The Griefer's Revenge Read online

  “The library!” Noah called out.

  The library had been blown up. Somebody had also blown up Valentino’s butcher shop.

  “Valentino’s shop!” cried Violet.

  “He’ll be so upset,” lamented Noah.

  “We should go back to the games. We have to tell Nina and Mac,” Violet said. She wanted the Olympic committee to watch over the town. Now that everyone was distracted with the games, it was the perfect time for Daniel to destroy their town.

  “Yes, I have to tell Valentino about his butcher shop.” Noah followed Violet as they trekked through the dark streets toward the festive village that stood just feet from their town.

  Violet weaved among the crowd until she reached Nina and Mac, and she gave them the bad news about the explosions.

  “We must increase security for the games,” declared Nina.

  “But we also shouldn’t stop celebrating,” said Mac.

  As those words fell from Mac’s mouth, a roar was heard louder than the crackle of the fireworks.

  Everyone looked up, as the Ender Dragon swept into the crowd. Cheers turned to cries. Noah and Violet each grabbed their bows and arrows and shot at the dragon.

  The dragon’s black wings struck a group of bystanders. Ben dashed through the crowd and threw a snowball at the evil beast. The Ender Dragon flew directly at Ben, striking him. Ben was destroyed.

  “Ben!” Hannah cried as she grabbed a snowball from her inventory and aimed at the dragon.

  Noah and Violet shot arrows. The Olympic spectators started to take weapons from the inventories and joined in the battle. Arrows flew through the air, and some spectators advanced toward the dragon, trying to strike the flying menace with their swords. The Ender Dragon began to lose its energy. There were no Ender crystals to help the dragon regain its strength. It grew weaker with each strike. Hannah continued to throw snowballs at the dragon. She looked at the dragon’s vicious purple eyes, and threw her final snowball. The beast roared.

  Suddenly the dragon exploded, lighting up the night sky like fireworks. The crowd cheered. The real fireworks show continued. After the spectacular finale, Nina stood on a podium and addressed the crowd.

  “I’d like to welcome you all to the Minecraft Olympics.” Nina scanned the crowd. “I also want to apologize for the Ender Dragon. I know it wasn’t my fault, but I still feel bad about it. There are some people who’d like to see the games cancelled and to scare everyone. We aren’t going to let this happen. We are going to continue with the games.”

  Everyone cheered!

  Mac walked up onto the podium and stood next to Nina. “Tomorrow the first event begins. It’s a player versus player competition. This event promises to be one of the most exciting Olympic battles.”

  The crowd cheered again! As the spectators cleared out and some headed back to the hotel while the townspeople walked to their homes, everyone gazed up into the night sky. They watched for the Ender Dragon or the Wither. After the dragon attack, they had to be prepared for what might come next. Although everybody was excited for the player versus player games, they all felt as if they were engaging in their own personal battle against this evil force that wanted to destroy the Minecraft Olympics.

  Violet and Noah strolled toward the hotel. Violet said to her friend, “I really hope the games will go on tomorrow and Daniel won’t disrupt Samson’s battle.”

  Noah agreed. They both stopped when they reached the front door of the hotel. Noah looked around the entrance. “It would take a lot of TNT to blow this place up. I don’t think Daniel can destroy it.”

  Violet hoped Noah was right, as she entered the hotel and headed to her room, hoping to get some sleep before the first games began.

  7

  PLAYER VS. PLAYER

  Warm sunshine streamed through the window of the hotel. Violet hopped out of bed to catch an early morning view of Olympic Village. Crowds were already standing outside the stadium. She saw Samson being ushered through the crowd. Violet wondered who he’d battle that morning.

  “Violet,” Noah called from the other side of the hotel door. Violet opened the door and Noah handed her a piece of cake.

  “Thanks,” she said and took a big bite. “Let’s go see Samson’s battle.”

  Noah and Violet walked to the stadium. Violet could see Nina standing by the entrance greeting the crowds.

  “Violet and Noah,” Nina called to them, “we reserved special seats for you.”Nina showed them to their seats. They were in front, right by the arena. To the left was the room where the player who was defeated would respawn. Violet hoped Samson wouldn’t be the one who had to respawn.

  A man stepped up onto the arena, wearing a red Olympic jacket with an official badge sewn on the pocket. He took out a megaphone and announced, “The first battle is between all-star Samson and his opponent Finn.”

  The man walked away and the two fighters entered the arena. Samson and Finn carried diamond swords and wore shiny diamond armor. Finn struck Samson with his enchanted sword, but Samson was able to shield himself from the blow and hit Finn. Finn lost a heart. As Samson threw a splash potion of weakness on Finn, he also struck his opponent with his sword. Finn was losing energy quickly. He tried to fight back, but Samson was able to avoid all of Finn’s hits. Samson delivered a final blow. Finn was destroyed. The audience cheered. Samson was the winner! People began to call out Samson’s name in unison: “Sam-son, Sam-son!”

  Finn respawned in the special room and reentered the arena. Samson thanked Finn for a great battle, and then Finn exited the arena.

  The man in the red jacket returned to the arena and announced Samson’s second opponent: “Samson will now battle Dash!”

  Dash also entered the arena wearing diamond armor and carrying a diamond sword.

  The battle between Dash and Samson was intense. Samson was still recovering from his first battle with Finn, and accidentally let Dash strike him with a diamond sword. This was unusual for Samson—he usually avoided getting hit by anybody during a battle. Samson began to fight back. He struck Dash several times until he weakened him and then destroyed him.

  “Another victory for Samson!” the man in the red jacket called out to the crowd. The audience was going wild. They were standing up and cheering Samson on. “There’s only one more fighter. If Samson beats him, he wins the gold medal.” Then the man in the red jacket announced, “Let’s all welcome Peter, one of the Overworld’s most daring fighters!”

  Violet’s heart beat fast. She wondered what made this fighter so daring. She wanted Samson to win the gold medal and to be declared the winner of the player versus player games. But her heart sunk when she saw a very large man enter the arena. He wasn’t wearing diamond armor. Before the battle began he asked Samson if he would fight without armor.

  Samson paused. The audience looked at him. “Uh-uh-uh,” Samson began to stutter, “I guess so. But I’ve never fought without armor.”

  Samson reluctantly took off his armor. He didn’t want to battle this way, but if he refused, the audience would be disappointed and the battle would be unfair. You can’t fight an unarmored opponent when you are wearing armor, Samson thought. He placed his diamond armor on the ground. The fight began!

  Samson struck Peter with the sword. Getting the first hit gave Samson a lot of confidence. Peter was caught off guard when Samson struck him, so Samson used the opportunity to pound Peter again. As Peter regained his strength, Samson splashed a potion of weakness on the large man. Then Samson struck Peter two more times, and Peter was destroyed.

  Peter respawned in the special room, and he made his way back to the arena. He watched as the man in the red jacket gave Samson a skin with a gold medal and declared him the winner.

  “Samson. You are the master fighter of the Overworld. You are now an Olympic gold medalist! Wear this medal with pride!”

  The crowd cheered. But their joyous calls didn’t drown out the sound that boomed in the distance.

  Kaboom!

/>   There was a loud explosion. The crowds made their way out of the stadium and were devastated to see the stadium that was built for the Battle of the Mobs had been blown up.

  “I guess Daniel has more TNT than we realized,” Violet groaned as she looked at the rubble.

  “I was so excited that I was chosen to compete in the Battle of the Mobs,” Noah said despondently, “but I guess I can’t just think about myself. This affects a lot more people than me. We have to do something and stop Daniel.”

  Violet agreed. She looked at the crowd. She wondered if Daniel was working alone or if his rainbow griefer army was lurking around the town. This was a hard job to pull off on his own.

  Valentino the Butcher hurried over to Noah and Violet. “First my shop and now the stadium,” he cried.

  “We will rebuild the stadium,” Noah declared quite loudly and the crowd overheard and cheered him on.

  “Yes, we will,” added Valentino, “but I have something very important to tell you. I saw something while I was working at the concession stand outside the stadium.”

  “What did you see?” Violet asked. She wondered if Valentino could offer them a clue and help them to find Daniel and whoever else was behind these vicious attacks.

  “When I was at the concession stand, I saw two men wearing official red Olympic jackets standing right by the stadium, seconds before it exploded. I’m sure that one of them was carrying a brick of TNT.” Valentino told this all in one breath.

  “I bet the griefers are disguised as Olympic officials,” Violet theorized, “so we don’t recognize them.”

  “I’d recognize Daniel anywhere,” Samson volunteered as he joined the group, wearing his shiny new gold medal skin.

  “I’m sure you would,” Violet replied. “But what if it isn’t Daniel? What if he has someone working for him?”

  The group looked out at the various Olympic workers wearing red jackets. Any one of these people could be working for Daniel. They didn’t know which one to question first. And they certainly didn’t know whom they could trust. Nina and Mac walked over to the Noah and Violet.

  “What happened?” asked Mac.

  As Violet told them what Valentino had seen, she wondered if she could trust Nina and Mac. Maybe they are working with Daniel? she thought. Questions spun around in Violet’s head as she watched the crowds make their way in the direction of the sprinting competition that was about to start.

  8

  SPRINTING TO THE FINISH

  “We need to make sure the stadium where the sprinting competition is taking place is secure,” Nina stated as the crowds flocked toward the entrance. “I don’t want that stadium exploding with people in it!”

  “Yes,” Mac agreed and headed for the stadium with the security personnel.

  Noah and Violet followed behind with Nina. She showed them to their seats.

  “It looks like we have VIP seats at every game,” Violet said, as Nina led them to front row seats.

  “Yes, you built these stadiums,” said Nina. “You deserve the best view.”

  “What about the Battle of the Mobs stadium? Shouldn’t we leave now? I have to start reconstructing that stadium.” Violet worried that she shouldn’t be watching the games but helping to rebuild the Olympic village.

  “We will do that after the sprinting competition. I don’t want any of the games to be disturbed because of Daniel. He doesn’t deserve that much attention. These games must go on,” Nina told Violet.

  An Olympic official stood on the track and shot an arrow into the air. The games had begun. Six runners began their sprint around the track. Violet and the audience cheered for the runners. Two of the runners were neck in neck. Violet wondered if it would be a tie as the runners approached the finish line.

  Kaboom!

  “What was that?” Violet shouted.

  Noah dashed for the exit and Violet followed. When Violet reached the exit and stood by Valentino’s concession stand, her mouth gaped in horror.

  “Oh no!” Violet cried, “Watch out, Valentino!”

  The courtyard outside the stadium was filled with creepers. They exploded, destroying many of the people running for shelter around Olympic Village. Noah pulled out his bow and arrow and shot at the green explosive mobs that filled Olympic Village. Violet called to Ben, Hannah, Angela, and Jack. Together they battled the creepers, narrowly avoiding getting caught in the flames.

  When the final creeper was destroyed, Violet sighed. As she looked out at the empty courtyard, she saw someone with a red jacket hurry past the stadium she had built for the archery competition.

  “Come with me,” she called out to her friends.

  When Violet reached the archery stadium, the red-jacketed Olympic official was missing.

  “What are we looking for?” asked Ben.

  “I think Daniel is dressed like an Olympic official and is causing all of this trouble. I thought I spotted him running over here.” Violet entered the stadium.

  “I see someone!” Hannah shouted when she saw a man with a red jacket sneak backstage.

  Carrying diamond swords, the gang made their way onto the stage and then through the back door.

  “Stop!” Noah screamed at the man.

  The man in the red Olympic jacket was banging into the ground with his pickaxe.

  “Be careful, there’s lava under this stadium,” warned Violet. She had encountered a large lava flow when she was constructing the stadium.

  “Why are you warning him?” Ben asked, shocked. He wanted this evil man to fall into the lava.

  The man looked up and questioned, “Who are you?”

  “We could ask you the same question,” Violet said, and she approached him with her diamond sword.

  “I am helping to finish this stadium,” the man replied.

  “You’re lying. I was in charge of building this stadium and know everyone who worked on the project.” Violet was angry.

  “But I was sent here, because …” he paused.

  “Don’t make anything up. You were sent here because you had to summon creepers for Daniel. Well, it’s over now.” Violet brought her diamond sword closer to the man’s chest. “You aren’t even wearing diamond armor. With a couple of blows, I can utterly destroy you.”

  The man stared at her diamond sword and confessed, “You’re right. I was sent here to summon more hostile mobs. Daniel was planning to distract you with rain and a zombie invasion while he blew up the remaining stadiums. I don’t even want to be a part of this. He is forcing me.”

  Violet didn’t know if she should believe this stranger. “How can he force you to do these evil acts?”

  “He captured me when I was treasure hunting. He took everything from me, and told me the only way he’d set me free was if I helped him destroy the Minecraft Olympics.”

  “Don’t you know you are hurting innocent people?” Ben questioned, and he pointed his diamond sword at the man.

  “We can help you,” Violet told the stranger.

  Her friends looked at Violet in surprise.

  “Help him?” Hannah felt confused.

  “Yes, if he leads us to Daniel and helps us stop the attack, we can set him free and he can continue to lead a life as a treasure hunter,” replied Violet.

  The man seemed excited. “Yes, please let me help you. My name is Trent.”

  The gang walked toward the exit of the archery stadium with the red-jacketed man. As soon as they stepped outside, the sky grew dark and rain fell.

  “Stop the rain!” Violet demanded.

  Trent looked at her and said, “I can’t. It’s too late. But I can help you stop the explosion. I know where Daniel hides the TNT.”

  Zombies lumbered toward Olympic Village. The spectators and Olympic officials battled the undead hostile mob that disrupted the Olympic games, as Violet and the gang followed Daniel’s minion toward the TNT. Violet walked behind Trent and hoped he wasn’t leading them into a trap.

  9

  PLAY BY THE RUL
ES

  Trent led the gang outside of Olympic Village. There was a small wooden structure in the distance. He walked toward the building and opened the door.

  “Oh my,” Violet said, and she followed him in. “I’ve never seen this much TNT.”

  Noah had an idea. “Let’s blow up this building. It’s far enough from Olympic Village that it won’t cause any damage to the stadiums.”

  “I’ll do it,” offered Trent.

  The gang left the building before Trent ignited the TNT.

  Kaboom!

  The wooden structure exploded, and the gang started back to the Olympic games. Trent followed them.

  As they reached Olympic Village, the sun came out, and the zombies were gone.

  “What else was he planning?” asked Violet.

  “I don’t know. This was the only part that I was involved in,” confessed Trent, “but there are others working with Daniel. He is conspiring with someone who is in the Olympics.”

  “It must be either Nina or Mac. They are the ones who are in charge of these Olympic games,” Violet thought out loud.

  “No,” said Trent. “It’s not an official. It’s an athlete.”

  The group stood in silence, pondering his words, as Samson called to them in the distance and ran toward them.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you guys,” Samson said to his friends. He was still wearing his gold medal.

  Violet wondered if Samson was the one working with Daniel. Then she remembered Samson talking about how he despised Daniel. And he had helped construct the village and seemed so proud of his gold medal. They had to trust Samson.

  “Someone is trying to destroy these games,” Noah told Samson.

  “I’ve noticed that,” Samson agreed. He looked at the rubble from the stadium that had been destroyed.

  Nina and Mac hurried over. Mac announced, “We have to begin rebuilding the stadium for the Battle of the Mobs. I don’t want any further interruptions. I want the games to go on.”

  “Who are you?” Nina asked as she looked at Trent.“You’re not an Olympic official.”