The Ender Dragon flew down toward Joshua and struck him. “See, I can’t stop him!” said Joshua.
“Get out your bow and arrow,” Steve told him. Joshua obeyed and the three shot arrows as they tried to make their escape from the winged beast.
15
REUNITED
Steve, Caleb, and Joshua battled the Ender Dragon. When it was defeated, Steve called out, “I need to find my friends!” and ran toward the center of Mushroom Island. Caleb and Joshua followed him.
Steve found his friends in the middle of a battle with another Ender Dragon. The three joined the others and helped them battle the boss. The Dragon was weak and within seconds it exploded, leaving a purple aura and dropping an egg.
“It’s going to be okay!” Steve announced.
“There could be another Ender Dragon approaching,” Lucy said. Her voice was weak and she sounded exhausted.
“Joshua,” Steve said while looking over at the griefer, “please inform them of what you did.”
Joshua put his head down. “I did nothing. I have no idea what you’re talking about Steve.”
Sylvia came forward, “Please Steve, don’t blame this on Joshua. We know you have summoned these beasts to destroy the contest.”
Steve was shocked. “Why would I do that? I wanted to be a part of the competition.”
“Well, your house wasn’t destroyed,” said Jonathon.
Henry defended his friend. “My friend, Steve, would never do anything like that!”
“Henry, ask him where your boat is. He destroyed it,” Joshua blurted out.
“That’s a lie. It got lost at sea while we were chasing you,” said Steve.
Henry was upset. “My boat is gone?”
Kyra stood next to Steve. “I worked so hard building all those boats. But after the way you treated Steve’s boat, I don’t trust you, Joshua.”
“You should trust me,” Joshua told them, “I’m innocent. Steve is the one who is causing all of this trouble.”
“Steve, we’re going to have to ask you to leave the competition, and you will be banned from Mushroom Island forever,” announced Lexie.
Steve looked at Lucy, Max, Henry, and Kyra. “Okay, guys, I guess we have to leave.”
“But we know you’re innocent, Steve,” said Kyra.
“Prove it,” Joshua said smugly.
“I can’t.” Steve put his head down and was ready to surrender. He just wanted to go home, back to the wheat farm to see Snuggles, Rufus, and Jasmine. He didn’t want to be in a competition where people blamed him for things he’d never do.
“Steve isn’t the griefer!” exclaimed Henry.
“We’re not leaving until you are proven innocent,” Lucy told him.
“You can’t give up,” said Max, “we’re not. We’re going to prove that you aren’t behind this and expose whoever caused all of this trouble.”
Steve was shocked when Sarah and Georgia stood with Henry, Lucy, Max, and Kyra. “We also believe you’re innocent and will prove it,” Sarah announced.
“Really?” asked Steve. He was so happy to see that his new friends Sarah and Georgia stood by him.
Caleb walked into the center of the group. “I can’t watch this anymore. I have to say something.”
“Stop!” Joshua called out to him.
“I’m sorry, Joshua. I can’t defend you. I have to be honest with everyone.”
“Caleb, you’re making a big mistake,” warned Joshua.
“Being honest is never a mistake,” Caleb told him.
“But—” Joshua tried to speak, but Caleb interrupted him.
“I’m sorry, Joshua. I have to be honest. Steve was right, it was Joshua who summoned all the hostile mobs. He’s a griefer. I didn’t believe it at first, but when I realized he was the one causing all of this trouble, he tried to escape by stealing Max’s boat,” confessed Caleb.
“My boat!” cried Max.
“Don’t worry, your boat is fine; it’s at the dock. But this competition has been ruined,” said Caleb.
Joshua stood by the half-demolished mushroom house. “I’m sorry. I really am. I just wanted to be chosen for the contest. When Caleb was asked to participate and I wasn’t chosen, I was really upset.”
“Upset!” Sylvia called out, “that’s putting it mildly.”
Jonathan looked at Joshua. “You ruined the contest!”
“And you guys wrongly accused my friend,” Kyra told the judges.
“We apologize, Steve,” Sylvia said, “but you can see how we thought it was you.”
“But there wasn’t any real proof and you asked me to leave the contest!” Steve was in tears.
A lone Ender Dragon flew toward the crowd.
“Stop it!” cried Lucy.
“I can’t, I have no control over it anymore,” Joshua confessed.
“If you let me know how you summoned it, I think I can help you stop it with command blocks,” said Henry. “Where are you spawning it from?”
“I have someone stepping on a pressure plate activating a command block on one of the jungle trees at the shore of the jungle biome. That’s why I was going on the boat—I was trying to get them to stop,” said Joshua.
“We need to get on a boat now,” demanded Henry. “Come with us, Steve.”
As the Ender Dragon swooped between them and leapt at Caleb, Joshua pushed him out of the way.
Lucy shot an arrow. It hit the Dragon’s side and the beast exploded; another egg dropped from the sky.
Lucy remarked, “I used to think destroying the Ender Dragon was the biggest challenge, but now it seems so easy.”
“I wouldn’t use the word easy,” said Kyra.
“Joshua, you need to stop this at once,” demanded Lucy. “Go on the ship now!”
Steve, Henry, Joshua, and Caleb sprinted toward the shore. As they boarded Max’s boat, they saw another boat approaching and a familiar face in the distance.
“Eli!” Steve called out.
16
COMMAND BLOCKS
Steve stood at the edge of the boat looking out at the large trees growing on the shoreline. “I see the jungle biome!” he shouted.
“Do you know where your griefer friend is? We don’t have time to lose.” Caleb was breathless. He was losing energy.
“Yes, he’s in a tree right off the shore,” replied Joshua.
“I hope you’re telling the truth,” said Henry.
They docked the boat on the shore and walked into the thick of the jungle. A wild ocelot raced by them, but Steve ignored it as he followed Joshua to the other griefer. Joshua led them through the leafy landscape. It was hard to see, and Steve was worried that Joshua would try to escape. Henry trailed behind Joshua, keeping a close eye on him.
“Where are we going?” asked Steve. It seemed like Joshua was taking them in circles.
“I don’t trust this guy,” said Henry.
“It’s just a few more feet,” promised Joshua.
“I hope so. It’s so hard to see anything,” said Steve.
Caleb took out shears from his inventory and cut a path for them.
“This was a great idea, Caleb!” exclaimed Joshua. “Now I can see the tree.”
Steve looked up and saw someone the color of a rainbow seated in a tree. He had seen that griefer before when he was alone in the Nether. Now, the griefer stuck out in the green leaves.
“I know that man!” announced Steve.
“You do?” Joshua was shocked.
“Yes, he tried to attack me in the Nether.”
“Stop him, Joshua!” said Caleb.
“Stop!” Joshua called to the griefer.
“Joshua?” The rainbow person called down from the tree.
“We have to end this game. It’s hurting too many people,” said Joshua.
“No!” the rainbow man said defiantly.
“Come down now! I order you!” screamed Joshua.
The rainbow man laughed. “Never! I am going to destroy Mushroom Island.”
> “Not on my watch,” Henry shouted, and he shot an arrow just as the rainbow man jumped to another part of the tree to avoid it.
“You have no idea how much fun I’m having,” the rainbow man taunted them.
“You’ve unleashed so many Ender Dragons. What are you planning on doing next? Haven’t you had your fill of fun?” asked Steve. He slowly began to climb the tree.
The rainbow man shot an arrow at Steve, but he jumped down to dodge it. “Don’t come up here,” the rainbow man warned.
“You’ve gone too far!” Henry shouted, shooting an arrow.
Joshua screamed at the rainbow man, “I command you to stop!” Joshua took out his bow and arrow and shot at the rainbow man, who jumped down from the tree to avoid being hit. The rainbow man stood in front of Steve, Henry, Caleb, and Joshua.
“I’ve met you before, and I know how bad you are,” Steve told him while clutching his diamond sword.
“Game over!” said Joshua, as he pointed his bow and arrow at the rainbow man.
“Not until I say so.” The rainbow man took out his diamond sword and leapt at Joshua.
Steve ran toward the rainbow man and struck the griefer with his diamond sword, destroying him with one hit.
“Now the game is over,” announced Steve.
“Good job!” Henry told Steve.
Caleb and Joshua stood on the path by the tree. Steve looked out at the boat on the shore and was relieved to see it was still there. He just wanted to get back to Mushroom Island and finish the contest.
“Now that he’s gone, what are you going to do to me?” Joshua asked nervously.
“You get a chance to start again. I can’t hurt anyone who isn’t a threat to me anymore,” Steve told him.
“Steve, let’s go back to Mushroom Island,” said Caleb.
“What about me?” asked Joshua.
“You’re not invited,” Caleb told him. “I think it’s for the best if we just part ways.”
“But you’re one of my best friends,” said Joshua.
“You aren’t a friend,” Caleb said as he, Steve, and Henry walked toward the boat and made their way back to Mushroom Island.
“You don’t know what true friends are. I feel bad for you,” Henry remarked to Joshua as he walked away.
“Now we can finally finish the competition,” said Steve as Mushroom Island came into sight.
“Finish!” Caleb laughed, “I think you mean start. Everything was destroyed.”
“Yes, I have to see if my house is still standing after the last Ender Dragon attack.”
The shore was in sight, and they could see the gang by the docks. As they docked the boat, they were greeted by all of their friends.
“We have some mushroom stew for you guys,” said Lucy. “We figured you must have used up a lot of energy.”
“And Steve and Caleb need their energy for the competition. There’s only one day left,” Sylvia said as she served them stew.
“One day!” exclaimed Steve.
He ate the stew as fast as his mouth could take in the tasty meal. He had a house to finish—if it was still standing!
17
COMPETITION AND AWARDS
Steve walked toward his house. With each step, his anxiety worsened. What if his house was destroyed? How would he build a proper house in one day? Yes, he could build a mushroom house, but not a house worthy of winning a medal.
He took a deep breath before he arrived at the site. Steve looked at the rubble where his house once stood.
“And to think, they were going to kick me out of the contest because my house wasn’t destroyed,” Steve said to himself and laughed.
Yet there was no time to waste. He quickly used all the resources he had in his inventory. This time he wasn’t worried that somebody would steal his coal, and he could build without worrying about hostile mobs, too.
Steve built the walls and was satisfied with the structure. Steve was really skilled at decorating the house with intricate emerald designs on the walls of the living room.
Sylvia stood outside the door of the house and called out to Steve. “Looks like you’re doing a good job. We’re just going around to check on everyone’s progress. I assume your house was destroyed after all.”
“Yes,” Steve said as he put windows in the home.
“I want to apologize for the way we behaved. We had no right to ask you to leave the competition.”
“I was really upset about it,” said Steve without looking up. He had a terrace to build.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to work. I was just making sure everything was okay and I wanted to apologize.”
Steve finished the house. It wasn’t the grand house he’d envisioned when he was asked to participate, but it was the best he could do given the time frame. He was excited to see the other homes too. Although he really wanted to come in first place and still dreamed of walking away with a gold medal around his neck, he’d made some new friends, so Steve was happy for the experience.
The siren went off, followed by Sylvia’s announcement: “Contestants, please stop building. Your time is up. Please meet us at the stage. And let the judging begin!”
Steve sprinted toward the stage. He couldn’t believe what a fantastic job Lucy, Max, Henry, and Kyra had done rebuilding the stage.
Henry patted his friend on the back. “Good luck, Steve!”
“Thanks!”
Sylvia stood on the stage with Lexie and Jonathan.
“Today we are judging a contest we thought was never going to be completed. These contestants have been through a lot. We all have. But now we’ll see what they built despite all of the problems that plagued this contest.”
The judges led everyone to Sarah’s house. It was inspired by Mushroom Island. It was a large red mushroom, and the home went very deep underground.
“I call this house Mushroom Mining Mansion,” explained Sarah. “It goes so deep underground, it doubles as a mine. I was inspired to build this house after mining for coal and having to build a mushroom house during a rainstorm while being attacked by an Ender Dragon.”
The group applauded.
They toured Georgia’s house next. It was a log home and stood on the shoreline with a large picture window to look out at the water. They went inside to see the colorful carpets and the fireplaces.
“I named this house Lookout Lodge because I placed a large window where you can enjoy the view and also look out for your friends.”
The next home was Caleb’s. It was shaped like a ship. You had to use a ladder to climb inside.
“I call this Seaside Estate,” said Caleb as he showed the group his work. “I haven’t tested it out yet, so I’m not sure it’s seaworthy. I like the idea of a home that has multiple uses.”
The group then made their way to Eli’s house. It was a wooden house with a large deck. Although the interior was empty, there were a few beds.
“First of all, I can’t believe I even made it back here in time,” Eli said. “I call this house Decked Out. When I was on my way back, I realized that I wanted to build a house with a big deck so you can see everything that’s going on and be around people. I love the idea of being home, yet being outdoors.”
Steve’s was the final house to be judged. Everyone crowded around Steve’s cobblestone home with the large windows and terrace. He invited them inside to see the emerald designs on the living room wall. Outside, the mooshroom grazed peacefully.
“I just call this place Home Away from Home. As some of you know, it looks very similar to my house on my wheat farm, where I live with cows, sheep, and pigs. I love the idea of having animals close by and I also like using emeralds to decorate my home.”
The judges led everyone back to the stage, where Sylvia made an announcement. “The judges need to meet alone. Please come back tonight for a feast and the announcement of the winner.”
Steve walked back to his home. He stood on the terrace and looked out at the shore. This had been quite an adv
enture. He wondered if he’d be the winner.
“Steve,” Kyra called to him.
“Can we come in?” asked Henry.
“Sure,” Steve replied and Kyra, Lucy, Max, and Henry walked into the house.
“Are you excited for the feast?” asked Lucy.
“I bet he’s nervous,” Henry said.
“I hope you win!” said Kyra.
“Me too,” Steve said.
The siren went off. Sylvia announced the feast was starting. Everyone left Steve’s house and made their way to the feast.
It was the last night on Mushroom Island, and the feast was the farewell party.
Sylvia stood on the stage. “This was a hard contest to judge,” she started.
Jonathan added, “Every house was excellent and well planned, but we could only choose one first place winner.”
Lexie held the medal, “We would like to present this medal to—”
Boom!
The group looked around, prepared for anything.
“Not again!” Jonathan called out.
Boom! It was thunder. Raindrops fell as Lexie said, “The winner is Sarah, for Mushroom Mining Mansion.”
Everyone cheered. The thunder boomed! The rain didn’t stop the party.
“Congratulations!” Steve told Sarah, as they feasted in the rain.
18
SAIL AWAY
The next morning was sunny. The rain had ended, and so had the contest. Steve and the gang spent the night in the house he built.
“I know you didn’t win, but I really like this house. I wish we could stay here longer,” said Kyra.
“We have to leave today,” said Steve. “I think they’re having another contest.”
“Despite everything that happened, I had a lot of fun,” said Kyra.
“You’d make a great treasure hunter, Kyra. You have serious survival skills,” remarked Henry.
“Really?” Kyra didn’t believe him.
“Yes, you should come treasure hunting with us!” Lucy said with excitement.
“Aren’t you guys coming back to the wheat farm with me?” asked Steve.
“When we found the jungle temple, I realized I missed treasure hunting. I need to go on a treasure hunt,” said Henry.
“Come with us, Steve,” said Max.
The Endermen Invasion Page 6
