An easy-going zombie

You are a zombie! Not just any zombie, but the most easy-going zombie this side of the Overworld. Your fellow mobs love you for your relaxed attitude, and today is the perfect day for a relaxing activity. 

The sun is shining and the only thing on your to-do list is to smell some flowers in the nearby meadow. After putting on your nifty sun hat, you head to the grassy biome in search of your favorite flowers. 

As you arrive at the location, you gasp. Or well, you grunt as zombies do, but it's a great attempt at gasping. Instead of a field of flowers, you find that the once beautiful landscape you've spent so much time in has turned into red, scorched ground. Strange-looking machinery and piglins are scattered about, trampling your once-beloved meadow, and they appear to be building something. An outpost of some kind? 

This is not right! When you're done with these plant-wrecking porkers, they'll wish they were pushing up daisies instead of stomping cornflowers!

But first, you need more information, and the only way to gain that is to have a closer look.

> Investigate the outpost

Investigate the outpost

As you move closer to the outpost, using your best crouching stance, you move to a hill with a few dirt blocks stacked on top of each other – a perfect position to hide and overlook the base at the same time. 

As you begin to scan your surroundings with your eyes eye sockets, you notice that the piglins are holding some llamas captive in large cages. What a travesty! Llamas are fearsome warriors that spit in the face of danger. Well, they spit in pretty much everyone's face, but regardless, you need to help them!

There's no way around it. You will have to infiltrate the outpost. How will you do it?

> Just be sneaky

> Cover yourself in Nether wart

Cover yourself in Nether wart

As you think of what to do, you notice a strange red plant that you have never seen before. Is it a flower? Some kind of fungus? Maybe it's edible? And more importantly – can you use it to your advantage?

Suddenly you get an idea: cover yourself in this alien plant to blend in with the red scenery, then infiltrate the outpost. Without a moment to spare, you do your best to disguise yourself and cover your green skin with big clumps of Nether wart. Your application is imperfect so you don't look exactly red – more like a mosaic of red and green. Maybe the piglins will think you're a strange bush-wart hybrid?

Sadly, with your perfect complexion covered in Nether wart, you don't see that well, so it doesn't take long before you bump into a piglin on your way to the cage.

It stares at you.

> Oink

> Don't. Move.

Don't. Move.

Seeing the piglin makes you freeze in place. Maybe it'll go away if you stay really, really still? And maybe it could also be the perfect moment for you to finally show off that pretend-to-be-a-shrubbery routine that you have practiced so many times before?

The piglin looks suspiciously at you, then sniffs you.

> Sniff it back

> Don't. Breathe.

Don't. Breathe.

You do your best to appear inanimate. Bushy. Lifeless. And you know what? You're really good at it! 

The piglin stares at you for quite some time, either suspecting something or simply marveling at the craftiness of this apparent Nether wart shrubbery. Eventually, it lets out a snort and moves on. Maybe piglins don't like art exhibitions?

Now that the coast is clear, you can proceed toward the cage.

> Keep moving toward the cage

Sniff it back

Two can play that game! After the piglin sniffs you, you counter-sniff it. If this is a sniff-off, you want to make sure you come out on top. Ha! Didn't see that coming did you, piglin?

Baffled by your move, the piglin pokes you.

> Poke it back

> Don't. Breathe.

Oink

For someone who usually pronounces everything with a hint of groans and guttural sounds, you somehow manage to let out a perfect oink. It seems you're not just easy-going – you're a bilingual zombie! 

The piglin looks surprised at first, gives you a judgemental look, but then nods and moves on.

> Keep moving toward the cage

Get closer to the cage

You inch closer, careful not to get spotted by the piglins. You managed to trick the first one, but you'd rather avoid them altogether.

You eventually reach the cage where the llamas are being kept. By now, all the Nether wart has fallen off you. Good, it smelled awful anyway!

The llamas seem surprised by your visit. Now you need to figure out how to release them from their prison.

> Jam a piece of Nether wart into the lock

> Punch the lock

Just be sneaky

It turns out you're not just easy-going, but sneaky-going as well! As you try to slip past these invaders and into the outpost, you dodge one weird, otherworldly piglin after another. There aren't many places to hide, but you manage to stay hidden. 

After a few close calls, you reach the cages where the llamas are trapped. Question is, how do you help them?

> Try to slip through the bars

> Ask the llamas if they've seen the key to the lock

> Punch the lock

Ask the llamas about the key

You waste no time when you reach the cages. With no time for introductions, you clear your throat and let out a clear uuuuuuughhhh, which translates to "I'm here to help you! Have you seen the key?" in zombie speak.

At first, the llamas stare at you. Then they spit at you. Not sure if it's an act of aggression or a "nice to meet you" spit, you decide that the situation calls for a different approach.

> Try to slip through the bars

> Punch the lock

Punch the lock

You punch the lock. You groan. Turns out punching iron actually hurts!

It's damaged, but not broken. Just like your poor fist and your pride.

> Punch it again

> Try to slip through the bars

Punch the lock again

You punch it again. It clangs loudly against the bars.

> Punch it just one more time

> Try to slip through the bars

Punch the lock one more time

The lock is now very bent, but still intact.

Unfortunately, a nearby piglin has heard the noise and noticed your presence. Before you know it, it's next to you, squealing while trying to drag you to the cage and put you behind bars.

> Bite it

> Go along with it

Try to slip through the bars

After a quick assessment of the cage's integrity, you decide to slip through the bars. It's unclear what you hope to achieve on the other side. Nevertheless, you decide to try it anyway. After all, you're a zombie of action!

You begin to press yourself in between the bars and manage to get your head through, but your shoulders don't fit. You try to pull your head out, but your beloved sun hat is dangerously close to slipping off. Ah, what a classic conundrum!

> Pull harder anyway

> Twist yourself and push into the cage again

Pull harder anyway

With great effort, you begin to pull harder. The thought of being stuck behind between bars isn't just embarrassing, but a big threat, should the piglins discover you! 

Eventually, you manage to pull yourself out, but just as expected, your hat slips off your head in the process. You instantly catch on fire! Why did it have to be such a sunny day today?

> Stop, drop, and roll

> Flail around

Stop, drop, and roll

For a few seconds, you're on fire. Not in the good sense – you are literally on fire, rolling around on the ground while doing your best to extinguish it. While rolling, you hit one of the cages, which gives you an opportunity to reach for your hat.

Reunited with your beloved hat, you're not on fire anymore – but all the commotion has attracted the scorching stares of some nearby piglins.

One of them, a small piglin with a big mace, grabs you and tries to drag you to one of the cages.

> Bite it

> Go along with it

Flail around

Fire! Fire all over you! Everywhere!!!

You throw your hands up in the air, waving them around like you just don't care (but you do) while running around like you’re on– well, ok, you are on fire. This chaotic act terrifies the piglins! They too throw their arms into the air and scurry in different directions while you frantically shuffle to a nearby pond. You jump in to extinguish yourself, and while soothing yourself in the water, you run across a lilypad. It'll make a decent makeshift hat.

Clearly, you need a new strategy. And eventually, a new hat.

Going back into stealth mode, you grab a rock and slowly start to sneak back toward the cages. It's a solid rock for a rock-solid mission, shaped in such a way it could only have been designed for a singular purpose. You reach the cages, and you know what you need to do.

> Hit the lock

Bite the piglin

How dare this rude piglin try to imprison you in the very cage you just tried to slip into? The nerve!

In your anger, you resort to your most primal instincts. You bite the piglin, causing it to squeal in pain – dropping its mace in the process.

You instantly see an opportunity to grab the mace, but once in your possession, you're not actually sure what to do with it...

> Hit the lock

> Hit the piglin

Go along with it

Behind that beautifully bold zombie nose of yours, you smirk. This is perfect! If you had known from the start that the piglins would place you inside a cage, you wouldn't have gone through all the trouble. Now you have them exactly where you want them to be. Or is it the other way around? In any case, the piglin locks you inside the cage, snickering to itself while walking away.

You're in a cage. What do you do now?

> Pet the llamas

> Try to slip back out

Twist yourself to get inside

Using a more technical approach instead of brute force, you twist and wiggle, eventually managing to slip inside the cage, your hat still on your head. Still looking fancy!

The llamas stare at you with bewildered expressions. Maybe they're shocked to see you. Or maybe they're surprised that someone would go through all that trouble infiltrating a piglin base only to deliberately enter their cage instead of freeing them from the outside. 

Now that you think about it, it was a rather weird decision, and it makes you feel a little embarrassed. Trying to sweep it under the rug, you decide to...

> Pet the llamas

> Try to slip back out

Pet the llamas

Now that you're in the cage together with the llamas, you're hoping this has brought you closer together and that they might let you pet them. You try to gently pet them. They respond by gently spitting in your face. 

Maybe it's just what llamas do, or maybe it wasn't the right time. In any case, there isn't much you can do from inside the cage. You need a new approach.

> Slip back out

Slip back out

Before you make your escape, you look around to make sure that the coast is clear. Luckily for you, it seems that all piglins in the vicinity seem distracted with boring chores, like patrolling or oinking. Whatever it is that piglins do.

But your luck is short-lived. As you slowly begin to slip out sideways through the cage bars, a piglin spots you. The little runt is wielding what looks like a fiery spear, and as soon as it spots you, it hurls it toward you. The runt appears to be quite skillful at javelin throwing because the rod is on a trajectory to hit you.

> Dodge it

> Try to catch the blaze rod

Hit the lock

You smash the lock to pieces. What a handy tool that rock was! As of today, it'll be known as "Lock Smasher"! With the gate now open, the llamas immediately seize the opportunity to escape and rush out of the cage. A job well done! So well done in fact, that you completely forgot about the horde of piglins occupying this very base.

As the llamas start running through the gate and towards freedom, the piglins take chase.

> Run alongside the llamas

> Stay back and distract the piglins

Jam Nether wart into the lock

You pick up a piece of Nether wart from the ground and push it into the keyhole. The idea is truly terrible considering that Nether wart looks nothing like a key, not to mention it all turns to mush as you keep pushing it into the tiny hole. Yet somehow... it works? The lock clicks open and the llamas run out, but they also attract the piglins' attention.

> Run alongside the llamas

> Stay back and distract the piglins

Dodge the spear

The blaze rod (which is what you've decided is an appropriate name for the weapon) flies toward you at great speed. Just as it's about to hit you, you manage to dodge it by throwing yourself to the side. As a result of your amazing stunt, the rod instead hits the lock and smashes it into tiny pieces!

With the gate now open, the llamas immediately seize the opportunity to escape and rush out of the cage. As they start running through the gate and towards freedom, the piglins within the base start reacting.

> Run alongside the llamas

> Stay back and distract the piglins

Run with the llamas

You pick up pace, escaping the piglin base together with the llamas. For a second, you're all one – a happy pack of wooly mobs enjoying the rush of adrenaline and the wind in their fur. While the rescue attempt was a scary ordeal, you do feel a strong sense of accomplishment, knowing that you have liberated these majestic animals from a life of confinement. Maybe you'll be buddies from now on, teaching each other how to zombie groan and llama spit?

However, your newfound friendship turns out to be short-lived. As you continue your escape, you realize that the llamas run much faster than you. And as they leave you behind, you also notice that the piglins are gaining on you. Oh grrrrrhno!

> Play dead

> Stay back and fight

Play dead

You drop to the ground. The piglins approach you and poke at you for a bit, but you don't move. The llamas are long gone, so the piglins go back to the outpost.

After what could easily be described as an eventful day, you've emerged victorious from your quest to free the llamas. Not only that – you've managed to get out from the base in one piece! Pretty good for someone who's a simple down-to-earth flower sniffer.

Speaking of which – as you leave the dreadful outpost behind you, you soon stumble upon a new grassy biome, untouched by the piglins' corrupting presence. It's not like your old place, which those pesky porkers ruined, yet it's a smell for sore noses – familiar and full of fragrant, blooming flowers. The fact that your new llama friends have trampled some of them almost doesn't bother you at all.

As you lie down in the grass, your nifty hat low over your face, you let out a relaxed groan. There might come a day when the piglins will try to defile this area as well. When that happens, you and your newfound friends will be ready for them. The inhabitants of the Overworld will stand together against this threat!

> Play again as the zombie

> Choose a different character

Stay back and fight

The llamas are free, and you're filled with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Yet, there's still one last heroic deed for you to perform. Like the brave, compassionate, and carefree zombie you are, you decide to stay behind and fight the piglins in order to save the llamas from certain recapture. 

For a zombie who has spent most of its days enjoying strolling through flower biomes, you fight valiantly. However, you're soon overwhelmed by the piglins and dragged back to the cage. You're already pretty familiar with it though, so if you're lucky, you'll get your own chance to escape this nasty base. But not today.

> Try again as the zombie

> Choose a different character

Stay back and distract the piglins

The llamas are free – for the time being. But if they are to remain free, you need to give them a head start and provide a distraction to prevent the piglins from chasing after them. Like the brave, compassionate, and carefree zombie you are, you decide to stay behind and sacrifice yourself to save the llamas. You're already pretty familiar with that cage after all, so if you're lucky, you'll get your own chance to escape this nasty base. 

Just not today! 

> Try again as the zombie

> Choose a different character

Try to catch the blaze rod

The blaze rod flies toward you at great speed while you go into an incredibly cool defensive stance. You start to picture yourself catching the rod, waiting until the very last moment when you'll use the force and velocity of the rod to grab it, spin around gracefully, and hurl it right back at the piglin who threw it.

Unfortunately, while you daydream about this highly unlikely scenario, you're hit by the blaze rod, which sends you flying across the outpost. Ouch...

Never daydream during critical moments!

> Try again as the zombie

> Choose a different character

Hit the piglin

You decide to hit the piglin with the mace, putting all your strength into a powerful swing with this new and unfamiliar weapon. You're either a natural or just very lucky, because the swing sends the poor piglin flying several yards. In this moment of triumph, you feel like you could take on the entire world. Which is exactly what happens. Soon, the entire piglin outpost is aware of your presence, surrounding you from all sides.

You fight valiantly with your new weapon, but soon, the piglins overwhelm you. 

> Try again as the zombie

> Choose a different character

Poke it back

Even a piglin knows that Nether wart doesn't poke back. It has seen through your disguise and starts oinking like it has never oinked before.

Soon, you're surrounded by a whole bunch of piglins. You can see where this is going. Oh well, you did your best, and you did so heroically. Moments later, the piglin attacks you and others soon join in. Such bullies!

> Try again as the zombie

> Choose a different character