Book 4 | Agent 34 and the Last Gem

Chapter 73 | After Him

Arenia fell through the portal, landing in the dull room with a loud thump. Destigems fell out of the vortex behind her as she got a grip of her surroundings. Down the hallway she spotted Vrängr running after the floating demon, which was most likely following something else.

The elf pushed herself off the ground and took off, telling the group still plopping out of the portal behind her to follow them.

The end of the hallway they ran through exited into another empty room. It had nothing in it, but it split into multiple other hallways, each darker as it went deeper. Malío went through the one which was straight ahead. As Arenia followed, she looked into the other hallways and saw the outlines of people going into each and every one of them. The group ahead of them split up. She shook her head as she picked up her pace.

The hall went on seemingly forever. The elf pursued the elf in front of her which was pursuing a literal God which was pursuing someone that Arenia couldn't see. The hall broke apart into darkness, Vrängr slowly down to catch his breath. Arenia caught up to him and knocked him down, not expecting him to stop.

"Vrängr, why'd you stop?" She asked quickly, pulling herself off the ground.

"I can't handle—it anymore," he huffed. "Plus, the hallway went–into that room. They're–in there,"

Arenia pulled him off the ground as footsteps up ahead began to sound heavier and heavier, until a figure emerged from the dark room. It was Thad, in his wolf form.

"Run!" he screamed to them and he nearly tackled them while running past the pair.

Vrängr quickly looked into Arenia's eyes with fear, the fear spreading to the woman. The elf quickly leaned forwards and kissed the woman, Arenia filling with shock. They broke lips and began running, Malío's heavy footsteps beginning to sound behind them.

"I'm sorry, Arenia," he told her as they ran. "I had to do that. I know you have something for Agent 34, but I can't die and not let my feelings be revealed to you,"

She felt a mixture of emotions as they fled the beast. Arenia simply didn't reply back, but she didn't know if it was right to pursue a different man after she was already going for another.

~ ~ ~

Thad tackled the rest of the Destigems trailing behind Arenia and Vrängr. "Run!" he told them as he hopped over the pile of bodies. "Malío is coming!"

The group didn't hesitate to jump up and follow after the wolf. By the time they did, Arenia and Vrängr had caught up to them, running side-by-side silently as the God of Evil trailed behind, letting out more shrieks as they went.

After what felt like an hour of running, they reached the same room they were in earlier. Thad quickly halted, turning on his heels.

"What the hell are you doing?" Grari shouted, stopping in his place as well.

"We can't bring that thing back to Renya," he explained.

"Then what the hell are we going to do with it?" Sercon asked, the rest of the group reaching up with them and stopping to face the beast.

"We fight it," the wolf told him

"You're crazy," Wilom cried. "That's it, this is how Renya dies,"

Arenia and Vrängr emerged from the hall, wondering why they weren't fleeing to the portal. They stopped as well, not asking any questions.

Malío floated out of the hallway, screaming in his normal shriek. He looked at the group waiting for his arrival, stopping in front of them with an evil stare.

It let out another evil shriek, Thad yelling, "Charge!" as the group all attacked the beast. They all threw their blades down upon it, striking it in multiple spots. Malío shot backward, screeching as it threw its arm towards two of the Destigems and knocking them backwards.

Sercon jumped at the beast, throwing his blade down on it. The metal simply bounced off of his body, ringing the air around them.

Arenia threw her own white blade into Malío's arm, the blade bouncing off as well.

"What do we do?" Sercon cried, ceasing fire.

Wilom jumped and tried to bite the demon, but not even his sharp teeth could penetrate the devil.

Thad's plan suddenly went very, very wrong. He didn't expect the beast to be completely invincible.