Book 4 | Agent 34 and the Last Gem

Chapter 54 | Across the Ocean

"What do you mean?" The dwarf asked, shock filling his body.

"Thad, when you began to recall things about the Traverials, four images entered my mind. One of Barjual, one of Harper, one of you, and one that I assume is Linx,"

"Show them to me," Thad said immediately. "Let me enter your mind and see,"

Agent 34 allowed him to. He felt Thad's presence enter his mind, fishing around his orbs of memories. The dwarf found them quickly. The images were golden inside his mind, the only gold orbs there.

"What's up with Linx?" Thad asked uneasily.

"I don't know," Agent 34 told him.

"Why would you remember these images whenever I told you this?"

"I told you," the elf repeated. "I don't know,"

"Figures," Thad shrugged. "But it doesn't make sense. Braunick took your memories—right? The only way you could've remembered this is if he left those images there on purpose or something,"

The dwarf snapped his fingers. "What he probably did was leave them in your mind and just—lock them up? Does that make sense? Like, he would make them invisible to your consciousness unless someone managed to trigger it and reveal them to you?"

"Probably something like that," The elf told him. "but there's no answers from any of this except from Braunick himself,"

"True,"

The two stopped and leaned against the handrail of the boat once again. "The only thing I really want to learn about is my name,"

"Your name is Agent 34," Thad told him.

"No," he said. "My real name. My name given to me at birth,"

"Oh," was all Thad could muster.

"Thad, I just want to say thank you," Agent 34 told him.

"For what?"

"If we don't manage to win this war," the elf began. "or I don't make it out alive, just know that I thank you for doing all of this. Without you, the Zena wouldn't be a thing. The Rebellion wouldn't have happened either. Braunick would probably have all the gems by now if you never came into play,"

"Agent 34, you'll make it out alive," The dwarf told him. "but if neither of us don't–just know that you've done a ton as well. The Destigems wouldn't be the Destigems without you,"

"Thanks, Thad,"

"Thanks, 34,"

~ ~ ~

"Again," Braunick demanded. He lifted the ball into the air for the fifth time, commanding Calvin to break his connection with a spell.

The grey human tiredly muttered the spell to the empty space between the ball and Braunick where the invisible spell that connected the two stood. The ball fell, the spell that Braunick was using to keep it up breaking in the middle.

"I think you got it," Braunick said. "You have done exceptionally well in learning Black Magic. Now, it's time for much needed rest,"

"Thank the Gods," Calvin sighed as he rushed down to his cell. He climbed in without hesitation and jumped onto the old mattress in the corner, letting sleep overcome him.

Lord Braunick who was still standing in his throne room was thinking over what to do next. The most logical thing to do would be to send his three henchmen to destroy the Zena to occupy them so they wouldn't interrupt him while he summoned the Gods. But, of the few people he had been supervising in the Zena, they had been talking about rumors of fleeing Renya. The king was sure that the Zena would not attack him ever again, at least not before he opened the portal.

Braunick made his decision and sloppily laid himself down across his throne, letting sleep take him into its lull.

~ ~ ~

It was nearly nightfall when they approached the shore. Thad could see it in the distance, slowly getting closer to them as the boat got closer to it.

Soon, they wouldn't be able to tell if it was night or not. The Storm of Dark Energy obscured the view of the sky and prevented them from seeing the sun completely. Thad decided they would stop for rest whenever they felt needed, but if they saw the floating island in view then they would stop at nothing to reach it and take it down.

The dwarf was beginning to let the sleep beat him. It pulled at his body to shut his eyes and lay down, but he refused. He had to remain awake during their trek to Braunick.

Suddenly, the boat began to rock back and forth with swiftness.

"What's going on?" Agent 34 asked, coming over to where Thad was.

"I don't know," the rocking began to intensify, the boat beginning to get water sweep over the sides.

The soldiers on the boat cluttered to the middle, trying to avoid falling down. No one knew what was going on.

Suddenly, a meaty pinky tentacle slapped itself onto the dock of the boat, nearly missing the soldiers in the middle.

"Squid!" Ben shouted from the huddle of soldiers.

"Ben, I thought I told you to stay home!" Thad erupted.

"We can y'all about this later," the teenager told the dwarf.

Another tentacle slapped itself onto the other side of the boat. The squid used that to pull itself out of the water so it could see who occupied the boat.

The beast was giant. It pulled its other tentacles out of the water and revealed its evil smile. The squid roared at them, preparing for attack.