Chapter 13

Chapter 13 PIGMEN, PIGMEN EVERYWHERE AND THEN THE GHAST DID BLINK In all her years of playing Minecraft, Harper had never visited the Nether. She knew it was a dark and scary place. It was full of dangerous mobs. And ghasts were perhaps the most dangerous of them all. Zombie pigmen were out of place in the underwater monument. They were a puzzle. But a ghast? Here? That was a trap. Someone had lured them into a fight they might not win. The creature looked like a ghost, with a white body and dark slits for eyes. Nine large tentacles

hung from its body as it drifted toward them. "MAYBE IT'S NOT HOSTILE, EITHER?" said Jodi. But Harper knew they wouldn't be so lucky. She drew her sword just as the ghast shot a fireball at Jodi. "GET BACK!" she cried, and she leapt in front of her friend. She swung her sword, and her timing was perfect. The rugged sword deflected the fireball, sending it soaring across the room. For a moment, Harper felt a thrill of triumph. Then the fireball smashed into a group of zombie pigmen. They flashed red with damage. They turned to look at her. And then they lifted their swords. "They think you attacked them, Harper!" Ash warned. "WE HAVE TO RUN!" said Morgan. Morgan led the way, and Harper was right behind him. The pigmen followed in an undead stampede. They grunted and growled. The ghast moaned as it trailed behind them. Harper

wished she could shut her ears to the terrifying noises. She narrowly avoided a pigman's blade. "Everyone, form a ring around Harper!" Ash cried. "The pigmen are only after her!" A fireball crashed into the wall above their heads. "Yeah, but the fire-breathing death squid is after all of us!" Po shouted.

"We have to keep moving," said Morgan. As they hurried through the monument's vast halls, their pursuers fell behind. At first, Harper was relieved. We can outrun them, she thought. But she knew they couldn't run forever. Eventually, they'd come to a dead end. They rounded one corner, then another. The sounds of the pigmen faded as the kids stepped into a large chamber. There were wet sponges hanging from the ceiling. But Harper's eyes were drawn to the doorway of darkest obsidian in the middle of the room. Within that doorway, the air rippled and glowed. Harper gasped at the sight. "A PORTAL TO THE NETHER!" she said. "Is that where all those mobs came from?"

"It must be," Ash said. "Although I WONDER IF THEY CAME OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL. Or if someone brought them over…" "Maybe we should break it," said Po. "Before anything else comes through." "No!" Harper said. "THIS IS JUST WHAT WE NEED." They all turned to look at her. "How is this a good thing?" asked Jodi. "The pigmen are after me. If I travel to another

dimension, they should stop being hostile. Then the rest of you will have a fighting chance against the ghast." They all shouted their disagreement: NO WAY. IT'S TOO DANGEROUS. YOU COULD RUN INTO MORE ENEMIES! Harper silenced them with a wave of her hands. "It's the only way," she said. "I hit those pigman with the fireball. I CAUSED THE PROBLEM. I HAVE TO FIX IT." Jodi stepped forward and took Harper's hand. "Harper, haven't you learned anything?" she asked. "This is just like the coral problem. It's a problem that we all share. SO WE SHOULD SHARE THE SOLUTION, TOO."