He was running. Running from some threat unknown to him. The sounds of people yelling and guns blazing came from behind him, only making him want to run faster. Ant felt his legs burning with pain, but he still kept running. A thought rushed through his mind, one that somewhat explained the situation he was in. I won't let them catch me, no matter what. They killed my parents, and I'll never forgive them for that. Ant was in a state of confusion. How did I even know that? His thoughts distracted him so much that Ant didn't even glance at the figure beside a nearby tree. The cloaked figure suddenly pulled him behind the tree, and covered his mouth. Ant struggled against them, until he noticed their age. The Minecraftian was about seven, which puzzled him. How could a seven-year-old possibly pull a 22-year-old around? Then it suddenly occurred to him that he wasn't his current age, instead, he appeared to be seven, just like the cloaked child.
Ant was just about to ask who they were, until the cloaked being pulled down their hood. They looked almost exactly like him; younger, obviously, but the only differences were that the child had scarlet colored eyes. A name came to mind, but it was just barely out of his reach. The mysterious look-alike glanced in the direction Ant had come from. He let out a sigh of relief. "We've lost them, for now."
Ant tried to ask the child what was going on, but to his dismay, it seemed he couldn't talk. The red eyed Minecraftian noticed his frustration and studied him curiously. "They muted you, didn't they," Ant gave a slight nod, believing that might be the reason for his inability to speak. The other scrowled in anger. "They'll pay for that..."
The sound of an explosion came from farther up the path, indicating that the soldiers had discovered their hiding place. As silently as they could, the two quickly scambled into a small cave. It wouldn't be long until the troops found them, but at least they could rest for a bit. Ant couldn't help but shudder when a cave noise echoed from the depths of their current hiding spot. Why do these people want to kill me and this other person? It makes no sense. Shouts came from the entrance of the cave, and the sound of footsteps became closer and closer. There was nowhere to run this time, for the cave ended not too far from where it started. The soft shadows of the soldiers stretched across the stone walls. Both of the two young Minecraftians worriedly looked at each other. They knew they were done for.
Storm dumped the contents of her bag out onto the soft wool carpet. The many items sprawled out in front of her, but only one stood out. The teen frowned as her sight fell on the small metallic device. She hadn't used her comlink for the entire day. Storm cautiously reached for the device, and hestitated when she picked it up. Before she decided to throw it out the window, Storm remembered the reason she was following the other two, and carefully switched it on. A scruff voice was what greeted her. "Storm, you haven't reported back since yesterday. What is the reason for this?"
She gulped nervously. Why did I have to turn it on? "Sir, I was..."
Storm tried to quickly come up with an excuse, but nothing came up, so she decided to tell the truth. "...I was following the target and his friend. I was caught but-"
The voice cut her off. "You were captured?"
Storm shook her head, even though she knew the person on the other end couldn't see it. "I managed to get them to trust me, but I think Sparklez is still pretty skeptical."
The Minecraftian on the other end's voice changed its tone to that of surprise. "Sparklez? As in CaptainSparklez?"
The teenager lightly bit her lip. What does he want with Sparklez? Storm's voice slightly shook as she answered. "Yes...?"
She heard the person grunt in annoyance. "Um, sir?"
"It's nothing, Storm. Just forget I said anything."
She frowned in worry. What could've possibly happened between the two of them? "Sir, could you please tell me why-"
His voice's tone changed to that of anger. "Storm, if you ever want to see your sister again, finish the job. Use the tracker we gave you, put it in his bag, and just get over with it. Your previously sent coords did nothing to help us find him. Finish the job, Storm. Or else."
Storm's voice almost completely shook with fear, but was filled to the brim with fury. "But they're totally innocent! Why do you want them dead!? Honestly, sir, WHY!?"
"I have my reasons. Now, go finish the job."
The comlink cut out, and as soon as it did, Storm broke out into tears. Why did she have to be forced into this situation? Either her younger sister died, or these two completely innocent people. Storm had to make a choice, and she chose. Through her watery eyes, the teen weakly picked up another device that had a red colored core. She lightly pressed the activation switch, turning the core a faint glowing red. As quietly as she could, Storm snuck into the room Ant was staying, and slipped the now-activated device into his bag. The teen left as soon as she had come, but stopped at the doorway. He seemed to be in some type of nightmare, just like her. However, Storm's nightmare was in the waking world, and she wasn't able to get out of it. Ant didn't know how lucky he was...
Sunlight gently brushed against his face, causing him to groan. Morning already? A familiar shadow was suddenly cast over him. "Get up, Ant. We have a witch to slay, remember?"
"Fine..."
When Sparklez had left his room, Ant proceeded to get up. Just before he went down the hallway to the main room, Ant decided to check to see if Storm was up yet. He thought so, but just in case she wasn't, he would wake her up. Ant slowly opened Storm's door a crack. "Storm?"
A faint voice answered him. "I'll be down there in a minute."
After Storm heard the sound of the door closing, she sighed. She felt terrible for having to betray them already. Only a day had passed since she had met the two. Still, a job is a job, and the fate of her nine-year-old sister was in her hands. Storm glanced up at the calendar hanging up in her room. It just so happened that today was her sister's tenth birthday, and she was trapped in a cell. The teenager pondered her sibling's condition for a while before getting off her bed to grab her hoodie. Don't worry, Rain. I'll save you, no matter what the cost. Storm zipped up her royal blue hoodie, then walked out of the room. The conservation from last night floated through her mind. "Finish the job, Storm," she murmured.
Both of the Minecraftians' heads looked up when they heard Storm's footsteps going down the wooden plank staircase. She had a cheerful expression, but her eyes betrayed it. She appeared to have a sad look in her eyes, but the other two weren't completely sure why. "'Morning, Storm," Ant said, with a hint of a smile on his face, however, he actually was slightly worried, mostly due to his nightmare the night before.
Storm quickly glanced at them before gazing back down at the floor. "'Morning..."
Sparklez couldn't help but smirk. "What's the matter? Upset that you didn't get to kiss one of us last night?"
The teenager glared at the 21-year-old. "For the last time," she snapped, "I am not a freaking fangirl!"
"Oh, really? Then why were you stalking Ant in the Extreme Hills Biome?"
Storm narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't stalking, I was just-"
Ant was obviously irritated with the others' argument, judging from his expression. "Guys, please! Just stop fighting for once!"
"Well, he started it," Storm mumbled, glaring in the Captain's direction.
"Hey, it was only a joke!"
"Guys, seriously!"
The two that were arguing immediately stopped, but were still glaring at each other. Ant sighed in relief, thankful that the fighting had ceased. After they had received directions to where the witch was located, the three set off for the nearby Swamp Biome. The path was covered in soft, white snow, which glistened in the early morning light. It wasn't long until the snowy ground changed to murky green grass, which indicated the shift of biomes. Dull green vines began to drape from the now scarce trees. The biome's naturally flattened terrain made it much easier to traverse as the group searched for the witch's hut.
After about half a hour, the hut was still undiscovered. Ant climbed to the top of a tree, hoping that being at a vantage point might help. He glanced down at the other two, with a slight frown. They had stopped searching five minutes ago, and were currently sitting at the base of the oak tree. Ant slowly shook his head, then continued to scale the vines. When he reached the top, harsh sunlight practically blasted his face. The trees had blocked out most of the sunlight, so he wasn't used to the light level. From his treetop perch, Ant could faintly make out the shape of a small house constructed of spruce planks. "I think I found it!"
The other two Minecraftians looked up at him in disbelief. Their expressions caused Ant to smirk. If he hadn't decided to keep searching, they would've never found the witch's hut. Ant didn't bother climbed back down the vines; he instead jumped off the tree. It wasn't too much of a drop, and his boots absorbed most of the impact. The other two followed Ant, who lead the group to where the witch's home was. She's going to be in for a surprise, that's for sure. They reached the establishment not long after they had started heading towards it. Just in case the witch was in there, the trio silently drew their weapons; Storm with her bow, and the two males with their swords. Ant was the first to sneak up to the door, which he cautiously opened.
He jumped back just in time to avoid a Potion of Poison, which had been thrown at where he previously was. Ant peeked around the door to see that the witch was very much there, and nearly was smacked in the face with a Potion of Harming. Suddenly, Storm pushed past Ant and swiftly fired a few shots at the witch, surprisingly, they didn't seem to deal much damage. The teen angrily muttered something about regen potions before being pulled out of the way of an incoming potion. There was no way that they could fight the witch from a distance; they had to risk getting hit and fight at close range. A potion shattered near them, but thankfully, they were too far away. Sparklez darted towards the witch, narrowly avoiding her thrown potions. However, he was unable to dodge one and was directly hit with the solution.
He expected pain to surge through him, but Sparklez didn't notice anything bad, until his vision started to blur. The witch just had to throw a Nausea Potion, didn't she? Sparklez tried to keep heading towards his opponent, but the effect of the potion only caused him to fall over in his attempt. The Captain couldn't even stand up again after he had stumbled in his disoriented state. He desperately clutched his head, wanting only for the world to stop spinning. Meanwhile, Ant and Storm were attempting to stop the witch from attacking long enough for them to pull Sparklez out of the way. Another Potion of Harming exploded near the two, its contents just barely landing on Storm. She hissed in pain, the potion feeling as if it was burning through her skin. Ant looked at her in worry, but Storm only shrugged it off; pulling back her bow's drawstring. "It's nothing too serious!"
The 22-year-old slightly nodded before bringing his attention back to the witch. If Sparklez is out there for any longer, he'll be done for. Ant kept his attention on the witch and her wildly thrown splash potions, while trying to conjure fire. Then it occurred to him: if he used fire, it was certain that the building would catch on fire as well. Ant glanced back at Sparklez, who was leaning against a wall, right where the witch could easily decide to toss a Potion of Harming at the Captain. Ant then heard Storm curse under her breath. She looked at him, worriedly. "I'm all out of arrows. Whatever you're planning to attack the witch with, do it now."
The old plank floor creaked as the witch slowly approached them, a sly grin on her face. Ant tried to keep his focus on creating a flame, but he kept getting distracted by each footstep of the witch's. If he didn't strike her now, all of them would be done for. Ant forced himself to ignore the approaching witch, and summon a fireball to strike her down. The witch slipped a Potion of Harming from her pocket into her hand. They would pay for coming to her home and attempting to defeat her. Little did she know what was about to happen next. A sense of energy overcame Ant, and a blazing flame erupted from the palm of his hand. With nearly all of his remaining strength, he hurled the bright fireball at the witch. The flames only brushed past the old woman, who was unaffected by them. Ant slumped to the floor, unable to do anything as his conciousness faded away.
(A/N: HEY GUYS, ANTVENOM HERE! JK, I'M NOT ANT! I AM BACK WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER! YUPPERZ! (Baku, if you're reading this, that's my line! Baku: No it isn't! Me: I came up with it! D:) Yeah, so I'm back with Chapter 5, and things are getting more intense! Thanks for all the support on Fire Within! ETERNALDRAYGON, OUT!)