“Steve, don’t worry about the boat,” said Kyra. “I’ll build you another one.”
“Are you a part of the competition?” asked Joshua.
“No, I’m here to help my friend,” replied Kyra.
“So you’re just like me,” said Joshua.
Steve didn’t think Joshua was like Kyra at all.
6
JUDGES AND CONTESTANTS
The gang walked onto Mushroom Island, marveling at the enormous mushrooms as they made their way up a steep hill toward a flat patch of land.
“The mushrooms look like giant umbrellas,” said Lucy.
“I heard you can build a hut out of them,” stated Henry.
“We should do that while you’re at the contest,” added Lucy.
“It’s going to be fun building here, right Steve?” asked Max.
“Yes, I’m glad that I’m finally on an island without creepers, zombies, and all of those hostile mobs that make building anything a serious challenge,” said Steve.
What Steve didn’t tell his friends was that despite the absence of hostile mobs, he was still scared. He had never had anyone judge his work before, and he was afraid he’d lose the competition. Steve couldn’t believe that he had spent so much time looking forward to his contest and soon it would be over and he might go home without winning. The idea of the contest was a lot more fun than actually being there. This was going to be hard work and he was nervous. Steve wanted to do a good job.
The group walked farther onto Mushroom Island and looked at the empty landscape in front of them.
“I wonder where the competition is being held,” remarked Kyra.
In the distance a man and woman, both dressed in purple, walked toward them.
“I bet they know,” said Steve.
The man and woman in purple introduced themselves. “I’m Jonathan. This is Sylvia. You must be Steve. We’re the judges. We’d like to invite you to a party. You can meet the other contestants.”
“Can I bring my friends?” asked Steve.
“Of course,” said Sylvia, “the more the merrier.”
Jonathan and Sylvia led the group to their accommodations. It was a huge building with lots of beds.
“These are the dorms. You will stay here with the other contestants and their friends,” said Sylvia, showing them their beds.
Steve could see Joshua talking to his friend. He assumed it was Caleb. Steve walked over to them.
“Hi, Joshua,” said Steve.
“Caleb, I told you about Steve. I accidentally hit his boat,” said Joshua. “I’m so sorry, Steve. I feel really bad about destroying your boat.”
Joshua sounded sincere, and Steve wondered if he’d originally misjudged this speed demon.
“We will give you the tools to craft a new boat,” Caleb assured Steve.
“That’s very nice of you guys,” he replied.
A voice boomed through the room. It was the judges, all dressed in purple, speaking in unison: “The party will begin shortly. Everyone meet on the stage outside the dorms.”
The group exited the dorms and made their way toward the stage. The contestants were asked up on stage.
“These are five very talented contestants chosen from hundreds of entries,” said Sylvia. Her voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
The guests watched as Sylvia introduced each competitor.
“Contestants. When I say your name, please approach the front of the stage.” She announced the first contestant, “Caleb.”
Caleb walked to the front of the stage.
Sylvia introduced Georgia. Steve looked over at her. Georgia was dressed in yellow. Steve realized he was next. He had never stood in front of an audience before. He was nervous.
“Steve.”
He turned red and quickly went to stand behind Georgia.
Sylvia introduced the last two contestants, Eli and Sarah. Finally, the contestants were allowed to leave the stage. Steve hated having the spotlight on him.
“Wow, Steve. I didn’t realize there were so many people who entered the contest. How great that you were picked,” Lucy told him.
Steve didn’t want to make a fuss because he knew Kyra also wanted to be a part of the contest.
Steve looked down and then over to Kyra. “Guess so,” he said.
“Contestants, please walk to the left of the stage,” instructed Lexie.
Steve joined the other contestants. Eli and Georgia walked over to introduce themselves.
“Hi, I’m Eli.”
“I’m Georgia. I just want to wish you good luck.”
“Yes, good luck.” Steve could hardly talk, he was so anxious about the competition, which was to begin shortly.
“Are you nervous?” asked Georgia kindly.
“Can you tell? Yes, I am,” admitted Steve.
“So am I,” Georgia told him as Sarah walked toward them.
“Me too,” added Eli. He put his head down as he spoke. He seemed embarrassed to admit that he was nervous.
“Are you guys talking about how nervous you are?” asked Sarah.
Steve laughed. “Yes.”
“So are we,” said Sarah as she pointed to Caleb. “I think we should all just try and do our best.”
Steve loved seeing how other people built homes. “Although we are competing against each other, I’m also excited to see what types of houses you guys create,” he said.
“Let’s all promise each other to try our hardest and have fun,” said Georgia.
They promised.
Caleb walked over with Joshua.
“I thought this area was only for the contestants,” Sarah said to Caleb. He put his head down and walked away. Steve thought he heard Caleb mutter something, but he wasn’t sure.
The judges blew a whistle, and everybody turned around. Jonathan announced the rules of the contest. “Each contestant has one week to build a house. If you don’t have enough supplies, feel free to mine on Mushroom Island. But remember, your home must be completely done at the end of one week.”
Sylvia added, “We will judge the contest on originality and durability.”
Lexie said, “We all know Mushroom Island doesn’t have the hostile mobs that roam and devastate most of the biomes in the Overworld, but we want this home to survive anywhere. Show us your best work!”
“Good luck contestants!” Jonathan told the group.
“And let the games begin!” Sylvia announced.
The contest had begun. Steve went to the patch of land where he would spend the next week building the home. Maybe there wasn’t a hostile mob, but he had a new enemy now. Time. Every minute he wasn’t building the home was a minute lost in this weeklong battle of the builders. Only one person would come out the first place winner.
7
MINES AND MOOSHROOMS
Steve checked his supplies. He checked again. He looked through his inventory a third time. He couldn’t believe it. His coal was missing. Steve thought he had brought everything. He needed the coal to make bricks for his cobblestone home.
“How could I forget coal?” Steve asked himself. He was annoyed.
Steve had no other choice. He had to mine. He would lose building time, but if he didn’t mine, there would be no house. He had spotted a mineshaft; he put his helmet on, grabbed his pickaxe, and went mining.
Steve used a torch to light the dark tunnel. He was excited to mine without having to worry about cave spiders or skeletons attacking him. He dug through the dirt surface looking for a layer deep within the ground that housed coal.
“Steve,” a voice called out.
Steve looked up from the deep crater. “Yes?”
“It’s Georgia.” She held a pickaxe.
“Did you forget something, too?” Steve asked as he continued to mine; he didn’t have any time to waste for conversations.
“Yes, coal.” Georgia began to mine as well.
“So did I,” said Steve.
“Really? That’s odd.” Geor
gia found some coal. “Good, at least there is a lot of coal down here.”
Steve showed Georgia the coal he found in the mine. “I know,” he said.
“I was sure I had coal in my inventory. I’m the type of person who always comes prepared. Maybe I was just nervous and that’s why I forgot it,” said Georgia.
“Me, too! I was also sure I had coal. I checked everything twice,” said Steve as he gathered the last of the coal he needed for his bricks.
“Do you think somebody stole our coal?” asked Georgia.
“Do you think they are trying to ruin our chances of winning?” asked Steve. He was worried Georgia could be right. He had already been a victim to the griefer Thomas, and he knew what type of damage bad people could do.
“Yes,” Georgia replied as she mined.
“I have all of my coal. I have to go,” said Steve, “But if you see anything that seems peculiar, let me know and we can alert the judges.”
“Maybe we should tell the judges about the coal?”
“No,” replied Steve. “You never know if they’ll take points off for us forgetting supplies. Maybe nobody stole our coal. Maybe we just forgot it.” Steve walked toward the exit carrying coal, and saw Sarah entering.
“Did you also forget coal?” Sarah asked Steve.
“Yes, and you’ll find Georgia looking for coal, too,” Steve told her.
“It’s funny that we all forgot coal. Pre-contest jitters, I guess,” said Sarah.
“I think it’s too much of a coincidence that we all forgot our coal. I’m beginning to suspect that somebody is up to no good,” said Steve.
“Who would do something like that?” asked Sarah.
“Somebody who wants us to lose,” replied Steve.
“That would be awful,” said Sarah as she walked farther into the mine.
“Go get your coal. You don’t have any time to waste,” said Steve. “And I’ll keep my eye out for any other suspicious acts.”
“Thanks,” Sarah said as she began to mine.
Now that Steve had his coal, there was nothing stopping him from building his dream home. He walked to his allotted spot and began to work on the foundation for the home. He was excited to start on the project. After working without a break for quite a while, Steve began to feel tired. He needed to increase his energy, so he went in search of food.
Steve was a wheat farmer and hated hunting animals. He had grown to love all the sheep and pigs on his farm, and it always bothered him when he had to kill a chicken. Lucy was the hunter of the bunch. She was always cooking chicken and steak.
Steve walked around the island in search of food, but he couldn’t find anything worth eating. As he walked back to the land where he was building his home, he spotted mooshrooms bathing in the water beside the house. Steve was very thirsty and hungry; he wanted to milk the mooshroom for its mushroom stew. Steve walked over to the mooshroom and placed a bowl by the passive animal. He also took out his shears and sheared another mooshroom, turning it into a cow. He saved the mushrooms from the mooshroom-turned-cow and milked the cow with a bucket. Steve now had an endless supply of mushroom stew and milk. He was thrilled.
With the coal he had mined, he was able to create all the bricks he needed. Steve was making good progress with the house and felt as if nothing could stop him. Even if there was a griefer stealing coal, he could still succeed and build his home. Steve finished the foundation for his home and began to craft a small wall of bricks. He was happy with the way the house looked.
Dusk was approaching as Steve worked on the first wall of the home. Since there were no hostile mobs and nobody would attack him, Steve would be able to sacrifice a part of his sleep and work into the dark night. He placed a torch on the wall of the home.
Steve heard a deep growl in the distance. He could have sworn it was an Enderman. However, he told himself he was hearing things, because there were no hostile mobs in the mushroom biome.
The raspy sounds grew louder. Steve turned around to find two Endermen behind him. He tried not staring or provoking them, but it was too late. They were teleporting toward Steve.
8
THE INVASION
The two Endermen stood with their mouths open. Their calls grew louder. Steve sprinted through the pitch-black night sky, trying to remember his way toward the water. He could hear the sounds of the Endermen as they teleported. He wasn’t fast enough! He ran faster, but they were right behind him. He hoped he was close to the water. The Endermen made a piercing sound as they landed in front of Steve. The only thing left for him to do was jump. He jumped off the cliff and into the deep blue water.
Splash! The water felt refreshing as Steve swam along the coast with nothing but the moon to light his way through the sea.
Steve could still hear the menacing sounds from the Endermen waiting to attack Steve. They teleported toward him.
Plop! The two Endermen landed in the water and were destroyed.
Steve could hear cries coming from the distance, and he quickly swam to the shore to investigate.
“Help!” the voice called out.
Steve hurried toward the voice. As he got closer he realized it was Georgia.
The contestants weren’t allowed to enter another contestant’s area where they were constructing their homes. It was in the rules. If a contestant entered another’s space, they were immediately disqualified. The judges didn’t want any of the contestants stealing each other’s ideas. But Steve knew Georgia was in trouble and he had to break the rules to save her.
He could see three Endermen teleporting toward Georgia. He grabbed a bow and arrow from his inventory and shot at the Endermen, striking one of them. It didn’t even bother the Enderman. Endermen were hard to destroy, since they had a lot of energy.
The Endermen saw Steve with his bow and arrow and left Georgia to teleport toward Steve. Steve took out his diamond sword but knew he was helpless. There was no way he could battle three Endermen.
Although it was a losing battle, he had to fight. Steve lunged at an Enderman with his sword. Just when he thought he was about to be killed, Georgia rushed over with buckets of water, pouring them on the Endermen and destroying them.
“Thanks! You saved me.” Steve was relieved but also wary. He kept an eye open for Endermen in the area.
“No, you saved me,” replied Georgia.
“I think we saved each other,” Steve said and then quickly picked up the Ender Peals that were dropped when the Endermen were destroyed.
“What are you doing?” inquired Georgia.
“Take some of these; they’re very helpful if you need to teleport away from a hostile mob.” Steve handed the Ender Pearls to Georgia. “Just don’t eat them—they are very toxic and can lower your health bar.”
“What other hostile mobs will I need to teleport from here? I thought the Mushroom Islands didn’t have hostile mobs,” said Georgia. “So why were there Endermen here?”
Steve was also confused by the appearance of the Endermen. “I have no idea, Georgia, but I’m guessing it’s the same reason we all seemed to be missing our coal. It must be the work of a griefer.”
“Do you think it’s another contestant?”
“I don’t know,” answered Steve, “but I’m going to find out. This griefer isn’t going to disrupt the competition. And the contest will be a fair one. No tricks.”
“I agree with you. And I’ll do anything to help you find the griefer,” Georgia said as the night began to fade.
“I have to leave now. I don’t want to accidentally see any part of your house,” explained Steve, and he headed toward his house.
As Steve worked on his home, a siren boomed through the island. After the siren stopped, Sylvia made an announcement: “All contestants please report to the stage.”
As Steve walked to the stage, he wondered what the meeting was about. However, when reached the stage, he knew what Sylvia was going to say. He quickly noted there were only four contestants, including him. One
was missing!
Sylvia stood on the stage with her fellow judges, Lexie and Jonathan. Sylvia spoke. “Last night we had a very rare Endermen attack. We lost one of our players—Eli. He is now back in his home and won’t be able to compete because, it’s too far for him to travel back to the island.”
Steve was shocked and upset. If he hadn’t jumped in the water, he could have died and respawned at his home, too.
“That’s awful,” said Sarah. “Last night I also saw two Endermen, but luckily I had a pumpkin in my inventory and was able to craft a mask and they didn’t see me. How did the Endermen get to this island?”
“We have no idea,” replied Sylvia forlornly. “Did everyone see Endermen last night?”
Everyone said they did. At once all the contestants started blurting out their Endermen stories. Georgia told the group about Steve’s heroic efforts.
“The judges and I have decided that we should all craft pumpkin masks to have on hand so we are ready for another attack,” Sylvia told the group. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this. If one of you is responsible for summoning Endermen, you will be disqualified from the contest.”
“What about Eli? Will anybody take his place?” asked Caleb.
“No,” answered Sylvia. “Now the contest is down to four. If we lose any other contestants, the contest will be canceled.”
“Canceled?!” Caleb was upset.
“Yes, it’s only fair,” Sylvia told them.
“Was Eli the only person who was respawned in his home?” asked Steve. He had been so busy building his home; he was worried about his friends Henry, Lucy, Max, and Kyra. What if the Endermen had attacked them?
“What makes us extremely suspicious is that the Endermen only attacked the contestants.” Sylvia’s voice sent a chill down Steve’s spine.
Steve wondered who would want to ruin the contest.
After the meeting, Steve walked back to his home. When he got there, he spotted a small creature with a red eye on the ground by the entrance to his home. It was an Endermite! The invasion wasn’t over!
The Endermen Invasion Page 3
