Minecraft: The Voyage/3CHP

Chapter 17: Down in the Hole
The crew of Mr. Barnacle consists of Cresop, Billups, Tanner, Jirwoh, Pyx, Gibbons, Ulias, Hodey, and Osk Fikar. The narrator describes Osk Fikar as "amiable and cheerful" to the other miners, yet detested and berated by Mr. Barnacle. She is also a redstone fanatic, constantly dreaming up of inventions that would, hopefully, change the world. The narrator also describes Stax as enjoying being underground again after several days, and that he was able to handle a full day of labor in the mines thanks to breaking off wood from the shipwreck. Meanwhile, Mr. Barnacle always finds to reason to criticize Stax, saying that he was slow and took extra time to do stuff, because in Mr. Barnacle’s eyes, he saw Stax as lazy. Two weeks into Stax’s job, he and Mr. Barnacle have a confrontation over extraction methods. It was Stax’s day to supervise, with his crew consisting of Hodey and Jirwoh. The two dig out feeder tunnels that are two blocks wide and sixty-four blocks long, like Stax’s father had taught him. Eventually, Jirwoh and Hodey come across veins of diorite and granite, and put them in a chest in the headhouse for later. Stax then has Jirwoh and Hodey dig out branch tunnels, which are two blocks wide and sixteen blocks long.

Eventually, the two come across coal and iron ore deposits. The deposits are collected, and the gaps left by them are filled with cobblestone. The three then begin eating some bread with honey in a feeder tunnel when Mr. Barnacle checks on them. He shouts at them, calling them "layabouts and do-nothings". Jirwoh and Hodey immediately stand up, with Stax being a bit slower. Mr. Barnacle berates Stax for eating on the job, yet Stax mentions that the morning was profitable with the coal and iron ore deposits. Mr. Barnacle then questions Stax as to why the walls are sealed back up. Stax begins to explain, but is interrupted by Mrs. Taney, who explains that it’s so people always know where they are. Mrs. Taney commends Stax for his work, and the three (Stax, Jirwoh, and Hodey) soon get back to work, making more branch tunnels. Hodey then mentions the story of the Brandywine Hill Mine, in which Mr. Barnacle promised Mrs. Taney that the mine was filled with ores of all kinds, but was instead just filled with stone. Stax becomes very eager to learn more about said mine.

Chapter 18: Strange Characters
Stax visits the local store every three or four days. Every time, he asks Brubbs if he heard from anyone who knew the lands beyond the Sea of Sorrows, with the answer always being "no". One day, Stax overhears Brubbs talking with a leather trader about someone that is only known as "the Champion". After the leather trader leaves, Stax asks Brubbs about who "the Champion" is. Brubbs mentions that "the Champion" lives in the mountains to the east, in a castle that it uses as a base for exploring the Nether and the End. However, Brubbs also mentions that "the Champion" expects "those who seek his help to offer what they can afford", as a way to help others in need. Brubbs mentions a story in which some farmers asked "the Champion" to run off some bandits, but in return, he gets a loaf of fresh bread every week. Brubbs also mentions that when "the Champion" heard that the royal twins of Far Nalur were kidnapped, he retrieved them on the condition that taxes for them would be suspended until their next birthday. Stax thinks about it for a while, and just then, an idea pops into his head.

Back at The Tumbles Extraction Company, Stax mentions to Mrs. Taney that he wants to reopen the Brandywine Hill Mine. She questions Stax at first due to embarrassing Mr. Barnacle, but Stax makes his case, mentioning Fouge Tempro’s raid on his house, being marooned, and his inability to find home. Mrs. Taney seems interested, and asks Stax as to what he is proposing to accomplish finding "the Champion" and defeating Fouge Tempro. Stax explains that he’ll work the mine on his own time for free, and that any miners working with him will get standard bonuses, as well as a bonus for the crew boss. Stax also mentions that if Brandywine does pay off, more miners will be hired and operations will be expanded. Mrs. Taney accepts on the following conditions: Stax works a four-hour shift each night, he works with two other miners, he only has til the end of the month (around a week), and Mr. Barnacle gets a cut of any bonuses. Stax accepts and asks for Cresop and Tanner, but Mrs. Taney mentions that those two are always at the top of the list. Stax then asks for Hodey, and she says that he can have Hodey if he’s able to get Osk Fikar to come along. Stax accepts and the two shake hands. Stax then vists Osk’s laboratory on the edge of town. Osk shows Stax numerous inventions, in which Stax says they will need a little more work be to useful down in the mine. He then brings up the Brandywine Hill Mine, and Osk agrees to join him on the condition that she has any redstone they find. Stax accepts and the two prepare for tomorrow.

Chapter 19: The Unlucky Mine
The next morning, Hodey immediately accepts Stax’s offer, but word soon gets to Mr. Barnacle about the reopening of the Brandywine Hill Mine, who says to Stax that he hopes he’ll see him buried in it. By the end of the normal work day, Stax, Hodey, and Osk enter the mine, soon recognizing that the excavation was the handiwork of Mr. Barnacle. They sit down at the center of the lowest level, with Stax saying that Mr. Barnacle didn’t dip deep enough. Hodey and Osk seem to be in agreement, and they eventually decide to dig down to bedrock and work up from there. They start by making a downward staircase, fortunate enough to not hit lava, but they didn’t find any ore. By the end of the first night, Stax begins to worry that the Brandywine Hill Mine is actually just stone, but he smiles it off and the three get ready for tomorrow. The next night, Hodey eventually finds bedrock. Although excited and eager to mine back up, Stax has Hodey and Osk hollow out a chamber, surveying the lowest points.

The night after that, the three begin making a staircase back up to an area twelve blocks above bedrock, and they immediately begin making feeder tunnels, eventually finding some coal and iron ore in branch tunnels, but nothing else. The night after that leads to more coal, and the night after that lead to more iron ore. The three felt disappointment, yet were still optimistic to find diamonds, lapis, or gold, but sadly, the second to last night unveiled more iron ore. By the final night, Stax had half-expected Hodey and Osk to show up. Thankfully, they do, and get to work on the final three branch tunnels. The first unveiled a vein of redstone, much to the delight of Osk. Heading down the second tunnel, Stax notices that he is sweating more than usual, and asks Hodey to stop mining and to check if the block is hot. Hodey says it is, and Stax has him mine it carefully. Hodey does so, mining the block to reveal a lava lake, as well as two skeletons. Hodey screams to close it up, but Stax refuses, taking on the skeletons by himself. He successfully kills them both, and Osk asks for Stax to come look at her branch tunnel. He and Hodey head over to it, noticing redstone, gold, lapis, and, thankfully, diamonds.

Chapter 20: The Accident
The redstone, gold, lapis, and diamonds that came out of the mine over the next several days delighted the miners and people of Tumbles Harbor. Mrs. Taney was so pleased that she announced that more miners would be hired for further excavation of Brandywine Hill, but until then, Stax was stuck working with Mr. Barnacle. Stax also found himself sitting up every night in the miners’ dorm, staring down at his compass as if it was mocking him, and brooding about Fouge Tempro. With a new month ready to go, Mr. Barnacle’s crew is mining for gems in random areas. Stax reiterates to him about his mining techniques, but Mr. Barnacle turns his back on Stax, saying that he found the veins at bedrock. Stax says that if they dug upward from bedrock, they would’ve been killed by the lava, but Mr. Barnacle is furious, saying that if a crew boss gives someone an order, they must follow it.

The next day had Mr. Barnacle supervise a staircase leading down to bedrock, and then he orders the miners to start making a feeder tunnel. Hodey questions Stax as to why they are making the tunnels so low, and Stax says that Mr. Barnacle ordered them to do so. Mrs. Taney gives Osk the day off, so Stax’s crew for today consists of Hodey and Tanner. The latter usually forgets things, which makes Stax a bit nervous. He asks Tanner as to where the water bucket is, and Tanner says that he left it at the junction, rushing back to get it. Stax feels hopeful that nothing of value would be found as a way to convince Mr. Barnacle that Stax was telling the truth, but later in the day, Jirwoh’s crew finds some gold ore, while Pyx’s crew finds some lapis. After a lunch break, Mr. Barnacle heads back up to the surface for additional equipment, so Stax informs everyone to check for heat and magma. Thirty minutes later, Mr. Barnacle barks at the miners to speed up their mining. Tanner and Hodey do so, with Stax picking up the stone they drop for removal to the surface. Walking back to the tunnel, he heard a hunk, followed by a hiss, and sees a bright light. Hodey screams at Tanner to get the water bucket. Stax runs toward the light, but trips over the water bucket. He quickly gets up and brings the water bucket over, but it was too late. Hodey dies from being submerged in lava.

Chapter 21: Stax Starts Again
Embarrassed from the death of Hodey, Stax soon resigns from his position at The Tumbles Extraction Company and purchases a plot of land a few hours away from Tumbles Harbor. Stax gives Mrs. Taney a few emeralds to give to Hodey’s wife, and Mrs. Taney gives Stax a diamond pickaxe she bought from the general store. Stax then heads off to the plot of land, which is located in a savanna biome. He builds a small dirt cabin in the center, as well as a small farm to one corner. Osk visits Stax to give him a pressure plate and a clock. Stax then begins mining downward with his diamond pickaxe, eventually hitting bedrock. He then does the usual thing of making a feeder tunnel above the lava line, and then making branch tunnels out of that. Every other week, Stax alternates between harvesting food from his farm and making trips to Tumbles Harbor for more supplies. One day, Stax is filling his farm when he notices someone clad in black approaching his plot of land. He heads into the cabin to retrieve his iron sword, thinking it might be Fouge Tempro, but is relieved when the person reveals himself to be Hejira Tenboots.

Hejira says that he is looking for Ramoa and plans to meet her in Jagga-Tel, a jungle to the north. He asks if Stax can come along, although on the condition of abiding by a code: sleeping in trees. Stax is about to decline when skeletons begin shooting toward them. Stax retreats to his cabin and falls asleep, whilst Hejira fends off the skeletons. The next morning, Hejira gives Stax some bones, and Stax politely declines Hejira’s offer from the night before, saying that he has a mission: to defeat Fouge Tempro. Stax also mentions "the Champion", and Hejira says that he heard stories about "the Champion", but nothing as of recently. Hejira then sets off for Jagga-Tel, reminding Stax to let Ramoa know of their meeting.

Chapter 22: Lurkers in the Dark
Two days later, Stax is down in the feeder tunnel. Although he finds some coal and iron ore, he is constantly running into gravel, making it a big annoyance to him. Stax also finds diamonds, yet he spares them for later. He then falls asleep in the headhouse. The next morning, Stax runs into even more gravel, eventually leading to a cave above it. Suddenly, two skeletons begin shooting arrows at him. Stax kills one before another one hits his shoulder with an arrow. A creeper explodes nearby, nearly killing him, but kills the lone skeleton. He then patches up the hole leading to the cave and takes a rest at the headhouse. He notices the lit redstone torch, and at first, he assumes a pig had triggered it on accident, but upon reaching the surface, he is surprised to see Ramoa.

Chapter 23: An Expedition
Stax has Ramoa enter his cabin and talks to her about "the Champion". She questionably looks through Stax’s chests and is amazed at how much gold, redstone, emeralds, lapis, coal, and diamonds are in it. Stax then mentions that Ramoa had to meet Hejira in Jagga-Tel, and the two prepare to meet him there. Stax had shaved his beard in a small lake nearby, and buried several chests by the front gate. By then, it was too late to venture toward the jungle, so Ramoa falls asleep in the cabin, while Stax sleeps in the headhouse. The next morning, the two begin heading north to Jagga-Tel. Stax asks Ramoa if her and Hejira are dating. Ramoa politely says they aren’t, but says that they met years ago as she was attacked by bandits. Ramoa also describes her house as being built "out of birch wood, above the sea, at the mouth of a little river that winds through a forest". Two days later, Stax and Ramoa arrive at Jagga-Tel, and soon find Hejira at the entrance to a jungle temple. Ramoa and Hejira compare notes on their journey, while Stax explores the jungle temple, only to find a chest of rotten flesh. A few minutes later, Hejira and Ramoa begin training Stax. Hejira trains Stax with sword fighting for two hours, followed by Ramoa with archery. Stax is able to hit some cocoa pods, and the three make cookies to celebrate.

Chapter 24: The Road to the Champion
That night, Hejira, Stax, and Ramoa are sitting by a campfire, eating some cookies. The three discuss about plans for tomorrow. Ramoa says she plans on heading south to Karahamés, while Stax plans on heading back to his plot of land to retrieve the buried chests of ore so he can find "the Champion". Hejira mentions that "the Champion" lives in a fortress in the Graypeaks, just beyond the Endless Dunes, and says he knows the way there. Stax asks if Hejira can come along. Hejira hesitates at first, but accepts. The next morning, Hejira and Stax begin walking east to "the Champion’s" fortress, while Ramoa begins walking south to aid a caravan. Hejira mentions to Stax that Ramoa had "broke a promise long ago, and she still carries the weight of what followed that decision". Stax asks as to what happened, and Hejira says that it’s up to Ramoa to explain it or not.

Eventually, Stax and Hejira arrive at the Endless Dunes. They realize it’s too late to continue, so Stax builds camp in a stone tunnel and falls asleep. The next day, Stax notices some buildings to the north, and Hejira explains that it is the village of Patannos, who usually don’t prefer to accompany outsiders. By nightfall, Hejira falls asleep in an oak tree, while Stax makes a shelter in the side of a hill, also falling asleep. The next day, they arrive at the Graypeaks, and Hejira mentions to Stax that he can’t accompany him any further, saying that the next step of his journey is to be taken alone. Stax questions it, but shrugs it off as Hejira soon falls asleep in a tree. By morning, Hejira gives Stax a golden helmet obtained from a zombie, and Stax begins the climb up the Graypeaks. Making it to the top, he notices a house that looks somewhat similar to Stax‘s old home. Stax also notices a button by the gate and presses it. Just then, he notices someone arriving to the gate, riding atop a horse.