Minecraft: Woodsword Chronicles/IntoTheGame1CHP

Prologue: How to Start a Story with a Cliffhanger!
Four figures are huddled around a single torch in an underground burrow. One of the figures suggest to dig deeper, but another one says that they can’t risk it due to the possibility of making an opening for hostile mobs to pour in. All four figures fall silent and stand still as a moaning sound is heard. The narrator then mentions to the reader that the four figures are actually inside their favorite video game, Minecraft, but they don’t know as to how to get back to the real world.

Chapter 1: Introducing Ash Kapoor! No Enemy Can Defeat Her! No Walls Can Keep Her At Bay!
Ash Kapoor is standing in front of Woodsword Middle School. She is dressed in her Wilding Scout uniform, adorned with dozens of badges, each of which represent a skill that she had mastered or performed well. Heading inside, she eventually finds room 247, the classroom of Ms. Minerva. After Ash introduces herself to the class, Ms. Minerva offers her to take care of Baron Sweetcheeks, the class’s pet hamster. Just then, a boy in the class, named Morgan Mercado, tries to explain that Baron can be a lot of work, mentioning that the hamster can freak out if neglected for a little bit. Ms. Minerva suggests for Morgan to take a break from taking care of the hamster, and Ash immediately accepts Ms. Minerva’s offer to take care of it. Ash then takes a seat near the back of the classroom.

Chapter 2: Hypothesis: Our Science Teacher Is from a Post-Apocalyptic Future
Jodi Mercado is seen going over a checklist of items when she is approached by Ash, who asks if she herself is in the right location for gym class. Jodi says that she is and hands to her a pair of sunglasses. Jodi then looks through her pair of binoculars, noticing her science teacher, Doc Culpepper, walking through the school parking lot with a box filled with circuit boards, wires, and various gadgets. Jodi then hypothesizes that her science teacher is actually from the future who was fighting evil robots, so that she could travel back in time to prevent them from taking over the world. Jodi then mentions that Doc Culpepper had worked on artificial intelligence, right before Doc Culpepper drives away in a minivan. Jodi then properly introduces herself to Ash, who in return shows off some of the badges she had earned from being a Wilding Scout. The two then decide to work on an exploding piñata as their science project as gym class starts.

The narrator then mentions to the reader that the Mercado family has a trait for being smart but impulsive, otherwise known as "creative problem-solving". Although Morgan tries to control himself, Jodi prefers to "follow her artistic whims"; she was also able to skip a grade, which made a big difference for gym class. Because Jodi was a bit shorter than her other classmates, it generally put her at a disadvantage; she decided to make a pact with Morgan (Jodi would always pick him first for a team, and vice versa). On this day in particular, however, Jodi decided to pick Ash first.

Chapter 3: Science! Without It, There Would Be No Candy
A few days later, Harper Houston and Po Chen are seen admiring their science project: a homemade volcano made out of one hundred cubes, just like in Minecraft. Morgan is with them as well, but is distracted by the project that Ash and Jodi had brought in, which is revealed to be the exploding piñata, but shaped like a creeper. Morgan feels like that Ash and Jodi stole their idea, but Po casually explains to Morgan that he doesn’t own Minecraft. Ash and Jodi then pump carbon dioxide into the piñata, causing it to explode, sending candy across the floor. Morgan, enraged, takes the bottle of vinegar from from Harper and the box of baking soda from Po, pouring it into the makeshift volcano. Just then, a red liquid explodes all over the auditorium, causing the rest of the students to flee in panic.

Chapter 4: Survival Mode + Untested VR Goggles = It’s Probably Safe…Right?
Ms. Minerva orders everyone to wash up. Only Harper, Morgan, and Po remain in the auditorium. Ms. Minerva seems disappointed at the three for what happened, but Doc Culpepper says that she shouldn’t be too hard on them, also stating that a scientist never achieved anything by being too risky. Doc Culpepper then says that she could use some help on something in the computer lab, asking Harper, Morgan, and Po as to what’ll they be doing after school. Ms. Minerva states that they will be mopping the auditorium. Doc Culpepper insists that the three come to the computer lab afterward. Harper and Morgan accept the offer immediately. Po hesitates at first, thinking that he could go to basketball practice instead, but also accepts. Later on, Harper, Morgan, Po, and Jodi all meet up in the computer lab. Doc Culpepper soon enters the room, mentioning that she is some sort of an amateur inventor. Po starts to have flashbacks at some of her inventions and how they affected students and staff, such as the spotlights for the dance and drama club making them see literal spots, or brewing a strong coffee that all the teachers who took it sans Ms. Minerva had stayed awake for three days.

Doc Culpepper then shows the four a pair of VR goggles, saying that she made some improvements and will need some volunteers to test them out; the volunteers being Harper, Morgan, Po, and Jodi. Doc Culpepper gives each of the four a pair of VR goggles. Po asks if the goggles would work on Minecraft, and Doc Culpepper says that its a great idea, noting as to how everyone is familiar with the game. She begins to set up a LAN network using a PC that she had made herself, adorned with several fans, memory cards, and tangled wires. As the four (Harper, Morgan, Po, and Jodi) put on their VR goggles, they all decide to play Minecraft on survival mode. As Morgan selects it, a bright flash of light blinds them for a moment, but what the four see in the end literally take their breath away.

Chapter 5: Minecraft—Live in 3…2…1…!!!
The four (Harper, Morgan, Po, and Jodi) quickly realize that they are actually inside Minecraft. Po realizes that he doesn’t feel anything in the outside world. Harper thinks that the VR goggles are tricking their brains into thinking that they are actually in the game. Morgan thinks that this is all a dream. Po insists that everyone enjoy themselves for the moment, which they do. Po speeds down a nearby hill, while Jodi runs around in circles. Harper begins to punch a tree nearby, with Morgan looking on. Harper picks up a chunk of wood that she had punched out of the tree, which goes into her inventory; the inventory is accessible by blinking twice. Harper soon crafts a crafting table, and then uses it to craft a wooden pickaxe. Morgan starts punching wherever in the world until his inventory is filled, consisting of oak wood, dirt, and some seeds. Po is chasing a flock of sheep, while Jodi is making a sphinx-like statue out of dirt blocks.

As the afternoon progresses, the four soon realize that the sun is setting. Morgan then wonders if the inventory had an option about disconnecting from the game, but Harper says that there is none. Eventually, the four take shelter in "a cavelike hole" made large enough for everyone to fit inside. Po suggests that they dig for coal, but Morgan thinks it’s risky saying that they could end up finding a mineshaft filled with hostile mobs. Harper says that she could make a furnace, asking Morgan if he has enough blocks for one. Morgan says that he does, knowing that he could use the furnace with some leftover wood to make some charcoal, and then use that to make some torches. He insists on doing it quickly, however, as he hears the groan of a zombie in the distance.

Chapter 6: Counting Sheep: Cure For Insomnia! Fun Group Activity!
Jodi steps out into the night, being greeted with silence. The four (Harper, Morgan, Po, and the aforementioned Jodi) had come up with a game plan while in their burrow; everyone would sleep in a bed when they were ready to disconnect from the game, knowing that it would also double as their new spawn point upon returning to it. To make a bed, of course, they would need wool, and to get more wool, shears would need to be crafted. Fortunately, they dig up some iron ore in their burrow and use the iron ingots smelted from it to craft shears. Eventually, the four find some sheep nearby, but are only to shear off three pieces of wool before the sheep ran off behind some trees. Harper uses the wool and wood planks to craft a bed, placing it in the center of the burrow. Jodi sleeps on the bed first as moaning from a zombie is heard nearby, and is soon back in the real world. Looking around, she noticed that Morgan, Harper, and Po were sitting completely still while wearing the VR goggles. Jodi then notices Ms. Minerva and Doc Culpepper appearing to have an argument in the corner of the room.

Jodi exclaims to Ms. Minerva that they were actually inside Minecraft. Morgan soon joins her, saying to Doc Culpepper that the VR goggles worked perfectly. Ms. Minerva seems suspicious at first, noting that Doc Culpepper’s inventions could be strange, but Morgan says that it was a normal game of Minecraft that felt a bit more realistic. He wonders if he’ll be able to use the VR goggles again. Doc Culpepper hopes that he will, saying that she will need to make a list of any glitches that they find. She then leaves the six VR goggles in the care of Morgan. Jodi seems suspicious at first, noting that she felt like she was almost killed by a zombie, but Harper and Po soon join them. After a 3-1 vote, they decide to meet back in the computer lab after school the upcoming Monday. Jodi, the lone no vote, begins to wonder as to what she could build first.

Chapter 7: Part Tree! Part House! Part Recycled Material!
Over the weekend, Morgan was so eager to use the VR goggles again. He logged onto Minecraft back at home, reviewing some crafting recipes and fighting off zombies as practice. Soon, he began to imagine Minecraft stuff in the real world, such as the cereal boxes in the grocery store becoming ore blocks, or the trees in his yard as green blocks on top of brown blocks. That Sunday, Morgan was invited to Ash’s birthday party, and although hesitant at first because of what Jodi did in gym class the other day, he decides to come along. Going around to the backyard of Ash’s house, Morgan is in awe over a treehouse that is described as being "big and colorful, with rope bridges and trapdoors, a big plastic slide, and turrets" along with an area filled with cushions and a bookshelf. Morgan and Jodi soon meet up in the second-story area, which looks over a wooded forest. Morgan notices some initials in the wood railing (QAV), wondering as to what it means. Ash then appears, saying that it means "Quinn Alice Vega".

Ash mentions that she used to live in California, hence her time as a Wilding Scout. She had worked on the tree house with Quinn and another girl named Luanne, who was a big reader. Harper then asks as to how she got the treehouse moved from California, and Ash says that her mom had some of her friends from engineering take it apart, and provide instructions on how to put it back together. Morgan soon realizes as to what Ash has gone through – moving away to start over somewhere new. Although he doesn’t feel ready to welcome Ash with open arms, he still feels like that she could be a cool friend to hang out with. Morgan then notices Jodi making a face that appears to be a scrunched up nose and biting her lip. She really wanted to tell Ash about their Minecraft adventure, but had kept her promise not to tell anyone about it.