As we exited the tunnel, Phil pulled out his book. "We have to reach the summit first," he reported. And so we began climbing. Altogether the climb was quick, although once I did look down and get dizzy enough to fall off.
At the summit the book told us to go to a stone ledge with a tip made of andesite, and to glide in the direction the ledge pointed. "Is that the direction of the outpost?"
Lizzy looked at her map. "Yep." There was a distant moaning sound. Lizzy looked down at a lone zombie, and swallowed. "Maybe we should spend the night here?"
"We can't," I said as I buckled the elytra around my neck. "We have to go at night for stealth purposes. And we need to evacuate the outpost before sunset tomorrow, so that might be pushing it." I buckled another strap around my waist. Lizzy sighed resolutely, and put her elytra on too.
"Alright," I said as I slipped my arms and wrists into their straps. "Everyone have fireworks at the ready?"
"Yeah."
"Uhhh…" Lizzy stuffed them in a pocket. "Yes."
"Water buckets?"
"Check."
"Yup."
Water and lava buckets were very weird. They never spilled unless you willed them to.
"Okeydokey, then. Phil, you go first." Phil spread the elytra and leapt rather gracefully off the precipice. He let out a scream, but then balanced it and kept going. Then Lizzy went in roughly the same manner, and then I leapt off.
For a moment I was falling, and then the elytra caught the wind. My fall slowed, and I zipped along.
I had glided before, but not very much. It was maybe one of the best feelings I'd had for months. Feeling free as a bird. I swooped closer to Phil and Lizzy. And as I watched the last dying rays of dusk vanish below the horizon, I decided to enjoy my freedom while I could.
I tilted the wings of the elytra up a bit, to help slow my landing. The ground rushed up at me faster and faster and then - my feet hit the ground and I ran a bit to wear off my momentum.
I didn't bother to take the elytra off - it might be useful - and I ran over to Phil and Lizzy. Lizzy said, "Come on, let's go in."
Holding my breath and taking out an iron shovel, I dove into the small pond and dug out the corner, revealing a trapdoor. Trapdoors are kind of magical. They have holes and they let air through, but somehow not water. I opened it and squeezed through - but the sight that greeted my eyes was not what I had expected. The griefers had made it into the outpost sooner than my intel had said.
We're too late!