Book 1 | Agent 34 and the Desert of Beasts

Chapter 4 | The Crown's True Power

The never-ending walk was really getting to Agent 34.

The elf was bored every second that passed by. His thirst has grown, as well as his hunger. His throat was so dry, it was hard to speak. It had been only a day since Agent 34 saw the black dragon fly above his head, and he was on the cliff of death from thirst and hunger.

Energy was quickly being sapped from the elf because of his dehydration and hunger. Agent 34 could barely run anymore, and probably couldn't defend himself if another assassin came for him.

Agent 34 fell to his knees as he climbed up the sand dune ahead of him. His legs could no longer support him, and he used his hands to drag him along the sand. The elf's eyes drooped, and his mouth started to hang open. Sweat fell from him, and his clothes started to tear slowly over time.

Once Agent 34 could no longer go farther, he laid himself down in the sand and waited for death to come. His droopy eyes slowly closed, and the world around the elf faded quickly.

~ ~ ~

The crackle of flames awoke Agent 34. Slowly sitting up, he opened his eyes to see a fire had been made in front of him by an unknown being. The elf looked around and saw another person, a female, but Agent 34 could not tell what species she was. It was either a human or elf, because she was not small life a dwarf.

The woman was sitting by the fire as well, sharpening a knife. She looked up and saw that Agent 34 had awoken, and her face lit up with joy.

"It's about time," She greeted him. "You've been out of it for a while now. It's been a day since I found you, and who knows how long you were knocked out. I gave you some water, but you haven't been able to eat because I can't make you eat. Here," she slid a piece of cooked pork over to Agent 34. "Eat up. We will be departing in the morning."

"Who are you? And how did you find me? And why did you rescue me?" Agent 34 asked immediately.

"Well, my name is Arenia. I saw you had fainted in the sand, and you looked so helpless. You had no supplies, no food, no water, and all you wielded was a sword. I had to rescue you, I couldn't just leave you to die, or an assassin would've gotten to 'ya." Arenia explained.

Arenia pushed her long, brown hair back behind her ear, revealing a pointed tip on it. She's an elf, Agent 34 thought.

"Why are you even in the desert?" Agent 34 asked the female elf.

"Same as you," Arenia replied. "Looking for that damned crown. God, the entire nation has been divided trying to find this thing. But, between you and me, I'm working for a secret agency that is devoted into stopping Lord Braunick from getting that crown. We are just trying to destroy it so it cannot get into his filthy hands. If it ever does, then the world will crumble before us."

The image of that golden crown that was broken in half popped back into Agent 34's mind. Maybe it did play a role in his amnesia and his past.

"Why would the world crumble if he got it? And who is he?" The elf asked.

Arenia's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean to tell me you do not know who Lord Braunick is?" She asked in shock. "What is wrong with you? You don't mean to tell me you are from the other side of the ocean?"

"No, I uh—I got amnesia. Can't remember anything, not even my name. I'm just trying to get back to safety and out of this desert before I die." Agent 34 explained to her.

"Sorry, sorry. My apologies, I had no idea. What shall I call you then?" Arenia asked.

"I had a slip of paper in my pocket that said Agent 34, so just call me that until I get my memory back." Agent 34 said.

"Wait, woah woah woah. I think I know why your memory is gone," Arenia said, looking down in disgust. "Lord Braunick must've found one of the gems."

"Gems?" Agent 34 said to Arenia. "You mean from the crown?"

"I thought you had amnesia?" Arenia said suspiciously, raising her eyebrow. "How would you know the crown has gems?"

"I awoke and I think five images flashed through my mind. They all vanished, and I forgot what they were, and one of them stayed. It was a picture of a crown slashed in half, and half buried in sand." Agent 34 explained to the female elf.

"You know what those gems do?" Arenia asked Agent 34, sharpening her weapon. Agent 34 shook his head. "Well, they give one ultimate power. Break the gem, and the energy inside of it goes to the breaker, giving them extra strength and mental capacity. If you are a spellweaver—you know what a spellweaver is, amnesia?"

"No, sorry." Agent 34 mumbled, and Arenia groaned a little under her breath.

"Well, they basically are capable of producing weak spells. If they find a way to enhance their strength, the spells can become stronger. If they say a certain spell, they can go into other people's minds and speak to them telepathically, and if strong enough, steal memories or erase them completely. They can also use an oath to block them, and make you gain all of them back once you do a certain task. I am a spellweaver myself, but not that strong." Arenia explained.

Agent 34 nodded, which told Arenia to continue. "Anyways, if you are a spellweaver and get that energy from the gem, it can increase your strength, thus increasing your magic and mental capacity. You may easily break into one's mind and steal their memories, and most of the time, it turns them insane. You're lucky to have survived that, because I think Lord Braunick got a gem and took your memories. If you want them back, you gotta kill him, it breaks his bond to your memories, thus releasing them back to you."

"So Braunick stole my memories?" Agent 34 said in anger. "He stole my birth, childhood, and everything else. He stole my past! I vow to slay that monsterous beast no matter what!"

"We have all sworn that, but none have succeeded. I wish you the best of luck. If you want any chance at doing that, I suggest you go to the place I work for. It's called the Zena, and we are a secret organization devoted to destroying Braunick's rein over the world. I could take you there, if you'd like. But we must leave this horrible desert." Arenia said.

"Wait, let me recap over everything," Agent 34 said, interrupting Arenia's proposal. "So this crown contains gems that enhance your strength and mental capacity if you are a spellweaver—and why is everyone scared of this Braunick?"

"He has an entire army that is devoted into finding those gems and crown—he has sworn every single one of them into killing anyone they see in the desert, and bringing the crown and gems to him. Until he breaks the bond between him and the soldiers, they cannot stop their jobs until they die or the bond somehow alters, which is highly unlikely," Arenia said. "Braunick is king of Renya, the place we live in. We have yet to sail the ocean and discover anyone else beyond our shores. If we ever do, my organization, Zena, will move there and finally find peace outside of Braunick's rule."

"The entire population of Renya has been divided by trying to find the crown—once Braunick foolishly announced that someone found a gem and gained extra strength from it, Braunick slayed the finder and ordered all of his soldiers to find the crown or die trying. I must leave at dawn to tell Zena that Braunick has found a gem—and it only gets worse from here until he finds another of the crown's gems."

"May I accompany you to Zena?" Agent 34 asked. "I would like to strike at Braunick in some form, and at least try to satisfy my anger towards him."

"Yes, Zena would be happy to house you. We leave at dawn, get prepared. Dragons are searching the borders of the desert, so be prepared to either battle them or somehow sneak around them."

Agent 34 laid onto his back, and slowly drifted to sleep, and the fire went out on its own.