Minecraft: One Last Quest/1CHP
Chapter 1: Luck of the Lake
Lam Ðăng looks over his shoulder and nervously flashes a thumbs-up to one of his friends, Mars Berger, as Lam carefully steps out of his sandals and slowly walks across some rocks and pebbles with his bare feet. Fortunately, they didn’t hurt him as much as that had done when summer began, as he finally gets used to walking outside barefoot. Lam and Mars are both on a ledge overlooking a lake which is said to be "nestled in the middle of the woods in the middle of nowhere". Lam prepares to jump in as Mars cheers him on, but Gemina Gustafsson sneers at him, saying that he won’t do it, and adds that he is incapable of doing anything without "his band of weirdos" around him. Lam nearly loses his footing upon hearing those words but quickly shrugs it off as he thinks back to when Gemina would continuously insult him from second grade on. She was always seen in the computer lab at every break she could, and she also seemed to have beef with whoever Lam was hanging out with: Britt, Elias, or Jazz. The three have their own little quirks, like Jazz bursting into tears over the smallest things, or Britt having a short temper, or Elias continuously telling jokes, but they didn’t seem to bother anyone, and none of them had even talked to Gemina at all, making Lam wonder why she would go after them.
Lam then thinks back to Minecraft, wondering what his friends would be up to despite the camp having a very strict policy prohibiting phones and screens of any kind. In addition, the camp was filled with so many activities that he barely had time to think about it. Lam’s parents had already put so much money into sending him to summer camp that he didn’t feel like he had the heart to just say no. Eventually, Lam gets over his thoughts and runs off the edge of the cliff, making a big splash into the lake as clapping and shouting is heard in the distance. Mars then helps Lam out of the water as Lam looks at his own reflection with black hair, dark brown eyes, and a stretched-out toothy smile. Next week, Lam and Mars would officially be sixth graders, meaning Lam would have a chance to be whoever he wanted to be, as long as he had the guts to figure out who that was.
Chapter 2: Fermented Spider Eye + Potion of Night Vision
Fast-forward to sixth grade. Lam and Britt are facing off against Mars and Sam in a game of gaga ball, which is a type of dodgeball. Britt gets Sam out, followed by Mars getting Britt out, so it was just down to Lam and Mars. Mars distracts Lam by telling him that his tag is sticking out, and Lam instinctively reaches for his waistband before realizing too late that he doesn’t have one. Mars then gets Lam out by hitting the dodgeball at Lam’s shin, which leads to Britt questioning Lam regarding why he would let Mars humiliate him like that. Britt is the youngest in a family of eight, being the only girl among the boys in the family, leaving it inevitable that some of the siblings intensity would rub off on her. Britt then asks Lam about why he is worried about Mars, reminding Lam that he is on Britt’s team, whether the two are playing gaga ball or not. Just then, as Lam heads off to the water fountain, Elias shows up before Lam can take his first sip. Elias is wearing a green-and-block hoodie with the creeper emblem, along with a beanie that is black with two purple-gray eyes, almost like an enderman. He, Lam, Britt, and Mars talk briefly with each other about Minecraft before the school bell rings to signal the end of recess, with Mars asking the three if they are planning to attend the "Donkey Kickoff" dance the following Friday. Elias attempts to politely turn it down, but Lam interrupts and says that he can go. Britt decides to come along as well, and Elias quickly gives in and decides to come along too. Elias then jokingly mentions about Lam being at sleepaway camp for the whole summer, with Lam laughing it off as his parents paid good money for it.
Chapter 3: Wood Planks + Stick
It is now a few weeks into sixth grade. Lam does anything he can to stay awake: sharpening his already-sharpened pencil, slapping his face, and shifting in his chair. Sixth grade appears to already be harder than expected, with pre-algebra quizzes every Friday, and learning about Shakespeare in Honors English. While his thoughts fill his head, one of his teachers, Mrs. Yogel, asks Lam is she is boring him. He snaps awake and asks about why Shakespeare would be carrying a skull around, causing the rest of the class to laugh. Mrs. Yogel shrugs it off, adding that if he pays attention, he might figure it out. As Lam sinks back into his chair, Britt whisper into his ear to meet him at her locker after class. Indeed, after class, Lam is at Britt’s locker, and Britt, Elias, and their other friend, Jasmine (Jazz for short), show up soon after. Jazz was a bit smarter than the others, so much so that she had skipped third grade. She also prefers to wear something that feels a little "Minecrafty" to "jazz up" her ensemble, and today she wore a spore blossom hair clip fastened to her braid. Lam greets her and asks about what she did over the summer, and Jazz says that she stayed at her grandma’s farm in Oregon as a way to "toughen her up". Britt feels ill, asking if the farm doesn’t have chickens, and Jazz can only cover her mouth with her hands as Britt has a phobia of chickens. This occurred when Britt’s family was on a road trip, and the brothers locked her in a chicken coop on a local farm. The parents didn’t know she was missing until they were already a mile away from the farm, and the brothers were all grounded for a month.
Elias then asks Britt as to why she didn’t log into Minecraft for the whole summer, and she says that she was stuck in her parent’s RV for a road trip the whole summer. Britt adds, however, that she was able to get a handheld gaming console for cheap at a local garage sale, taking out a case for it before quickly stuffing it back in her backpack when Ms. Rosenfeld, the assistant principal, shows up, asking Britt if what she had was a game console. Britt sheepishly admits that it isn’t, and Ms. Rosenfeld warns the others not to be late for class. As she leaves, Lam then opens his locker and notices an envelope, with Britt mentioning that she and Elias also got one, adding that Jazz would likely have one as well. Opening the envelope reveals a thick piece of cardstock designed as if it was a sign in Minecraft. The typeface was even one-to-one, and the text reads for them to be on "The Kingdom of the Killer Bunnies", their Minecraft server, by 9PM that night. The others admit they didn’t make them, wondering if someone else from school knows about their server. Britt mentions that she did brag about completing the castle on the server to others in school, and Elias adds that the castle is "a piece of modern art" to be shared with everyone else. After going over plans for tonight, the four decide to go on the server for "one last quest".
Chapter 4: Smile + Suit
That evening, at home, Lam shoves a spoonful of rice in his mouth, along with some pork and a bit of boiled egg, wanting to finish dinner as fast as he could so he can get to playing Minecraft on time, mentioning that to his parents. The family talks about that for a bit, as well as changes with middle school, before the father asks Lam as to what homework he has tonight. Lam says that it is a couple pages of Macbeth for Honors English, and he goes upstairs to his room to read the passages as he finishes eating. Sometime later, after homework, Lam turns on his desktop computer as his mind flashes back to when he first got it. He was able to pay for half of it by doing chores and odd jobs for his neighbors, like mowing lawns or cleaning gutters, while his parents paid for the other half. Minecraft became the first game Lam played on it, and his parents were worried that they had made a mistake at first, but once Lam showed them the ropes of the game, they too became interested in it, with his mother even playing from time to time. Finally, after downloading some updates, Lam logs into Minecraft and joins the server: The Kingdom of the Killer Bunnies. The server was originally Jazz’s idea, originally having it as a joke that sprawled out into a "utopian realm". The only caveat for the server is that everything needs to be built in Survival mode, making it feel like it was built block by block, no matter how far in the world the players would need to go to get the necessary materials.
Lam settles into his stomping grounds rather quickly, soon reaching the fountains at the center of town, which was designed based on each member of the server. Lam’s had a figure brandishing a stone pickaxe, Jazz’s had her likeness in front of a brewing table with two bottles in each hand, Elias’ one had a pig spewing out water, and Britt’s had a combination of water and lava, with her likeness riding a horse while swinging a mace. The others then meet Lam at the fountains; each have their own usernames: Lam’s was "Lam_Chop", Elias’ was "The_Mob_Boss", Jazz’s was "JazzItUp", and Britt’s was "Britt_One_Hit_Crit". Britt wonders as to who the mysterious player is just as a figure comes up the pathway. Its skin was a black-and-white suit with a rose pinned to it, and its face was all white except for a poorly-made scribble resembling a face. The player controlling the figure types in chat, revealing it to be named "The_Griefer", asking the others to join them at the castle before they vanish. Britt then heads off to the castle while the others follow close behind.
Chapter 5: Iron Ingot + Flint
The castle overlooking the kingdom has four sections for each member. Lam’s was pretty basic: an orange bed, a wall of chests, torches, and some paintings. Jazz’s section had a greenhouse which had every single type of crop available from potatoes to Nether wart; it also contained a potion lab, as well as a jukebox in the corner that plays the music box version of "Creator". Britt’s section was pure chaos, being an armory with armor and weapons that she had collected or crafted over time, and no one was allowed in her section without permission, as traps had been set up for those that attempted to steal it. Elias’ section was more like a museum, situated in the basement of the castle. Rare items collected from the groups past adventures were displayed on custom pedestals made with stone slabs, glass blocks, and armor stands. It was there that they find The Griefer facing a corner of the room, and the others ask it as to how it got into their server. The Griefer turns around, showing their crooked smile, and says that they want to show them something. They then break apart two stone blocks to reveal that TNT was hidden in the walls of the castle, and equip themselves with flint and steel. The others type in chat quickly, practically begging The Griefer not to go through with it. Lam attempts to break the TNT to no avail, and The Griefer strolls out through a door leading behind the castle. The others have no choice but to follow them, noticing a series of TNT blocks wrapping around the castle walls and the village. The Griefer then ignites the TNT, and after some lag spikes, the entire village was destroyed.
Chapter 6: Sand + Gunpowder
In a state of shock and anger, Britt rushes The Griefer with her diamond sword, but they don’t flinch or get knocked back from their blow. The Griefer then says that the groups castle is safe for the time being, asking for the others to write down some information. Lam grabs a pencil and opens a notebook as The Griefer explains that they’ve hidden a series of coordinates in the real world. Each coordinate will lead to an "Eye of Griefer" in the Overworld, which works differently from an eye of ender. Once all eyes of griefer are collected, The Griefer will meet them in the End. The Griefer then says that the group will only have two weeks to find them, or else the entire server will be destroyed. Jazz appears to refuse to do so, but The Griefer drops hints about them being a fellow student at school, noting that Elias has a library book that is overdue, and wishing Lam good luck on his Macbeth quiz. Lam is stunned at this revelation and decides to play along, hoping to find out who The Griefer is. The Griefer then informs the group that they’ll DM each of them geocache numbers, which will lead them to their first clue, and adds that while playing on the server, the gear they are wearing cannot be enchanted. They then leave the server, and a message pops up on Lam’s screen with geocache coordinates seconds later. The rest of the group then goes into a video chat, and after some discussion, they ultimately decide to find out what the coordinates are leading to while Elias does some inside work to find out who The Griefer is. Britt then discovers that the geocache numbers lead to the forest behind Elias’ house, and the group all decide to head there tomorrow evening, a Friday, after attending the Donkey Kickoff dance, which occurs right after school.
Chapter 7: Iron Ingots + Redstone
The following day, Lam impatiently squirms in his seat in his final class, not trying to look at the clock. Just then, the final bell rings, and Lam quickly heads to the gym for the Donkey Kickoff dance. The gym is decorated with Minecraft-themed decorations, including creeper balloons, green streamers, green strobe lights, and even a DJ wearing a creeper head made out of papier-mâché. Lam grins and shakes his head in disbelief, wondering as to who could’ve added the decorations. Just then, Mars appears, and he asks him if he was behind this. Mars sheepishly admits that he wasn’t, and then starts dancing in the middle of the gym. Lam quickly joins him, followed by Mars’ group of friends, and then the rest of the students, basically making the gym a dance floor. Mars then shouts at Lam over the music, wondering where his friends are, and Lam soon finds Elias, Jazz, and Britt sitting in the bleachers at the far end of the gym, and heads over to talk to them. After some hesitation, Jazz and Britt decide to join Lam in dancing, while Elias slips away. Lam, Jazz, and Britt soon find the snack table, complete with green chips, donuts, cookies, cake, and cupcakes. As Lam drinks some lime soda, he wonders as to where Elias is, and Lam, Jazz, and Britt quickly conclude that he could be in the computer lab. Indeed, Elias is found there, typing away at the last computer in the second row, and he admits that his family donated the decorations for the dance. Elias also admits that did some detective work on who The Griefer could be, which ultimately led nowhere, so he decided to play Minecraft instead. Just then, Gemina shows up, wearing a dress and a hairclip matching the bee pattern from MInecraft, and Britt asks her as to what she wants. Gemina says that was "worried" about them, and figured they would be in the computer lab instead of the gym, and then asks them as to what they are doing here. Lam says to her that it is none of her business, but she brings up the fact that she overheard them talking about a griefer of sorts. Britt wonders if Gemina is spying on them, but Gemina shoots down that perception quickly. Elias, Lam, Jazz, and Britt quickly leave the computer lab, with Lam slamming the door behind him.