MCSM: Fire Is Spreading [discontinued]

New Order, New Peril

"Gabriel?!" Jesse gasped. The older hero nodded, then sank to the ground, his energy gone.

Jesse and the others immediately knelt down beside him. "Are you okay?" "What happened?" "How did you get burnt?" "Where's the rest of the Order?" Questions flew all around as the New Order desperately searched for answers.

Gabriel held up a hand, silencing them. "The Fire is coming. You don't have much time. "

Olivia almost rolled her eyes. "Do you have any advice that's not a clichè?" Jesse glared at her.

Gabriel coughed. "Something freed the Fire. He's...he's coming. You need to stop him."

"What?! What's the Fire?!" Lukas sputtered, confused.

"The Fire is a very dangerous being. He...he wants to burn down the world. The Fire has powers, mysterious, horrible powers that you wouldn't even dream of. No one knows how he got them. But that's...not important now. There are...more urgent matters then the Fire's powers. His plan is...almost even more dangerous" Gabriel said in the same raspy voice.

The New Order's heads were spinning from this terrifying information. Burning down the world? Horrible powers? The conversation had taken a rather grim turn. Then again, it had never been the most pleasant discussion.

"You need to find the Blaze Rods. They can help you." Gabriel told them.

Instant uproar.

"The Blaze Rods?!" "Are you out of your mind?" "No way!" "How would they help?" "Why do we need them?!"

Gabriel coughed loudly. "I can't answer everything. They may seem bad, but you will need their help!"

Jesse nodded silently. Petra, on the other hand, was more indignant.

"Why the hell do we need their help?! We're the Order of the Stone, I think we can handle this guy. Just look at what we've already been through! What makes you think that the Blaze Rods would even want to help us? And who says we even want their help?"

Gabriel coughed again, sounding like he was in serious pain. "You have to find them. No matter what you might think, you need their help."

"Okay. We'll find them." Jesse said. "I promise."

"Can't promise that they will want to help us, though." Lukas added.

"Doesn't matter. They will listen to you. And...another thing. Do you still have the amulet?" Gabriel asked.

"Wait, what? Why?" Axel asked, confused. "Do you still have the amulet?!" Gabriel repeated, sounding desperate.

"Um, well, I'm, yes. Yes I do. It's in the treasure room." Jesse replied, caught off guard. "Do we have to find the old Order again?"

"Oh please no. That would be such a pain." Olivia groaned.

Gabriel sighed. "No, they aren't important anymore. But you are, and so is the amulet. You must protect it with your life, do you understand me? With your life. It must stay out of the Fire's hands at whatever cost."

"What? Why?!" Lukas asked. They were all utterly confused at this point.

"The Fire needs it. DO NOT let him get it! It's powerful..." Gabriel broke off in a fit of coughing.

"Got it. Amulet is important. But why do we need the Blaze Rods?" Petra asked again.

"You five are strong. You're a good team. That's why you became the New Order. But for this quest, you need more. You will need their help, despite your resignations."

Petra and Axel exchanged a look of extreme doubt, but Jesse trusted Gabriel.

"Okay. We'll find them. But what did you say about the amulet being powerful?" Jesse inquired.

"It has ancient powers. You will eventually be able to use them, but you must keep it away from the Fire. I cannot stress that enough." Gabriel explained.

"What powers? And what happens if the Fire does get it?" Olivia asked, trying to stay calm.

"I doubt...that anyone knows it's powers. And if the Fire gets the amulet...it's the end of the world."

The Order stared at each other, wide eyed. The end of the world?

"Wasn't the Witherstorm supposed to be the end of the world? It sure seemed like it, and yet we stopped it." Axel remarked.

"You can stop this, too. Find the Blaze Rods, protect the amulet, stop the Fire. I would help you if I could, but..." Gabriel started coughing again, a dry, rasping sound that was painful to hear.

Cold dread overtook Jesse, and she had an ominous premonition of how this conversation could end. "No, Gabriel! You'll be okay! We need to take him into town, find someone who can help him!"

Gabriel shook his head, still coughing. "I'm not important. You have a quest now; so finish it. You can do this. I know..."

He never finished his sentence.

The famous hero went into another painful coughing fit, then grew still. A puff of white smoke, and his inventory was spread on the ground.

Petra leaped up and let out a yell that was part horror, part surprise, and part grief. Olivia hid her face in her hands, whispering "Nononononono..." Axel put an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her.

Lukas stood up slowly, blue eyes filling with tears. "He shouldn't have died..."

Petra stepped closer to her blonde friend, taking his hand gently. "I...I can't believe that just happened." she said in a shaky, un-Petralike voice.

Only Jesse was still sitting in the ground. She was hunched over slightly, tears falling from her closed eyes.

"Why does death follow me everywhere I go?" Jesse whispered. Gabriel had been the first person to really believe in her. Sure, her friends had been by her side, but Gabriel had entrusted her to find the Order and stop the Storm.

And now he had entrusted them to stop the Fire.

Rage flared inside Jesse's heart. Gabriel didn't die a natural death. He was killed by the being known as the Fire, but not before telling them how to stop it.

And stop it they would. She vowed that she would do anything, and I mean anything to stop this person.

Jesse reached out and grabbed Gabriel's diamond sword, and put it in her own inventory. She got to her feet, tears already drying. "We're heading out as soon as possible. This 'Fire' person doesn't stand a chance." Something had already changed in Jesse. A few minutes earlier, she had wanted to stop the Fire before it got out of hand, before it got too dangerous.

Now, she was determined to destroy it. For vengeance.

Petra nodded, a grim smile showing on her pale face. "Now we're talking. The Fire is going down."

Jesse nodded, turning towards the sunrise. What she saw on the horizon made her freeze, and sent pinpricks of terror all down her spine. It made most of the anger and determination fade away.

Flame. It was everywhere, all along the horizon. It was like someone had lit the distant edges of the world on fire, and the flames were leaping towards the sky. Towards her.

Fire was spreading.

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This chapter was weird...

Nothing really happened, except for a lot of important information being shared.

And I told you there would be death. I'm sorry for making the feels happen so soon.

I need to point out that I did not kill Gabriel just to spite people. I promise it. I didn't want that to happen either. But you know what they say about not being able to change the past. Technically, I didn't even kill him. Yes, I'm writing the story in which he died, but I didn't kill him in our real adventure. The Fire did. Heck, I'm not even in this part! And he will be avenged. Don't you worry about that.

Next chapter coming soon.