Minecraft: One Last Quest/4CHP
Chapter 21: Block X Block
By daybreak, The Griefer was still nowhere to be found, so the group decide to play Minecraft normally for a bit, not having to worry about whatever The Griefer could pull off next. Over the next few hours, the group decide to rebuild the forest, farmlands, and the village that were destroyed earlier. Jazz, Britt, and Gemina then leave, with the latter saying she’d need to get home to avoid being punished for missing curfew. Lam says goodbye to them before heading back downstairs to check on Elias, who is getting himself worked up and believing that he, Britt, Jazz, and Lam won’t play together anymore due to his suspicion that he is hanging out more with Mars and his group of friends. Lam shoots down that idea, but Elias stands his ground, knowing that everyone is going their separate ways. Elias then leaves, saying that his parents are on their way to pick him up, adding that Kristy can come over to pick up his computer tomorrow, and heads out the back door. Lam decides to wait a few seconds before peeking out the window, not noticing Elias’ parents SUV, but soon spots him walking on the sidewalk before disappearing as he turns a corner.
Chapter 22: Enchanted Book + Netherite Axe
Lam is unable to sleep and decides to go back onto the Minecraft server at one in the morning, turning on his computer. Logging back into the server, he types into the chat, saying to The Griefer that they were a no-show, and suggests that they come on the following night at 9PM for a proposition. Instead of logging off for the night, Lam decides to build something as he looks up to the sky. Later, that same evening, Lam, Jazz, Elias, and Britt all log back onto the server, noticing the arena that was built by Lam. The Griefer then appears, and Lam challenges them to a duel, adding that The Griefer’s game will end if he wins. The Griefer accepts and allows the group to use one enchantment, adding to meet them back at the arena in an hour before vanishing once more. Lam then has Jazz prepare some potions for him, with Elias gathering iron to craft an anvil. Everyone gets their tasks done with a minute to spare, and Britt even gives Lam some netherite armor, disenchanted courtesy of a grindstone. With everything suited up, Lam is ready to take down The Griefer once and for all.
Chapter 23: Redstone Repeater + Sticky Piston + Redstone Block
The Griefer spawns back at the far end of the platform, reminding Lam that this will be one against one, with no other members of the group allowed to fight or drop items. If The Griefer wins, they have Lam and rhe group do everything they say, and if Lam wins, then The Griefer reveals their identity. Lam then attacks The Griefer in one fell swoop with their axe enchanted with Knockback II, but The Griefer gracefully returns to the platform with their elytra. Lam keeps doing this plan of attack to hopefully get the elytra worn down completely, but to no avail. Gemina then joins the server under the name "The_Mooshroom_Maiden", and she runs around the arena to distract The Griefer, buying Lam some time to build something. Gemina soon jumps off the platform into the water below, and The Griefer gets caught in a sticky-piston drop trap built by Lam, ending with The Griefer getting impaled by pointed dripstone.
Chapter 24: Laptop + Laptop
Jazz and Britt swarm Lam in celebration, but soon realize that no death message appeared mentioning The Griefer. Lam believes that they switched to Creative mode on the way down, and the group go down the ledge, asking for The Griefer to identify themself before they vanish once more. Lam then texts the group to meet them at the treehouse, and Jazz replies back that Elias had logged off. Upon arriving at the treehouse, Lam notices Elias on the treehouse floor, with one laptop in his lap, and another positioned on a table nearby. Elias basically confesses that he is The Griefer by talking about the sticky piston trap, and Lam says that he knew that he was The Griefer last night when they were playing Minecraft at his house. Jazz, Britt, and Gemina enter soon after, with the three being in states of shock and anger over the revelation. Elias says that he got the group back together again, but Lam says point blank that Elias lied to them. Elias then sheepishly apologizes, and Gemina leaves soon after, believing that being added to the group to unmask one of their own seemed wrong. Jazz leaves next, unable to bring herself to speak, followed by Britt, who just glares at him. Lam leaves last, saying to Elias that friends wouldn’t lie to each other.
Chapter 25: Chestplate + Embroidery
For the next week, Lam, Jazz, Britt, and Gemina would avoid Elias at any glimpse of him. Fortunately, for Lam, he was able to catch up on his assignments, much to his parent’s relief; no more needing to stay up late or sneak out at night. The following Friday, Lam is in the cafeteria when he bumps into Mars, who asks him as to where he had been, wondering if eh could be down for another game of gaga ball. Lam says that he probably would, and Mars adds that his friends are welcome to join, but Lam interrupts and says that Elias isn’t his friend anymore for information that he won’t get into besides that he met him through Minecraft. Lam then asks Mars as to why he was nice to him at summer camp, and Mars sheepishly admits that he was a little jealous of Lam being together with his friends, figuring that he was pretty cool for being with the same three people practically for the past few years. The lunch bell then rings, and the two agree to play some gaga ball next week. Later, after school, Jazz, Britt, and Gemina meet Lam in his classroom, asking him to check out his locker. He opens it, revealing a white-and-red silk bomber jacket with his Minecraft username etched out in cursive writing, with Jazz saying that they came from Elias. Lam wonders if they should talk to him, hoping that can forgive him for what he did.
Chapter 26: Empathy + Forgiveness
Lam, Jazz, Britt, and Gemina then head over to Elias' house, ringing the doorbell. Kristy, the caretaker, answers the door and says to the group that Elias is upstairs. The group then head up there and knock on his bedroom door, and cautiously step inside when he doesn’t answer. Elias' room is twice as big as Lam’s parents master bedroom, and is basically akin to a museum, with paintings of the Killer Bunnies on the walls of various adventures, figurines of various mobs in Minecraft, a dresser covered in Minecraft stickers, and a trash can that was shaped like a warden’s head. Elias then notices the group’s presence and turns to face them, with the group thanking them for the bomber jackets. Lam then asks Elias as to why he went around at The Griefer, and he admits that he did so because he wanted to play with his friends again after not seeing them the whole summer. Lam appears to understand, saying to Elias that he should’ve said something to them first. Lam then says that he can’t promise that things will go back to how they were before, but then he corrects himself and says that he knows that things can’t go back to how they were before, adding that change is scary, and sometimes doesn’t need to be a bad thing.
Elias then says the everyone is leaving him behind, but Lam says that they aren’t going nowhere, noting that Elias made some big changes himself, such as adding Gemina to the group. Jazz is about to cry, but then pulls herself together and gives Elias a hug, saying that the group didn’t know how much playing together meant to him, and Elias himself wipes a tear away from his eye. Britt then asks Elias as to how he was able to do the real-life challenges, and he admits that it took time and money, splurging on a 3D printer, hiring the same contractor crew that built the treehouse to set up the pit in the cave, hiring a glassblower to make the Minecraft bottles, and paying Bác Hânh to let him roam the junkyard for a whole. Britt then asks him about the nine other challenges, and Elias says that he can walk the group through them; he once again apologizes for what he did, saying that he got carried away and should’ve called it off sooner. Kristy then pokes her head through the door, wondering if the group will stay. They all nod in approval, and Kristy gets some snacks prepared. Liam then says that he aced his Shakespeare quiz, so the group decide to celebrate by playing Minecraft. Jazz and Gemina play on their gaming handhelds, Britt plays on her laptop, and Lam plays using Elias' spare laptop. The group log back into the server, with Elias asking Lam for help with building a moat, and Lam says that he’ll be right over, smiling as The Killer Bunnies are finally back together.