1
LOST FRIENDS
S teve was tending to his wheat farm when he heard his dog, Rufus, barking in the distance. He looked up to see two people approaching.
âWho are you?â Steve asked as he walked up to them. Rufus stood by his side, as his ocelots, Snuggles and Jasmine, sat by the entrance of his home.
At first the two people didnât say anything to Steve. They just looked at the house and talked to each other.
âAre you Steve?â the woman asked.
âYes. Who are you?â
âOh good, we found the right place. We werenât certain we would. Itâs been a crazy trip here,â the woman sighed.
âYou havenât told me who you are.â Steve was getting annoyed.
âIâm sorry. Iâm Alex and this is Will, but thatâs not important. Iâm here to tell you that your friends are in trouble,â Alex told him. She was a blonde woman wearing a green shirt.
âWhat? Who? How?â Steve blurted out, because this news bothered him greatly.
âI met your friend Kyra. She was trying to help her friends, who were trapped by a griefer. He had them trapped in a desert temple, but she was able to escape,â said Alex.
âAre they okay? Where were you?â
âWe met Kyra in the desert. We were starving and she gave us food. Kyra asked us to find you in return for the food. She didnât want to leave her friends, Henry, Max, and Lucy, but she needed your help,â explained Will, who wore a red helmet.
Steve paused; he wondered if Alex and Will were telling the truth. They could be the griefers who had trapped his friends and were now here to steal from him.
âYou traveled all the way from the desert to relay Kyraâs message? That seems like a huge favor to ask of somebody.â
Alex looked down as though she were embarrassed when she told Steve, âKyra also promised to share some of the treasure with us.â
âThat makes sense,â Steve reasoned.
âThe temple is full of treasure,â added Will.
âIâm worried about Kyra. I donât care about the treasure.â Steve was upset.
âShe has a tough job, but at least she can see hostile mobs more easily in the desert, because itâs flat,â explained Alex.
Steve knew that was true, and he also knew Kyra was smart and would be able to challenge the griefers, but she was only one person. Even if she saw all the hostile mobs that were about to attack her, it didnât mean sheâd win. He had to help her! Steve went into his house and put on armor. He opened a chest and took out his diamond sword. He was ready to help Kyra save Henry, Max, and Lucy. He checked through his inventory to see if he had all the supplies he needed; the journey to the desert biome was a long and dangerous trip.
Alex and Will were in his living room, waiting for Steve, eating apples to increase their food bars.
âDo you have a map?â asked Steve.
âYou donât need a map; we know the way, and we promised Kyra that weâd take you to her,â replied Alex.
âBut our inventories are almost empty,â announced Will.
âWhat do you need?â
âWe have lots of emeralds. Is there a village nearby? We can trade them and get supplies,â suggested Alex.
âYes, but do we have time? Iâm worried about my friends. We need to hurry and save them.â
âIf we arenât prepared, we wonât be able to save anyone,â Alex lectured Steve.
Steve tried not to laugh; this sounded like something he would say. He had to agree with Alex. They needed to be prepared.
The trio walked toward the village to Eliot the Blacksmithâs shop. He had all the supplies they needed to craft powerful swords and protective armor to battle these tricky griefers.
Eliot was surprised to see his friend Steve, and Steveâs two new friends. âWhat can I help you with?â
âEliot, this is Alex and Will. We are about to go
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