Descent Into Overworld: An Unofficial Minecraft Adventure

by Liam O'Donnell

  They feasted on golden apples, baked potatoes and cake. They made toasts to fallen friends and cheered their furry new allies. When the food had been eaten and inventories packed, they made ready to leave.

  They didn’t have much of a plan. Go after Principal Whiner and stop him before he delivered the Seed to Herobrine. Beyond that, it was all up to luck and their own wits. But they had one advantage. Their principal had never set foot in the Nether. He could have been blasted to bits by a ghast and the Seed would be there waiting for them, floating gently in the air. Hamid wasn’t holding his breath for that to happen. So far, lucky breaks had been as rare as diamonds.

  They gave their inventories a final check. A familiar white furball trotted into the Portal Chamber.

  “Bones!” Jaina cried. “Why aren’t you with your pack?”

  The dogs had barked their goodbyes after all the food was eaten. But it seemed one dog wasn’t done with them yet. Bones gave a loud bark and licked Jaina’s face.

  “I think he wants to come with us,” Hamid said.

  “Awesome! We could use a skeleton hunter where we’re going.”

  “Indeed we could.” Jaina nuzzled her face into Bones’s warm fur.

  The three friends gave one final look at the Overworld, so far from any place they called home. They had succeeded in stopping the menace of Slashax the Skeleton King, but the battle for Minecraft was far from over.

  With a silent nod, Hamid, Ant, Jaina and Bones stepped into the wavy purple light, out of the Overworld and into the Nether.

  Nether Nightmare Preview

  The nightmare has just begun!

  Read on for a preview of

  Battle of the Blocks 2: Nether Nightmare

  Available now at:

  liamodonnell.com

  Chapter 1

  Being in the Nether was fun for about five minutes.

  Then it became deadly.

  BOOM!

  The fireball blasted into the wall of netherrack in front of Hamid. Chunks of sandy red rock flew through the air, creating a very big hole in the very small wall Hamid, Jaina and Ant were hiding behind.

  “They found us again,” Hamid said.

  “You think?” Jaina snapped.

  “Not my fault!” Ant said.

  Above them, two ghasts floated on the lava-heated air like a pair of giant cube-shaped balloons drifting over a holiday parade. Except these balloons breathed fire and were doing more than drifting. They were hunting.

  The angry screech of the closest ghast ripped through the air. Hamid didn't speak ghast, but he was pretty sure the flying, fire-breathing marshmallow above them disagreed with Ant.

  “This is totally your fault,” Hamid said. “Why did you have to shout ‘Come and get us!’ at that pack of ghasts?”

  “I was trying to unlock the Return to Sender achievement,” Ant said. “Is it so bad to want to smack a ghast with its own fireball?”

  “Yes!” Jaina snapped.

  “We can’t take dumb risks like that,” Hamid said. “If we die in this Minecraft world, we could die in the real world. Remember?”

  “We don't know that for sure.”

  “We'll find out the hard way if we don't get out of here,” Jaina said.

  “Where should we go?” Hamid asked.

  “Does it matter? We're totally lost,” Ant said.

  “Again, your fault, Ant.” Jaina ducked behind the ever-shrinking wall that stood between them and the ghasts flying overhead. “Incoming!”

  Another fireball smashed into their meager defense with a deafening boom.

  “I thought that river of lava would lead us to higher ground,” Ant shouted over the blast. “How was I supposed to know it would bring us to a ghast nesting ground?”

  “Because Jaina and I both warned you!” Hamid said. “But did you listen?”

  “No, he did not,” Jaina answered.

  “I was only trying to help,” Ant said.

  “You can help by keeping quiet and following us,” Hamid said.

  “Maybe you'd like it better if I just went away for good,” Ant mumbled.

  “Don't tempt me,” Hamid said before he could stop himself.

  Hamid and Ant had known each other since they were in diapers. From daycare to detention, they had been through it all, including getting sucked with their friend Jaina into this crazy world of Minecraft known as the Seed Server. The trip into the blocky world was not Ant’s fault. That honor went to Bano, the mysterious villager who gave them the True Diamond swords that pulled them into Minecraft. It was Bano who sent them deep under Overworld in search of the Seed, the powerful artifact that shapes every Minecraft server created in the real world. The Seed was missing, but that wasn’t Ant’s fault either. Principal Whiner was to blame on that one. Their school principal had been sucked into the Seed Server with them and had been a bigger pain in the butt than a barrel of creepers. Whiner hated Minecraft so much, he wanted it destroyed so no one could ever play the game again. He stole the Seed and brought it into the Nether in search of the one being who should never, ever get it: Herobrine.

  Minecraft’s dark legend was real, and he was trapped somewhere on the Seed Server. If Herobrine got his hands on the Seed, he could escape into the real world. And he wouldn’t travel alone. Creepers, zombies and skeletons would all escape the game world and cross into the very real world of Earth. Hamid shuddered at the thought of Herobrine leading an army of creepers through his neighborhood. The destruction would be massive. Homes would be destroyed, people would be hurt and, worst of all, video games would be banned forever. Finding their principal before he found Herobrine was their only hope of stopping this destruction. At that moment, Hamid would have been happy just finding a better place to hide.

  Another fireball crashed into the ground. The sound of the blast nearly drowned out the barking behind them. Jaina followed the noise to an opening in the top of the cliff of netherrack. A small furry shape stood in the cave mouth.

  “Bones!” she shouted. “You found a place to hide! Good doggie.” Jaina’s pet wolf had followed them every step of the way through the Nether. His sharp nose had already saved them from stumbling into a wandering pack of zombie pigmen. Now he had sniffed out the perfect spot to wait out the ghast bombardment. Jaina studied the cliff, plotting a path up to the safety of the cave. “Let’s get climbing.”

  “And get blasted to pieces?” Ant said. “No way.”

  “You got a better plan, Ant?”

  Even if he did, Hamid didn’t think Jaina would listen. Ant’s carelessness had brought the ghasts down on them. Jaina had little patience for Ant, even on a good day.

  “One of us needs to distract them while the others climb,” Hamid said.

  Jaina turned to Ant. “You still want to get that achievement, Slugger?”

  Ant gulped. Even with his blocky Minecraft avatar, it was easy to see he regretted his earlier boasts.

  “I'll stay with you, buddy,” Hamid said. “We can get the achievement together.”

  A diamond sword appeared in Ant's hand.

  “Let's do this,” he said.

  The pair of ghasts drifted closer.

  “Here they come,” Hamid said. “Get ready to climb, Jaina.”

  Jaina crouched like a sprinter waiting for the starting gun. “Do what you do best, Ant. Get big and blimpy’s attention, and I'll get moving.”

  Ant didn't need a second invitation. He jumped to his feet and waved his blue diamond sword.

  “Over here, noobs!”

  The ghasts screeched and turned to face Ant. Hamid jumped up beside his friend.

  “Show us what you got, you big marshmallows!” he shouted.

  Flaming orange balls burst from each ghast's mouth, fireballs shooting straight at them.

  Hamid readied his sword. “Go, Jaina!”

  Jaina raced up the cliff, hopping and climbing her way up toward the cave mouth.

  The fireballs raced closer to Hamid and Ant.

 
; “I got the one on the right,” Hamid said. “You get the other one.”

  “And who gets that one?” Ant pointed to the far side of the lava lake. A third ghast had rolled into the canyon. Its own fireball was already zooming toward them both.

  Hamid cursed his carelessness. They had been so busy bickering that they hadn't noticed the new arrival to the party.

  “Time for Plan B!” Hamid dove behind their pathetic netherrack wall.

  “There’s a Plan B?” Ant said.

  Hamid pulled his friend down beside him. Three fireballs blasted into the wall, sending chunks of rock scattering. The ghasts screeched in frustration and floated back out over the lake of lava.

  “They’re coming around for another attack,” Hamid said. He looked up to the cliff. Jaina was only halfway to the cave. “We need to distract them again or they’ll shoot their fireballs at Jaina.”

  “This wall won’t survive another blast,” Ant said.

  “That’s why we’re abandoning it.”

  Just as the ghasts finished their turn, Hamid stood up from behind the low wall. He waved his arms over his head until the red eyes of the ghasts locked onto him. With an ear-piercing screech, each monster sent a ball of flame hurtling toward them.

  “Now you’ve done it,” Ant said.

  “Run!” Hamid scrambled up the cliff.

  The fireball smashed into the wall, wiping it from existence. Exposed and out of ideas, Ant charged up the cliff behind Hamid.

  “For the record,” he shouted with each step, “I don’t like Plan B!”

  Chapter 2

  Hamid wasn’t a fan of Plan B either.

  It involved too much fire and too many chances of dying. But everything in the Nether involved fire and nearly dying, so Plan B was their only option. Hamid scrambled up the cliff face with Ant a step behind.

  The second ghast fireball crashed into the ground beside them. The ground around Hamid burst into flames. This must be what climbing Mount Everest feels like, Hamid thought. That is, if Everest was made of firewood and guarded by fireball-throwing monsters.

  Now that they had flushed out their prey, the ghasts were raining fireballs down on them. With each blast, more blocks burst into flames around them. If the fireballs didn't get them, their fires would.

  Above them, Jaina made it to the mouth of the cave. Bones jumped to greet her with barks and wet licks.

  “Hurry up you two!” she shouted from the cave mouth.

  “What a great idea!” Ant called back. “I was planning to have a nap out here.”

  “Quit yapping and keep climbing.” Hamid looked up to see a cube of red slime hop onto the block behind Ant. “Watch out!”

  Before Ant could jump away, the magma cube jumped again and covered his arm in goo. Ant stumbled back from the deadly slime, frantically wiping the glowing goop off his arm.

  “It burns!”

  The magma cube slurped closer. The living block of slime was hungry for more. Another splash like that and Ant would be too dead to worry about the ghasts circling for another attack.

  Hamid jumped from his rocky perch and swung at the slime with his diamond sword. The blade cut through the cube with a loud squelch. The blow knocked the magma cube down the cliff.

  “Nice one. Now there are four of them!” Ant said.

  Hamid’s strike had given Ant the time he needed to scramble further up the cliff face, but it also quadrupled the danger.

  Below Hamid, four smaller magma cubes slurped up the steep incline of the cliff. Everyone knew hitting a slime only cuts them into smaller, deadlier slimes. He watched the approaching cubes and hoped he hadn’t just made a big mistake.

  The deep red bodies of the magma cubes blended in naturally with the red netherrack. Hamid backed away up the steep cliff face, keeping his eyes on the approaching slimes. Something wasn’t right about the creatures. Within their red bodies, a green light pulsed, like a heartbeat. Hamid had never seen anything like that before in the Nether.

  In the air, the ghasts shrieked and drifted in closer, ready for another fiery attack. This time there was no netherrack wall to stop the fireballs. Hamid continued climbing up the cliff, desperate to be anywhere but right there.

  An arrow thunked into the ground behind him, just missing the slime slurping at his heels.

  “Sorry!” Jaina shouted from above him.

  Hamid stole a glance to the top of the cliff. Jaina had a bow in her hands, another arrow notched and ready to fly. Ant had found a clear path and now scrambled onto the ledge of the cave mouth at Jaina’s feet. They had grabbed a lot of gear from Slashax's lair before stepping through the Nether Portal. Now, Hamid was glad they had taken the time to come prepared.

  Another arrow thudded to the ground right beside Hamid. He just wished Jaina had taken the time to practice her archery skills.

  “Shoot the slimes, not me!” he shouted.

  The ground two blocks below Hamid exploded from the impact of a ghast fireball. With any luck, it had blasted the magma cubes into a million pieces. Hamid wasn’t wasting a second to look back.

  “Almost there, Hamid!” Ant shouted from the safety of the cave mouth.

  Hamid threw himself up the final blocks and allowed his friends to drag him into the cave. The three of them collapsed in a heap just as the latest blast of fireballs rocked the cliff face.

  “We made it!” Jaina jumped to her feet and ran to the cave mouth. “Let's get ourselves secured in here.”

  A netherrack block appeared in her hand. With the swift movements of a Minecraft pro, Jaina blocked the cave mouth with netherrack blocks. In seconds, they were safely cocooned inside the mountain. They were also pitched into complete darkness.

  Hamid found a torch in his inventory and stuck it to the nearest wall. The cave lit up with warm, flickering light. Bones curled up on the ground below the torch and watched the walls nervously. Outside, the screeching of the ghasts echoed around them. The dog whined with each screech.

  “Easy, boy.” Jaina rubbed the fur behind Bones’ ear. “We should be safe in here for a while. As long as those ghasts can't see us, they can't spit fireballs at us.”

  Hamid checked the remaining hearts hovering at the bottom of his vision.

  “One more ghast blast and it would have been game over for me.”

  “Same here,” Ant said. He winced as he spoke.

  “You okay, Ant?” Jaina moved to Ant’s side. “You better sit down. Looks like those ghast fires got you bad.”

  Ant waved Jaina away with a blocky arm.

  “Ghasts, fire, magma cubes, I can take them all,” he said. The way his head drooped suggested otherwise. Hamid helped Jaina lower Ant to the ground with his back against the wall.

  “Get some rest,” Hamid said. “We're safe here. For now.”

  Ant slumped against the netherrack wall and closed his eyes. Hamid felt his remaining energy drain away at the sight of his friend resting. Their journey into the Nether had started with such promise. They had spent time packing supplies and preparing for the worst the Nether could throw at them. They had stepped through the Nether Portal totally ready and in high spirits. At first, they tracked Principal Whiner like a pack of bloodhounds. But as the hours stretched into days, their excitement faded. Soon they were wandering around the fiery realm, lost and bickering.

  The Nether would do that to you. Located beneath the Overworld, the Nether was a land of fire and not much else. Red, sand-like netherrack covered the ground, blowing on the heat-infused winds and piling into high cliffs and mountains. Rivers of lava carved through the netherrack and poured into massive lakes of molten rock. Fires dotted the landscape, like the aftermath of a massive battle. There was no sky down here. And no sun. The netherrack engulfed the whole land, rising high into the air to form a massive ceiling. It was like being stuck inside a giant cave.

  Hamid never liked venturing into the Nether when he played Minecraft. Back in the real world, when things were normal and Minecraft was just a
game, he could log out when he’d had enough of the Nether’s burning landscape. Now, he was stuck here, as far away from home as he had ever been. Home was the one place he wanted to be right now, away from the computer, hanging out with his dad. Not even doing anything special, just helping him shovel the driveway or take out the trash. Normal stuff. He’d even settle for doing homework at the kitchen table. Anything was better than being stuck in the Nether.

  At least he wasn’t alone. He had his friends. Aside from their usual bickering and the odd screw-up from Ant, they all agreed their only way to escape was to find Principal Whiner and the Seed before he gave it to Herobrine. That wasn’t happening any time soon, while they were trapped in a tiny cave with a squadron of fire-breathing ghasts lurking outside.

  “Come back, Hamid,” Jaina said from the far corner of their little cave. “You've got that lost look on your face again.”

  Hamid grinned. “You can tell even with me looking like a blockhead?”

  “I haven't known you as long as Ant has, but I can tell when your mind is walking over paths better left alone.”

  “That's pretty deep,” Hamid said.

  Jaina shrugged and pulled a strange gray block out of her inventory. She set it on the ground and studied it.

  “Blame my grandma,” she said. “She's always saying heavy stuff like that.”

  The block lit up with colored lights on each side. Hamid immediately recognized it as the command block she had salvaged from Slashax’s lair. The skeleton king had stolen the Seed for Herobrine and used the command block to speak with him. Jaina had insisted on bringing it with them into the Nether. What use it would be against the lava and fire of this realm, Hamid had no idea.

  “Any luck turning that thing on?” he said.

  “Not yet,” Jaina answered after a minute. Her focus was fully on the block. “Give me time to work it out.”

  Time. That seemed to be the thing Jaina always wanted. She had taken her time gathering supplies before jumping through the Nether Portal after Principal Whiner. In addition to food, torches and the command block, Jaina had brought along redstone dust and a bunch of levers, buttons and repeaters.