This chapter was such a pain to write, I'm sorry. Since there's no dialogue it's all Mitch's thoughts... Not a fun thing to write. Something important happens however, so enjoy!

In the dead of the night, a young adult wielded his diamond sword in front of him threateningly as he snuck behind barriers to the minecart tracks. He knew he only had minutes before his colleagues would discover his disappearance and come after him, foiling his plans that he felt were just. It was in those moments that the boy decided to retrieve his only weapon and make his way towards the quickest method of travel- the railroad. By foot he'd waste four precious days but by cart he'd see the village at sunrise. It seemed this was the only logical thing to do.

"One ticket for station 6." He said in a rushed manner.

"I'm obligated to warn you about the dangers in that particular area-"

"I don't care." Mitch interrupted the lady. "One ticket."

"Suit yourself." She accepted his money and gave him a railcart. "Follow that track until daybreak."

"Thank you." Mitch muttered as he rushed over to the track, barely paying any attention to the woman.

::::::::::::

Mitch hugged himself for warmth in the unusually frigid July air as the cart raced down the track. The cool metal of his weapon pressed against his side, only making him shiver more. The glowstone along the track faintly illuminated the outside world, showing Mitch the hoards of skeletons and zombies just blocks away. A wall of glass separated them though, and it was just enough to keep him safe.

Mitch's attention diverted to the orange tone the sky was beginning to take on, the warm colors of sunrise engulfing the darkness. Slowly more and more scenery was made visible to him as light from the sun lit the track. Zombies and skeletons around him set on fire and burned in front of his eyes. It was rare that Mitch saw mobs considering he had grown up in a well-protected village and moved to Spawn City directly after leaving that. Both civilizations had functioning protection walls that kept people in and mobs out. It was really only in minigames and battledomes that the boy encountered hostile creatures, and even then he was guaranteed to respawn if killed. He wondered what would happen if there wasn't a glass wall between himself and the mobs. Would he be able to take them on? Or would he be completely overpowered? He realized that living in such a protected place shielded him from the harsh realities of life, such as these creatures. He wouldn't have a clue how to deal with them if surrounded outside the walls of civilization.

The minecart abruptly stopped then, making Mitch focus on reality. He looked ahead and realized the track had suddenly broken off, leaving him on the outskirts of the city. The glass around him was shattered and left him exposed to mobs, but thankfully it appeared all threats had burned or left the area. Though Mitch was grateful for that, he was slightly less pleased when he looked up and saw the horizon. An orange flame grew in the general direction he was traveling before. That could only mean one thing, and it was a truth Mitch didn't want to face.

The boy hesitantly stepped out of the minecart and scanned the immediate area for human or bacca enemies. Sensing nothing, he started forward cautiously. The closer he got to his destination, the clearer the realization was that he had no plan. Mitch knew how to fight, but he wasn't a PVP god. If he didn't go about this strategically he could quickly get himself killed. The more he thought, the more he realized how dumb he was being. What had he intended to do? In his mind it had seemed like a good plan: go rescue the village, show them he hadn't abandoned them, be a hero and stop the baccas. Now as he looked at reality he was hesitant. This situation had death trap written all over it, and Mitch wasn't sure he wanted to participate.

As soon as he felt the heat, Mitch saw that he was right. It was in fact his village being burned to the ground before his eyes, all with a combination of lava and flint and steel. He stopped in his tracks and inhaled sharply; did he dare go further? His heroic nature told him yes, but his common sense and fears glued his feet in place. There could be people trapped inside, he reasoned.

There could also be baccas! Are you insane? The other part of him asked.

He frowned. Would baccas stay in a burning village? What reason would they have? Mitch couldn't think of one. If they were logical, they would loot and kill beforehand and then set it aflame. No good leader would risk deaths if they didn't have a strong motivator. No, the baccas couldn't be that dumb. They had to be gone by now.

Yet again, Mitch's limbs refused to move. That lava looked as uninviting as ever. "Move." He urged himself. "C'mon, stop being a baby. Go on." Still he couldn't find the strength to start forward. Were there really any people in there anyways? They'd all be dead by now, right? There was really no point in risking his life. He should just turn around and go back-

"Stop it!" Mitch yelled suddenly, sinking to the ground. "I'm tired of this." He sobbed into his knees, the heat of the lava barely radiating off his back. "I'm tired of arguing with myself over stupid things that don't matter, I'm tired of being afraid of everything, and I'm tired of looking like an insane child that cries over everything!"

The boy silently cried into his knees for a while longer, not caring whether anyone saw or heard him. He could be killed off right now and he wouldn't mind. It must've been twenty minutes before Mitch shakily got to his feet and looked around, surprised he was still alive after his breakdown. The lava to his right still taunted him, but he just stick his tongue out at it. "I don't want to deal with you right now." He snapped. He continued walking away from the village, not really sure what to do. Everything was burnt or still burning, he knew that. Everyone was probably dead. Mitch felt defeated and exhausted, his mind blank. What could he do? Going home was not an option- Ashley and Jerome would ridicule and shame him for being so ignorant. Staying near the village was dangerous- what if the baccas came back? The only other thing Mitch could think of was to hunt down the baccas and exact revenge, but his skills weren't necessarily up for the challenge. What else?

A figure appeared in the corner of Mitch's eye and he tended, pulling his sword out of his holder. He backed into the shadows and looked on as the person- human, it appeared- crouched near a stream and got a bucket of water. Mitch slowly moved forward, ready to fight, when the person suddenly turned around. Mitch gasped in surprised and recognition.

"Connor?"

But how? You say. You killed off this child last book!

I suppose you'll just have to wait and see. I promise I'll do my best to update quickly, but school starts tomorrow :( thankfully I got a head start on some chapters during break. I feel really bad toturing Mitch sometimes...

~Scarlett