General Bart escorted our group to the lava river where the Copper Block had been dropped.
“Here is the spot. We were unable to retrieve it because the ferocious enemies kept coming at us from all sides, but now we are much safer without the Magma Cubes jumping around.” Paul said.
“We might have a chance at taking that thing out of the river now.” I replied.
“What do you mean, ‘a chance’? We are definitely going to take that Copper Block out of the river! Nothing is stopping us anymore, my friends. We are invincible!” General Bart laughed.
“Well, you do remember how we also mentioned radioactive Hoglins, right?”
“Of course, I do but I do not see any Hoglins around here, do you?” General Bart asked.
“The thing is, you should keep an eye out and watch your back. We never know when those things might show up. We need to be safe; we cannot get ambushed by a bunch of wild, feral Hoglins with radioactive teeth.” I said.
“Come on Strider, you worry too much. After seeing that amazing display of bravery back there, do you still doubt my men? We have the best of the best here! They can take care of anything.” General Bart smiled.
“Huh. For someone who was almost running back home and crying, you sure look very confident now.” Tom joked.
“I am confident because my infantry showed their true worth. There is nothing to worry about, as long as we have their trusty bows by our side.” General Bart replied. “Now, carry on with your mission. Take that block out of there so we can move on. I cannot stand this place anymore.”
“Hey! It is our home, and we love it!” Nora said.
“Yeah whatever, we will be waiting right over there, near that field. It’s the perfect spot to watch for any enemies. Fifteenth Infantry, come with me!” General Bart marched away, and the 15th infantry followed him.
“Can you believe that guy? He’s down and sobbing one moment, and overconfident and arrogant the next. What is wrong with him?” Tom wondered.
“Nothing’s wrong, I think it’s just the way he is.” I told Tom. “Now, we need to get our work done here.”
“Correct. The plan is simple: I’ll drain out all the lava using the bucket. Then, I’ll place some Netherrack blocks inside the hole to retain any lava from entering the area. Next, I’ll dig out the middle and look for the Copper Block. Once I locate it, I’ll pull it out using the special tarp and place it on Morgan’s back. Any questions?”
“No, sounds like a good plan.” I replied.
“Yep, let’s carry on with it.” Tom said.
“Take care not to touch the block, Paul!” Nora advised him.
“No worries, I have got this.” Paul pulled out some Netherrack blocks from his inventory and placed the bucket on the ground. He took out some of the lava using the bucket and surrounded the hole with Netherrack. Then, he mined in the middle and looked for the Copper block. Meanwhile, we waited for him to come out of the hole. General Bart seemed unaware of his surroundings.
“I suppose we will deliver this block in a day or so. I can’t wait any longer to have this block delivered. I want to return home!” Tom said.
“If everything goes smoothly, Frank Bones will have his last block and we will take back the equipment to Doc Ivy so she can continue researching a cure for Zack and the others.”
“I wonder if Zack is doing well now…” Nora asked.
“I hope so, Nora. But the faster we get this over with, the faster we see Zack again in good health. That’s why this mission is so important and taking too long is not good for Zack.” I said.
“We will come back soon, Zack. Hold tight.” Nora said.
“I think I found it… wait a moment. Yes, I located the Copper block!” Paul announced happily.
“Woohoo! We made it!” I shouted. “The missing Copper block has been found at long last!”
“Let me pick it up here, so I can climb back.” Paul said.
Tom, Nora, and I couldn’t help but smile with happiness. Our mission was almost complete! Paul was retrieving the Copper Block from the lava, and the Magma Cubes had been defeated. Now, it was only a matter of time until we made it back to Albeja and handed the missing block to Frank Bones! However, …
“Striders, hide!” It was General Bart’s voice. He was screaming and frantically waving with his right arm from the field. He seemed scared and worried.
“Is that guy pulling another stupid prank on us?” Tom wondered. “I swear if he’s joking again… I’m going to bite his hand!”
“Hide! Jump in the hole! Hide!” General Bart screamed and waived frantically.
“Okay, I don’t think he is joking. Come on, we need to hide somewhere.” I said.
“There is nowhere to hide.” Tom replied.
“In the hole, we need to jump in there with Paul and hide.” I said.
“What? No way. I’m not getting in there with that radioactive block!” Tom complained.
“We must hurry, Tom! We don’t know what is happening out there! Perhaps it’s the wild Hoglins!” Nora said, jumping in first and falling on Paul’s head.
“Guys, what’s going on?” Paul said unaware of the circumstances outside the hole.
“Come on Tom, we can’t stay here.” I said.
“Fine.” Tom jumped in, and I followed him. We all hid in the hole along with Paul and waited for further instructions from General Bart.