Descent Into Overworld: An Unofficial Minecraft Adventure by Liam O'Donnell

skeletons.
    “I’ll deal with these boneheads,” he said to Ant. “You knock those creepers into next week.”
    Ant stepped into the opening to the monster moat and got to work. With the skill of a major league slugger, he whacked at the creepers. Each swing sent another green time bomb back through the hole in the wall. Hamid’s own blade sliced through an endless wall of bones. The stream of skeletons seemed never-ending. With every enemy he smashed, two more of the clattering creatures appeared.
    “There’s too many of them!” he shouted as a third wave moved in to replace a freshly defeated skeleton. His arm ached and his sword felt as heavy as a school bus in his hands. In a few moments, he would be too tired to lift his blade. The skeletons would have them both for lunch.
    A familiar voice cut through the chaos. At first, Hamid thought he was dreaming. He heard it again.
    “Ant! Hamid!”
    At the back of the pack, skeletons crumbled into a pile of bones like trees crushed under an advancing bulldozer. The source of the destruction stepped into the empty space left by the dying monsters.
    “Jaina!”
    A new wave of energy coursed through Hamid at the sight of his friend. She swung her iron sword in a wide arc, carving a path through the skeletons.
    “What are you doing here?” Ant said as he smacked another creeper across the moat.
    “Rescuing you two,” Jaina said.
    “We’re here to rescue you!” Hamid said.
    “Whatever,” she scoffed. “I don’t do that whole damsel in distress thing. You should know that by now.” Her sword sent another skeleton scattering into a hundred pieces. “Ready to finish this?”
    With Jaina’s blade added to their own, the three friends turned the tide of the battle. They fought like a well-tuned redstone machine. Their backs to each other, they held their ground and wore their enemies down. Soon they were surrounded by a pile of bones and gunpowder, all that remained of the skeletons and creepers.
    “You’re here,” she said, staring at Ant and Hamid as if they might vanish. “You’re really here.”
    “And so are you!” Hamid said.
    “Best friends reunited. Isn’t that adorable.”
    The voice came from the other side of the warehouse. The three friends would have recognized it from the other side of the planet.
    “Principal Whiner!” Hamid said. “What are you doing here?”
    “Capturing you three brats, obviously.” Whiner’s face could barely contain his grin.
    A new wave of skeletons rushed through the doors into the warehouse. Arrows pointed directly at the three friends.
    “Drop your weapons and come along like good little children.”
     
     
     
     

Chapter 16
     
     
    “If you think we’re giving you a bike ride, you’re totally wrong, dude.”
    Ant struggled as the skeletons pushed him onto the blocky seat of the diamond condenser.
    “The only thing you will be giving me is the power I deserve,” Slashax snarled. “Now, sit still and do as I say and you might make it back to your world in one piece.”
    Hamid didn’t resist when the skeleton shoved him into the seat of the condenser. All his energy was focused on working out how all this happened.
     
    * * *
     
    One minute, he and Ant were cowering, waiting to be blown up by creepers. Then they were battling skeletons with Jaina. Before they could even high-five, they were captured by their school principal and had their diamond swords taken away. Whiner had not only traveled into their game with them, the old fartbag ran the show in here, too. And just like at school, he worked for the bad guys.
    Whiner had led the way back to the Portal Chamber. As they marched, he berated Ant over his addiction to videogames, unfinished homework or some other tragedy affecting today’s youth. Ant nodded sagely as Whiner spoke. His friend looked completely absorbed in the words of wisdom from their great and wonderful principal. Hamid knew better. Ant was most likely waiting for the perfect moment