Warnings: None

~3rd P.O.V. (As seen from the village)~ Ha I bet you didn't expect that did you.

"They should be back by now... It's been over a day." Preston mumbles to himself, pacing in front of the portal.

      He stops his walking and stands in front of the portal, gazing worriedly into its purple film. An hour after the two left, he had not a care in the world. Two hours, he still wasn't very concerned. Three hours, he was surprised they were still gone. Four hours, he began to expect their return shortly. Five hours, he began to worry when they did not return. Six hours, he began to suspect something was wrong. Seven hours, he began to get really worried. Eight hours, he ventured to the portal and sat in front of it. Nine hours, they still had not returned and he brought it to the attention of every one else. Ten hours, he knew something was wrong. Eleven hours, he spent another time in front of the portal contemplating what to do. Twelve hours, he had to go to bed but knew they could be in fatal danger. Twenty-four hours, he knew he had to do something. Twenty-five hours, that's now.

     "That's it. They need help... There's no way they just decided to stay there for over a day." Preston declares to the air, hustling out of the room to find two specific people.

     On his way out of the door he passes by Rob, and Rob momentarily stops him.

     "What's wrong Preston? You seem to be in a bit of a rush."
     "Mitch and Jerome have been gone for over a day now and I think something bad has happened to them. I'm going to find Kenny and Choco because I want then to go see if they can find them. Kenny and Choco have been to the nether more than any of us and I don't want to waste another hour when they could be in danger." Preston hurriedly explains, not stopping in his rush and causing Rob to jog along side him.
     "Oh I know where Choco is, do you want me to go get him?" Rob offers.

     Preston nods briskly and Rob veers of to find Choco. Preston waltzes up to Kenny's door and raps on it quickly. A second later and Kenny is poking his head through the door, opening it fully at the sight of Preston. My apologies if when I write it doesn't really sound like Kenny cuz I'm not used to writing him XD.

     "Preston? What's up?"
     "I'll explain on the way, but this is super important. Follow me."

     Before Kenny can open his mouth to ask what the matter is Preston is speed walking away. Kenny hurriedly pulls on his shoes and dashes after Preston.

     "Could you please explain what's happening now?" Kenny asks worriedly.
     "Mitch and Jerome have been gone way to long now and I want you and Choco to go to the nether and find them. Something bad has happened... And I'm worried we'll be too late." Preston explains, picking up his pace.
     "But Preston! We aren't even ready to go!" Kenny exclaims in shock.
     "Don't sweat it Kenny, I've got everything packed up for you two, including armour. Trust me, this is super important."

     Kenny nods in understanding, the two coming into view of the packs house. By the doorway Choco and Rob are already standing there, waiting for Preston and Kenny to arrive.

     "So I guess we're going to the nether then, huh?" Choco says as a greeting, Kenny nodding as Preston pushes open the door and leads the three in.

     After instructing them to wait at the portal Preston rushes off to gather their supplies. In this time Rob decides to depart, the tensions too much for him to bear. Preston returns a couple minutes later, two bulging sacks in his arms. He hastily hands Kenny and Choco a pack each before pushing them towards the portal.

    "Get going now, you have to be quick! If you can't find them in two days come back, I put a clock in each of your bags so you can check. Now go!"

     With that Kenny and Choco are disappearing through the purple mist. Preston watches on silently, wishing them good luck in his mind before turning away to go rest his stressed mind.

~~~

     ~3rd P.O.V. (As seen from Kenny and Choco)~

     "Where are we even supposed to look?" Kenny questions as soon as the two step into the land of endless lava.
     "I don't really know... I suppose we should just look for signs of them passing by. But first let's get our armour on. I for one know that these feathers aren't fireproof." Choco chuckles, pulling out the full set of iron armour from his bag.

     Ruffling his feathers so they sit comfortably under the armour Choco slips it on, Kenny copying the action. In his bag Kenny finds himself a beautifully enchanted diamond sword, equipped with smite, unbreaking, and sharpness. Choco finds himself with an enchanted bow and sixty-four arrows. The bow is enchanted with punch, power, and unbreaking. He also discovers an extra iron sword in the depths of his bag. And inside each of their bags is an abundance of food, a clock, an extra set of armour, a potion of healing each, and three bottles of water each.

     "Preston wasn't kidding when he said to trust him... We are stacked!" Kenny comments happily, slinging the bag over his shoulder.
     "Then let's make sure we fulfill his request and find Mitch and Jerome."

     Kenny nods and the two start off, their eyes peeled for any signs of the duos presence. After an hour of randomly wandering with no success the two decide to have a break to eat.

     "Okay so far we've had absolutely nothing to run on, so I think we need to try something different." Choco mumbles through a beak full of fish.
     "Would that count?" Kenny questions, nodding towards multiple patches of dug out Quartz.

     Choco turns to look at the patches with his jaw hanging. Kenny chuckles, picking up his bag and readjusting it on his back.

     "Cmon ChocoBocoLoco we need to get going before a ghast decides to say hello." Kenny giggles, Choco snapping his beak shut and picking up his bag.

     Soon enough the two find themselves on a constant path of mined Quartz, the occasional piece overlooked and left alone. Eventually they come to the edge that unknown to them, Mitch and Jerome fell off of. But it's not long before Choco can put two and two together.

    "Preston was right... Something bad happened here." Choco realizes, glancing at the abandoned bow, exploded netherrack with fire around the gouges in the ground, and the skid marks near the edge.

     Choco carefully inches his way to the edge to view two pickaxes still lodged into the side, high off the ground below.

     "They must have had a run in with a ghast and fell down there..." Kenny connects, appearing beside Choco to gaze at the pickaxes.

     Choco nods and the two step away, not wanting to suffer the same fate. At least we know they survived seeing as there aren't bodies down there... Choco finds himself thinking.

     "GHAST!" Kenny shrieks out of the blue, Choco yelping and whipping around.

     Quickly approaching them is a large ghast, its tentacles waving desperately. Choco whips out his bow and aims, ready to shoot it down. But Kenny notices something... Something off. The ghast isn't firing at them... And it seems to be trying to tell them something. Squinting his eyes Kenny sees the outline of a lead tied around its head. He gasps, wrenching Choco's arms to the side and causing the arrow to shoot far away from the ghast.

     "Are you crazy Kenny?!" Choco exclaims, glaring at Kenny.
     "No, wait Choco! Look at that ghast more closely!"

     Choco turns in confusion, watching nervously as the ghast draws nearer. But when he sees the lead he relaxes a little bit. But the confusion is not gone.

     The ghast floats in front of them, constantly crying out and waving with its tentacles to over the lava. Kenny and Choco watch in utter bewilderment, unable to decipher what the ghast is trying the tell them. The ghast growls in exasperation, floating closer to the ledge and tugging out a pickaxe. Choco and Kennt watch as the ghast uses its tentacles to harshly carve something out in the netherrack. Kenny tries to read what the ghast is drawing out.

     "It's... Two pigmen?"

     The ghast shrieks.

     "No? Okay um... People. It's two people!"

     The ghast mewls and continues on to draw an arrow to the left one, at the end of the arrow drawing a pattern. And then an arrow to the right one, this time drawing multiple lines.

     "Checkers? Okay the left one has checkers... Is... It's that water on the right?"

     This time when the ghast shrieks Choco sighs loudly along with it.

     "Kenny, It's Mitch and Jerome! That "Water" is FUR!"
     "Oh... That makes sense."

     The ghast cries out in content and throws the pickaxe to the side, using its tentacles to point rapidly over across the lava.

     "You know where they are?!" Choco exclaims.

     The ghast nods, picking up the pickaxe again. Then it jaggedly draws out what seems to be a blaze, another figure with a sword, and a skull over the drawings.

     "Are you trying to tell us they're in danger?" Kenny chimes in.

     The ghast nods its giant head hastily and before the two males can react the ghast has grabbed them by their waists and hoisted them into the air, flying away rapidly.

     "I think it's bringing us to them... They must have sent for help!" Kenny comments, but Choco isn't really listening.

     Instead Choco is gripping onto the ghast for dear life, gazing nervously at the molten lava below.

     "Y'know Choco, even though you can't fly, I wouldn't expect you to be afraid of heights. Being a bird and all..."
     "SHUT UP." Choco snaps, "It's only because I'm kinda dangling over lava here."

     Kenny only laughs, Choco pouting and turning away, crossing his yellow feathered wings.

~~~

     As soon as the ghast reaches the destination, which the two realize to be a nether fortress, they swing from the ghasts grip. Kenny lands first, not hesitating to slash through a blaze standing in his way. Choco tails after him, using his bow to snipe out mobs ahead. And so the two experts charge into the fortress, praying they aren't too late.

~~~