Chapter 9

Chapter 9 THEO, THEO, HE'S OUR MAN! IF HE CAN'T DO IT, NO ONE CAN! BUT NO PRESSURE. NOPE, NONE AT ALL. Theo was determined to succeed where his friends had failed. He didn't even wait for the golem to ask. He strode right up to the mob and announced: "I'm next." "CHOOSE YOUR TOOLS," said the golem. Theo thought there was a hint of amusement in the golem's tone. Theo rummaged through the chests in search of anything that might be useful. There wasn't much left. But to his surprise, there was a particularly useful —and especially rare—item in the last chest he checked. "ELYTRA!" he said, his voice full of awe. He turned to his friends, smiling. "I don't need to swim

across the lava. Not when I have wings!" "Wow!" said Jodi. "DO THOSE THINGS LET YOU FLY?" "It's more like gliding than flying," Theo said. He tried on the elytra, which were similar to some sort of geometric beetle wings that attached to his shoulders. "I'll have to start from up high so I can drift across the lava." Minutes later, as Theo looked out upon the great orange sea, he realized that the cliff separating the warped forest from the lava lake was not nearly high enough.

So Theo built. Jumping in place, he dropped blocks of dirt beneath his feet. Soon, he stood atop a narrow column of dirt. He could see the bastion remnant! But he still wouldn't be able to glide that far. He would have to aim for the soul sand valley on the other side of the lava. It was the closest point.

Theo wished he had fingers to cross. Instead, he pressed his blocky fists together. "I got this," he said. And then he jumped into the air.

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The experience was thrilling. Theo had always enjoyed flying in Minecraft, back when he had played in Creative mode. But this was a different experience. Doc's VR technology made him feel as if he were really, truly gliding through the air! Theo's excitement slowly faded, and fear grew in its place. He was losing height every second, getting closer and closer to the lava below—even starting to feel the heat. He was pretty sure he would make it to the other side. But it was going to be close. And then an arrow whizzed by him. Theo veered wildly in the air. Where did that come from? He found the answer below and ahead of him. On the shore of the soul sand valley, a cluster of skeletons had gathered. Each one held a bow, and each one was looking his way. Up in the air, there was nowhere to hide, and no way to fight back. Theo would just have to hope he could reach land before he took too many hits. As more arrows flew in his direction, Theo went on the defensive. He rolled, he banked, he dove. He did anything and everything he could to avoid the projectiles.