MLII C2, P9- "Into The Mist"

"Into The Mist" is the ninth Part of "Miracula Luxia" 's second Chapter. It was released on 10.11.2020.
== Plot ==
Backed up by his friends and a large army of brave Avernite soldiers, Jared decides that it is finally time for Dorikas and the Darkside Loyalists to see how the heroes work together and show them that they made a grave mistake when they challenged them.
The time of the Darkside Loyalists is ending. Soon, they will experience a downfall that will ruin their community for good.
And there is no escaping from it.
== Story ==
Jared is still confused by what is currently going on in Avernum.
"Grandpa, how did you get here so quickly?"- He asks his grandfather.
Lethal smiles.
"Well, let's just say that the grandpa who you saw up there... was not actually me."
Jared gasps.
"What... what do you mean by that?"- He says- "You were here... the whole time?"
Lethal nods.
"Fortunately, news travel fast here. When Ghall-Ihrno told me about what happened to you, Devin and Florence, I decided not to hold our combined force of Avernite and Abyss soldiers back anymore. So, I sent John and the army of Avernite soldiers to save you from those fiends."
He looks at John and smiles.
"Thankfully, John was quick enough."- He continues- "When he heard that you were in danger, he left immediately, ahead of the forces, in an attempt to find you before the loyalists."
He looks at John.
"Well, my boy? Did you find them before they did?"
John hangs his head in shame.
"Unfortunately, they were already there, about to kill him."- He says- "It was thanks to me that he's here."
Lethal smiles and shakes John's hand.
"Then I'm glad that you saved my son. You are a real hero."
John smiles. Then, he turns to Jared.
"The forces that we sent to attack Fort Darkside will be sufficient to keep those fools busy, at least for a few days. But we still need to act."
Lethal nods.
"John's right. The attackers that we just sent will open a new window for us. A new opportunity that we must take advantage of if we want to end this war once and for all."
Jared smiles.
"This is what I came here for! But, Devin and Florence... "
Lethal nods again.
"Yes, yes. I know about them."- He says- "Excuse me for a minute. I need to bring someone here... "
When his grandfather comes back, Jared sees that he has brought two people with him.
The people who are in front of our hero are indeed Devin and Florence.
Seeing that her friend is still alive and well, Florence hugs him.
"We thought that you were dead!"- She says.
Jared grins.
"Remember, Flo. Heroes never die!"- He responds.
He looks at John and smiles.
"And, most importantly, they have powerful allies who always watch their backs."
John smiles as well and pats his friend on the back.
Lethal approaches his grandson. Seeing that he is smiling, he smiles as well.
"So. Does the presence of your friends put your mind at ease, at least for a little bit?"
Jared nods.
"Yes. It... does. A lot."- He says while still hugging Florence- "Thank you, grandpa."
Lethal nods and smiles, happy that he made his grandson smile.
Meanwhile, Jared stares at the nearby gate and sighs.
"But there is still danger out there."- He continues- "And I am not going to rest well until all of those hostile elements are taken care of. Especially the one that has been causing the most ruckus out of all of them... Dorikas."
Lethal smiles sadly.
"I know that very well. And I think that I can say the same for myself... and everyone around here."- He says- "No one is going to sleep well. Not while the Darkside Loyalists are still out there, attempting to spread their false ideas throughout the world and cause widespread chaos."
Jared nods and looks around. He sees some of his old friends- Barin, Aimee and even Commander Jones. He also sees the size of the army.
He is disappointed. He thought that the army would be larger and more prepared for such an important battle. Sadly, this is something that you must expect from an army that has been based in the Abyss for a while- hasn't had any good meal or sleep in weeks, fearful of defeat and with dented weapons and armor, caused by the attacks of various fiends around the city of Spire in the past few weeks. And not to mention that most of the soldiers here look like natives of this land- Abyss dwellers who know how to defend themselves, but are better for defending the city rather than assaulting a much larger fort.
However, this doesn't mean that they aren't going to do anything against the Darkside Loyalists. Warriors from the Abyss may be mistrustful and rebellious at times, but they still get the job done when they are told to. Or, rather, paid to do it.
Despite the inital disappointment in this so-called "army", seeing his friends and his grandfather has motivated Jared and helped him realize that there is still a chance for them to turn the tides of this never-ending war between the Light and the Darkness.
He looks at his grandfather and nods, confident that they will succeed.
"The Darkside Loyalists will pay for what they have done."
Lethal smiles.
"Yes, they will."- He responds- "Now, go to sleep. There is a long day ahead of us and we must be prepared to make our dream come true."
Jared enters the quarters that were left for him and lies on his bed. Immediately, he notices that his eyelids get heavier and heavier. 
Soon, he is completely asleep.
In his dreams, he sees the aftermath of the Darkside Loyalists' attack on his hometown once again. Looking closer, he sees that everyone he loves is dead.
His father.
His grandfather.
His sister.
And all of his friends.
There is no escaping from this. The Darkside Loyalists are a powerful force and, if they are not defeated in time, they will... will... 
Suddenly, the dream ends. It looks like Jared will not see the end of it.
Having had enough of nightmares, he opens his eyes. He stands up, puts on his jerkin, picks up Demonslayer from a nearby table, as well as his bow from another and exits the quarters.
There, he sees that everyone is waiting for him.
Lethal smiles.
"Late as always, I see."- He says.
Jared looks down.
"I am sorry, grandpa. I... had a bad dream."
Lethal sighs.
"It doesn't matter."- He responds- "I have some actual good news for you, child!"
Jared's eyes light up.
"Finally!"- He exclaims- "Is the way clear, at last?"
Lethal nods and smiles.
"It is, indeed."- He says- "Although most of the soldiers died, they broke the right wall of Fort Darkside. We can begin the assault!"
Jared looks at the soldiers, as well as his friends. He decides that a motivational speech is too much for such a situation, so he simply says:
"Let's take back what is ours, my friends."
Everyone cheers and prepares to attack the fort.
Soon, most of the soldiers stationed in the city (Including Jared and his allies) leave Spire and begin their journey towards Fort Darkside, intending to come back only when they have killed every traitor within. Or the other way around, if they are unlucky.
Midway, Jared decides to ask John about what happened to Annie while they are absent. He is shocked to learn that the bandits at Fort Darkside managed to capture her during one of their scouting missions and were demanding payment from Spire in order to release her, up to the point when Jared was teleported near the fort when they decided to simply execute her, to lower the morale of her friends.
Although it seems unlikely at this point, Jared hopes that she is still alive and that the Darkside Loyalists are simply using her as decoy for their wicked plans. He vows to hurt them for what they have done and does not back down when John tells him that it is unnecessary to loathe them so much.
It only takes half an hour for our heroes to reach the fort and stand next to its gates.
When the surviving bandits see them, they stand at the ramains of the wall and point their weapons at them.
"It seems like our prey has finally decided to show itself."- One of them says- "You've come a long way down the rabbit hole, Jared Kaos!"
Jared smiles.
"Well, it seems like you finally got me."- He says- "But, if you want to catch me, you have to get past my friends first."
It is at this moment that the bandits notice the army standing behind Jared and watch as he issues a command to attack.
The archers shoot at the bandits with their weapons, easily taking them off the wall. The rest of the bandits, hearing that their comrades at the walls have fallen, rush towards the gate to protect their fort.
While the soldier fight valiantly against the Darkside Loyalists, Jared, John, Devin, Florence and Lethal sneak through the crack on the right wall and remain unnoticed.
They have their first good look of the fort. Although it does look very impressive from the outside, the area beyond the walls is another question.
In the hopes of spreading chaos everywhere, the Darkside Loyalists completely neglected the fort where they are located. Most of the buildings are ruined, awaiting to be repaired by the residents. They have no ballistas, no armory and no means of healing their wounded beyond simple healing magic.
To our heroes, it seems like the attempt that the Darkside Loyalists will make to take over the Empire and the whole world will be a total failure.
However, the mastermind of this plan is still alive. And, if he isn't defeated soon, then there is still a tiny chance that the madness that he is planning will actually succeed.
Jared and his allies move forward, careful not to alert any of the guards towards them.
Finally, they reach something that looks like an inner sanctum for the fort- a large building that looks like a place where the leader of the Darkside Loyalists would stay. Inside, they find out that this is the fort's planning room. The room where the major meetings of the fort take place.
Although there are no guards in the room, there is still one person sitting on one of the chairs. When he sees our heroes enter the room, he gets up. Although he is surprised by this sudden intrusion, he seems to have expected it. The expression in his eyes betrays it all.
Everyone stares at the man and he stares back at them. For a moment, they think that he will make an excuse and beg them to spare him.
However, no such speech is forthcoming. Instead, he simply smiles and puts his hand near his left pocket.
"I thought that you wouldn't find me. Looks like I was wrong."- He says- "Welcome to Fort Darkside, heroes."
Jared shakes his head.
"There is no time for this nonsense, villain!"- He says stoically- "How about you tell us where your leader is instead?"
The man looks around. Then, he smiles again.
"You want to see the mighty leader of the Darkside Loyalists, don't you Jared? After all that my forces did to you and your friends, you finally came to see me in person. I would have been quite disappointed otherwise."- He says- "Yes, I am the man you have been looking for all this time. I am the man whose army killed countless fools who did not see the truth in our ways and tried to stop us. I am the man, from whom you are going to suffer a humiliating and inevitable defeat."
"I... am... Dorikas!"
Everyone gasps. Everyone except for Jared.
Instead of being surprised by what the man just said to him, he carefully takes a step forward and inspects him.
Although he does have long, dark hair like Dorikas himself, he does not have the aging look that the cruel mastermind of the Darkside Loyalists would have. Instead, he has the look of a very young man, probably around John's age who looks like he has never seen (or participated) in a battle in his entire life. His face bears no scars, he is not tired (like most of the warriors inside this fort) and he is always focused.
Lethal laughs bitterly.
"You? You are Dorikas?!"- He yells- "You're not fit to be a leader, kid! You're lying to us!"
He points his sword at him.
"Now tell us where your leader is before we take you down along with the rest of your pathetic force!"
The young man who claims to be Dorikas draws his weapon. That's when Devin recognizes the man who made him steal the Demonslayer from its resting place and give it to him.
He gasps.
"Mr. Kaos, it's him! It's Dorikas!"- He says to Lethal- "This is the blade that he almost killed me with!"
Lethal looks at Devin.
"What?!"- He says, surprised- "You know who Dorikas is? And you're telling me that this is him?"
Devin nods.
"Yes, but there's no time to explain."- He responds- "We must kill him before he escapes!"
Florence stops for a moment and stares at Dorikas. She seems to approve of what she is seeing within the young man, at least in his exterior.
"This man is quite gorgeous!"- She whispers to Jared- "Is he single?"
Jared smirks.
"Seriously, Flo? Is this really what you should be thinking about in a situation like this?"- He scolds her- "Focus on the task at hand! We are not here to admire our enemies. We are here to fight them!"
Florence nods and smiles sadly.
"Of course, of course."- She mutters.
Meanwhile, a new warrior enters the room and approaches Lethal.
"Mr. Kaos, the loyalists at the front gate have been taken care of, as you requested. Any signs that the threacherous worm Dorikas is still around here?"
He also sees Jared and smiles at him. Jared smiles back when he sees his good friend- Farrar.
Lethal sighs and points at the young man ahead of them.
Farrar gasps and draws his blade.
"I knew it! I knew that you would be around here, Dorikas! I knew that we would find you, sooner or later!"
"You have been playing with ancient magic, haven't you, you fool?"- He adds- "Trying to gain eternal youth, at the cost of giving up on your past self! Thinking that you can fool the ones who are hunting you! Well, I see through this facade of yours! You can't fool me!"
Everyone looks at Farrar, shocked that he actually knows Farrar well. However, they decide not to question that for now and turn back to Dorikas.
They see that he is actually terrified. Seeing someone who can always recognize him, no matter how he looks like has left him shaken. 
He pulls a glass orb out of his pocket and holds it in the air.
"Catch me if you can!"- He yells and throws it to the ground, smashing it.
Suddenly, a cloud of mist envelops our heroes, rendering them unable to chase Dorikas.
However, Jared is prepared for this and is unaffected by such petty tricks. He draws Demonslayer and easily passes through the mist.
"Dorikas, I am coming for you!"- He yells and charges.
Dorikas, seeing that the mist did not affect Jared, smirks.
"I knew that it wouldn't work on you."- He says stoically- "Well, if you want to fight me, come hither!"
He quickly climbs the stars, with Jared running behind him in hot pursuit.
Soon, the mist clears and Jared's allies notice that Dorikas is gone. However, they also notice that Jared is also absent.
"Where did he go?"- Lethal says- "Where did my grandson go?!"
Farrar pats him on the shoulder. Then, he catches a glimpse of Jared, smiles and points at him.
"Relax, Mr. Kaos. Jared is completely fine."- He says to Lethal- "He's just chasing Dorikas up there."
Lethal smiles.
"That's my boy!"- He exclaims- "Get him, Jared! Show him what happens if you mess with the Kaos family!"
Devin and Florence look around and see someone approaching them. 
All of them draw their weapons when the bandits approach them.
One of the bandits, possibly a captain of the Darkside Loyalists or something close to that, approaches our heroes and points his weapon at them.
"This is the end of the line, intruders."- He says- "I am Dervish Tholmen and I am here to take you in. If you don't tell us where Jared Kaos is, we will destroy you."
Lethal smirks.
"You think that I will tell you where my grandson is?"- He says- "I will never let you reach him, you fiends!"
John nods and points his sword at Dervish Tholmen.
"Tell us where Annie is, you vagabonds!"- He screams at him- "I'm not going to ask twice!"
Tholmen smiles.
"Oh, you must be John Braveheart. The girl that we took hostage has been dying to meet you, that's for sure!"
John takes a step closer to Tholmen and presses his sword against his throat.
"Listen here, Tholmen."- He mutters- "If you did anything to my friend, I will make all of you pay for what you have done to her."
Tholmen smiles again.
"I assure you that nobody has hurt your precious Annie. She's okay."- He says.
He whistles to the loyalists behind him and they bring a girl forward- Annie.
She gets a good look at Tholmen and stares at him coldly. Then, she sees John and gasps.
"John!"- She exclaims.
John is just as surprised as Annie. He moves forward and tries to hug her.
However, Tholmen pushes him away in the last moment.
"Just because I'm letting you see her doesn't mean that you can have her back!"- He says- "She's not going anywhere."
The rest of the loyalists laugh, as if to a joke that someone just made.
"That's enough!"- Lethal yells- "Release the girl immediately before we take her back by force!"
Before Tholmen can respond to that, he and the rest of the loyalists hear an explosion nearby and realize that the Avernites have finally breached the fort's outer defenses and are now attacking the warriors within.
Tholmen decides to make a run for it. He quickly grabs Annie by the left arm and flees with his loyalists.
"Friends, help me!"- Annie yells desperately, hoping that she will be saved.
While the rest of her allies are unable to reach the loyalists in time, John runs forward angrily and blocks Tholmen's way.
"Oh no, you don't!"- He yells- "If you want to get out of here, then it will be through me!"
Tholmen laughs, drops Annie on the ground and draws his sword.
"Bring it on, you foolish kid!"- He says and charges.
While John and Tholmen fight, Lethal manages to pull Annie away.
Moments later, she falls to the ground. Something is weakening her.
She pulls her left sleeve up and reveals a fresh wound. It looks like someone shot her in the arm with an arrow before they brought her here, to ensure that she wouldn't escape Fort Darkside alive. The wound is infected and the infection is quickly spreading through her blood.
In the distance, Tholmen laughs.
"See?"- He yells- "I told you! She isn't going anywhere... because she will be dead soon!"
While he fighting John, Tholmen shows feelings that he did not show before- remorse and guilt. Although he did torture Annie at first, he only did it because he was told to, not because he wanted to. He feels bad that she has to die, especially after learning that her mother died a year ago.
Still, he decides that those feelings are of minor importance in wartime. He continues to fight with John, oblivious to everything that is happening around him.
Annie shakes her head and sighs.
"It seems that I won't live to see the light of another day."- She says to Lethal- "Please, Mr. Kaos. Let me see Jared before I die. It's... the last thing that I want to do before I meet my end."
Lethal is reluctant at first, but he knows better than refusing to fulfill the last wish of a dying person. He sees Uma and her father approach them and nods in greeting.
"Uma, Edward, I want you to help Devin, Florence and Farrar hold back the loyalists while me and Annie go upstairs. Got it?"
Uma and her father nod.
"It will be done, Mr. Kaos."- Uma says.
Lethal smiles and turns to John.
"John! Come with me!"- He yells.
John quickly realizes that Lethal needs his help and abandons the fight with Tholmen.
"Come back here, you coward!"- Tholmen yells at him and swings his blade.
However, he is soon stopped by Farrar who decides to fight Tholmen in John's place.
"I will hunt you and all of your friends down! Prepare to die!"- The villain yells.
Farrar smiles.
"Let's see if you can get through me first."- He says- "En garde, Tholmen!"
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While their friends are holding the Darkside Loyalists back downstairs, Lethal, John and Annie go up the stairs that lead to the upper floors.
Suddenly, Annie feels weak again and falls into John's arms.
He looks at Lethal sadly.
"Mr. Kaos, Annie's time in this world is ending. The light in her eyes... it's fading away."- He says- "We need to find Jared as soon as possible!"
Lethal nods.
"I know, I know."- He says- "I won't allow her to die without seeing my grandson."
He hears something soming from upstairs, something that sounds like a scream.
When the three of them go upstairs, they see a triumphant Dorikas and a tired Jared.
Jared sees them and does not waste any time to warn them to step back.
"Leave this place immediately! It is too dangerous!"- He says.
John shakes his head.
"I didn't come here simply to be sent away!"- He responds and points at Annie- "Annie is still alive. But... she won't be in this world soon. She is dying and he honored her last wish- to see you for the last time!"
Jared gasps and approaches Annie. He takes her hand in his and stares into her eyes worryingly.
"Annie? What h-happened to you?"- He says- "What did they do to you?"
Annie sighs and shows him her infected wound. This shocks Jared.
"No... "- He mutters- "This... this cannot be... Annie... "
He is distracted by the fact that his friend is dying in front of him, so much that he does not notice Dorikas, who is about to stab him in the back with his weapon.
"Your time is up, Jared."- He says triumphantly- "Prepare to come face to face with your demise!"