Chapter 2

Chapter 2 BLUE FIRE! GREAT FOR SETTING A SPOOKY SCENE. NOT SO GREAT FOR MAKING S'MORES! Morgan set one blocky foot in front of the other. In Minecraft, his injury didn't bother him at all. It was a relief that he didn't have to worry about it while he was here, inside a hyper-realistic, VR- augmented version of his favorite game. Of course, there were other things to worry about here. Morgan and his friends were on a quest to save the Evoker King, a former enemy turned friend. The Evoker King was an artificial intelligence—a digital life-form—who had been split into pieces. So far, they had retrieved four of the pieces. Each time, a digital butterfly had led them where they needed to go. The butterflies had been an obvious clue, because they didn't exist in a normal

game of Minecraft. And Morgan would know. He prided himself on being an expert on all things Minecraft. Now, a few butterflies flittered around a rectangular four-by-five-block structure of darkest obsidian. It was a portal to another Minecraft dimension. It glowed purple, daring them to step inside. Morgan's friends were ready to accept that dare. But Morgan wasn't so sure.

"CHECK YOUR INVENTORIES," he said. "Let's make sure we have everything we'll need." "That sounds impossible," said Harper. "How can we know what we'll need before we need it?" "We can handle anything the Nether throws at us," said Po. His avatar was wearing a toga, with a laurel circling his head. "We got this far, right?" "And time is running out," Theo added. "THE FAULT HAS EATEN THE ENTIRE SKY." He pointed to where the Overworld sky had been replaced with a mass of dark, swirling pixels. Every few moments, lightning flashed. "Morgan, what's wrong?" asked Jodi. "Usually you're the first one to leap into danger." "In the Overworld, maybe," said Morgan. "BUT THE NETHER IS DIFFERENT." "We've been there before," said his sister. "Back when we thought the Evoker King was our enemy, remember?" Morgan shook his head. "There was an update. The Nether has changed since then. IT'S MORE DANGEROUS THAN EVER." "Well, lucky us!" said Jodi, and she put her blocky hand on Morgan's shoulder. "We have a Minecraft expert leading the way."

Morgan grinned, but his heart sank a little. He had read all about the Nether, of course. And he had visited on several occasions. But between the recent school election, and the bee crisis, and Jodi's pet- walking misadventure, he'd been awfully busy. He hadn't traveled to the Nether in quite some time. And despite how he liked to think of himself as an expert, he had never really mastered all the challenges in the Nether. He realized that might be a problem, but at the moment he didn't think making that particular confession was going to help them. He cleared his throat. "Let's just keep our eyes open," Morgan said. "I have a feeling… THIS QUEST IS ABOUT TO GET A

LOT MORE DANGEROUS." "We can handle it," promised Po. "Together," added Harper. "Probably," said Theo. Morgan nodded, but he was wrestling with his own thoughts. The Fault above them crackled with lightning, and a strange wind seemed to pick up, causing the pixelated grass and leaves to sway. There is no wind in Minecraft, he thought. The Fault—the hole in the game's code that appeared when the Evoker King had been broken—was wreaking havoc, causing Minecraft to change in unexpected ways. Morgan always loved Minecraft. When Doc Culpepper had created a set of VR goggles— goggles that allowed them to travel into the game—his love had only grown. This version of Minecraft was just for them, and it had been a little strange from the start. Morgan didn't know what he would do if they lost it all to the Fault. "ALL RIGHT," he said. "BUT WE STICK TOGETHER IN THERE. And we don't leave anybody behind, no matter what." Morgan held his breath as he stepped through the portal. He was ready for a fight. But everything was peaceful on the other side of the portal. They were in a

clearing within a strange blue-green forest, with tall trees and a thick covering of vines. Someone had set up a campsite, with a series of treasure chests ringing a campfire. The fire burned an eerie shade of blue, and an iron golem stood motionless nearby. "It looks like a camp," said Jodi. "IS THAT GOLEM HERE TO GUARD IT?" "Let's not loot any treasure chests until we know for sure," said Harper. "Aw," said Po, who had started reaching for the nearest chest.