17

TREASURES AND TROUBLES

Alex sprinted toward a wooden house in the middle of the desert. “This is where the head rainbow griefer lives.”

The griefers could be seen through the window of the wooden house.

“Shh!” Steve said as he looked in the window.

“I can throw a potion on them,” suggested Adam.

“We need a plan,” Steve told Alex. “We can’t just sprint in and destroy them without a strategy.”

“Okay.” Adam started to propose a plan, but was cut short when a griefer shot an arrow at the group.

Adam told his friends to take off their armor.

“Seriously? Now?” Lucy couldn’t believe it.

“Yes, trust me. I have a plan,” Adam told his friends.

Adam only had a few drops left of the potion, but he tossed whatever he could from the potion of weakness bottle at the griefers.

He then splashed a potion of invisibility on his friends and the griefers stopped in their tracks.

“Where are they?” the head rainbow griefer—who wore a black helmet—asked the four rainbow griefers who stood next to him.

“Why are we moving so slowly?” asked another.

“They have an alchemist with them. Don’t worry, the effects won’t last very long. We’ll find them soon. But for now, just shoot arrows in their direction,” the head griefer instructed his band of griefers.

“What direction is that?” asked one of the griefers.

“Over there!” the head griefer commanded. “Where we saw them last.”

The rainbow griefers blindly shot arrows at where they thought the gang was standing.

“I don’t think we’re hitting anyone,” one of the rainbow griefers said as he was struck with an arrow from an invisible Steve.

Lucy sprinted toward the head rainbow griefer and struck him with her diamond sword. “That’s for trapping us!”

Kyra stood next to Lucy and also hit the head rainbow griefer with a powerful blow from her sword.

The head rainbow griefer’s health was diminishing. “Help!” he called to the other rainbow griefers.

The rainbow griefers tried to attack Lucy and Kyra, but every time they struck their swords, it didn’t seem to hit anybody.

“It’s too hard! We can’t see them!” The rainbow griefers were fighting air; it was an impossible battle. A barrage of arrows flew at them.

Adam knew they had to work fast. The potion didn’t last too long and they needed to damage the rainbow griefers if they wanted to have any advantage. Adam sprinted toward the group of griefers, striking as many as he could with his sword. The others joined him.

If someone was to walk by and watch the battle, it would appear almost comical, as the rainbow griefers awkwardly fought an invisible enemy.

“Stop! I surrender!” the head rainbow griefer shouted, and his fellow griefers looked on in shock and horror.

“What?” one screamed out, losing a life when a diamond sword struck his stomach. “There’s no surrendering.”

“That’s right,” Henry said as he hit the head griefer with a final blow.

“We won!” Lucy shouted.

“Not yet,” Steve said as he watched his friends lose their invisibility and get struck by the remaining rainbow griefers.

The griefers were losing energy; they had been hit too many times to fight properly. One griefer was able to escape, sprinting from the battle. Kyra shot an arrow at him, but it didn’t hit him. He was gone. The other three griefers stayed to battle. They used all their might to fight the gang.

Max, Henry, and Thomas struck one of the griefers until he was destroyed. Kyra shot a final arrow at another griefer and he was defeated. There was only one griefer left.

“Stop,” he pleaded.

The group stopped. It was an unfair battle. There were nine in their group and only one griefer left.

“Why did you steal all of our stuff?” asked Henry.

“It wasn’t my idea,” he defended himself.

“But it was wrong. Why would you listen to someone who attacks innocent people?” Lucy was upset.

“I was just following orders,” the griefer replied.

“You have to think for yourself,” Alex told him. “I used to work for that rainbow griefer, but I realized that it was wrong. You don’t follow people who are only out to hurt others.”

“Please let me go,” he begged.

“Why should we?” asked Henry.

“Because I’m innocent,” he said with a whimper.

“Innocent?” Alex was annoyed. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? When you follow bad people, you aren’t innocent.”

“Do you promise not to attack anyone and to leave this gang of rainbow griefers?” Thomas asked him.

“Yes,” he replied.

“We will let you go if you give back any treasures you have taken from my friends,” said Thomas.

“I don’t have anything,” the rainbow griefer confessed.

“Wow, you were fighting us for nothing?” Alex was dumbfounded.

Henry looked through the windows of the wooden house and saw a chest. “I think all of the treasure is here. Come in and help us open this chest.”

They followed the griefer into the house.

“Open it. I want to make sure it isn’t booby-trapped,” Henry demanded.

The group stood back. They feared the chest was trapped and the floor would open up and they’d be thrown into a lava pit. As the griefer lifted the cover of the chest, the gang held their breath. They were nervous.

The griefer slowly opened the chest, revealing all of the treasures Henry, Max, Lucy, and Kyra had found on their treasure hunt. It wasn’t a trap! It was a victory! They were excited!

“It’s all here,” said Henry.

“Yes, look at all of our diamonds!” Lucy looked down at the lost treasure.

Henry gathered the treasure. He handed a portion of the treasure to Max, Lucy, and Kyra.

“We’re going to let you go,” Henry said as he pointed his diamond sword in the direction of the griefer. “But we better not see you ever again.”

“I promise. Thank you,” replied the griefer.

“Are you also going to promise to stop following bad people and only do what you think is right?” asked Thomas.

“Yes, I will,” the griefer said.

The group went outside to see him off and he sprinted away as night set in.

The group could make out a creeper off in the distance. The rainbow griefer was headed in his direction.

Ka-boom!

“Oh no!” Kyra shouted.

“When he respawns with his fellow rainbow griefers, I hope he’ll remember to make his own decisions,” said Henry.

“It’s almost night,” Steve told the group. “We have to find a place to sleep.”

“We can stay in the desert temple. All we have to do is make beds,” suggested Alex.

The group walked toward the temple, but two Endermen crept past holding bricks of sand.

Henry accidently stared at one, and its mouth gaped open as it teleported toward Henry.

Adam threw a splash potion at the Endermen and they teleported away.

“Quick, get in the desert temple. We can build a wall at the entrance so the Endermen can’t get in,” said Alex.

As they sprinted toward the temple, the Endermen teleported back toward the group.

“Lead them to the river!” Kyra suggested.

Steve and Henry sprinted in the direction of the river and the Endermen followed closely behind.

“I hope we’ll make it,” Henry looked back.

Steve jumped in the water and Henry followed. Luckily so did the Endermen.

Steve made his way out of the water, avoiding the cacti lining the water’s edge.

“We need to get back to the temple,” Henry said and the two sprinted.

Alex was almost done constructing the door. Henry and Steve took out their pickaxes.

“Stop!” Alex shouted. “I left a hole for you guys. Don’t destroy the door!”

They made their way through the small hole. The group had made beds for everybody, including Steve and Henry. When the door was finished, they all were relieved. It was dark and they wanted to sleep.