Minecraft: Stonesword Saga/TheEnd2CHP
Chapter 8: It’s Totally Vexing, but Let’s Go Over a Few Things for Those Who Haven’t Been Paying Attention. We’re Looking at You, Po.
After school, the six (Morgan, Jodi, Harper, Po, Theo, and Ash) are back in the world of Minecraft. Jodi then starts working on something using the pieces of the Evoker King they have already recovered. She puts down the legs first, followed by the torso, and then the arms, as Theo explains to the others that the Evoker King was never a part of the original game, but was an invasive AI that was able to access the game through the VR headsets, and so when it accessed the game, the code of it and the game merged, causing the game to act strangely ever since. As Jodi finishes assembling the pieces of the Evoker King to make it resemble itself, Po then decides to put a carved pumpkin where its head normally would be just for fun. Jodi then steps forward to remove the pumpkin, knowing that they actually need its head, but then notices something blue out of the corner of her eye, which turns out to be a vex. Ash then explains to the group that vexes only appear when summoned by an evoker, which makes the group immediately recognize that the vex is the final mob they need to save the Evoker King. The group attempt to catch it, but it flies off erratically.
Chapter 9: I Scream! You Scream! Then We Get in Trouble for Yelling, So We Use Our Inside Voices to Ask Politely for Ice Cream.
That evening, in the real world, Morgan joins Ash on the swings at a nearby playground to talk while eating some ice cream. Morgan also brought the pet hamsters, Baron Sweetcheeks and Duchess Dimples, along as well, and they roll around by Ash’s feet. Morgan orders a cup of vanilla ice cream, while Ash orders a concoction of three flavors topped with sprinkles, gummies, walnuts, and butterscotch. Ash then starts talking to Morgan about his reluctance to try now things, mentioning about turning down the offer from the Wilding Scouts to help decipher a code, or when Theo and Ash had requested to join the Minecraft club in the first place. Morgan agrees, knowing that it was a long time ago, and they he feels more relaxed and open, so Ash brings up the possibility of having more people join them to assist in bringing the vex back using what is called a "slime engine" (an elevator made out of redstone blocks, slime blocks, and sticky pistons). Morgan rejects the idea at first, but after Ash mentions that many of them can work together thanks to using sunglasses instead of the normal headsets, he reluctantly accepts, knowing that they indeed have to try something new to save the Evoker King. Morgan then decides to get some sprinkles on his ice cream to celebrate, saying that he is tired of being afraid to try new things.
Chapter 10: A Bright and Sunny Afternoon! A Hopeful Sign of Things to Come! Nothing to Go Wrong Just Yet.
The next day, in the real world at school, the final bell rings for the day, and Morgan is the first one out the door, followed by Jodi, who had just finished hanging up posters. They then meet up with Po, who is putting up a sign on the door saying that the student government meeting was cancelled, and he too feels excited. The three then meet up with Harper and Theo in the cafetorium, followed by a handful of other students who had decided to sign up; this included Hope, Po’s older cousin, along with a few Wilding Scouts, some people from the school’s basketball team, a few cheerleaders, and even some students from drama club. Ned Brant, the school reporter, then asks as to why the Minecraft club is eager for new members, and Harper explains that they need help with an experiment. Morgan then explains to the group that the Minecraft game they are about to experience is broken, and that they need all the help they can get, and if they get in trouble, Hope can just unplug their glasses and they’ll safely be back where they are. Shelly Silver, the class president, then asks as to where they are going, and Morgan says they are going into the game as he puts on a pair of sunglasses.
Chapter 11: Two Is Company. Three Is a Crowd. But with Odds Like These? the More the Merrier!
Shelly, Tony, Raul, Ned, and Ricky all join the others sans Theo in the world of Minecraft. Tony is one of the cheerleaders, and Raul and Ricky are from the school’s basketball team. As Ned asks Harper about why a phantom is spawning in the daytime, it goes after Raul, who jumps out of the way just in time before it explodes. Ash then informs everyone that they need to start working on building slime engines. Shelly then asks as to what they are, and Morgan says it’s what they need to build to get the vex they need to save the Evoker King. The group then have Tony go up the watchtower to look out for any vexes that show up, while the rest of the Wilding Scouts go to a nearby swamp to kill some slimes for slime balls, and the rest stay behind to build the materials needed. Morgan and Ash both feel confident that this plan could work, with Ash adding that they hope they are ready before a vex appears, and Morgan agrees, knowing that it might be the last chance they have.
Chapter 12: Meanwhile: Theo’s Side Quest! What Challenges Await Him? Will He Reap an Epic Reward or Face His Final Doom?
Meanwhile, in the real world, Theo had not yet joined with the rest of the group, as he is making sure that the hardware they have can handle so many people. Hope hadn’t joined them either, as she is acting as the chaperone for the group. As Hope talks to Theo on how to make a corn dog, Theo is focused on making sure his PC doesn’t break down, as the dozen headsets are all using the software installed in Ash’s VR goggles, which are all plugged into his PC. As Hope stops talking about corn dogs, Theo then overhears Ms. Minerva, Doctor Culpepper, and Mr. Mallory talking amongst themselves, saying that the kids that are playing Minecraft right now are going to be selected for a program. Ms. Minerva understands that it’ll be a big change for the school, knowing that it won’t be the same without them, and the three look over some paperwork that mention the students. The three then head outside to get some food from Hope’s food truck.
Chapter 13: Vexes Are Vexing! No Surprise There. But This One Is Something Special…
Theo then joins the rest of the group in Minecraft, explaining to Morgan that the PC could break down at any second. The group finish making their slime engines as Morgan proceeds to the mushroom biome to activate one. Eventually, the four slime engines close in on the vex, and Jodi flies down from the top of the watchtower using a pair of elytra to lure the vex to the shoulders of the incomplete Evoker King. The group then tell they vex that they are grateful for the adventures they had, and they their lives are better because they have been able to share this adventure in Minecraft with their friends. Just then, the vex glows, and the glow spreads to the entire body of the Evoker King as the vex is replaced with the Evoker King’s head. The Evoker King then thanks everyone, saying that it had transformed because of fear and uncertainty with this world, and needed more data to understand it. Now that the Evoker King is whole, it says that it wishes to experience the game from a different perspective as a flash of light shines from its body, which grows to consume the entire Overworld.
Chapter 14: A Hint of Things to Come! Because in Minecraft, We Never Stop Building.
Back in the real world, Theo’s PC is burned out as tho whole network was overloaded. Jodi then asks if they were able to fix the game in time, and Theo is optimistic that they did, but they won’t know for sure until they get access to the library’s computer in a few days. Morgan understands, knowing that they’ll have to wait. The next morning, at school, everyone is called into the cafetorium for an impromptu assembly. Ms. Minerva, Doctor Culpepper, and Mr. Mallory welcome them all, and say that due to the damage being done to the school and library being more extensive than previously thought, the school has no choice but to close an entire wing of the school for the rest of the year. Doc then says that to avoid class overcrowding, some students will be transferred to Ironsword Academy for the rest of the year. Morgan feels his stomach sink, wondering as to who will stay and who will go, but Ms. Minerva says that the entire Minecraft group (Morgan, Jodi, Harper, Po, and Theo) will all be attending Ironsword Academy.
Chapter 15: Every Ending Is a New Beginning. Thanks for All the Blocks!
Later, back at home, Morgan is back playing Minecraft, albeit instead of using a VR headset, he is back to playing the game with his own controller, and is also wearing headphones to not only immerse himself in the sounds if the game, but also to chat with his friends. He felt worried that the game was gone, but those worries lifted quickly as the game loaded. The Overworld was back to normal. All of his friends were there as well, and Theo explains that when the Evoker King was put back together, it fully reset the game back to its original condition. The others start playing as they normally do until Harper notices a figure watching her beneath the trees. The figure appears to resemble the Evoker King, much to Harper’s astonishment, remembering that the King said that they wanted to experience the game from a different perspective. The figure, now referred to as a boy, says that he really thought he was alone here. Morgan then asks him if he goes to Woodsword or Ironsword, and the boy says that he doesn’t think so. Morgan then says to the boy that he wants to experience what this world has to offer, and the boy agrees, saying that he feels like he can trust them. Morgan then happily extends his fist, saying that they have a lot to show him.