Minecraft (Dark Horse Comics)/OutOrderPlot

Volume 1

Riley introduces herself to the reader about the Overworld, saying that because it is huge, it is also “terrifying” and “overwhelming” and a place that someone wouldn’t want to venture through, reading a passage from a book to various animals. She concurs that she had never been out in the Overworld despite the abundance of biomes, and prefers grass because it doesn’t freeze. Riley also mentions monsters that roam around at night, as she and some others head indoors after sunset and don’t go underground. She then asks the animals if they have any questions, and the cat responds with a questionary meow. Riley thinks that the question is about people, and she concurs that there are people out in the Overworld, but prefers to stay in her home town, called The Hamlet, so as to not worry about supposed bandits or warlords or people with castles. Riley then introduces the reader to some other people that live here: Wordson, the novelist, and Cheoffrey, the baker. She also shows off a wheat farm that she has named the "Cropotron 5000", adding that its inventor lives underground and is "potentially deranged". She then punches down a tree, wondering why it doesn’t fall down, and then heads inside to rest for the evening. 160 blocks to the east, Paula and Prentice of The Province of Perfect Sameness look over The Hamlet through a spyglass, criticizing it for haphazard design and inattention to form, and charge toward it on their mules, along with Grimbald and their guards. They end up destroying The Hamlet, claiming that the settlement has been "rectified" because it is incompatible with the vision of Paula and Prentice. Riley says that the people of The Hamlet build it the way they want to because they like it, but Paula and Prentice believe that it is an eyesore, and request them to submit an application for a design that is "more acceptable", despite an eight-week backlog. Cheoffrey refuses to submit the application on behalf of The Hamlet, and Grimbald orders the guards to gather the materials, hoping to build something back home that is "more perfect". Paula, Prentice, Grimbald, and the guards then head back to The Province of Perfect Sameness, leaving The Hamlet completely destroyed.

Cheoffrey is confident in going after the leaders of The Province of Perfect Sameness, but Wordson knows that he is in no shape to do anything of the sort. Riley attempts to rally the others to band together to get their home back, but Wordson says that they only entrusted her with the animals so she could feel useful, adding that she is afraid to step foot outside The Hamlet. Riley thinks that Wordson is basically calling her a scaredy-cat, before Charlie, the inventor of the Cropotron 5000, appears from underground via a trapdoor, asking the others to calm down. He wonders as to what happened with the stuff in The Hamlet, before realizing the Cropotron is missing and vows for revenge. The other residents of The Hamlet then decide to head to a village east of here, and Riley sends the animals along, deciding to head to The Province of Perfect Sameness alone. As the others leave, Charlie re-appears from underground and decides to join Riley on her journey. Some time later, Riley thanks Charlie for coming with her, and asks about the Cropotron. He says that it was his first creation that he was proud of for being an automatic farming machine. Riley then asks him as to why he lives underground, and he says that his other inventions, The Item-Sort-O-Matic, The Celebrator, and The Explodorama, couldn’t really "recapture the magic" of the Cropotron, adding that he couldn’t find out how to rekindle the sparks of creativity he once had. Some incidents involving the other inventions he built is why he went underground in the first place. Charlie then asks Riley about what she plans to do for weapons, and she sheepishly admits that she didn’t need them, feeling confident in just using words. Charlie gives her a little pep talk, knowing that they need some materials, and has her follow him to someone that can help them. Meanwhile, a thousand blocks northeast in the badlands, Paula and Prentice complete gold status of themselves in The Province of Perfect Sameness just as Grimbald appears to warn them about the people of The Hamlet moving to the village east of there. Paula and Prentice don’t seem to mind, knowing that they need somewhere to live, but Grimbald believes that they will concoct a "monstrosity" of "hodgepodge houses and mismatched mansions". Paula and Prentice are against harming anyone, but decide to let Grimbald proceed with her mission, and she adds that she’ll do what needs to be done.

Later that night, Riley and Charlie arrive at Emily’s house and disarm the tripwire trap before entering, noting that he set up the trap in exchange for some supplies from her. Emily greets the two after some slight misunderstanding, and Charlie asks her about getting some weapons. Emily then goes on a monologue about how she has retired from battle and vows to use her tools for good, but after Charlie offers to bring back a spare sword and a crossbow she has, she gives in and decides to help. Riley then notices a shield on the wall with the same design as those found on the others that live at The Province of Perfect Sameness, and Emily shouts at her not to say those words, as she considers her time there a shadow of her past and a stain on her conscience. Emily then hears some creaking, and asks Riley and Charlie if they closed the door behind them. Just then, zombies and skeletons appear in the house, but Emily and Charlie kill them with ease. Riley also uses a bow to carefully fire an arrow at a creeper, killing it as well. The next morning, the three discuss their plans to take down the main fortress at The Province of Perfect Sameness, which is sixty blocks high, fifty blocks wide, is reinforced with obsidian, and is surrounded by a moat with armed guards, alarms, and traps. Riley commits to talking it out, while Charlie commits to blowing up the fortress. Emily adds that the items are in chests in the fortress’s throne room, which is their main objective. Charlie concedes that they would need to make their way up there from the ground floor. Charlie decides to commit to disabling the traps and alarms, Emily decides to commit to attacking the guards, and Riley commits to convincing the horses and mules at the nearby stable to haul the stuff away. Riley then asks as to how they would be able to get in, and Charlie quips if the two feel about damp. Meanwhile, one thousand blocks to the southeast, the former settlers of The Hamlet arrive at Eastern Village, but Grimbald and her guards are spying on them. At first, she orders the army to head into the village, but quickly changes her mind and orders one of the guards to fetch Paula and Prentice, saying that she wants them to see Eastern Village destroyed.

Meanwhile, in the badlands just west of The Province of Perfect Sameness, Riley, Charlie, and Emily dig into a cave to sneak into the main fortress. Emily confesses to the two that she was previously a guard to Paula and Prentice, pledging her allegiance to them. They were peaceful back then, but Emily left as she found herself unable to condone the two associating them with "creepier elements". Riley asks as to why the other guards still work for them, and Emily says that they basically gave themselves up to leaders with intoxicating vision. Charlie then informs the two that they have arrived at their destination, and the three break into the stable from underground. Charlie and Emily then head to the fortress, while Riley stays behind to convince the horses and mules to take their stuff, using carrots and reading from a geography book. In the fortress, Charlie disabled the circuit connecting the alarms, but he and Emily are interrupted by a guard. Emily quickly knocks the guard out with a chop to its neck, and she and Charlie head upstairs to the throne room. Charlie takes out the two guards guarding the room by hooking the end of a fishing rod to one of the guard’s helmets, and reels the guard into the other one. He and Emily then enter the throne room and start rummaging through the chests. Meanwhile, in the stable, Riley is chatting about Charlie and Emily with the horses and mules when Charlie breaks in from above, noting the hoppers. He says to Riley that they are connected to the chests in the throne room, and wants her to come up and take a look. Riley does so, taking a gander at the hoppers connected to the chests. Just then, the other guards, including one named Boris, infiltrate the throne room and attempt to corner Riley, Charlie, and Emily, but they are interrupted by hostile mobs entering the room from below. Back in Eastern Village, the other guards are destroying Cheoffrey’s bakery as Paula and Prentice arrive. Wordson asks them as to why they are doing this, and they say that they should live in a world that is "beautiful, ordered, and makes sense". Grimbald then orders the guards to destroy every house in the village, but Paula and Prentice have them hold fire, as they actually like the villager’s style of housing. The three then notice that their fortress is under attack, and quickly make their way back to The Province of Perfect Sameness.

Back at the fortress, the creeper explodes, causing the guards to run away. Riley, Charlie, and Emily prepare to leave, chalking up the heist as a failure, but Paula, Prentice, and Grimbald show up and attack them. After a brief scuffle, Grimbald gets the upper hand and orders Paula and Prentice to kill them. Emily calls out Grimbald for her "creepery", but Paula and Prentice have no choice but to do as they are told. This makes Riley realize and mention that they are driven by fear instead of greed, and while the rest are fighting, she proceeds to repair the throne room with whatever block she can find. Grimbald attempts to get Paula and Prentice back on her side, but the two believe that wealth and power is more suited for her than them, adding that they never wanted to hurt anyone and that nobody understands the way they understand each other. Grimbald attempts to kill Prentice, but she ends up triggering a trap that launches her into the moat surrounding the fortress. Paula and Prentice then order the guards to return the material to its rightful owners, and Paula feels that it is wrong to continue to live in the fortress, saying that it brought suffering to many people. Riley offers her a place where she can start fresh, and some time later, New Hamlet is made, complete with Riley’s cottage, Wordson’s study house, and Cheoffrey’s bakery. Charlie is now living above ground once more, along with his new invention, the "Cropotron 6000". Paula and Prentice are also living together in identical cottages, finally embracing individual creativity. Wordson then gives a speech, acknowledging that they gave in to the cowardice of The Province of Perfect Sameness, but congratulate Charlie, Emily, and Riley for their ingenuity, creativity, and bravery. The people of New Hamlet celebrate with a toast and a fireworks display courtesy of Charlie. Grimbald looks on in the distance, vowing her revenge.