Minecraft: Mob Squad: Never Say Nether/4CHP

Chapter 25: Tok
Switching to Tok’s POV, he mentions that he had been in the same area with Rex for at least a day, making dozens of potions and crafting dozens of weapons. Orlok soon shows up and asks Tok to show him what he has made. Tok says that he will on the condition that he be given some food, so Orlok orders Rex to go get him some. As Rex leaves, Tok shows Orlok that he made five of each potion that he had asked for except for the potion of fire resistance due to it being, in his own words, tricky to make. Orlok inspects a potion of invisibility that had been made, and then asks Tok if he needs any more ingredients. Tok asks as to how much longer he’ll be in the Nether, and Orlok says that it won’t be much longer until they head back to the Overworld, but then they have to come right back here. Tok then asks about when he’ll get to go home, and Orlok says to Tok that he is one of the brigands now, and despite being a kid, understanding that he owns a business and must be treated like an adult. Orlok then mentions that maybe one day he’ll let Tok free if he becomes rich enough, and then reiterates as to what he needs. Tok then says that he needs more nether wart, blaze rods, spider eyes, and magma cream. Rex then returns with some meat and gives it to Tok, who gulfs it down. Orlok decides to have Rex give Tok the meat that he had brought for himself as well. Tok then gets back to work on making potions, soon making potions of harming. As Orlok leaves and Rex gets back to reading, Tok stumbles over to the window and begins to cry.

Chapter 26: Chug
Switching to Chug’s POV, he and the others (Mal, Lenna, and Jarro) ride their striders toward the nether fortress, soon finding an area of netherrack just big enough for them to stand on. Mal, Lenna, and Chug decide to build a tower up to the nearby window, while Jarro decides to look for a strider for Tok to ride on, knowing that Chug has enough material to craft another fishing rod. Now at the window, Chug notices Tok crafting a potion, and although Tok is happy on the outside, Chug notices that Tok’s eyes are red with black smudges underneath them. Chug then motions to Lenna to open her book, which she does so, and Chug writes in it that Tok is making a potion with someone guarding him. Mal then writes in it for Lenna to shoot the guard, for Chug to defend everyone, and that Mal will get Tok out. By the count of three, Mal, Lenna, and Chug enter through the window, with Lenna shooting an arrow at the guard in the back. The guard then shouts to Orlok that he is being attacked, and Orlok soon appears and confronts everyone. Orlok asks for everyone to drop their gear in a pile on the floor. Mal then asks as to what it would take for the brigands to let Tok go. Orlok then says that Tok works for him and that he’ll continue to work for him until he says that he is done. Lenna then asks Tok if he is happy to be here, and Tok says that he doesn’t. Orlok then says that there is no way out, but Tok says that there is before jumping through the window to the lava below.

Chapter 27: Mal
Switching to Mal’s POV, she is shocked about what has just happened, but is relieved when Tok shouts that he finally got a potion of fire resistance to work properly. Now without Tok, the brigands ask the others if they are good with potions. Chug, Mal, and Lenna all agree that they aren’t, and Orlok orders the brigands to send them to the dungeon. Unbeknownst to the brigands, Chug, Mal, and Lenna have a plan. Chug then lunges for the work table in an attempt to leap over it. Although he fails, the potions that were on it tumble to the floor and break open. Orlok is hit by the potions as they splash on his legs, and with the brigands distracted, Chug, Mal, and Lenna make a run for it, going throughout the nether fortress, but soon get lost. They are attacked by a blaze, but Lenna kills it with her crossbow. Chug is then attacked by a wither skeleton, which is also soon killed, but he is afflicted with the wither effect. Eventually, the three head back to the room where Tok and the brigands were and look out the window, noticing Tok and Jarro waiting for them on their striders. As Lenna and Chug head down toward the small tract of land, Mal avoids being captured by one of the brigands, and soon notices Lenna aiming her crossbow at the brigand. Tok tosses her a firework rocket, and Lenna shoots it at the blocks right under the brigand, making it fall into the lava. As the five (Mal, Lenna, Chug, Tok, and Jarro) leave on their striders, Mal notices that the brigand that had fallen is now crawling to shore, reaching into his pocket for either a golden apple or a potion. As the other brigands look on through the window, one of them shouts to get to the bridge, making Mal realize the brigands aren’t going to stop going after them until they have Tok back.

Chapter 28: Tok
As the five (Mal, Lenna, Chug, Tok, and Jarro) ride on their striders, Tok offers Chug potions of regeneration and healing. Chug drinks them both, but still doesn’t feel better. Tok asks as to what attacked him, and Chug mentions that it was a wither skeleton. Tok then asks Chug as to how he and the others found him, as well as why they brought Jarro along. Chug mentions that the brigands kidnapped Jarro and that they found him, plus there was a trail of sweet berries. Tok then says that he was the one that made the trail of sweet berries, much to Chug’s delight. Chug then recaps to Tok about heading back to the woodland mansion, and then going through the nether portal inside of it, and then finding more sweet berries which lead them to the nether fortress. Jarro then apologizes to Tok for everything that he had done to him, saying that working with the Mob Squad had taught him a lot, and also mentions that the brigands had tied him to a tree and left him to die. Tok then recaps to Jarro about what happened when he was captured by the brigands, from raiding everything in Elder Gabe’s shop to making potions for them in the nether fortress. Eventually, the five make it to land and continue to run, going after everything in their path from piglins to hoglins as Tok isn’t wearing gold armor. Eventually, the five make it to the nether portal, but a brigand shouts off in the distance that they see them.

Chapter 29: Lenna
Switching to Lenna’s POV, she turns and aims her crossbow at the brigands, firing a firework rocket at them before going through the nether portal back to the room with the nether portal in the woodland mansion. The rest of the group (Mal, Chug, Tok, and Jarro) follow soon after, with Mal wondering about how to stop the brigands from going through the portal. Jarro says to mine away at the portal, which they do. Lenna says to the reader that she appeared to notice a figure about to go through the portal just before it disappeared when the portal frame was broken. As Chug keeps an eye on the brigand that stood as a guard for the portal through the trapdoor, the others mine away at the rest of the portal frame, with Tok mentioning that the blocks are of obsidian. The group then place a stone block above the trapdoor before leaving through the window and back down to ground level. Mal notices some animal pens that the brigands had made out in the distance, stating that they need to get as far away from the woodland mansion as possible. The group take the horses as well as the llamas that were taken from them on the previous adventure, and, after gathering some wood and wool for beds, make it to the village by dusk. Mal trades with a villager for three wool before the group head back into the empty house that they have used. As Chug weakly pulls out his crafting table, Tok mistakes it for his before Chug corrects him, making Tok feel proud. Tok then crafts a bucket and gives it to Mal, asking her to fill it with milk. Mal then hurries off to find a cow. As Lenna keeps watch with her crossbow, Tok has Chug drink a potion of regeneration, but he still doesn’t feel better. Jarro then heads outside to trade with villagers for sone food.

Chug then asks if Mal is okay, but Lenna says to him that they need him alive more than Mal needing to find a cow. Tok then asks Lenna if anyone else was looking for him, and Lenna mentions that the people in Cornucopia thought that Tok had ran off with the berries and potions and traded them. Jarro and Mal soon return with food and milk, respectively. Mal basically pours the milk into Chug’s mouth, and he is soon cured of the wither effect. After Chug and Tok engage in a long hug, everyone feasts on pumpkin pies, cakes, cookies, carrots, and cooked chicken before falling asleep. The next morning, everyone eats leftovers for breakfast before getting back on the trail toward home. Along the way, they stop by the pens next to the underground shelter to collect Poppy, Thingy, and the horses that they had left behind. Now with twelve horses, Lenna asks Jarro about what he’ll do once he gets home. Jarro says that it’s obvious he’ll get a scolding from his mom, but also says that he’d like to have a place in New Cornucopia, hoping to breed some of the horses, or perhaps grow the fungi that he had collected in the Nether. The group soon notice Cornucopia off in the distance, making Jarro wince, stating that he hopes his mom doesn’t kill him.

Chapter 30: Jarro
Switching to Jarro’s POV, he mentions to the reader that he was terrified of being kidnapped by the brigands. Now that he is free from them, he is terrified of heading home, not just because his mom would likely scold him, but also because he doesn’t want to be friends with Edd and Remy anymore, knowing that if he hung out with them, that they would make fun of him. As the group arrive at the Hub, everyone stops and stares at them, except for Jarro’s mom, who screams at him to get off the horse, and also asks as to where the berries are. Jarro refuses to get off the horse, and says that the brigands either still have the berries or ate them altogether. Jarro’s mom says that the berries were valuable, but Jarro says to her that she has several seeds to plant at home. Elder Stu and Elder Gabe soon appear, with the former asking the group if they are happy about their supposed prank, and also wondering as to what the "big-nosed cows" are. Tok then mentions that the "big-nosed cows" are horses, and says that he and Jarro were kidnapped by brigands, and that Tok was sent to the Nether by the brigands and used him to craft potions. Elder Gabe dismisses his story as a lie and asks Tok as to what he did with the potions. Tok is irate that Elder Gabe believes that he is lying, and carefully hands him a potion of harming. Tok also reveals to the people of Cornucopia that the Elders had left behind a stockpile of potions for Elder Gabe to sell at high prices, and also says that the only way to get potion ingredients is to go to the Nether. Elder Stu then asks Elder Gabe if he doesn’t really know about how to make potions, and also asks him as to what a blaze rod is, saying that potions can’t be made without them. Tok then shows Elder Gabe a handful of blaze rods before Elder Gabe goes on the defensive and offers a rebuttal, but is shot down with accusations of price-gouging, bribery, and fleecing from the Mob Squad. Tok then proclaims that he’ll provide potions of healing and regeneration at reasonable prices as long as the Mob Squad is allowed to go the Nether whenever they please, making the crowd of people erupt in cheers and applause.

As Tok and company head toward Nan’s cottage, Jarro’s mom screams at Jarro to get off the horse and head home, but Jarro refuses to do so. Not long after, Nan greets the group and decides to keep one horse for herself, naming it "Hortense". Everyone dismounts their horses and heads inside for some cookies, and then Chug sets up a fenced area for Hortense as the rest tell Nan about their journey. Tok gives Nan some potions that he had made to store in a chest, while Lenna shows Nan some of the notes that she had made while in the Nether. Mal mentions that saving Tok was the utmost priority and also mentions about Elder Gabe not knowing how to make potions. Nan hopes to go to the Nether one day, and Mal says that perhaps one day they’ll bring her there for a quick look. The group soon leave the cottage before parting ways, with Mal heading back to her farm to check on her cows. Chug then asks Jarro if he doesn’t plan on hanging out tomorrow, and Jarro says that he feels like that he wasn’t invited. Chug then says to Jarro that he is part of the Mob Squad now, making Jarro have a change of heart and reiterate that he doesn’t want to hang out with Edd and Remy anymore. Chug then asks Jarro if he wants to have dinner at his house, and Jarro happily accepts the offer. Back at the Hub, a mother offers Tok a cake in exchange for a potion of healing to heal her toddler’s broken arm, and Tok happily accepts the trade. Jarro, Chug, and Tok soon head back to Chug’s place in New Cornucopia. As Tok makes a fenced area for the horses, Chug makes Jarro some mushroom stew to eat. After dinner, Chug and Tok prepare to sleep, while Jarro prepares to head back to his house. Chug then offers Jarro to sleep at his place for the night, and Jarro happily accepts. As he gets into his bed, he relishes in how quiet it is, not having to worry about his mom, while also feeling somewhat happy that he was kidnapped by the brigands in the first place.

Chapter 31: Tok
Tok mentions to the reader that the town is treating them much better now that he is supplying them with potions, and that he also helped Jarro build a horse farm next door. Tok feels nice that Jarro is a different person now, getting used to life outside of Cornucopia. Jarro now grows fungi, and also raises horses and llamas, renting them out to anyone willing to travel. Tok also mentions that a trail is forming from Cornucopia to the nearby village, meaning that citizens of Cornucopia are finally heading outside of its walls for the first time. Mal ends up making a basement under Tok and Chug’s bedroom, making a nether portal inside it. Tok then mentions that one block is always left out of the portal frame if they aren’t using it, and also says that the portal spawns them in the middle of a warped forest, much to his luck. Mal, Lenna, and Chug are happy to go on an adventure to the Nether to gather ingredients whenever Tok needs them. Lenna is working on her book about the Nether while also mastering her crossbow, and Mal markets whatever ores she finds in the Nether. Jarro eats lunch at Chug’s house almost every day, with Jarro’s mom giving Jarro the silent treatment, which totally backfires, as Jarro is happier now that she is silent. Jarro also now has a cat from the litter of Clarity and Clandor, with Chug naming it "Meowy", much to Jarro’s slight disgust. Tok also mentions that he now has traps set up around his house, and is also experimenting with redstone. Tok then mentions to the reader that growing up is becoming a different person, and figuring out who they really are.

Chapter 32: Chug
Chug asks the reader some questions, such as if they are here to try some mushroom stew, or if they are here to buy a sword and some armor to head out on an adventure. Chug also mentions to the reader that perhaps they’ll rent a horse from Jarro, so they are able to either follow the dirt path to the village, or perhaps go somewhere where the Mob Squad hasn’t gone to yet.