Chapter 3

Chapter 3 OUT OF THE PIT. INTO THE SWAMP! （I'LL TAKE ANY OTHER OPTION YOU-VE GOT, PLEASE.) Jodi didn't get mad very often. But when Morgan told her what he suspected, she was furious. "You think someone set this trap on purpose?" she said. She sputtered and shook. "BUT…BUT WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO CAPTURE ALL THESE POOR ANIMALSE?" A newly freed chicken clucked as it hurried past. To Jodi, the clucking sounded a little like "thank you."

"I don't know who would do this, or why," said Morgan. "I just know that hole didn't look natural. There were loose blocks of dirt around the edges." "Maybe a creeper exploded," Theo suggested. "There could be a simple explanation." "Maybe," said Morgan. But he didn't seem convinced. His gut was clearly telling him that something strange was happening here. And then they saw the butterfly. Butterflies were not a natural occurrence in the world of Minecraft. But when Jodi and her friends accessed the game with their headsets, the version of

Minecraft they experienced was sometimes…a little different, or even downright bizarre. The strangest aspect of the game so far had been the Evoker King, an artificial intelligence who had lived here. He had been an enemy at first, then a friend…and then he had undergone a strange transformation. The Evoker King had split into six different mobs, each containing a piece of his programming and personality. And when those mobs were nearby, the kids often saw digital butterflies—mobs that were definitely not a feature in the Vanilla game. "Did you see that?" said Morgan. "A butterfly just flew by! We need to follow it." "What? No!" said Jodi. "We have to find out who trapped these animals." "Jodi," Morgan said, using his most serious "big brother" voice. "That butterfly could lead us to the next piece of the Evoker King. THAT'S OUR MISSION, REMEMBER?"

"It's more than just a mission," said Harper. "The Evoker King is our friend, and it's up to us to put him back together again." "I WANT TO HELP HIM," said Jodi. "You know I do! But I want to help these animals, too." "Maybe we can do both somehow," Po suggested. "We can't do two things at once," Morgan said, huffing. "Jodi, you just gave us all a big speech about how responsible you are. Don't you see how irresponsible it is to get distracted from our quest?" Jodi suddenly wished that Minecraft avatars had laser vision. She knew one big brother who deserved a face full of laser right now. She settled for scowling at him.

"Uh, guys?" said Theo. "I do not want to be in the middle of this. Not even a little bit. But—" "—the butterfly is almost out of sight." Harper finished. "Are we going after it or not?" Jodi sighed. "Fine. But somebody mark this spot on our map. WE'RE NOT DONE WITH THIS ANIMAL MYSTERY." She tried to keep the frustration out of her voice. But she didn't try very hard. Morgan almost lost sight of the butterfly more than once. It fluttered between the trees of the forest. The sun was high in the sky, so the leaves cast dark shadows. But with all five of them on the lookout, they were able to stay on the insect's trail. Morgan hoped that following the butterfly was the right decision. He knew his sister was worried about the animals they had found. He admired her kindness and compassion. But he wanted to put the Evoker King back together more than anything. Following the butterfly led them out of the forest and into a biome of dark, shallow water. "IT'S A

SWAMP," said Po. He made a face as he pulled his foot out of a puddle. "It's kind of creepy," said Jodi, and Morgan agreed. Dark vines hung from oak trees, and the water was a murky green instead of blue. "It's just like any other biome," said Theo. "It's programmed to look gloomy, that's all." "And there are some unique resources here," Harper added. "See the lily pads on the water? You can only find them in swamps." Po turned up his wolfish nose. "I am not going into that water," he said.