Hidden in the Overworld Page 5

  “We have to stop the griefers! They can’t scare the townspeople with the Wither!” Harrison called out.

  “And they’d better not ruin my tree house.” Violet was enraged. She had worked very hard to craft that tree house and would be devastated if the house was destroyed.

  The group trekked through the snowy biome into the jungle. As they approached an area thick with leaves and giant trees, arrows shot toward them.

  “Rainbow griefers!” Violet shouted.

  The gang took out their swords and bows and arrows as the sky grew cloudy and rain began to fall on the green jungle.

  Three blue griefers lunged toward the gang, but were struck by arrows.

  “Skeletons!” one of the blue griefers screamed to his friends.

  But the other two griefers weren’t paying attention to their friend’s warning about the skeleton attack. They stared at Jack the orange griefer. They held their diamond swords against his orange body. “Traitor,” one of the blue griefers shouted at Jack and struck him with a diamond sword.

  “How can we be betrayed by one of our own people?” the other blue griefer asked as he too struck Jack.

  Arrows shot through the sky, hitting all three blue griefers. The gang took shelter behind a large jungle tree.

  “We have to help Jack,” Violet said as she peeked out from behind the tree and saw her friend being attacked.

  “You’re right,” Noah agreed, holding his sword tightly in his hand. He was eager to battle the blue griefers.

  As Noah and Violet ran to help their friends, the skeletons destroyed the three blue griefers.

  “You’re safe! The blue griefers are wiped out,” Violet called out to Jack.

  Jack turned around and lunged at the skeletons with his sword. Noah and Violet joined him in battle, as the sun began to break through the clouds and the skeletons were destroyed.

  “We have to get moving,” Ben called out. “I see more rainbow griefers in the distance.”

  13

  IT TAKES A VILLAGE

  The gang raced to outrun the griefers, but the evil creatures were catching up to them. “We have to go faster!” Violet called to her friends.

  “I can’t go any faster,” Noah replied wearily.

  The town was in sight. They could see the golem outside the village shops. “We’re almost there,” Ben said. He was happy to see the golem.

  Night was setting in as the group reached the village street, stopping to catch a breath by Valentino’s butcher shop.

  Valentino saw the group and came out of his shop. “I’m so glad to see you. The town is being attacked again. This morning somebody blew up a farm and the blacksmith shop. I am so worried my butcher shop will be blown up. Then I won’t have a place to sell my goods.”

  “We’re trying to stop it, but we need help,” replied Noah.

  Valentino spotted Jack the orange griefer. “What is an orange griefer doing in our village? He can’t stay here. He’s the enemy.”

  “No, Valentino. He’s our friend,” Violet defended Jack.

  Violet went up and down the village streets recruiting townspeople to help them battle the rainbow griefers that were about to enter the town. She also asked them to be kind to Jack, and explained that he was now on their side and would help them with the battle.

  “Everyone,” she announced to the townspeople, “we need your help. We have to battle these rainbow griefers and we can’t do it without you. Go home and suit up in armor and then come back and help us with your powerful swords and bows and arrows.”

  The townspeople rushed back to their homes so they could help the gang battle the griefers that were intent on destroying their town. But some townspeople stopped and protested, “How can you bring an orange griefer into our town? How can you trust him?”

  “Please,” Violet said, trying to be patient, “leave Jack alone. He is our friend.”

  The sky grew darker. Harrison lit a torch and placed it on the side of Valentino’s shop.

  Violet called out to the crowd, “We’re losing valuable time. We don’t have time to argue about Jack. You’ll see. He will join us in battle.”

  The rainbow griefers walked past the golem. The gang advanced toward them, ready to battle.

  Jack was the first to strike a griefer.

  “I can’t believe I was struck by one of my own,” cried the griefer.

  “I’m not like you anymore,” Jack shouted and attacked him again.

  The townspeople began to crowd the village streets and join the gang in battle.

  Ben struck one griefer with his sword, but another griefer clobbered him, destroying him.

  “Oh no!” Hannah was devastated. “He’s going to respawn in the igloo.”

  With a surge of anger, she struck the griefer and instantly obliterated him. The gang, along with many townspeople, destroyed all the griefers that were attacking their village. It was a thrilling victory and the entire town was pleased. But it was still the dead of night and they were all vulnerable to hostile mob attacks.

  “Everybody can go to sleep now,” instructed Violet. “We heard that Daniel is summoning the Wither. We must get some rest and prepare for the battle. Thank you for helping us today! We will beat Daniel again and win!”

  Everyone headed back home. Hannah stopped Violet and Noah. “Where are you going?”

  “We have to sleep before the morning. We need to restore our energy to battle Daniel,” replied Violet.

  “What? How can you go to bed when Ben was destroyed? He probably respawned in the igloo; Daniel could have captured him and put him on Hardcore mode. He must be so frightened. You know he isn’t that brave. He tries, but he isn’t really made for battle,” Hannah reminded her friends.

  Angela, Elias, and Harrison agreed with Hannah. Even though it was pitch black and they could be destroyed by the hostile mobs of the night, they had to trek through the darkness to save their friend Ben.

  Violet added, “I’m also worried about Ben, but we have to stay and get some sleep. We need to defend this town.”

  “I thought we were in this together,” Jack the orange griefer said to Violet.

  Violet took his words to heart. She wondered if she was making the wrong decision. Was her determination to save the town stopping her from doing the right thing?

  Noah looked over at Violet. “They’re right. We can’t leave Ben in the Cold Taiga Biome alone. He might be captured.”

  “What are we going to do?” Hannah asked the group.

  “We’re going to split up,” replied Violet.

  As a group of zombies lumbered toward the town, Noah shot an arrow at one of the beasts.

  “No, we aren’t splitting up,” Noah disagreed firmly, as he fought the zombies with his friends. “We’re going to save Ben together.”

  Violet aimed at a zombie and struck it with her arrow. She didn’t realize four zombies were lurking behind her. Within seconds she was destroyed and respawned in the igloo. There sat Daniel.

  14

  SMALL WONDER

  “Where is Ben?” Violet confronted Daniel immediately.

  “Your friend will be okay,” he said with a laugh.

  Seconds later, Noah respawned in the igloo. He dashed toward Daniel, striking him with his diamond sword. But two rainbow griefers lunged at Noah and his sword broke, leaving him defenseless.

  “It’s time for you to pay,” Daniel exclaimed as he looked at Noah and Violet. “You destroyed my palace and stole my enchanted books, and you stole diamonds from my mine.”

  “You summoned the Ender Dragon to attack our town and hurt innocent people. And you stole that palace. I built it for a friend of mine and you took it from them,” Violet replied. Her eyes started to fill with tears. “And what have you done with Ben?”

  Violet felt very guilty. If something happened to Ben, she would blame herself for hesitating to rescue him.

  “You guys are going back to my ice cave and you will be placed on Hardcore mode.” Dani
el let out a sinister laugh.

  Harrison and Hannah had respawned in their beds. They jumped up and struck the griefers in the room, but it didn’t have any impact. More griefers came in the door of the igloo. The friends were outnumbered. Daniel controlled the Cold Taiga Biome and they were going to have to fight to survive.

  Elias respawned in his bed too, and a red griefer was already standing by the bed waiting for him. Finally, Jack the orange griefer respawned.

  Daniel walked over to him and asked, “How can you join these people? You’re one of us.”

  “He isn’t one of us, he’s an evil traitor and he must be destroyed,” said the red griefer. “It would be my pleasure if you let me destroy this piece of trash.”

  “Don’t do anything rash,” Daniel replied as he held a diamond sword to Jack the orange griefer’s face. “I want to deal with him myself. This one needs special attention. He’ll be the first to be placed on Hardcore mode.”

  “You aren’t going to get away with this!” Violet shouted at Daniel, but she wasn’t sure she was right about that. She knew Daniel could destroy them all. After spending so much time trying to save the townspeople, Violet knew the townspeople were their only hope of being saved. If the townspeople could make it to this cold biome and fight Daniel and his griefers, the gang might be saved. If not, Violet and her friends would be put on Hardcore mode, and even the most skilled fighter can be destroyed on that mode. It’s not just a challenge, it’s impossible.

  Violet and her friends did something they never thought they’d do. They surrendered.

  “We will go back to your ice cave. Please, just don’t hurt us.” Violet spoke for her friends. “And please let us see Ben.”

  “Ben is fine,” Daniel laughed. “Don’t worry about him.”

  It was still dark and the group walked alongside the rainbow griefers through the snow toward the ice cave.

  Although the cave was close to the igloo, Violet felt like the walk took forever. Each step felt like an eternity. She looked over at Noah and hoped he had a plan to escape, because she had nothing. The others walked with their heads down. Everyone was frightened and cold.

  The griefers led them down the hole they had used to mine for diamonds and into the stronghold. They walked down the hall and were led into a prison cell. The group gathered in a small cell, where they were reunited with Ben.

  One of the griefers closed the gate. Daniel looked at them from behind the bars and let out another sinister laugh. “Well, you’re reunited with your friend Ben. I told you he was okay.”

  The group stared back at Daniel, unafraid of his evil threats.

  “Your days are numbered. You’re all trapped. Who is going to save you now?” Daniel laughed again.

  “You’ll never win,” Violet shouted from behind the bars.

  “Really? I won’t?” Daniel taunted, “because it looks like I have already won. You’re all my prisoners. And soon you will be on Hardcore mode and I’ll be rid of you.”

  “This is cruel and you’re not being fair to anybody, Daniel,” Jack the orange griefer called out.

  Daniel signaled to the green griefers that stood next to him to remove Jack from the cell, and they walked toward the cell to take him away.

  “Don’t listen to him,” Jack told them. “Don’t trust him. He doesn’t care about you. He’d destroy you in minutes. I’d rather be destroyed with the people next to me in this cell than live a life working for somebody like Daniel.”

  “Well, I can grant you that wish,” Daniel shouted at Jack.

  A red griefer sprinted down the hall and whispered something in Daniel’s ear. He told the green griefers to leave Jack in the prison cell and left in a hurry. Once he was gone, Hannah asked, “How are we going to get out of here?”

  “You’re not,” one of the green griefers replied.

  “You don’t scare us,” Violet called to the griefers.

  “We should scare you,” the green griefer said as he approached the cell.

  Two silverfish crawled toward the green griefers, who hit them with their swords. But they were so busy battling the small insects they didn’t see the creeper that silently crept behind them and ignited itself.

  Kaboom!

  The creeper destroyed one of the green griefers. The other was left alone with dozens of silverfish crawling toward him. He hit as many as he could with his sword, but it was a silverfish infestation and there were too many to battle.

  “Do you need help?” asked Violet.

  “Not from you,” the griefer replied as he struck another silverfish. And the green griefer was also so distracted by the insects that he didn’t see a skeleton in the distance. It shot an arrow at the green griefer and he was destroyed.

  “We have to get out of here!” Violet tried to break out from behind the bars. Together the gang ripped the bars down, and they were free.

  “Let’s find Daniel!” Noah raced down the hall.

  The gang had renewed energy. They could win the battle after all. They ran down the hall in search of Daniel. When they climbed out of the hole in the middle of the ice cave, they heard a familiar voice.

  15

  EXPECTATIONS

  “Angela!” Violet called out.

  “I’m going to save you!” Angela replied.

  Violet looked behind Angela and saw a large group of townspeople. They were dressed in armor and carried diamond swords and bows and arrows.

  “Where’s Daniel?” Noah asked Angela.

  “I have no idea. There’s nobody here,” Angela replied.

  Violet walked into the empty ice cave. There was no sign of Daniel and the griefers.

  “Where did they go?” Harrison wondered as he inspected the rooms of the ice cave.

  “I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.” Violet was determined to stop Daniel.

  The gang dashed out of the ice cave, and the townspeople followed them through the frigid snow-covered biome in search of Daniel and the griefers.

  “I see them!” Noah called to the group. In the distance, the rainbow griefers were entering the Jungle Biome.

  “To the jungle!” directed Violet.

  The gang headed toward the jungle, but once they reached the leafy biome, they didn’t see any of the griefers.

  “How did we lose them?” asked Violet, who was visibly annoyed. She looked in every direction, but there was no trace of Daniel and his evil army.

  “What about the jungle temple?” Noah asked as he pointed to the temple in the distance.

  “We can check there,” Violet said and led the way toward the temple.

  Violet looked behind her, noticing a large group of townspeople. She felt powerful leading the townspeople to the jungle, but she was also nervous. She didn’t feel like a born leader, and she wasn’t comfortable having so many villagers follow her. Violet also had no great plan for when they reached Daniel and the griefers. If they were in the temple, she’d just attack them with her sword. She knew that she needed a strategy to defeat the griefers.

  Jack walked along behind Violet. “Daniel has another hiding place in the jungle. It’s a cave near the jungle temple.”

  “Thanks,” said Violet. “Can you lead us there?”

  “Yes,” he replied and moved to the front of the line, side by side with Violet.

  “Do they have any weak spots in the cave? Anything you can tell us to help win this battle?” questioned Violet as she tried to come up with a strategy.

  “The cave is very similar to the ice cave,” he replied. “It also has a large stronghold.”

  Violet was nervous they’d be stuck in a stronghold again and would have to travel back to the End.

  “Maybe we should just head back to the town and protect it?” Violet questioned.

  Noah walked over to them and Jack told him about the jungle cave.

  “We have to invade the cave. It can weaken the griefers and help us win this battle,” decided Noah.

  Violet knew Noah was ri
ght. They continued past the jungle temple and toward the cave, when the sky turned dark and it started to rain.

  “Ouch!” Noah called out.

  Arrows were suddenly flying in all directions and hitting the gang.

  “Skeletons!” shouted Harrison.

  The group took out their swords and bows and arrows and began to battle the bony mob.

  The sound of rattling bones could be heard in the jungle, as Violet and her friends tried to defeat the mob as fast as they could, without depleting all of their energy. They needed to stay strong to battle Daniel.

  Click! Clack! Clang! A skeleton shot an arrow that pierced Violet’s skin. Violet lunged toward the skeleton with a diamond sword, but she was shocked when someone struck her back with a powerful diamond sword.

  “You can’t even fight a skeleton,” Daniel taunted, and he struck Violet again.

  Violet was cornered. She didn’t know whom to fight. She had Daniel at her back as she stood face to face with a skeleton.

  “Violet!” Noah called out, “Don’t worry about the skeleton.” He shot an arrow at the bony beast and it was destroyed.

  “Daniel, where’s your army?” Violet pointed her sword directly at Daniel.

  “I don’t need them to battle you. It’s very easy,” he laughed.

  As Daniel let out another sinister chuckle, Violet struck him with her sword. He became very angry and fought back.

  The gang surrounded Daniel and Violet. They were ready to destroy Daniel when they saw the rainbow griefers marching into their town.

  “Your town is going to be destroyed,” Daniel laughed again, as he drank a potion of Healing to regain his energy.

  The townspeople rushed to the rainbow griefers, flooding them with arrows and trying to strike them with their swords. But the skeletons were advancing toward both the griefers and the townspeople.

  The rainbow griefers and the townspeople had to work together to fight off the group of skeletons that attacked them in the rain. Yet, they didn’t bond during the battle. Once the last skeleton was defeated and dropped a bone, the rainbow griefers and the townspeople continued with their battle, until finally the rain stopped and the sun began to shine throughout the town.