the lower level,â suggested Kyra.
âBut thereâs no light down there and hostile mobs can spawn,â Thomas said. âDoes everybody have enough energy to battle the griefers and hostile mobs?â
Adam took out a potion of strength. âDoes anybody need this?â
âI think if we just eat the melons we found, weâll be fine. We need to save that potion; it will come in useful if weâre attacked,â said Alex.
The group ate melons and kept watch for rainbow griefers.
âI hear something,â Steve said as he ate the melon.
The others were quiet, but they couldnât hear anything.
âWe got you!â A rainbow griefer sprinted toward the middle of the desert temple and toward the TNT that booby-trapped the treasure.
Kyra shot an arrow at the griefer, but it didnât affect him at all. Adam threw a potion of weakness at him, but that didnât do much damage.
Steve guarded the blue clay block where the treasure was hidden and swung his sword at the griefer.
Thomas struck the griefer, âWhere are our friends?â
âAlex, why donât you tell them?â The griefer looked at Alex, who was pointing her bow and arrow at the griefer.
âThis is the griefer who approached me about bringing you guys here and stealing all your loot,â she said.
âYou traitor! You were supposed to be on our side. Why would you tell them about our plan?â The rainbow griefer was upset.
âI am not on your side anymore.â Alex shot an arrow at the rainbow griefer. He finally succumbed to all the hits and was destroyed.
Steve could hear more voices. âI think there are more rainbow griefers heading our way. Get ready.â
âI donât think itâs a rainbow griefer,â said Kyra.
The group heard a faint cry, âHelp!â
âTheyâre here!â Steve called out.
âBut where?â asked Adam.
They took out their pickaxes and banged against the wall, but there was silence.
âMaybe we should try the other wall?â suggested Thomas.
The group split up. They banged deep into the sandstone walls, hoping their friends would be on the other side.
âHelp!â the voices called out again.
âItâs not coming from the other side of this wall,â Steve told them. âI think theyâre underneath us.â
The gang dug a hole in the ground with their pickaxes.
âHelp!â the voices were getting louder.
The group dug as fast as they could. They wanted to get to their friends, who they now knew were trapped underneath the temple.
Steve and the gang fell through the big hole they had dug and landed underneath the floor of the temple.
Before Steve could light a torch, a spider jockey jumped at him. Steve swung at the spider with his sword, knocking the skeleton off the spider. Steve battled the skeleton while Thomas slayed the spider.
âHelp!â the voices were very loud, and Steve wanted to destroy the skeleton as fast as he could. The others joined Steve and shot arrows at the skeleton.
âHelp!â the voices cried.
âWeâre here!â Kyra called to them.
âKyra?â Lucy called back. âIs that you?â
âYes!â she screamed as she shot an arrow at the skeleton, âand I brought some friends with me.â
The skeleton was destroyed. Kyra picked up the bone, and the group sprinted down the hall to their friends.
At the end of the hall was a bedrock wall.
âHow are we going to break through this wall?â asked Will.
âStand back. I have an idea.â Steve began to build a cube of destruction.
16
ITâS NOT A MIRAGE
S teve was crafting the cube of destruction with TNT when they heard the explosion.
Boom!
âAre you guys okay?â Steve called to them.
âYes, but the side of the temple has fallen down, so we can escape,â Henry shouted back at the gang.
âMeet us outside!â Lucy told
Chloe T Barlow
Stefanie Graham
Mindy L Klasky
Will Peterson
Salvatore Scibona
Alexander Kent
Aer-ki Jyr
David Fuller
Janet Tronstad
James S.A. Corey