Filler chapters are going to be the death of me. Uggggghhhhhhhhhh.
*This chapter is dedicated to Dragstream. I'm so sorry I really tried to do your challenge bro please don't kill me*
The group ended dinner quickly after Ashley's outburst, no one really wanting to be in the middle of a fight. Things were far too tense for anyone's liking. Mitch hoped they'd forget the disagreement within the day, but his best judgement told him to keep his distance for a while. Ashley was kind unless infuriated- she needed some time to cool down.
Mitch spent the rest of his night debating the meaning of life. It was common for him to do this as of late, yet he still hadn't found the answer. Something deep inside him wondered whether anyone else this age was this miserable. Sometimes, he just felt like he was growing up too fast. 20-year-olds shouldn't have to deal with murder, right? He shouldn't be out slaying bad guys, he should be decided whether he would be a hunter or a ruler or a channel owner. It reminded him of his brother, whom he hadn't seen in so many years. Someone so young and innocent shouldn't have been touched with the sights of death before becoming one with it.
Jerome woke him up early the next morning to go record with Adam. They were going to do a battledome, something Mitch enjoyed through all the pain. He hadn't recorded one since the incident and was happy to get back in the swing of things. The fans had sensed his retreat from his channel, but he wasn't ready to fade away.
"Mitch..." Jerome groaned.
"Yes, G?" Mitch asked.
"You have bags under your eyes."
Mitch instinctively reached for under his eyes and felt the puffy evidence of his late-night philosophies. Maybe the clock had said 5 and not 2. "Rough night."
Jerome gave him a sympathetic look, one that Mitch couldn't quite read. It was almost as if the bacca understood his pain... But that couldn't be. Jerome seemed like a completely happy person, he wouldn't spend his nights awake wondering why life was so painful. "Mitch? You zoned out."
"What?" His eyes snapped back into focus. "Oh. Um... What were we talking about?"
"I was saying how we need to go record with Adam now..." Jerome studied him and Mitch's face warmed. He didn't enjoy be examined like a child.
"Can we go now?" He stuttered.
The bacca sighed in defeat and Mitch wondered why he could never lie to him. "I suppose. Battledome will be great to record, anyways." Jerome launched into a spiel about how excited he was to see the guys again. Mitch nodded in agreement a couple of times, but his mind was elsewhere. Over the past couple of months the boys had become slightly reclusive. Mitch worried it was his fault and that he was keeping Jerome from doing what he wanted. The bacca didn't seem too upset or lonely like Mitch did, but he had withdrawn the same amount. It was common for Mitch to be in a constant state of worry like this; logic told him it was petty things but something still caused him distress. It was quite annoying.
By now Mitch had thrown on his hoodie and dogtag and was gathering his equipment. Battledome in itself was pretty simple and did not require much of Mitch; he had to gather, build, hunt, and fight. Even he couldn't mess up natural instinct. He hoped, anyway.
Jerome urged him towards the door and they began walking. "Where do you want to pick up breakfast?"
Mitch shrugged. "Food is food."
"Alright. I just want to get some coffee... How about Pat and Dan's?"
"They do have good cake." Mitch nodded. "I like cake."
When they got to the cafe they were greeted by one of the owners. "Jerome! Mitch! How've you been?"
The man had a deep voice and a thick British accent. His glasses shook slightly atop his head whenever he talked with a big grin. "We've been alright, Dan, how about yourself?" Jerome gave the man a firm handshake.
"I'm good, I'm good. What can I get you two?" He motioned to the array of breads and fruits.
"I'll have some bread and a glass of coffee." Jerome looked at Mitch expectantly.
Mitch looked at the food and flushed. "I, uh... A watermelon slice is fine."
Jerome sighed in frustration. "Ignore him. He'll have... A package of cookies and a glass of milk."
"Is that all?" Jerome nodded and got out some ingots to pay the man. "Pat! We have an order!"
"I'm not even hungry." Mitch grumbled, but the bacca took no notice. Another man whom Mitch presumed to be Pat came out with their meals from the kitchen.
"Jerome! Nice to see you!" Pat greeted. "And this is Mitch, correct?"
Mitch nodded. "Nice to finally meet you."
Pat smiled. "Dan and I have been wondering where one of our top customers went. You used to get two baked potatoes and some milk every morning."
"We almost sent out a search party." Dan chuckled.
"I'm alright, no need for a rescue mission. Just been taking it easy at home for the past few months." Jerome smiled.
"I see..." Dan seemed as though he would've liked to continue the conversation but a new customer walked in. He gave them an apologetic glance and went to taking the teenage girl's order.
"I've got to go as well, see you around." Pat waved and headed back to the kitchen.
"They seemed nice." Mitch commented as they walked towards the arena Adam wanted to use. He bit into the cookie and silently sighed; maybe he was a bit hungry. Besides, back in the village cookies were a rare treat that Mitch loved. These were like a better version of his childhood.
"They are. They helped me a lot when I first started my channel, actually." Jerome looked up ahead. "Looks like we made it."
They walked through the doors to the familiar arena and spotted the group. Mitch got an uneasy feeling as he remembered what they had started the first time they played battledome here. Still, this was different. For the first time ever they could be themselves. It would be fine.
"Fashionably late as always?" Adam joked. Mitch stuck out his tongue and joined the group. "We can only do teams of four today since Jason couldn't be here."
"I vote the noobs who haven't played be team captains." Ian said.
"What?" Mitch said. He had planned to sit back and relax during this, not lead a team to victory. "I'm rusty, I wouldn't be a good choice."
"That's what makes it entertaining." Ty said. "Don't worry, you don't even have to do anything."
"Mitch, buddy, you're going down." Jerome challenged.
Mitch realized there was no way to get out of this. He smirked. "Well, I guess I can kick your butt if I must."
"That's the spirit!" Kermit encouraged.
"Let's pick teams now. Mitch first." Adam said.
Mitch looked at the selection in front of him. "Well, my main bac is against me so I guess I have to go with... Adam!"
"I feel so important." He cheered.
"A good choice..." Jerome agreed. "But do you have a fish on your team?"
"I'm not a fish!" Quentin whined as he joined his side.
"That's it. I need a Mage." Mitch motioned for Seto to come over. Jerome picked Ian and then Ty after Mitch picked Kermit. "I guess we begin now. Are we running on Mitch time?"
Ty groaned. "We won't start battle for another ten years!"
Mitch smirked, the uneasy feelings already starting to dissipate. These were his friends, and this was his domain. Nothing bad could possibly happen.
::::::::::::
"Pass me some food, oh chicken slayer!" Seto called.
Mitch laughed. "I kill all the chickens!
I am the master!"
"Chicken master, have you done anything to get iron?" Adam asked through his headset.
"I have supplied us with food and potential arrows, so I don't need your sass right now." Mitch retaliated.
Adam chuckled. "You are so lucky I got extra iron for you, team leader. "
A figure approached him on the horizon and dropped some ingots. "Thank you good sir."
"So, what's the battle strategy?" Kermit asked.
Mitch shrugged though no one could see it. "I don't know. We have a mage, a frog, a badass runescape dude, and a me so I think we've automatically won."
"Yeah, but if they come running at us what do we do?" Seto asked. "What are our tactics?"
"Swing our swords, hope it hits. That's what I do." Mitch confessed.
Adam sighed. "This is going to be a long game."
"Damnit!" Kermit screamed as his death message appeared in chat.
"My biggums sure has gone on a killing spree." Mitch said. "Adam, you the only one left?"
"Not anymore dang it!" He yelled as he was killed by Ian. "Why must the good die young?"
"Is this a four vs one?" Mitch asked. The others confirmed. "Okay, I call bullcrap. Hacks! Hacks!"
"Cheating at life!" Kermit called.
"You can do this, Mitch." Seto said. "There's one thing that can win the game for us. Just figure out what it is and you'll be golden."
"Hmm..." Mitch thought aloud. "The obsidian?"
"Bingo!" Mitch headed towards where he thought their base was. Within a few moments he could see it towering over a river. He scaled the side of it and eagerly took out his pickaxe.
"I only have iron. This will take forever..." He whined.
"Mitch, you may want to check your surroundings." Adam advised.
Mitch looked off the side of the base and sighed. "All four of them? Dang." He wasn't worried, though, and continued to work.
"I can't believe they haven't made a move." He said after a few moments of silence. "Hey, does anyone smell something burning?"
By chance, the boy looked at his feet and spotted a bubbling pool of lava.
A scream pierced the air. Mitch soon recognized it to be his own as he desperately tried to put the fire out. This was it. He would die here. The respawn dome would malfunction and lava would make him perish. His body went into pure panic mode as he heated up and burnt to a crisp.
"Aww, gg!" Kermit said.
"We won! Yeah!" It seemed as though the other team has joined the chat.
"Mitch buddy, you okay?" Jerome asked with a hint of worry.
Mitch looked down at his hands and realized they had been shaking violently. "Yeah, G. Just excited for a good game."
Quentin finished the outro while Adam flew up to him. "You sure you alright?"
"I'm good." He whispered breathlessly. "Shaken up a bit."
Adam sighed. "If you need to talk, I'm
here. I know what you're going through."
He knew? How did anyone understand? "Thanks, but I think I'll be okay. I've just got to get back to recording things like this and I'll be fine." Even Mitch could hear the unsure tone of his voice.
"If you say so. See you later, man." Adam flew back down to the other players, leaving Mitch alone with his thoughts.
So yeah. Filler chapter and stuff... Dragstream, if all goes as planned the characters will be making a reappearance so maybe I can make up for the fact that they had a minor part here. Woo.
Just for future reference, do any of you watch Mianite? Would you understand Mianite references if I made them? Just curious :p
~Scarlett who needs to LEARN TO WRITE FILLER CHAPTERS