Escape Book (volume 1)
Page 1
This edition © 2020 by Andrews McMeel Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews. Published in French under the title Journal d’un Noob – Escape book – Le méga temple maudit © 2019 by 404 éditions, an imprint of Édi8, Paris, France. Text © 2019 by Alain T. Puysségur, Illustration © 2019 by Saboten
Minecraft is a Notch Development AB registered trademark. This book is a work of fiction based on the Journal d’un Noob series by Cube Kid and not an official Minecraft product, nor approved by or associated with Mojang. The other names, characters, places, and plots are either imagined by the author or used fictitiously.
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CHARACTERS
RUNT
This is you! You’re Runt, a villager!
For a long time, you were THE noob of your village, Villagetown—and probably even one of the worst noobs in the entire continent of Ardenvell. But that was before. Now you are one of the most powerful warriors in the village.
You’ve proven yourself time and time again, but there is still much to do. The evil, terrible Herobrine still lurks in the shadows of this world. . . .
EEEBS
One day, Eeebs showed up in Villagetown. Eeebs is an unusual cat with the ability to . . . talk. You’ve always found talking animals a bit weird. . . .
BREEZE
You used to think that Breeze was like everyone else in Villagetown. Then you learned that she’d previously been taken prisoner by Herobrine, whose terrible experiments left her with strange powers. You’ve developed a strong connection, and you’ve promised to protect one another no matter what.
HEROBRINE
There are a lot of really horrible things in life: zombies, the noise spiders make when you try to sleep, mushrooms, and, most horrible of all, Herobrine. He is an evil sorcerer. Really evil. He wants to rule all of Minecraftia.
BEWARE, ADVENTURER!
HOW TO READ THIS BOOK
This is no ordinary book. Don’t read it from beginning to end, turning from one page to the next. You’ll figure out the rules as you go.
Don’t go flipping through the book either, because . . . spoiler alert!
Follow the instructions you’re given to the letter (or number).
**Print out the puzzle packet here. Don't complete the puzzles in the packet until you've been directed to!
Grab a pencil and an eraser. They’ll help you on your adventure!
ABOUT THE RESOURCES
At the end of this book, you’ll find some game resources. Don’t go there first, because you might ruin some surprises. However, there are also hints you can use if you get stuck.
To begin your adventure, go to 01.
01
Today, the mayor of the village summons you. He tells you he has to talk to you about something REALLY important.
“Runt, Villagetown is in serious danger. We need you! Because of your INCREDIBLE strength, intelligence, and charisma, only you can help us.”
Well, okay, he might not say that word for word, but that’s the general idea.
He then continues, “A week ago, a gigantic temple sprang up from the ocean off the southern coast. Breeze went there four days ago, and nobody has heard from her since. You have to go! Look, it’s here.”
HHHUUUUURRRRRRRRRGGGGG
Your brain may take some time to absorb all that information.
Temple. Breeze. Radio silence. Cookie. Wait, are you sure he mentioned a cookie?
Anyway, if Breeze is in danger, you absolutely have to go! After all, you made a promise . . .
“Very well! I accept this mission, and I will show myself worthy of your trust! We will come back heroes!”
Well, that’s what you would have said. Instead, you hurgged slowly.
To take off right away, go to 02. To ask the mayor for more information, go to 14.
02
You hit the road, and since you’re such a great warrior, you don’t take long to reach the south coast of Ardenvell safely.
Buuuuuutttt . . . it’s SUPER HOT out.
You try to pour a bucket of water over your head just to cool off. That might not be a good idea. Your horse almost runs away. . . .
You are now in front of the infamous temple.
Even though you’re one of the bravest warriors of the village, you’ve got to admit that this is pretty scary.
There is a horse tied to a post near the entrance. You’re sure it’s Breeze’s. Did she go in there on her own? Her courage still impresses you. . . .
Aside from that, the place is completely deserted.
Oh no! There is a sign saying:
RUN, POOR FOOLS!
It’s signed by the flame of the eternal lantern.
You draw your two swords, just in case.
Just at that moment, a noise makes you jump.
MIAAAOOOW
It’s Eeebs, that weird cat. You give him a questioning look.
“You must be wondering what I’m doing here,” he says. “I thought you might need some help.”
You look at him with curiosity, then nod with the gravity of a warrior.
If you want to go look at Breeze’s horse, go to 11. To approach the daunting entrance to the temple, go to 05.
03
Sadly, you have succumbed to the cursed temple.
You have to start your adventure again. Erase all the items from your inventory.
Start again by going to 10. Good luck!
04
You press the right and middle buttons, but nothing happens.
You must have missed something. . . .
Better go back to 44 to read the instructions on the sign again.
05
You slowly approach the temple entrance.
You can’t understand how such a big building could have come out of the ocean. Considering the state it’s in, it must be really old.
Why did Breeze come here on her own? If only she’d asked for your help . . .
When you are a few blocks away from the huge door, you hear a noise.
CLICK!
It’s not a nice kind of “click,” the kind that makes you think of completing a task. No. It’s more of a threatening “click.” Not cool. Like the sound of a trap . . .
You can’t move at all.
You notice that you’ve lost your entire inventory. Well, not quite—you find that you have a strange map. You can check it out at the end of the book in A4 or in the print packet, if you like.
After a pensive meow, Eeebs says,
“I know that kind of map. Look: there are numbers on it. Those are the places you can go. But you can only move from one place to another by following the lines that connect them. Be careful! Some places are connected by a dotted line. That means you can’t go there directly and you’ll have to find out how to unlock access—”
“Hahahahaha!” a terrible laug
h interrupts the cat. You’d recognize that laugh anywhere: Herobrine. By some strange magic, his huge bright-eyed face appears, floating above your head. “You have fallen into my trap, adventurer! The warriors of Minecraftia clearly aren’t very smart. It’s almost too easy. Just like the blue-haired girl I locked up in the dungeon, you will never see the light of day again!”
He’s talking about Breeze! A knot forms in your stomach. You hope she’s okay.
“I’m going to teleport you inside the cursed temple,” Herobrine continues. “No one but me has ever managed to exit! Rest in peace, little warrior!”
Herobrine’s evil laugh fades as his magic teleports you within. . . .
Check your map and go to 10 to begin your adventure in the cursed temple!
06
You press the left and middle buttons. Nothing happens.
“I think there’s something you didn’t understand. . . .”
You better go back to 44 and read the instructions on the sign again.
07
You look at the desk a little more closely.
It’s emitting a powerful force.
You suspect that it’s magic. You remember a similar feeling when you were in the presence of Notch and Herobrine.
You manage to decipher some symbols on the stand. They appear to be from a very old language. The symbols seem to allude to the temple and the power cube. There is mention of a key. . . . Is the cube the key to getting out of here?
You’re not sure why, but you have the feeling that someone is watching you. . . .
There’s nothing else you can do here. To return to the secret archives to look around some more, go to 35. If you want to go to another room, take a look at your map.
08
You push the button on the far left and the one on the far right of the three-button device.
CRACK!
Congratulations! The wooden panel breaks, revealing a small hole in the stone. You discover a small iron key.
You add it to your inventory. To do that, go check the box next to it in the list of objects, at the back of the book, by going to A3.
“This small iron key will surely get us out of this first room!”
To use it, you have to combine it with something. To see what you can combine it with, go to A2 at the back of the book to look at the table of combinations. Just go to the line
with “small iron key” to see what you can pair it with. You will see a number that will tell you where to go in the book!
Go to A2 to see what combinations you can make!
09
You take a closer look at the mural in the six-pillar hall, especially at the horde of zombies, and you notice a hidden button!
“Well done, Runt!”
AHA! A noob would have gotten stuck there for sure, but NOT YOU!
You push it, and a hidden passageway two blocks high appears as if by magic, just under the mural.
BINGO!
(You don’t really know what this word means. You’ve just heard humans say that after they’ve done something they think is cool.)
You’ve just unlocked access to another room. You do not know what it is, but you can go find out by going to 25. You can also continue to explore the hall by going to 13. Or you can go to another room.
10
The room you’re in is not very big. It’s impossible to destroy any of the blocks. You can see a small frame. There is also an iron door.
GGEEEEEEUUUUURRRRRHHHHHH
This noise comes from somewhere under your feet, and it’s ridiculously scary.
SO RIDICULOUSLY SCARY.
Behind you, you notice a device with three buttons with a wooden sign above them. Go to 44 to take a closer look. If you want to check out the iron door, go to 50. To go look at the small frame, go to 38.
11
You recognize Breeze’s horse immediately.
It’s tied to a post in the sand and has a bag attached to its saddle. You look inside and find a hastily scribbled note:
GO TO THE HEART OF THE CURSED TEMPLE
OR YOUR FRIENDS WILL DISAPPEAR. . . .
—H
This isn’t Breeze’s handwriting. . . . Could it be Herobrine’s?
This has to be the note that led her here.
You look at the temple again. It gives you the creeps, but your concern for Breeze makes you go toward the huge front door. Go to 05.
12
You try to use the small iron key on the device with three buttons, but it doesn’t do anything. Eeebs gives you a half-curious, half-amused look.
You should try another combination. . . .
13
You find yourself in the six-pillar hall. It feels like being in the hall of a huge castle.
GGEEEEEEUUUUURRRRRHHHHHHH
That noise again? It sounds like some sort of scream. . . . Just what is going on in this temple? As long as Breeze is okay . . . You have to keep going and find her!
To go look at the huge mural on one side of the room, go to 46. To open the chest in the center of the room, go to 18.
14
You ask the mayor about the temple. He gives you an apologetic look.
“Sorry, Runt. I’ve told you everything I know. . . . To be honest with you, I’m worried. Before leaving for the temple, Breeze was really stressed. I think I even heard her mention Herobrine. Above all, you must be careful.”
Indeed, if Herobrine is part of all this, you’ll have to be very careful. . . .
You decide to set out for the temple. Go to 02.
15
As you slide the feathers into the flask, some bubbles appear. Well done! You have succeeded in figuring out the recipe! You end up with a strange potion. Make a note of it in your inventory!
To continue exploring the alchemy lab, go to 104. You can also keep exploring other parts of the temple.
16
Equipped with the diamond sword, it doesn’t take you long to defeat the zombie.
It disappears in a cloud of dust, leaving nothing behind.
You then enter the room it was guarding. The smell of rotting zombie flesh is overpowering. It’s horrible.
You discover a small chest that contains a bucket of water. Remember to make a note of it in your inventory!
To return to the secret archives, go to 35.
17
You put the power cube on the device, making sure its icy side touches the ice square of the device.
It suddenly begins to shine intensely.
Part of the room’s floor starts moving, thanks to some complicated mechanism involving pistons, revealing a staircase that sinks far into the ground.
You unlocked access to the second level of the cursed temple.
To go to the second level, go to 55. Or you can continue to explore the first level.
18
You can’t say exactly why, but something about this chest is reassuring.
Maybe it’s because you hope to find some gear in it?
CREEEEEAAAAAAAAK
It opens with a plaintive groan that echoes throughout the hall.
You can’t hide your disappointment. You find only a book and a flint and steel.
Don’t forget to check them off in your inventory.
You can continue to explore the hall by going to 13, or you can go to a room connected to the hall.
19
The desk in the center of the room is very intriguing.
It’s also very dusty. At first glance, it seems not to have been used in a long time.
But you notice a shape on the polished wood.
“Look! It seems like someone recently put something rectangular on this strange desk. You’d better go take a look at the possible combinations; I’m sure you have something you could combine with this desk!�
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If you don’t have anything you can combine with the desk, you can continue exploring the secret archives by going to 35. Or you can go somewhere else.
20
You open the door.
For a second, there is no sound.
Then a zombie is suddenly upon you!
He is staring at you greedily with his empty eye sockets.
Quick! You have to defend yourself!
Do you have a weapon or something that could help you? If so, don’t forget to take a look at the possible combinations. . . .
If you don’t have anything you could use to defend yourself, go to 34.
21
With determination in your step, you walk across the study toward the piece of cloth on the floor.
It doesn’t take you long to recognize that it’s part of Breeze’s cloak. By Notch! Your throat feels tight.
Eeebs gives you a sympathetic look. Then he tries to reassure you.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure that Herobrine didn’t hurt her. Let’s hurry up and find her so we can get the Nether out of here. Look: there’s a note in one of the folds!”