"Before we go," Jade started, "their leader, Aeneas, is a chaos magic user. You should keep a reasonable distance from him. Get too close and he'd absolve your life force," the vampire warned.
"Then why are we still here when Hunter could be in danger?!" said Zoe.
...
"Last chance to honor our deal and get out of here," Elise warned.
Aeneas looks back at his men, "kill them both," he ordered.
"Suit yourself." The men rush towards the dark-skinned Northlander who looks back at her partner. The brunette gives her friend an approbative nod.
The weather suddenly turns dark and Elise transforms into an eight feet beast with large claws and spikes on the middle of her back. She roars before easily hitting the men approaching her away.
René sits on the ground before folding her legs together and closing her eyes. The witch possesses the darklings that were close by and control them to attack the members of the nature boys.
Aeneas frowns before using his water arms to clear out his path to the hybrid, hitting even his men away.
He spins and attempts to use his water arms to smack the hybrid across the face but she moves to the side of the attack before closing the distance between them and grabbing the water elemental by the throat and slamming him into the ground.
Unfazed, the elemental turns the water razor-sharp and drives it through the hybrid's chest. She stumbles backward and Aeneas controls the water in the trees around and uses it to hold the hybrid down.
He moved towards the hybrid to end it but a darkling popped out of nowhere and throws a punch that sends him flying.
"What do we do?" Leah asked Hunter.
"I'm thinking," said Hunter.
"I'm a fire elemental, I just need some help with the crystal and I'd be able to burn the ropes and free us all," one of the captives revealed.
"You can't use your powers," Hunter said, "this thing would blow up the place if you do," he stated.
"I don't take orders from you," the man frowned. "Tacticus, what do we do?" He asked his leader.
Hunter looked at the man pleadingly, shaking his head gently. "The Northlanders could be lying about the poles," said Tacticus, "see if you can get your crystal off Caleb," he said to the fire elemental. "Yes, boss."
The man attempts to break free, steam coming out of his nose and the pole tied to the sprite's legs begins to glow the slightest tinge of green.
"No one does anything!" Leah said pointing a knife at the man called Caleb.
"He said he was thinking, give him time to think," she added before walking to where Hunter was.
"Don't get too close," Hunter warned.
"Don't worry," Leah said showing him a crystal she was holding onto. "Blocks even my powers," she added.
"Where did you get a knife from?" Hunter asked confused.
"Grabbed it from one of the guys that brought us in," she said before examining the pole, "I can't get you out of this thing," said Leah.
"I don't think there's a way out ... I think it has to blow up."
Caleb jumps Leah from behind and then tries to wrestle the knife from her fist, the fire elemental had freed himself while she wasn't looking.
The crystal falls from Leah's hand and is kicked away as the two struggle for possession of the knife. The pole glows even brighter.
...
A portal opens and Zoe, Sophia, and Jade step out of it and into the dark weather of Adina Forest.
"What's happening here?" Zoe said looking around.
"Hunter's over there," Sophia pointed south. "Let's go then."
The trio raced to the spot where Hunter was. They arrived to find Caleb's fists clenched with fire around them and Leah not far away pointing her blade at him.
"What in tarnation is going on here!?" Jade demanded her eyes moving from the blade to Leah's face and to Caleb.
"Guys, it's nice to see you but you might want to get out of here," Hunter shouted as the light from the pole began to blind him.
"Hunter, I --" Zoe said stepping forward.
"No, stay back Zoe!" the sprite shouted. "This thing's going to blow up! Get everyone out of here, now!"
"I can't leave you here," said Zoe, her eyes filled with tears.
"Just open a portal for the others, I'll be fine."
Not too far from the scene, the Northlanders and what was left of the Nature Boys notice the pole.
"Sis, it's going to blow up," Elise said quickly running to René's side.
"Shit!" Aeneas cussed looking for cover.
[Any last words?]
'You think you're funny, don't you?'
[Don't be a wet blanket, I'm hilarious and you know it]
"Yeah," Hunter laughs.
[So what's your actual plan here?]
'I'm going to take my soul out of my body before this thing explodes.'
[What makes you think that would work?]
'It has to, that mercenary I fought, Sasha, I took her soul so this won't be the first time I'm doing something like this. I know it's not safe but it would be better than waiting here to die. If I take my soul out, you'd still be here so my body would regenerate before I return,' he explained.
[Wait, I'm the fall guy?]
'Yes, what else are you here for?'
Waleed laughs. [You'd have to make it back in time or your soul would remain lost forever]
'I know.' Hunter exhales deeply. 'This could be the end.'
[You'll be fine]
'Will you?'
[I've been in worse]
Hunter exhales deeply again. "Alright Mr. Avicenna, let's test your floating man argument," he stated before his eyes turn white.
Hunter falls freely in the air, his mind fluttering over the abyss of eternity. The sprite is unable to feel or affirm the existence of his limbs, innards, or any material body but he is aware of the existence of his essence.
BOOM!
A huge explosion rocks the entire forest, destroying everything in its wake but the violent release of energy is reabsorbed back to its fount by Waleed who was now in control of Hunter's body.
"I knew there was something special about you," Aeneas said stepping out of his hiding place.
"You're just what --" he stops as he notices the lines on the demon's body.
"Those markings ... You're --" Before the elemental could finish, Waleed closes the distance between them, grabbing him by the throat.
Aeneas screams and screams as his skin ages and ages before falling to the ground, lifeless. The body then fades to dust.
Waleed gives up the soulless body and it falls back to the ground. A portal opens and Zoe jumps out of it, running through the burnt grass and toward Hunter's body.
The fiend falls to her knees and holds Hunter close to herself.
"Hunter! Hunter!" She cried.
"What are you being so damn loud for?" Hunter said groggily.
"Hunter," she smiled, laughing lightly as tears fall from her eyes, her tears of pain replaced with that of joy.
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