Book 1 | Agent 34 and the Desert of Beasts

Chapter 34 | One Last Stand

Agent 34 ran along Paöminar's neck, hoping Marque was behind him. He wanted to check, but didn't want to let his guard down to do it.

When he reached the dragon's large head, Agent 34 raised his sword and ran as fast as he could, then jumped off of Paöminar and landed on Wímad, who was fighting Paöminar as few feet away.

Agent 34 saw Arenia struggling to fight off Braunick, while Ismara was sitting limply on Wímad's back. She was having a mental battle with Braunick.

Agent 34 heard Marque land behind him, and the two of them quickly rushed Braunick. Agent 34 jumped onto Braunick's back, and Marque started slashing at Braunick's limbs. Agent 34 grabbed a hold of his helmet, and then Braunick quickly shoved him off his back. The helmet tore off of Braunick as Agent 34 fell onto Wímad's scales.

Braunick turned to face Agent 34 and Marque, and Arenia stood behind him as she rested.

It wasn't Braunick who stood before them.

Instead, a very large skeleton stood in front of them. Some of its bones were red, and others were white.

"Who are you? And where is Braunick?" Agent 34 asked.

"Ha! You think Braunick would come for a battle like this? Pathetic. I am his right-hand..uh, bone. The names Xander. Xander the Giant Skeleton, and the red gem-wielder." Xander smiled evilly.

Everyone's face turned to horror. "You have a gem?" Arenia blurted out in shock and exhaustion.

Xander laughed devilishly and then raised his sword and tried to bring it down on Agent 34. Agent 34 rolled out of the way, and the sword ended up cutting one of Wímad's scales off.

Agent 34 picked himself up quickly and gripped his sword tightly with his one useful hand, and charged at Xander. Arenia and Marque charged Xander as well. All three of them slashed at the giant skeleton, trying desperately to kill him.

Instead of defending himself, all Xander did was laugh. "You cannot beat me! I'm invincible!" Xander shoved Marque out of the way, knocking him to the ground, them walked over to the edge of Wímad, leaving Arenia and Agent 34 standing there.

"Look," Xander said. "Your army is losing. Braunick will win! We will rule Renya!"

Agent 34 saw him by the edge, and quickly thought of a plan, and leaned over to Arenia and whispered to her. "Make sure Ismara is going to be okay."

Agent 34 frowned, and ran at Xander. Quickly, Agent 34 raised his gem covered hand and threw it into Xander's spine with full force. He then tackled Xander off the edge, and both the skeleton and the Agent fell off the dragon.

Agent 34 quickly grabbed ahold of Xander's ribs as they fell, and pulled himself onto the skeleton's large back.

"What are you doing kid!" Xander screamed. Agent 34 didn't answer, only punched Xander in the back of the head with his gem hand.

But, despite Agent 34 holding him down as they fell, Xander turned around midair, causing Agent 34 to let go of Xander's ribcage. As they fell, Xander tried to slash at Agent 34 with his sword, but missed each time. 

Agent 34 fell above Xander, and quickly tried to grab ahold of Xander again. Xander's large arm was swiping at Agent 34 and preventing him from grabbing ahold of Xander's ribcage again.

"If I go down, then you go down with me!" Xander screamed.

Agent 34's face turned into determination, and quickly thrusted himself past Xander's large arms and back to his chest. Agent 34 quickly climbed along his chest and slammed his gem hand in Xander's skull several times. Then, Agent 34 raised his sword and sliced off Xander's skull from his body.

"Noooo!.." Xander screamed in agony as Agent 34 beheaded him. "Listen, kid. Braunick will win. Braunick has almost found him. Once he finds him, Braunick will be unstoppable."

"Find who?" Agent 34 held Xander's skull in his hand. But before Xander could answer, the two of them hit the ground in a fury of dirt and dust.

Coughing, Agent 34 picked himself off the ground and brushed himself off. As the dust cleared, Agent 34 could see the battle around him. Xander's body wasn't near him, or anywhere. All that remained was a red gem.

He walked over and picked it up, then dropped to the ground, gem in hand.

~ ~ ~ ~

Ismara awoke with a jolt. "Did you kill Xander?" She cried.

"I don't know," Arenia said worriedly.

"How do you not know? Is Agent 34 okay?" Ismara was asking a lot of questions, then noticed Marque standing awkwardly on Wímad's back. "Wait, who is that?"

"I, am Marque the Archer. I helped Agent 34 get back up here." Marque explained.

"Ah, okay. Wait, where is he? And where is Xander?" Ismara asked.

"Arenia sadly pointed down below Wímad. Ismara's face turned to shock and sadness. "Not even  he could survive a fall that big!" Ismara began to weep quietly as she understood Agent 34's fate.

"He can't die!" Ismara said. "I never got to tell him.."

Arenia put an arm on Ismara's back. "I know."

"And he never had a chance to tell you that..that he had a crush on you, Arenia!" Ismara sobbed, and caused Arenia's face to turn blank.

Suddenly, Wímad was slammed into by Paöminar. Wímad slammed into Paöminar back, and dug his talons into his side. Paöminar yelped and tried to fly away, but couldn't because Wímad had a grip on him.

"Listen you sack of crap!" Wímad roared to Paöminar. "I want you and Braunick to never step foot here again, got that?" Wímad said to Paöminar.

"I never stepped on this land, and I never will!" Paöminar said, and quickly reached his neck back towards Wímad and bit him in the side. Wímad yelped, then flew a little closer to the ground, bringing the brown dragon with him.

"Let the hell go, Paöminar! And give up!" Wímad yelled. Suddenly, Paöminar let go, and flew backwards, the  quickly flew forewords and slammed into Wímad's belly.

"Wímad," Arenia said to the dragon she was standing on. "It's over. Xander is dead."

"Hear that Paöminar? Xander is dead. Who's Xander?" Wímad asked Arenia, and she whispered the answer into his ear. "Your rider has died. Eh, how'd he die Arenia?" Wímad asked.

"Agent 34 sacrificed himself to kill Xander." Arenia sorrowly said.

"He what?" Wímad roared roared in protest, and Paöminar laughed evilly, and stopped fighting.

"Ahahahaha! I got what I came for," Paöminar looked down onto the skeleton army. "Skeletons, fall back. We have won," Paöminar looked up to Wímad one last time before he flew away. "That kid was the only person in Braunick's way. What will you do without him?"

Paöminar laughed evilly and flew away, the skeletons following.

Wímad didn't even bother following because he was covered by shock that Agent 34 had died. "He can't be dead, Arenia. He can't!" Wímad said.

"He is," Arenia said, and looked down onto the war-torn battlefield. "Agent 34 is dead."