Chapter 3: chores and injuries
I opened one of my eyes an looked up; guide was sitting next to me, with a concerned look. We-by the looks of it- were still in the corruption, but it seemed more tame since the only creature accompanying me wasn't a big flesh eating beetle. Around me, a large mound of bodies was piled, and guide presumably slew them. Guide smiled and said,
"How about getting out of here!" I smiled and agreed hastily, and tried getting up, only to feel the searing pain in my back. I screeched and fell back down.
"Oh my god... What happened to your back?" He asked fearfully.
"I got attacked by one of those... Things, and it nearly tore my spine out. You were right. I wasn't ready. He grimaced and said,
"Well, I'm not sure how to get you home. I know one way, but it would be risky considering your-"
"I've heard enough! I don't care how risky it is, I've got to get home!" Guide frowned and said,
"Ok, then look in this mirror." He held up a shiny and small mirror, "Unfortunately, you'll have to survive without me for a while. Until I find my way out, I'm stuck in here."
"What!?" I asked quizzically, "can't you just look in it too?" His frown became deeper and he said,
"I don't own enough mana to use even the most basic of spells. In the meantime though, I'll see if I can get arms dealer to come and get you some proper weapons. He often practices here." He added helpfully.
"Bull. Crap." I mumbled as the world started to spin.

I felt like when I had just spawned. Except that my back was on fire still. I gritted my teeth and reached for the chest on the wall. I couldn't reach it. I groaned and pushed myself further. My back screamed at me, but I pushed further until I finally reached it. I slowly opened the lid, and propped it up with my head. I felt like hundreds of arrows were pouring into my back. I reached in and pulled out a red vial. I closed my eyes; it reminded me to much of my own blood, and drank it down in one gulp. My back didn't change at first, and I started to think it was unrepairable. Then slowly, the flesh on my back closed up, and my shirt sewed back into place. My back still seared with pain, but evidently, the flesh was whole again.
"Interesting" I thought before I fainted.

Interlude:
Max always had a nagging pain in his back, always slowing him. He didn't know what happened, or why he was here, but he knew that at least Tirith and Alice were ok. He missed the Minecraft world, and sky, and Jason. He missed everyone, and he knew he would never return. His guide was almost dead, and the houses were crushed. He didn't know exactly what happened. He knew that the nurse was dead, as her house was the first to go. He knew merchant was dead, as the worm had shorn through his house like paper. The whole plantation was corrupt now. He didn't know where Alice and Tirith were, but he convinced himself that they didn't die.
"Yeah... Right." He always thought with sadness. He tried to think of other things; like slimes... The universal easiest evil entity to slaughter. And in a twisted sort of way, the essence of dead slimes lit up his houses, which were now all gone. He thought that dryad might have been alive, after all, she did live in a non-corrupt forest. He sat down on a rock and thought about these things. Everything was wrong. He didn't know why it happened to him, but he which had to try right?

Darkness. All I could see was the pure darkness. I opened one eye, only to find out that I couldn't see at all. I opened my other eye. I could see, but not without squinting, and still only the general shape. I closed my eyes and slowly propped my back up against the wall. A thousand daggers shot through my back; I forgot. I screamed and fell over. I tried to get up, my hair falling in front of my broken eye. I bit my lip until a red rivulet of blood trickled out the side. I looked around me. My one eye was working now, but the other remained kaput. I looked into the mirror. Since I was at my entrance point of the world, it worked as a normal mirror. I was a mess!
My left eye, luckily not my right, was terribly mutilated. The eyelid was wilted and purple. The eye itself was completely white. I would have to get an eyepatch, and before guide came back. The floor was covered in blood, and a small bone, probably from back. I winced and clutched onto a strip of linen lying on the floor. I rethought and bit down on it, which eased the pain to a measure. I looked at my left arm; it was covered in black soot, probably from the mana explosion. I guess the mirror malfunctioned, as the top was sheared off, and the handle, which stored the mana-consuming chemicals, was missing the bottom, which was obviously blown off. I doubted it worked, so I threw it down, and climbed onto the chair, still clutching the linen between my teeth. I then remembered my sword, and unsheathed it with a technique I had learned, and slowly drew it out, before switching it into my right hand. I smiled and looked at it. It was undamaged, exempt for a smear of ash. I guess it had some magic, as it appeared never to have hit any monster; it was clean. I looked at another potion, and thought about taking it, but I remembered something guide had said,
"If you drink two potions in the same hour, you get a sort of woozy sickness, one that can mess you up during a battle. It's almost like a cold, but your legs go all weak. Oh wait- was it in the same day? Or month? Or year..." This was an emergency! I decided to try it. For some reason, looking at it made me shake inside. Gaining the courage, I threw my head back and dumped it down- it tasted like the most bitter medicine available on the market! I gagged and tried to spit it out, but it was far too late. My knees buckled, and I fell against the chair; every bone in my body turned into gelatin, and I helplessly strained my neck to look up. I tried to utter a cry of despair, but my throat felt to dry, almost like there was a big lump in the back of my throat, so I just rolled onto the ground. At least my back pain was gone, but now I had another problem. I couldn't even stand.