[https://img.wattpad.com/story_parts/1385368924/images/178843b47412632d120195992025.png]
They all turned to look towards the entrance to the treasure chamber where the voice had come from. Standing in the doorway was the Grox, spreading out its sword arms and exposing its sharp teeth.
The Grox leaped directly towards Elva, but Loki was too fast for it. He skated up the pile of gold, swung Elva over his shoulder, then skated to Trom and Sophie and grabbed each of them under his arms.
He skated up the pile of gold, swung Elva over his shoulder, then skated to Trom and Sophie and grabbed each of them under his arms [https://img.wattpad.com/f03c1957aa13927e140c2fe4536cf763a6cfefb4/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f486c304675534f707430674c36513d3d2d313338353336383932342e3137383834333963633264646333343934323939333635303231342e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
He started moving towards the other end of the treasure chamber. The Grox was right behind them, leaping from one pile of treasures to the next, like a vicious monkey chasing its prey.
At the end of the hall was another door. Loki kicked it open and skated out into another hallway.
Trom hung limply under Loki’s other arm, not saying anything.
”Trom, are you okay?” Sophie asked.
”Yeah… Apart from how this is all my fault, I’m fine…”
Sophie was still worried about Trom and how guilty he seemed to feel about it all, but she had to turn her attention towards Loki, who was skating across the gilded halls.
”Where are we going?”
”If it’s the highest point you’re looking for, we need to go to the palace roof.”
Sophie looked back over her shoulder. Would they have time to capture the lightning before the Grox caught up with them? Suddenly she had an idea.
”Loki, do you still have some of those captured animals?”
”Sure, we have a couple of fire lizards, wyverns and land squids that weren’t ready for release when everyone left.”
”All right, take us there!”
Loki seemed confused. ”I thought we needed to get to the roof as fast as possible?”
”Not with the Grox right behind us.”
Loki hesitated, but then conceded. “Well, you’re the one with all the bright ideas. Let’s do it, then.” He took a sharp turn around the next corner.
”If we release all the animals at once as we pass through the room, that should distract the Grox long enough for us to get to the roof.”
Loki skated into the room where all the animals were stored, put down the three children and quickly shut the door behind them. Just as he turned the key in the lock, they heard a loud thud coming from the other side of the door as the Grox crashed into it. They could hear it start to slash its sword arms against the thick wood of the door.
”Hurry to the other side of the room! I’ll release the animals!”
Sophie, Elva and Trom did as they were told. As they ran to the door at the other end of the room, Elva asked: “What does he want to release the animals for?”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
”They’ll slow down the Grox so we can get some distance from it. Didn’t you hear when I explained it?”
”I was too busy scouting for the Grox to listen,” Elva said, looking around at the animals. “And we shouldn’t let the Grox near these creatures – they’ve got all kinds of different powers!”
Sophie shot Elva a puzzled look.
”The Grox steal the abilities of whatever they kill, so these animals are just going to make the Grox stronger. That’s why they’re some of the most despised beings in the magical world!”
Sophie hadn’t known that. What’s more, it hadn’t even occurred to her that the Grox would actually hurt the animals. She’d just hoped that they would block its way or confuse it long enough for them to escape.
“Then we need a different plan! Maybe there’s something we can use in one of the other rooms!”
”It’s too late, Sophie,” Elva said.
Loki came skating towards them. “The animals are loose!” Before Sophie could protest, Loki had grabbed them all. They saw the door collapse with another slash of the Grox’s arm. Sophie gritted her teeth shamefully. The Grox stepped into the room, just as Loki swept through the other door. The Grox chased after them, but was attacked by a fire lizard leaping on top of it, throwing the Grox to the floor.
Loki skated through the palace at top speed, up staircases and through rooms and hallways until they reached a final spiral staircase that they followed upwards. There they opened the door and stepped out onto the roof.
The storm had grown even worse and the wind whipped at their faces. Sophie looked up towards the dark clouds that were circling above them, building towards a giant lightning strike that could probably cleave a mountain in two.
”Do you know exactly where the lightning is going to strike, Trom?”
Trom pointed towards the very edge of the roof, where a wooden beam had been carved into the shape of Loki extending his arms upwards and holding a large plate above him.
Sophie headed straight towards it and climbed on top of the carved wooden figure. When she got on top of it, Elva handed her the energy container. Sophie planted her feet on top of the wooden plate, unscrewed the lid of the bottle, and stretched her arms up toward the heavens.
A few seconds passed while nothing happened. The four of them all exchanged worried looks.
”Do you think I was supposed to do it like this?” Sophie asked.
”That’s what the book said,” Trom said, looking up at the smaller lightning bolts that were still exploding across the skies.
Sophie looked up towards the clouds. “Maybe we shou…”
Suddenly, the sky lit up, blinding all of them. The lightning bolt shot straight into the glass bottle. Without a second’s hesitation, Sophie screwed the lid back on. The lightning bolt was caught.
The four of them cheered in celebration, but their sense of victory was short-lived. A short distance away, a sword slashed through the roof from underneath, and a few more slashes created a hole which the Grox emerged from.
A short distance away, a sword slashed through the roof from underneath, and a few more slashes created a hole which the Grox emerged from [https://img.wattpad.com/54cad88f1b9cf6495860cc0ae82b5d54ca4fdf76/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6a32457a5f574b4134514f524b673d3d2d313338353336383932342e313738383433393966613838613862363137383736363635393737332e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The Grox’s sword arms had changed. Now flames came off them, like they were on constant fire. The Grox breathed heavily. Its battle with the fire lizard had exhausted it – but clearly it had still won.
Sophie winced, thinking about the poor fire lizard. For the first time, she found herself really hoping that Elva’s theory about Loki’s kingdom being some kind of fiction was correct.
Elva turned her head frantically from side to side. “Where’s the door!? We have the lightning bolt, so where’s the door!?!”
Sophie couldn’t see the door anywhere on the roof. Could it be back down on the ground? She looked down off the edge of the roof and spotted it… but not standing on the grass. It was floating horizontally in the air, halfway down.
”We need to jump!” Sophie yelled, pointing down towards the door.
Elva and Trom hurried over to the edge of the roof. The Grox limped towards them.
“I’m not letting you get away!”
Loki stepped in between them and the Grox. “You’ll have to get past me first.” And with that, Loki started to grow.
Sophie turned towards Loki. It was that other form of rune magic that Loki had mentioned to her. He was turning giant.
”Sophie! We need to jump! Now!” Elva yelled, keeping a firm eye on the Grox.
”Loki, you won’t give up, right!?”
Loki smiled. ”Don’t you worry, Sophie. I’ll search every last part of this world if that’s what it takes to save my kingdom.”
He took a step towards the Grox, but as he put down his foot it went straight through the roof.
The Grox seized the opportunity and went around Loki, running straight towards Sophie, Elva and Trom.
They jumped.