A/N: School is starting, which means a few new changes! I hope to be able to continue to update my stories at this rate, but currently that's just impossible. My upload schedule will be kind of hectic, but I promise I'll finish this. Also, new school year, new school year resolutions! I've resolved to upload more on my Wattpad and AO3, so if you want to follow me there, I'll try and upload more often on my alts!

Chapter Sixteen: The Lower Classes

Gasping, Elli ran through the caves beneath the mountain, desperately trying to navigate with her map. This was terrifying. The only time she'd ever been alone in the caverns, and she needed to get back home to warn the city. Elli couldn't believe it. Braxon was going to summon a Wither? Why? Why would he do that? He'd destroy his own city? His wife? His daughters?

Elli gasped for breath again, trembling as she stopped to find her way at a crossroad. Her heart hurt. And her throat. And her legs, and her feet and her hunger bar was low, and, well, you probably get the point. Thing is, no matter how miserable Elli could be, she knew that if she gave up now, her home would be destroyed by capitalism. Or Braxon. Well, Braxon was basically an alligory for capitalism anyways so that was a really dumb statement.

Elli laughed breathlessly at her own thoughts and turned down the next pathway, following a line of torches and heading up a low slope. Ahead of her, she could see the ginger light of the caverns shining down the tunnels and lighting the stones around her.

Taking another breath, Elli forced her aching calves to obey her and she sprinted the final stretch, straight out into the center, and nearly into the broken down fountain. Gasping, she finally stopped, acutely aware of all the eyes on her.

"Goodness," Mrs. Will, Laura's mother, exclaimed. "You'll give yourself a fright tearing around like that. What's wrong?"

Elli sat down on the fountain, numb. "It's Braxon, he-"

"The boring guy in charge?" Jamie asked, tilting his head. He was smart for a four year old, but at the same time, he was still a four year old (This basically meant he had no filter).

"Yeah, him," Elli answered, exasperated. "He's gonna release a wither onto the world and kill us all."

The group exchanged a couple of nervous glances. Finally, Mrs. Will spoke up. "Elli, sweetie, perhaps you need to lie down a bit."

"I'm not crazy!" Elli snapped. "Steve was kidnapped by Braxon, and the only way we can stop any of them is if we all band together as a big group!"

Mrs. Will sighed heavily. "Alright. But what would we do?"

"We're low-class!" Olive added.

"We don't have hardly any way of fighting," Laura shrugged. "What do you want us to even do?"

"Spread the word," Elli answered, turning towards the stairs. "I'll tell the middle class. If we band together, we can stop him."

As she climbed the paths, however, Elli's heart sank when she heard Mrs. Will's comment from below.

"That girl…. She's crazy."

Steve dragged himself up and looked around. Everything hurt. Fortunately for him, these guards weren't 303 or Herobrine, and he could still eat some of the foodstuffs left in his inventory. He looked around the chilly cavern.

"How come I'm the only one ever getting thrown down here in jail?" Steve grumbled. It's always me. Never Alex. Me.

"Not that I'd wish that on Alex, but seriously? Me? Always? This is getting old!" He sighed even harder. "And now I'm talking to myself!? I am crazy!"

He sighed hard and flopped out on his back. "This is so dumb. If I had my diamond sword, or Herobrine's powers, or… I don't know. This is ridiculous!"

"Still talking to myself," He grumbled some more.

Steve pulled himself up off the ground and rubbed his sore hips and shoulders, heading towards the chilly pond in the corner of the cave and washing his face off. He glanced down at the shackles on his wrist. "Well, I might as well take these off."

"Mom?" Elli asked, entering her home and seeing her mom standing by the smoker in the kitchen. "Can… we talk?"

"Sure," Sarah placed a large beet on the crafting table, chopping it up to make soup. "Have a seat."

"Braxon is gonna summon a Wither and kill us all," Elli blurted, rubbing a finger over the beat-up old spruce table. She'd never realized that. Was… her family slipping into the low-classes?

"Oh?" Sarah asked, chopping another beet. "Why is that?"

"You're not taking me seriously!" Elli exclaimed.

"Of course I'm not," Sarah answered. "You're being delusional, sweetie. No one is gonna hurt us ever."

Elli groaned, and ran to her room, slamming the door. She sat down on her bed and grabbed a nearby pillow, holding it up to her face and screaming as long as she could. Her city was going to be destroyed and it was her fault. It was always her fault.

Review Replies:

Elbert the cookie: I guess you'll find out!

JimmyPenguin421: Haha Mood.

Moatazabou4: Yeah he's a moron.