Bedrock

Chapter 10

Tommy took a deep breath. "I'm ready to try again."

Stress looked at him, concern filling her gaze. "Are you sure? It's only been ten minutes."

"Yes! I'm sure." Tommy replied, giving a small huff. "That was nothing."

Stress shook her head, and Tommy was ready to protest, but she sighed and gave in. "If you say so."

Tommy stood up from his bed, his legs still a bit unsteady, and Stress followed him out of the room. As he cautiously stepped through the outside door, he was met with about 20 guilty-looking adults, Mumbo standing just in front of them.

"What are you all staring at me for?" Tommy said, crossing his arms.

"We just wanted to say that we're sorry for scaring you." A man wearing a monocle and a blue suit stepped forward. Tommy couldn't say he particularly liked the man's fashion sense, but he had more important things to talk about, such as the whole "pity" situation.

"Stop looking at me like I'm breakable! I could easily stab any of you right now." He paused as he looked at their shining netherite armour. "Or maybe in a dark alleyway when you have no armour. And I would need a knife." He sent a glare to the people standing in front of him. How dare they not give him a knife? That was just stupid.

Terrible-fashion-sense looked a bit taken aback, and Mumbo whispered something to him. The moustached man then looked up. "I didn't exactly plan an end to this, so, uh, I'm gonna show Tommy around now? You can leave if you want..." He trailed off awkwardly. A couple of people laughed and put on... wings? They weren't exactly like Philza's because, as far as Tommy knew, Phil couldn't take off his wings, but they were still feathered appendages that attached to their back, even if in backpack form, so what else could they be?

They jumped, spreading the wing-backpacks, and used a firework to boost themselves into the air. Although Tommy flinched, he was thankful he didn't have another panic attack. He would have to get used to fireworks, wouldn't he? It seemed like these people used them a lot.

Mumbo cleared his throat, startling Tommy. Everyone else had left, even Stress, and they were standing alone in the middle of the woman's colourful base. "So, do you know how to use an elytra?"

"What's an elytra?" Tommy asked, confused. Mumbo pulled out a wing-backpack. "Oh, that. I have no clue what that is."

Mumbo raised his eyebrows. "I didn't expect that to be a no... um, how exactly do you not know what it is? Have you never been to the end?"

"What's the end? Do you mean enderpearls or something?"

"Oh, that makes sense. Sorta. Well, I guess I'll teach you." He handed Tommy the wing-backpack. (That name was way better than "elytra".) "Strap this onto your back, just like a backpack." Tommy did so. "Then, jump and lean forward like this," he demonstrated. "And use a firework to boost yourself up." Mumbo gave Tommy a few fireworks, which he took cautiously. These didn't seem to be actual fireworks because when the other people used them, they didn't give off their signature boom, but they still couldn't be trusted.

"Okay, now try." Mumbo urged.

Tommy did so as best as he could but ended up falling on his face, the fireworks flying out of his hand. Tommy cringed, half expecting them to explode.

"Hey, I didn't get it on my first try either." Mumbo picked up the (thankfully) dormant explosives. "Still, I want to try and show you around before the sun sets, so we can use the nether."

Mumbo brought Tommy to a portal he hadn't noticed before, and suddenly they were in the middle of a giant black pyramid, sweating from the sweltering heat that came with the hell dimension. They then walked for what seemed like ages to a towering room made out of the teal warped crimson. An enormous portal sat in the centre.

"This leads to our shopping district. I feel like that's the most important place here. This is also where I found you when you, uh, fell from the sky." Mumbo explained.

They stepped through into a main street surrounded by buildings. Mumbo showed Tommy around, buying him some food and other necessities. It struck Tommy as odd that they paid in diamonds and that they just left them there! If Mumbo weren't there, Tommy could have just taken them, and no one would have known!

Mumbo then showed him to people's bases, which Tommy couldn't help but be in awe of. They were enormous . First was Mumbo's own base, a giant temple supported by modern structures surrounding it. Next was the huge tree he had seen earlier, belonging to someone who's name Tommy forgot. Then was Grian's mansion, which was bigger than any mansion Tommy had seen, although he hadn't seen very many mansions.

Then came base after base, each more large or intricate than the next: a castle, a cartoon factory, a giant roll-on deodorant stick. These people were insane.

By the time they were just halfway done, it was dark out, and Tommy's chest was aching. He didn't want to admit it, but Stress may have been right in saying not to over-exert himself. Mumbo seemed tired, as well. The man had run into at least five trees before saying it was time to head back.

As Tommy collapsed into bed back at Stress's base, he couldn't help but grin. As tired as he was, that day had the most fun he'd had in a long time.