2

RESPAWN

“It was a creeper.” Kyra could barely get the words out. “I heard it, but I didn’t have enough time to escape.”

“That’s awful!” exclaimed Steve. “But you’re safe from creepers here. We have two ocelots.”

“True. That creeper was a nightmare. The only good part was that I respawned in my bed, so I came over here to ask for your help,” Kyra paused. “Did Alex and Will make it here? Did they tell you what happened?”

Steve started to explain, but Kyra interrupted him.

“Oh, Steve you won’t believe what happened to Henry, Max, and Lucy.”

At that point, Alex and Will emerged from the bedroom.

“Kyra?” Alex was shocked.

“You made it!” Kyra smiled.

“Yes, we were going to leave for the desert in the morning. What happened to you?” asked Alex.

“Did you give Steve my message?” asked Kyra.

“We told him how you were trying to help your friends who were trapped by a griefer,” said Will.

“Steve, three rainbow-colored griefers trapped us.”

“The rainbow men! I’ve seen them in the Nether and the jungle.” Steve couldn’t believe the rainbow griefers had struck again.

“We were just about to unearth the treasure when they snuck into the desert temple with diamond swords and trapped us.”

“How?” Steve wondered why Henry, Max, and Lucy wouldn’t be able to fight back. They were experienced treasure hunters who had encountered many griefers.

“At first we were so excited to find the hidden temple. When we found the room with the treasure, Henry was able to get around the booby traps, but he never destroyed the TNT. When the rainbow men came upon us, one of them stood by the TNT. He said he’d blow it up and kill us all if we didn’t comply with their demands. The men led us to a bedrock room they must have built. Luckily, I was able to run away. I don’t even think they noticed until it was too late.”

“What was your plan to help Henry, Max, and Lucy escape?” asked Steve.

“I was going to try to steal the TNT and then use it to attack the griefers, but it was getting dark and there was a creeper—and now I’m here.”

“We need to get back to the desert to help them. They could be trapped in there forever,” Steve told Kyra.

Kyra walked over to Alex and Will. “Now that I have Steve, you don’t have to come with us. I can reward you with some emeralds from my inventory. I can even give you one diamond each.”

Alex looked at Will. “Would you mind if we still joined you?”

“Why?” Kyra seemed stunned.

Will said, “I think it would be an awesome adventure, and I know that desert temples have many treasures. They are one of the most valuable finds.”

“We need all the help we can get. This isn’t going to be easy,” Steve told them.

“Oh no!” Out of nowhere, Kyra spotted a spider’s red eyes.

Steve destroyed it with one blow. “This is the second one tonight. We must get into bed before a spider jockey or an Enderman attacks us. It’s too dangerous to be out of our beds.”

The door was still open. Steve went to close it, but two skeletons walked by, their bones creaking in the silent night.

“Get your bows and arrows ready!” Steve told the group as the skeletons shot arrows at the gang.

“What’s that sound?” Kyra asked, her voice shaky.

A hissing sound grew louder.

“It sounds like a creeper!” shouted Steve.

“How could it be? You have two ocelots,” Kyra stuttered.

“Stand back!” Will called out.

The skeletons killed the griefer. A music disc dropped on the floor. Steve and the gang shot arrows at the skeletons and destroyed them.

Steve picked up the disc and inspected it.

“This isn’t the time to play music. We need to find our friends,” Kyra reminded him as the sun rose in the distance.

The group walked out the door, ready to embark on the journey to save their friends from the griefer. They stopped when they saw another green, blocky, hostile mob slowly making its way toward them. Its four small legs made no noise as it moved closer.

“I don’t understand. The sun’s up. How could a creeper survive?” questioned Kyra.

“They can live in daylight. They’re one of the only hostile mobs that can survive,” Steve said as he slowly tried to walk away from the menacing creature, but it was pointless. There was no escape.

The group stood in fear. They braced themselves for an explosion. But then Snuggles and Jasmine walked toward the creeper and distracted the evil green devil from Steve and his friends.

“Run!” Steve shouted to his friends. They sprinted far from the wheat farm, starting their journey to save their friends trapped in the desert.

Just when they thought they were safe, only a short distance from Steve’s farm, they encountered a swampy biome where the foursome stumbled upon a witch hut.

The small, black-hatted witch ran out of her hut with a bottle of potion.

The group had no means of escape. The witch charged at them and threw a potion on Steve. His body slowed down. He felt as though he couldn’t move another step. He just wanted to fall to the ground and sleep.

“It’s the potion of weakness!” Kyra called out in warning.

Despite knowing the potion’s effects, Will raced toward the witch with his sword. He leapt at the witch, striking her. Witches were very strong and could regenerate, so the attack had no impact on her.

Steve needed help. Alex ran to him and handed him milk. “Drink this, it will make you feel better.”

Steve drank the milk, but he felt awful and doubted that anything could help him.

Will battled the witch. He hit the lavender-eyed figure harder, but it didn’t destroy her. She threw a potion at Will.

“I’m sick!” Will shouted as the potion of poison took away hearts on his health bar.

Kyra shot an arrow at the witch, destroying her.

“That’s fantastic, Kyra!” Alex said as she gave Will milk.

Will drank as Steve walked over to him.

“It doesn’t take very long, but you’ll feel better,” Steve reassured his new friend.

The group wanted to leave the swamp. They knew it was just a matter of time before they were attacked by the slimes that lived in that biome. But as they walked slowly through the marshy landscape, they could hear somebody call for help. Steve stopped.

“I know that voice!” Steve said, but he couldn’t believe it.