“Should we try our Elemental Powers first?” Archer said.
“I don’t think they would be able to do the job,” the Scavenger said. “Hothel needs to die. No amount of force can detach the Trident from his hand.”
Suddenly, the Scavenger noticed the Trident glowing. “RUN!” he shouted. “NOW!”
Everyone got to their feet. They had not even taken ten steps before the shackles exploded and Hothel got up. The Trident was glowing so bright, it hurt to look at it.
“Die, puny mortals!” Hothel shouted, his eyes full of fire. He slashed the Trident around.
All of them dodged as the Trident left ashes on the sand in its wake. Hothel ran towards the Scavenger.
The Scavenger rolled as the Trident slashed towards him.
Hothel picked the Scavenger up by his legs and slammed him on the sand. Hothel’s hand smacked against the Scavenger so hard that there was the unmistakable sound of bones breaking. James cringed as the Scavenger landed on his back on the sand.
As the Scavenger lay on the ground, Hothel raised the Trident and slashed right at the Scavenger. The children sighed helplessly. They knew that the immortal Scavenger’s body would be completely broken and he would be paralyzed for ages.
As the Trident moved towards the Scavenger, a figure appeared right in front of the Scavenger.
The Trident passed right through the figure’s chest, stopping an inch from the Scavenger’s face.
James’s heart sank. Two realizations hit him at the same time.
The Scavenger was alive. Insanity was not.
The Trident stuck deep in Insanity’s chest. Before Hothel could remove the Trident from Insanity, a creature emerged on top of Hothel’s hand and covered his eyes.
Thunder the wolf was back.
The Scavenger jumped up. His eyes were full of rage. A white glow surrounded his body as he used magic to heal his broken bones. At the same time, with lightning speed, he made gashes and cuts on Hothel’s body with his sword. A barrage of wind, fire, water and roots struck Hothel. It was a tornado of different colours, and the Scavenger was in the centre of it. The children, along with the wolf, were controlling the tornado.
Hothel roared in pain but couldn’t move at all. Lynx and No One were jerked to action and were now summoning shackles that were binding themselves around Hothel, preventing him from moving.
Hothel abruptly swayed towards the side and landed on the sand with a thump. The combined energy of the attack was too much for Hothel to handle. He fell unconscious.
Everyone ran towards Insanity. The Trident’s barbs were stuck inside Insanity’s chest. Insanity was still alive, breathing slowly. He coughed and specks of blood littered the sand around him.
“Bring herbs.” The Scavenger was desperate. “Bring medicine. Go!”
“No,” Insanity croaked out. “I am too far gone. You know that.”
“I can’t let you die,” the Scavenger said.
“You can’t help,” Insanity said. “My time has come.” Insanity’s eyes darkened. “You know, I always wanted a statue of myself. Too bad that won’t happen now.” He paused. “Don’t grieve too much for me. I am proud to have died for such a great cause.”
He continued, “Don’t ever give up. You have to stop the Skull Warrior.” Insanity coughed and tried to say something.
“What? Tell me, my friend.” The Scavenger leaned towards him.
Insanity spoke out his final words. “Avenge me...”
18
Everyone was shocked. The children were inconsolable. They were kneeling beside Insanity with tears flowing from their eyes.
The children knew that time was running out. But they felt good just sitting beside their dead friend Insanity. It was their way of showing him respect and thanking him for everything he had done.
The Scavenger slowly pulled out the Trident from Insanity’s chest. He bowed his head in respectful silence and then sent the Trident to the Magic Compartment.
Matt wondered what they would do next. They had got the Poison, the Bolt and the Trident. The Sacrifice was still unknown. Without them, the Slayer could not be formed.
The Scavenger stood. Everyone else followed. Lynx summoned a portal to his cave and they all stepped inside it.
When they entered Lynx’s cave, they were in for a shock.
The desks and shelves were placed against the sidewall, leaving plenty of space in the cave.
Urrax was nowhere in sight.
Aronicle was lying on the ground with the blade of a sword sticking out from his chest.
The children were shocked.
The Scavenger raced towards Aronicle. There was a puddle of blood beneath Aronicle’s body, but Aronicle was still conscious.
“What happened?” the Scavenger asked.
“Urrax,” Aronicle croaked out. “He escaped.”
“What?” Lynx said. “But we used magical chains to bind him.”
“He has great power,” Aronicle said. “He is not just a demon. He is a dimensional creature.”
The Scavenger and Lynx shared glances. Lynx got up and went over to a shelf. The Scavenger turned his attention back to Aronicle.
“You know what,” Aronicle said. A cough wracked his body. Lynx returned with bandages and herbs. Aronicle gave a weak shake of his head. “It’s no use. I have very less time and there is something important that I need to share.” Aronicle coughed profusely but continued, “Urrax almost killed me. I stopped my pulse and heartbeat and acted as if I was dead.”
Lynx said, “Urrax is loyal to the Skull Warrior. He was a mole who took advantage of our trust. He was betraying our location to the Skull Warrior.”
Aronicle gave a feeble nod. “But Urrax made a mistake.”
“What?” the Scavenger asked.
“Thinking that I was dead, he conversed with someone, most probably the Skull Warrior, through a small sphere that he took out from his robe. I silently listened. What I could gather from the conversation is that the Skull Warrior is somewhere on the eastern side of the Dark World. He knows we are in the western part. He is gathering his army and plans to start his march to the western side in exactly two months from now.”
“The Tyhorox,” Lynx whispered.
“Yes. The Skull Warrior
