The Case of the Creepers

by Winter Morgan

  “We have to pull the bridge up so they can’t travel over the moat,” suggested Billy.

  The gang raced toward the bridge, but the creepers had already reached the foot of the bridge, and by the time they were able to lift the moat, it was too late. They didn’t have enough time. Creepers filled the bridge and were entering the castle.

  “Oh no,” said Herman as they stood by the bridge. “We’re trapped. They’re already in the castle.”

  “They could blow it up.” Billy’s voice cracked.

  “Do you think they could really do that?” questioned Edison as he looked down at his diamond sword. He used to think the diamond sword was the most powerful weapon, but now it felt useless. There was no way he could destroy all of these creepers with one diamond sword. He wished he had potions in his inventory, but it was bare.

  “I have a plan,” said Sally confidently.

  Edison hoped it was a good one.

  15

  PLAYER VS. PLAYER

  “Let’s make a portal to the End,” she said. “It’s the only way out of here.”

  “What? That’s crazy. We can’t travel to The End now. We have to help the Overworld,” said Edison.

  “What else can we do?” demanded Sally. “We can’t leave the castle. In a few seconds, this room will be filled with creepers, and we’ll all be destroyed, only to respawn and get destroyed all over again. At least if we go to the End, we might find some treasures.”

  “How is that going to help anyone?” asked Billy. “Of course I want to travel to the End and go to End City, but now isn’t the time. We have to stay here and fight.”

  There wasn’t any time left to debate. The creepers entered the room, and Billy dashed toward them with his diamond sword, but they exploded. Billy was caught in the middle of two exploding creepers, and he lost the last of his hearts.

  “Billy!” Edison called out, but his friend was gone.

  Edison slammed his sword into two creepers before he was also caught in an explosion, but he was overwhelmed by the creepers and lost the battle. He respawned in his bed and was surprised to see Puddles beside him. Edison got up and was walking to the window when he heard Billy crashing through his door.

  “The creepers are gone,” exclaimed Billy.

  “And passive mobs are here.” He pointed at Puddles, who meowed.

  “We have to TP back to Verdant Valley to find out what happened to the others,” said Edison.

  The duo TPed into the castle, but the castle was empty. They called out for William, but he didn’t respond.

  “We should leave,” suggested Billy as he clutched his diamond sword. He wanted to be prepared. He never knew who would appear outside in Verdant Valley.

  Edison followed his friend over the bridge that was once filled with creepers and stared at the sky. “It’s almost night. We have to find them quickly.”

  The streets of Verdant Valley were empty. “Where is everybody?” Billy was worried.

  “I don’t know, but we should go to Anna’s house. We have to find her.” Edison hurried in the direction of Anna’s home.

  When they reached her door, Sally called out to them. “Guys, I have some crazy news.”

  “What?” asked Billy.

  Sally said, “William is behind all of these attacks.”

  “Really?” questioned Edison.

  “She’s right,” Herman confirmed. “We have reason to believe he is the one who is using the command blocks.”

  “But why?” asked Billy. “He was the one who we chose to head up the competition. Why would he want to ruin it?”

  As they spoke to Sally and Herman, Anna opened her door. “Billy! Edison! I’m so glad you guys are okay.”

  “For now,” said Edison.

  Billy and Edison walked inside the house, but they stopped when they saw William standing in Anna’s living room.

  “What is going on?” questioned Edison.

  William paced around the small living room. “Someone is trying to destroy the competition, and everyone thinks it’s me, but I’m not the one responsible for all of this.”

  “Why do people think it’s you?” asked Billy.

  Sally and Herman shot through the door of Anna’s home. Sally announced, “It’s William. We found you. Now confess. Tell us why you’re destroying the competition.”

  Edison and Billy waited to hear his response, but William stood in silence. Billy demanded, “Answer us. Tell us why people think you’re guilty. We chose you for this job because we thought you’d be the fairest person to run and judge this competition. Why would people believe that you’re behind its destruction?”

  William still stood frozen in silence.

  Kaboom! A loud explosion shook Anna’s home, and the gang raced to the window to see what had exploded.

  “The creepers are back,” Anna cried. Verdant Valley’s streets were jam packed with creepers, and every inch was covered in green.

  “This is even worse than before!” said Sally.

  Edison and Billy looked back at William. They wanted to tell him to stop this madness, but when they looked for him in Anna’s home, they couldn’t find him.

  “Where did he go?” questioned Billy.

  “I don’t know,” said Anna as she ran through the small home. A thunderous boom sounded in the distance.

  Sally cried out, “It’s a lightning storm! The creepers are charged!”

  “We have to find William!” screamed Billy. “We have to stop this!”

  Herman’s high-pitched, squeaky voice was hardly audible amongst the backdrop of creeper explosions. “I think I know where we can find him.”

  16

  THE SHOW MUST GO ON

  “Where?” asked Edison as creepers detonated outside and smoke filled the living room.

  “We have to go to the cave,” said Herman.

  “But how are we going to get there?” asked Edison.

  Sally confessed, “I know what to do. You have to TP to Spencer.”

  “What?” asked Billy.

  “He’s in the cave,” explained Sally. “Come with me.”

  The group TPed into the cave and emerged into the center of a battle.

  “Stop the command blocks!” William hollered as he struck Spencer with his diamond sword.

  Aaron stood guard by the command blocks, as Spencer and William dueled. William saw the gang and called out weakly, “Help me!”

  Billy swung his diamond sword at Aaron. “I’m in charge now.”

  Aaron splashed a potion of Harming on Billy, weakening him. Edison lunged at Aaron, slicing into his arm as he splashed more potion on Billy. A drop of potion landed on Edison’s arm, and he was weakened. Anna rushed into the battle and struck Aaron with her sword, leaving him with one heart.

  “Shut the command blocks down,” screamed Anna, “and do it now.”

  Creepers silently crept into the cave.

  “Where’s the creeper spawner?” demanded William. “You have to shut it off.”

  Sally said, “I know where it is.” She bolted outside, and Herman followed her.

  With only one heart left, Aaron was vulnerable. He stood by the command blocks, pleading, “Stop, I will destroy them.”

  “We’ll help you.” Billy banged his sword against the command blocks.

  The creepers still flooded the cave, and William and Spencer were surrounded by the green mobs. While Billy and Edison slammed their swords, breaking the command blocks, they could hear an explosion. They turned around to see William and Spencer caught in the blast as they destroyed the final command block.

  Despite the absence of command blocks, the creepers were still entering the cave, and Billy, Edison, and Anna battled the green horde that invaded the dimly lit cave. A pair of red eyes stared at them from the corner of the cave, and Anna leaped toward the spider, whacking it with her diamond sword. “I never enjoyed destroying a spider as much as I just did,” she remarked as she sprinted toward the creepers, ready to destroy the
last of this intense hostile invasion.

  Edison noticed the creepers weren’t entering the cave, and there was a smaller group of creepers clustered by the entrance. “Sally must have deactivated the spawner.”

  Two creepers crept up beside Spencer and destroyed him with an explosion. Edison annihilated one of the final creepers that lurked in the cave as he said, “Both suspects got away. What are we going to do?”

  Sally entered the cave. “I have shut down the spawner,” she announced.

  “And we destroyed the command blocks,” Billy said as he annihilated the final creeper.

  “Now we have to go find Spencer and Aaron,” said Edison.

  Before they could come up with a strategy to find the suspects, William raced into the cave.

  Sally leaped at William with her diamond sword. “You are a criminal.”

  “I’m not,” said William. “I can explain.”

  “I saw you with Spencer and Aaron. You were standing here by the command blocks.” Sally inched closer to William.

  Anna called out in William’s defense, “Don’t threaten him. Let William explain. He’s innocent.”

  “Really? Then why did I see him with them?” demanded Sally.

  “I was trying to stop them. I found out about the command blocks from Marie and Pierre. They TPed to the castle and informed me that they found the command blocks.”

  Edison couldn’t believe Marie and Pierre would be the ones to report the command blocks. “Marie and Pierre tried to rob us. Why would they report someone who was doing something wrong?”

  William didn’t have to answer that question. Spencer entered the castle with Aaron trailing behind him. Spencer said, “They were trying to win the competition, but they knew I had all of the power. They wanted to bring me down.”

  “Power?” questioned Edison. “Trying to ruin the Overworld isn’t power. It’s pathetic.”

  “Yes,” added Billy. “Power is trying to win the competition on your own, through skill, not by cheating.”

  Sally said, “I agree. When the contest first started, I wanted to win so badly, I resorted to desperate measures, but then I realized I should see if I could win honestly.”

  “How nice,” Spencer said. “But in the end everyone lost.”

  William remarked, “I am glad you confessed, Spencer. You and Aaron are not only out of the competition, but you will be held responsible for the destruction that occurred in the Overworld.”

  Anna told them, “You caused a famine. It was horrific.”

  Spencer and Aaron didn’t apologize. Instead Spencer asked, “What about Marie and Pierre? Are they in trouble too? They stole from players.”

  “Yes,” William replied. “They will also be punished and asked to leave the contest.”

  “The contest is still happening?” asked Billy.

  “I will let you and Sally compete for the title on a trip to End City. Whoever extracts the most treasure there will be declared the winner.”

  Billy suggested, “I think I should go as a team with Sally, Herman, and Edison. Do you want to do that Sally?”

  “You want to treasure hunt with me?” Sally was stunned.

  “Yes, I think we’re both good treasure hunters, and if we stick together, we’d find more treasure than if we go at it alone,” he said.

  “That’s true,” said Sally, “but this is a competition. Don’t you want to see who is the best treasure hunter in the Overworld?”

  “I did. In fact, I was one of the founders of this treasure hunt, but when I saw how it made people act, I wasn’t very happy with the hunt. I think the best way to end this competition is to finish it together,” explained Billy.

  Sally smiled as she pulled out an Eye of Ender, and with a big grin she said, “Let’s travel to the End.”

  17

  WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

  Edison’s heart raced as he entered this new dimension. Standing on a pillar in the dark, he waited for the famed Ender Dragon to appear. He was armed with a bow and arrow and a sword. However, his most important assets were the three people beside him. It was nice to know that he wouldn’t have to battle this hostile, fire-breathing dragon that resided in the End on his own.

  Roar! The dragon breathed fire at them as the gray-winged beast flew toward their legs, and Billy struck the beast with his diamond sword. The dragon’s wing hit Billy, diminishing his hearts. Edison shielded himself behind a pillar, recalling what his customer had told him, and aimed his bow and arrow at the crystals. With a careful shot, he destroyed the crystals.

  The dragon charged toward them, shooting an Ender charge at the group. Herman was unable to escape the hit from the Ender charge, and a purple cloud surrounded him as he slowly felt the effects from the potent charge. The charge’s mist contained a harmful and possibly lethal aroma that diminished hearts. Herman was left with only one heart, and Sally tried to hand Herman a potion to regain his strength while she dodged another Ender charge.

  Billy slammed his sword into the belly of the dragon as it flew past them, but he was barely weakening the beast. Edison watched as the dragon flew in the direction of the crystals, and he tried to destroy the crystals before the dragon had time to eat from them. He shot the arrow and cheered when he watched the arrow break the crystals.

  Herman sipped the potion and then pulled his bow and arrow from his inventory and shot arrows at the dragon. The barrage of arrows that flew from Herman’s bow impacted the powerful dragon, and the beast was weak. When Edison destroyed the final crystals, he was confident they would annihilate this challenging mob boss. Billy and Sally ripped into the dragon’s flesh, destroying the dragon.

  “It’s time to go to End City!” Sally exclaimed.

  “I’ve never been there before,” said Billy.

  “We haven’t either,” said Herman.

  “I hope we find it,” added Edison. He didn’t want to admit that he had his fill of excitement and would rather head back without visiting End City. He was simply happy that they had destroyed the Ender Dragon.

  “Look!” Sally pointed to a large castle in the distance. She marveled. “It’s right there.” Sally charged toward the dark purplish city.

  Edison was the slowest of the group, and he was the last to enter the city. Billy and Sally were already inside a building made of purpur blocks. He could hear Billy call out, “Treasure!”

  Edison could barely see in this city, with End rods lighting this grim landscape, he found himself squinting, but it didn’t help him see. He clutched a torch as he walked through the creepy castle. He kept a close eye out for Endermen and any other mob that might lurk around the dimly lit structure.

  As Edison entered the room filled with treasure, he felt something hit his unarmored arm. Within seconds he was floating in the air. He had no idea what was happening to him, and he called out, “Help!”

  “What’s the matter?” asked Sally as she raced out of the room. When she realized Edison had been attacked by a shulker, she called out, “Billy! Herman! Edison has been injured, and we will be too if we don’t get out of here.”

  It took a while for Edison’s feet to reach the ground, and he was still a bit wobbly as he walked out of the castle. When he reached the door, he was struck by another shulker and was suspended in air.

  “Help!” he cried again.

  “Oh no!” Billy rushed to his friend’s side as the effect from the shulker wore off.

  “We have to watch out for those shulkers,” said Edison. “They hide in purpur blocks, so they are almost impossible to find.”

  Sally exclaimed, “An End ship!”

  Edison was in awe of the massive purple ship docked at the end of a pier with a dragon head on the bow.

  Sally took out an Ender pearl. “This is how we get onboard.” She looked at her friends. “Are you ready, guys?”

  They nodded, and Sally threw the Ender pearl. Once onboard, Edison stared at the brewing stand. He wanted to create potions, but he knew he was th
ere for Billy. Even so, he quickly grabbed the two potions of healing on the stand. Once he placed the potions in his inventory, he felt a lot more confident. He missed having potions with him. He knew how to use them, and they were a part of how he was able to help and heal.

  Edison followed the gang down the stairs and into the famed treasure room. When he reached the room, all three of his friends were floating in midair. The second he put his foot down on the obsidian ground, he was also struck by a shulker and began to levitate above the treasure room. He took a sip of the potion and then passed the bottle along to his friends, and they all landed on the obsidian ground. Herman was the first to attack the shulker, striking the beast when it popped out of the purpur block.

  Billy and Sally opened the chest and in unison called out, “Wow!”

  “What’s in there?” asked Edison.

  “Elytra,” replied Sally.

  Billy added, “Now we can fly when we’re back in the Overworld.”

  “That’s such a rare find,” said Herman. “This is incredible.

  With the treasure hunt complete, the gang crafted a portal back home.

  18

  INVENTORY

  The town of Verdant Valley was in a celebratory mood. There was a feast upon their return, and a large crowd greeted them.

  William stood on the stage. “About a week ago I wished these people well as they went off on their treasure hunt. A lot has happened since then. When I first stood on this stage, I was sending people out to compete against each other. Now the treasure hunters have returned, and they aren’t competing with each other, but they have worked together to extract some of the most valuable treasures in the Overworld.”

  Sally and Billy took out the treasures they found during the treasure hunt. Everyone marveled at the finds, and people cheered when they showed the audience the elytra. Sally put on the elytra and coasted above the audience. When she landed on the stage, she looked at Billy. “You’re next.” Billy put on the elytra and flew. As he looked down at the crowd, he realized the treasure hunt didn’t turn out how he expected. He was still upset that Spencer and Aaron had caused such suffering through the competition, but he was also glad that he made new friends. He never thought he’d end the competition with Sally at his side.