When Allen entered the front hall, there was no sign of Alice or the Akuma there. His eye began to spin. The gear shaped curse searched for the monster, spinning left, right, before finally settling in the direction of the door that led down into the catacombs and eventually the crystal. He took off without hesitation.
With his eye activated, Allen didn't need to remember the directions they'd taken to first view the crystal some nights before. He ran, moving quickly and praying to God that he wasn't too late. A flash of red appeared before him. He gritted his teeth and ran forward, smashing through the door that lead into the crystal room.
The giant Akuma looking monster that had been there previously was no more. It was crumbled having been hit by both the Akuma and Alice's attack. The crystal however was still in one piece, pulsing a deep red color, and little bits of electricity moving around it. The Akuma stood in front of it.
"I was wondering when one of you exorcists was going to arrive," he teased. Allen tensed, raising his sword.
"Get away from there," he growled. "There's no way I'd let you take that crystal." The Akuma smiled and turned.
"Oh really? Then I guess the life of this little girl isn't too important now is it?" Allen gritted his teeth. In the monster's left arm was Alice. She was hurt badly, her siding bleeding profusely, and several more severe wounds were all over her body. She'd known she wouldn't have been able to defeat a level 3 by herself but no one had arrived after they'd entered the crystal room…
"Let her go!" Allen raised the sword, ready to strike. The Akuma laughed.
"Your choice exorcist, you get the girl or you get the crystal." There came a few minutes of tense silence.
"Don…don't let him get… the crystal… Allen." The Akuma jerked in surprise as Alice barely managed to lift her head. She smiled weakly at him. "I'm… alright. Don't…" He punched her in the face. Allen shouted out but the monster only tightened his hold on her, squeezing her painfully.
"This is it boy, your choice. I either squeeze her to death now or I get the crystal. Pick." Allen swore and before he could answer anything, someone shot around him and connected with the Akuma square in the chest. There was a loud cracking sound and Alice fell to the ground like a ton of bricks. The Akuma swore. "What the…?"
Beatrice quickly bent down and lifted the young girl up. She rushed towards Allen. "Take the Mistress. Get her to safety for now. I'll hold this devil off," the robot ordered. Allen, having reattached his left arm, scooped Alice up and jumped back towards the door. "Master Exorcists." He turned his head to face her. "As a robot I am not programmed for something like this but I must apologize. I'm afraid I am the one who knocked out all of the finders on the roof. This demon was in control of me for some time because of a sound attack his has. It altered my circuits for a bit." A small, uncharacteristic smile crossed her lips. "Tell the Mistress that I am deeply sorry for the trouble I caused her. Now go!" Allen nodded and ran out the door. A smile crossed his lips.
The word robot was still new to him and he knew they normally weren't created for emotions, but he was sure Beatrice had found hers.