Minecraft: Mob Squad: Never Say Nether/3CHP

=== Chapter 17: Mal ===
Switching to Mal’s POV, she mentions to the reader that the brigands had aided Krog on their last adventure, but backed out when Krog decided to attack Cornucopia directly. The brigand attempts to make peace with Mal and company and asks for them to get away from the nether portal, but they refuse. The brigand also mentions someone named Orlok just before he is tripped up by Lenna, falling backward through the trapdoor. Chug then places down the block of diamond just underneath it so the brigand won’t be able to get back into the room. Chug then asks everyone if they are going through the nether portal, and Mal mentions that it was the structure that Krog was planning on building in Cornucopia. Lenna then mentions that the Nether was, according to Nan, "a horrible place filled with riches", and that it wasn’t a safe place to be. Lenna also mentions that two of the Founders of Cornucopia went on expeditions to the Nether, but not that often, and also mentions that Jarro’s great-great-great-grandfather had died on one of them. Mal mentions that the brigands also knew of Krog’s plan on going to the Nether, thinking that there are potion ingredients there, which is why they took Tok in the first place due to him experimenting with potions. Lenna also mentions that the brigands stealing everything from Elder Gabe’s shop was the reason why he was so upset, because the Founders had left behind a stockpile of ingredients for the potions. Nonetheless, Mal, Lenna, and Chug decide to head to the Nether, but Jarro seems scared. Chug and Lenna mention to him that they are scared as well, and Mal mentions to him that no one would say a mean word to him if he went to the Nether and back. Jarro attempts to bring up how people still made fun of the Mob Squad, but Chug rebuts that it was him that made fun of them. After some hesitation, Jarro also decides to head to the Nether, becoming a part of the Mob Squad in the process.
=== Chapter 18: Lenna ===
Switching to Lenna’s POV, she goes through the nether portal first, followed by Chug, Jarro, Mal, with all four spawning in a cave of netherrack. They all soon notice a figure approaching them, who snorts. Chug realizes that the figure is a piglin, who is interested in his good boots. Lenna suggests to give it something that isn’t armor, so Chug barters some gold ingots with the piglin. In the end, Chug is given a pair of iron boots, two potions, three ender pearls, some string, a brick, five "hunks of black rock that looks like cobblestone", and a block of crying obsidian, which he splits with the group. The group then traverse through a crimson forest, coming across some hoglins. Chug feels like they could be friendly, but is soon attacked by one. The group end up killing some hoglins before feeding Chug their only golden apple so he can heal. Jarro decides to go toward a sea of lava in the distance, hoping to find something that doesn’t belong here. He does, holding up a sweet berry.
=== Chapter 19: Jarro ===
Switching to Jarro’s POV, he says to the reader that it feels good to finally do something helpful for once. After finding the sweet berry, the group cross a cobblestone bridge over the sea of lava, leading them toward a warped forest. Chug notices an enderman off in the distance and attempts to befriend it, but is attacked by it. The group end up killing the enderman, making it drop an ender pearl, and the group eat some raw porkchop to heal.
=== Chapter 20: Tok ===
Switching to Tok’s POV, he is in the Nether with the brigands, in a space hollowed out with a floor of dark wood planks. The brigands allow Tok to look through a window that was set up, revealing a sea of lava below them. The lead brigand mentions to Tok that the sea of lava is the only way out, and that if Tok does what they say, that they’ll be able to bring him home. Tok then asks if his brother, Chug, is OK, and the lead brigand says that they left him sleeping in his bed, mentioning that whatever he did is none of the brigand’s business. The lead brigand then introduces himself as Orlok before having the other brigands introduce themselves. Tok asks as to what they want from him, and Orlok gestures toward a workshop complete with all of the necessary things needed to craft potions. Tok then asks Orlok if he knew of Krog’s plan to access the Nether. Orlok says that he did, and that instead they decided to not use Cornucopia as an access point and just set up a workshop in the Nether, but then took Tok because they heard that he could craft anything, including potions. Orlok then tells Tok that he’ll be making potions, along with armor and weapons once he runs out of potion ingredients. Orlok then gives Tok a cookie as he and three other brigands leave, leaving Rex behind to watch over him. As Rex reads silently from a book, Tok looks over the potion recipes that are marked in a book about potions. As Tok prepares to make a potion of invisibility, he says to himself that he’ll figure out how to escape if Rex is busy reading.
=== Chapter 21: Chug ===
Switching to Chug’s POV, he feels that it’s hard to determine who is a friend or foe in the Nether. The group (Chug, Mal, Lenna, and Jarro) decide to take a break so Chug can heal up. As Chug eats some cooked porkchop, Jarro keeps guard, Lenna draws out an enderman in her book, and Mal is mining away throughout the warped forest. Chug then notices Jarro using Lenna’s pickaxe to collect some fungi and asks him as to what he is doing. Jarro says that he is wondering if the fungi will grow back at home in the Overworld, and hopes that the fungi can be useful. Chug feels hopeful that Jarro can be a source for fungi, which Chug himself hopes to use for stew recipes. Just then, Mal exclaims that she found a sweet berry while she was mining, and everyone decides to follow her, soon arriving at a soul sand valley. Jarro notices a ghast off in the distance, who attacks the group. Chug uses his sword to deflect the fireballs back at it. Lenna also joins in and fires arrows at it, soon killing it, which drops a ghast tear. As Chug picks it up, skeletons attack the group, but Lenna is able to fend them off. The group then notice a bastion remnant in the distance, hoping that Tok is in there.
=== Chapter 22: Mal ===
Switching to Mal’s POV, she and the group soon arrive at the bastion remnant, hopeful that Tok is in it. As Mal isn’t able to find a clear entrance, she instead makes staircase out of stone upward to an opening in the structure, soon noticing piglins roaming about. As the rest of the group approach Mal, Mal motions for them to be quiet as they enter the structure. The group soon find a room with a chest, pocketing almost everything inside it (a golden apple, some gold and iron ingots, a pair of gold boots, and the "pigstep" music disc). As they leave the room, Mal also mines as any gold block that is sticking out of the walls or ceiling. The group soon make it to the center of the bastion remnant, being a huge room with a floor of lava, and the floor also having a treasure chest atop some gold blocks. Chug feels hesitant at first, saying that they should work on finding Tok, but after some pep talk from Mal about how the bastion remnant is set up, he seems more interested. Lenna then points out an odd-shaped room nearby, so Mal mines away at it to make room for a door, coming across a chest. Just then, Mal hears a squeal, so she lashes out with her pickaxe at the attacker, that being a piglin brute. The group attack the brute at close range and are soon successful in killing it, leaving behind an enchanted golden axe, which Chug gives to Jarro. Mal then opens the chest, taking the diamond pickaxe and a golden apple for herself, the chain, string, iron ingots, and an enchanted book for Chug, the golden carrot for Jarro, and a crossbow for Lenna. The group soon head back out to the open room and make it to the treasure chest. Mal slowly begins to open it.
=== Chapter 23: Lenna ===
Switching to Lenna’s POV, she is surprised at the contents of the chest (a diamond sword, a diamond chestplate, diamond leggings, several iron and gold ingots, a netherite ingot, "two iridescent spheres", and "blocks of peculiar stone"). Mal gives Chug the sword and chestplate, while Chug gives Lenna his golden one. Chug is also given the iron and gold ingots, while Lenna is also given the spheres. Lenna then feels tired, so after Mal mines out all the gold blocks she can, she makes a room for everyone to sleep in. As Lenna places down a bed, it explodes, flying her backward to the closest wall, and slumping to a sitting position. Chug screams at Lenna to eat and offers her some raw porkchop, which she chows down in great speed, and then eats the last cookie, offering Chug a small chunk of it. Mal then offers Lenna a golden apple, who refuses at first, saying to herself that she doesn’t want it to be wasted, but she gives in and eats it, knowing that she has to be at full health. After some rest and a brief chat about how the group ended up here in the first place, they soon prepare to leave the bastion remnant. Mal mentions that she is almost out of blocks to place, so Jarro asks for her to mine out some of the walls of the bastion remnant, which she reluctantly does so. Mal then builds a small bridge to make it to a crimson forest just by a sea of lava, wondering as to how Tok and the brigands could’ve made it across. Lenna then looks up and points out a bridge of netherrack close to the ceiling, saying that they should use it. Jarro refuses, saying that there are other options, and Mal agrees, saying that they should instead follow the bridge from underneath so that the brigands are less likely to notice them. The group does so, but soon comes across another sea of lava. Jarro and Chug feel hesitant to climb up to the bridge above, feeling like there is another way, but Mal insists that there isn’t, so she and Lenna mine all the netherrack that they can get and start making a staircase toward the bridge. Chug gives in and decides to join them, but Jarro doesn’t budge, and feels like that the group is leaving him behind. Lenna insists that they aren’t leaving him behind, but also says to Jarro that he really isn’t acting like a good friend right now. Mal then calls Lenna for some stone, so Lenna drops down a raw porkchop for Jarro before she starts climbing up to Mal.
=== Chapter 24: Jarro ===
Switching to Jarro’s POV, he still can’t believe that the others are leaving him behind. He then looks around and takes note of his surroundings, knowing that he’ll have to hide if he hears a ghast, and also has almost nothing to defend himself besides a shield. Just then, Jarro notices a strider in the sea of lava and lures it over to him with the warped fungus that he has. Jarro then places a saddle on it and starts riding it, using a warped fungus on a stick to so do. Jarro shouts up at Mal, Lenna, and Chug, who are high on the bridge of netherrack, asking if they want to ride a strider. Reluctantly, they decide to do so, with Chug having enough materials to craft three more fishing rods and then placing warped fungus on the end of them. Jarro names his strider "Smokey", while Chug names his strider "Miss Twolegs". The four then ride the striders through the sea of lava, following the netherrack bridge overhead and dodging a nearby ghast. The four then notice a structure off in the distance that appears to be a nether fortress, hopeful that Tok is inside it.