Thomas.

  Noah admitted to Daniel, “You saved us.” He looked at the others as he said, “I think you can help us.”

  “How?” Daniel asked. He was clearly eager to help. Daniel smiled. Violet looked at Daniel’s grin and didn’t recognize him, because she had never seen him smile like that before.

  “You need to think like a criminal—that will work to our advantage,” Noah told Daniel.

  Daniel said, “Thomas and I had a plan.” He took a deep breath and continued, “It was very evil, and I’m afraid he might go through with it.”

  “Tell us the plan,” Violet demanded.

  “First, we were going to blow up the hotel, and then we were going to obliterate your town and leave the town uninhabitable, so you could never rebuild.”