Chapter 13

WAIT, IT’S THE WITHER

“Attention students,” Stefan called out. “We are under attack!”

Students poured out of the dorms and into the center of campus, ready to battle the rainbow griefers.

Victoria had to make a decision. Was she going to escort Isaac into his jail cell, or was she going to battle the griefers?

Isaac looked over at Victoria. “Do you want me to help you battle these griefers?”

“Isaac, I think you should go back to jail. I’m sorry, but I can’t be distracted now.”

Isaac understood. “I guess that makes sense.”

Victoria led Isaac back into the jail. Unlike the structure that had previously stood in its place, this prison was made of bedrock and couldn’t be destroyed.

“There aren’t any windows,” Isaac noticed.

“Yes,” Victoria replied. “We needed to be sure you couldn’t communicate with other griefers, or escape.”

Victoria marched Isaac into the jail cell and, after making sure the cell was securely locked, she ran outside to help the students fight off the griefers that invaded their peaceful campus.

Lucy was in the middle of battling an orange-and-turquoise griefer. The griefer splashed a potion of weakness on Lucy, and she began to lose hearts and the energy she needed to battle him. Lucy’s voice was weak and she could barely utter the word, “Help!”

“Don’t worry. I’m here!” Victoria dashed to Lucy’s side. With one blow from her powerful diamond sword, the headmaster was able to destroy the multicolored griefer.

“Thanks,” Lucy said weakly.

Adam rushed over and handed Lucy a potion of healing. “Take this. This isn’t going to be an easy battle.”

Lucy sipped the potion. “Adam, I can’t believe the rainbow griefers are back.”

“I know. Our old enemy.” Adam’s face was grim. “But we’ve defeated them before, and we will do it again,” he said, and he handed Lucy another bottle of potion.

“What is this for?” asked Lucy.

“It’s a spare bottle of the potion of healing. You never know when you’ll need it.” As Adam spoke, he leapt at a blue griefer that ran past them.

Lucy and Victoria helped Adam defeat the blue griefer. As Lucy struck the blue griefer with her diamond sword, she spotted Maya sprinting toward the dorm. Lucy wondered why Maya was returning to the dorms when Stefan had announced that the entire school had to help battle the rainbow griefer army.

“We did it!” With a final blow, Adam annihilated the blue griefer, and he turned to high five his friend.

Lucy excused herself and ran toward the dorms. She climbed the stairs to Maya’s room and stood outside, trying to hear the muffled voices within. It sounded like Maya and Debbie were talking. Lucy stood still, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying through the door.

Lucy knocked.

Maya opened the door and looked surprised. “What’s going on, Lucy?”

“I saw you run into the dorm and I was worried you might be hurt. Stefan asked that all students battle the griefers, so I assumed there was something wrong when I saw you head in this direction.”

Maya looked at Debbie and stammered, “Um, I was just coming back here to look for Debbie. She was injured battling two orange griefers, and she was tired of fighting.”

Lucy thought that was strange. Debbie was one of the strongest fighters in the Overworld, and she couldn’t imagine Debbie deciding to sit out the battle so quickly.

“Are you guys planning on staying in here?” asked Lucy.

Instead of answering, Maya surprised Lucy by splashing a potion of harming on her, then pushed past her and sprinted out of the dorm with Debbie.

Lucy gasped, her newfound trust in Maya shattered. With what little energy she had left, she walked into Maya’s room to investigate, searching for anything suspicious. But the room was empty—just two beds and a few books inside.

Lucy walked over to the window and looked out, gasping again as she saw Maya and Debbie by the entrance to the dorm. They were making a T shape with soul sand and placing wither skulls on top of it.

Lucy grabbed the potion of healing that Adam had given her from her inventory, taking a sip. Then she ran out of the dorm and shouted, “The Wither! They are summoning the Wither!”

It was too late. There was no need to warn the other students. A blue Wither spawned in the center of the campus. The three-headed beast quickly changed color from blue to black as it spotted the students.

“Watch out!” Adam called to Lucy as a wither skull flew in her direction.

Lucy dodged and started to grab her bow and arrow.

Adam called out, “Use the potion of healing. It harms the Wither.” He tossed a bottle to her.

Lucy nodded determinedly and ran toward the Wither, splashing the potion on the flying menace. It began to lose hearts. Adam rushed to her side and leapt at the Wither with his diamond sword, striking one of its three heads. But in retaliation, the Wither struck Adam with a wither skull, destroying him.

“Adam!” Lucy cried. She was infuriated. She had no idea where Adam would respawn, since he had just returned from his journey. He might respawn in the middle of the taiga biome, unable to continue the fight.

Lucy threw the remaining healing potion at the Wither and turned to look for help, but Victoria and Stefan had just reached her side.

Wither skulls hit Victoria and Stefan again and again, and they were losing hearts. Lucy tried to destroy the Wither with her diamond sword, but she was also running low on energy.

Lucy was relieved when she saw Phoebe and Jane sprint over and strike the Wither with their diamond swords. But she was utterly shocked when Maya and Debbie raced over with potions. They splashed them on the Wither and the beast was destroyed, dropping a Nether star.

“Maya and Debbie, you saved the day!” Victoria exclaimed.

Lucy gasped. “No, they didn’t!”

Stefan looked confused. “What are you saying, Lucy?”

“I’m telling you that they summoned the Wither.” Lucy pointed at Maya and Debbie, who looked back with wide eyes, shaking their heads.

“Seriously?” Victoria asked. She furrowed her brow, and looking around, Lucy could see that everyone was looking at her as though she’d gone mad. “Why would they destroy something they summoned?”

Maya said, “Lucy, I think this battle has been too intense for you. You’re imagining things.”

“No, I’m not! I—” Lucy stammered.

“Lucy, give it a rest,” Stefan said.

“Wait! Phoebe, Jane, you believe me, right? I saw it with my own eyes!” Lucy looked desperately at her friends.

Phoebe opened her mouth to respond, but Victoria cut her off. “That’s enough. You’ve had a long day, and you’re tired. I’m sure you didn’t see what you think you did.”

But Lucy knew she was right. She wondered what other sinister plans Maya and Debbie might be plotting.