MLIII C4, P10- "Into The Badlands"

"Into The Badlands" is the tenth and final Part of "Miracula Luxia III" 's fourth Chapter.
It was released on 25.03.2022.
== Plot ==
The deed has been done. Thanks to our legendary heroes, the demon army's leader has been defeated. Now that the vile creatures are leaderless, their army will soon be plunged into chaos and little will remain of it. 
Thus, the city of Paris will be safe again... or so we think.
Although their leader has abandoned them to their fate, the demons have managed to become far more bloodthirsty, intending to destroy anything (and anyone) in their path before they fall in battle. Such a suicidial act would be devastating for our heroes and the city itself, so the final defense of the city must be assembled after all.
But this is of no concern for young Adam. Even though his allies are preparing to repel the demons, he still has a mission to accomplish. Distractions like those must be ignored, as painful as it might be.
It is time for Adam to move on and continue his adventure elsewhere. But where will he go? And who will join him in this nearly futile effort to stop Mordred Darkthrop?
The answer remains to be seen. Soon.
== Story ==
Adam stares at the city. He hears the cries of pain from both sides and sees the ceaseless destruction that rips his hometown apart.
"Oh... my... goodness."- He mutters- "Why is this happening to us?"
Jared shakes his head and glares at Arzen. Out of the blue, he grabs him by the neck.
"It is your fault!"- He yells at him- "Had you restrained your foolish army of fiends, our city would still be safe!"
Arzen shakes his head.
"I had no choice."- He says- "My goal was to avenge the Griffin family. I didn't know that this would happen."
Aleks glares at him as well.
"Is that so?"- He asks him- "Well, you should have calculated the possible results of your actions more carefully. That way, you could have prevented something like... like this. We spared you because you still have some good within your soul, yet your past actions continue to haunt us. Be more careful next time."
Jared turns to his father.
"There will be no next time."- He states angrily- "Good or not, this man must pay for his sins."
Melanchion takes a step forward.
"Let the demon go."- He says to Jared- "He's more useful this way."
Jared glares at him.
"And why should I do that?"
He pulls out his weapon.
"Well, Arzen?"- He asks him- "Despite the fact that you proved your loyalty to us, do you think that you still deserve mercy for what is happening over there?"
Arzen looks down and sighs.
"Do whatever you must. But remember this."- He says- "The things that are happening in Paris, they're not my fault. Not anymore."
Jared prepares to execute him, but is stopped by Adam.
"Dad, you said that you will spare him!"- He yells- "Let him go! Please!"
Jared shakes his head.
"No, Adam. I can't do that."- He says- "He's too dangerous to be left alive."
He points his weapon at Arzen's chest. The former demon feels the steel as it slowly burns his skin.
"I should have killed you back there. I should have done it."- Jared says- "And yet, I still believe in the light. I know that people can change. I want to give you another chance, but it is way too dangerous. I cannot risk endangering the lives of my family. My friends. My people."
He prepares to strike.
"This is the end, Arzen."
Just as the steel gets closer to him, Adam rushes forward and punches his father in the face. The resulting blow knocks the sword out of his hand and forces him to fall on the ground.
Everyone stares at Adam, shocked and amazed.
"I told you, father."- He says- "When the Kaos family decides to spare someone, we honor our wishes. And I, as a proud member of our mythical society, will never take no as an answer."
He shakes his head and looks at Arzen. Then, he extends his hand to him.
"Stand up, Arzen."- He says to him- "Unlike my father, I am merciful. And I do not wish to see you die because of your mistakes."
As Arzen takes his hand and stands up, he glares at Jared and shakes his head.
"I appreciate your generosity, but it doesn't make me feel like I'm one of you."- He says- "Even after deserting from Mr. Griffin's army, I still feel the guilt of causing all of this pain. This suffering. I will never be the same."
Adam nods.
"You do not have to change."- He says- "Just try to be a better person. That is all that I ask you to do."
Arzen sighs.
"Well."- He says- "I guess that I can do that. At the very least."
As Jared stands up, Adam rushes to his side. 
Expecting his father to get angry, he looks down and sighs.
"Forgive me, dad. I... I had to do it."- He says to him- "I was just... doing my duty."
Instead of doing so, Jared simply smiles and hugs him.
"Thank you, Adam."- He says to him- "It seems like I taught you well."
Adam smiles and hugs him back.
"I love you, dad."
Jared nods.
"Me too, my child."- He responds- "Me too."
Both of them stare at their ruined hometown and sigh.
"Well, this is it."- Jared says- "What is happening out there is unspeakable. We must do our best to stop those fiends from desecrating our sacred lands."
He turns to Adam.
"Are you ready to defend your homeland, son?"
Adam nods.
"I will gladly die protecting Paris from those vile beasts."- He says- "Together, we shall fight the shadows and push them back into the darkness- the place where they belong."
Jared smiles.
"That is the spirit."
Our heroes approach the city of Paris and take a good look at their surroundings.
"Dear god."- Jared says- "Those demons... they are so heartless."
Adam draws his weapon.
"I can feel their malevolent energies."- He says- "There is a large concentration of them somewhere around here."
He turns to his allies.
"Stand close to me everyone."- He says to them- "From now on, we are in the badlands. And, if we want to free this city from the shackles of evil, we must fight side by side. Do not split and do not get distracted."
As the heroes prepare for battle, Adam stares into the shadows ahead.
"We are here, denizens of darkness."- He says- "Prepare yourselves."
All of our heroes enter the shadows, ready for the worst. Heeding their young leader's advice, they stand close to each other.
"It's too dark."- Jonathan says- "I can barely see."
Melanchion nods.
"Fear not, humans."- He says- "I shall be your light."
Having said that, he blows a powerful wind out of his mouth. Soon, the shadows vanish.
Realizing that they are going to return soon, the dragon slams one of his claws into the ground. When he pulls it out, it is revealed that he is holding a small ball of fire.
"There we go."- He says- "With this, our road to victory shall be revealed."
Then, he lets it go. 
Moments laters, it starts to float on its own, becoming slightly bigger as it moves alongside our heroes.
"Do not worry. This small wisp won't hurt anyone."- Melanchion says and emits a dry laugh- "Its sole purpose is to protect us from the shadows, but it also prevents your fragile bodies from freezing to death."
He feels a chill run down his spine and shudders for a moment.
"And I feel like we're going to walk into the land of the dead."- He adds- "So, dress warm and be careful."
Now that the road ahead is illuminated by the wisp, our heroes have a much easier time avoiding the darkness and looking at their surroundings.
"I have a bad feeling about this."- Jon says and sighs- "The demons may not be here, but they will be soon. This eerie silence is just a sign of it."
Jared nods.
"Your fears are completely justified, nephew."- He says to him- "But this is no reason to be afraid of them. Just stand close to us and fight them. As long as we are together, we will survive."
Jon nods and pretends to be calm and collected. However, deep inside, he still feels concerned about his new family.
"I wish that I stayed with Gloria and our child."- He says to himself- "Right now, I don't know where they are. Did they make it out or did they succumb to the evil in here?"
He shakes his head.
"I'm so worried about them."
As if sensing his concern, Adam takes a step forward and pats him on the back.
"Do not worry, Jon."- He says- "I will help you reunite with your family."
Jon smiles and shakes his head.
"I appreciate your concern, cousin. However, like you said, I shouldn't get distracted by anything else."- He responds- "You are my family right now. And we must look out for each other."
Adam sighs.
"As you wish."
Just ahead of them, the heroes see a large band of demons preparing to close in on a group of humans. It is clear that the vile creatures will achieve a swift victory if they are not repelled soon.
"Gloria!"- Jon yells and rushes ahead of his allies- "Gloria, my dear! I'm coming!"
Adam tries to run after him.
"Jon, what are you doing?!"- He says to him- "We must plan our next move!"
Jon shakes his head.
"I can't risk her life!"- He says- "Come on! To arms!"
Relunctantly, the rest of their allies join the battle and fight the demons.
Although some of them manage to fight back, they are easily overpowered and slain. The rest of the survivors are an easy job for Melanchion, who easily burns them to death (and eats the few fools who manage to get close to him).
"For such a sizable party of demons, they fell very easily."- Aleks says.
Jared shakes his head.
"This is only a reckoning team, dad."- He says to him- "The creatures know where we are. Soon, they will find their way here and surround us."
Aleks nods.
"Then let's get those people away from here!"
Jon tries to talk to Gloria, but Adam stops him.
"We have no time for this."- He says to him and shakes his head- "Come on. It is important for us to flee."
Jon sighs.
"Right."- He says- "Let's go."
Soon, all of them manage to get away from the centre of the massive city, but meet a small band of demons. 
As they prepare to repel them, Adam takes a look at the area behind them. He sees the silhouettes of many creatures in the distance. 
"Hey, Jon. Take a look at this."- He says to Jon- "Someone is out there."
Thinking that reinforcements have finally arrived to help them out, Jon rushes forward and waves at them. They see him and get closer.
Too late, he takes a better look at them and realizes that they are, sadly more demons. And there are a lot of them.
It does not take long for the vile creatures to reach them. Soon, they join the fight and manage to kill some of the soldiers who accompany our heroes.
"I... I made a mistake."- Jon says and shakes his head- "It's my fault. I shouldn't have... have... "
Adam shakes his head.
"It is foolish to believe that anyone else would dare to help us out, but it does not matter."- He says- "We will make it out alive. Just keep hitting them and everything will be alright. I promise."
Jon nods and stabs a nearby demon in the chest with his staff.
As he tries to pull it out, another demon jumps at him and throws him at the ground.
Jon struggles mightily to push him away. He uses his staff to protect himself, but soon realizes that the creature is too strong for a shaman like him. And yet, he does not surrender. He continues to fight against this creature of darkness until his weapon is knocked out of his hand.
As the demon prepares to stab him with its claw, Adam manages to pull it away and stab it in the head.
"Stand up, Jon."- He says to his cousin- "The battle is not over yet. You still have a family that is relying on you, so get moving and prove that you are not afraid."
He nods and picks up his staff.
"My dear Gloria."- He says to himself- "I will protect you, no matter what it takes."
The heroes fight valiantly against the forces of evil. Together, they manage to break their formation apart and divide them.
While Adam, Jared and Aleks fight the demons with their swords and spells, Jonathan and Melanchion fly up in the air and incinerate the vile fiends with their intensely powerful fire magic. leaving a trail of charred corpses and broken dreams behind them.
But soon, their massive efforts turn out to be in vain. More demons replace their lost numbers and manage to wound Melanchion, effectively breaking the heroes' only true defense and leaving them exposed to the evil all around them,
"This is it, everyone. Our true challenge has finally arrived."- Jared says- "Temper your steel and fight until the death. This is our chance to redeem ourselves!"
As our heroes continue to fight, Adam notices that Gloria is trying to run away with her child. However, she does not get far, as a small group of demons pins her next to a nearby wall and prepares to kill them both.
Disregarding his own safety, the young hero rushes forward, jumps in the air and creates a holy shockwave as he slams his blade into the ground, effectively killing the demons and saving Gloria.
"Looks like you managed to save me again."- Gloria says to him- "Thank you, Adam. I appreciate it."
Adam nods.
"You are welcome."- He says- "Now, it is time for us to-- "
His words are cut short as an arrow flies forward and pierces Gloria in the shoulder.
"Gloria!"- Jonathan yells, pushes his enemies out of the way and rushes to her side- "Are you okay, my love?"
Gloria looks at her shoulder and shakes her head.
"I can feel my life pouring away."- She says- "I... I can't protect him. I'm not worthy."
She hands her child to Adam.
"Adam. I... I know that you want us to take care of him, but I fear for his life."- She says to him- "Please. Take him with you and escape somewhere. I know that you'll be a better guardian and parent for him than me. Just promise me that you won't die out there."
Adam reverently holds the newborn child in his hands. Tears fall from his eyes as he notices the massive army closing in on his allies and loved ones.
"I... I cannot do this."- He says- "I do not want to leave you here!"
Jon shakes his head.
"We don't want to part ways with you either. However, this is necessary and we can't take our chances."- He says- "Your mission's much more important than ours. Go. Defeat Darkthrop and save the world. Take care of our child... even if we fall in this battle."
As Adam wonders what he can do, his father approaches him and shakes his head.
"Jon is right, son. Staying here will be fatal for both you and that poor child."- He says to him- "We will stay here and save those people. But this not what you are destined to do. You must proceed without us."
Adam shakes his head and starts to cry.
"No, dad! I refuse to run away!"- He yells- "I do not care about this so-called "destiny". If you wish to stay here, then I will do the same."
Melanchion burns a path past the massive army of demons, allowing Adam to run away safely.
"You've got no choice, young one!"- He roars- "Run for your life or lose it right here!"
Seeing that he has no choice but to run away, Adam prepares to escape. However, as he starts to run, he looks back at his father.
"I will not abandon you, dad. As soon as I defeat Darkthrop, I will come back here and rescue all of you."- He says to him- "Just, please. Promise me that you will make it. I do not wish to lose you as well."
Jared smiles.
"Rest assured that this old man is not going to go down. Not without a fight, that is."- He responds- "Now go. May the light stay by your side. Do not let your hope and faith fade away. Stay strong and make your mark in this cruel world."
Adam nods.
"I will, dad!"- He says- "I will!"
Seeing that the demons are getting closer, he starts to run away.
He does not get very far. Soon, a small band of demons gets in his way and prepares to fight him.
"I do not have time for you!"- He yells and draws his weapon.
Without thinking twice, he fights the enemies with just one hand, holding his baby nephew with the other.
Once the creatures are dead, Adam looks down at his nephew and kisses him on the forehead to calm him down.
"I will not let anything happen to you."- He says to him- "I will help you grow big and strong, like me."
He stares at the area ahead of him.
"But first, we must get out of here."
Adam makes his way past another band of demons. And then another. He feels the fatigue as it sets into every cell within his body.
"Too many... demons."- He says weakly- "It does not matter. We must... survive."
Just as it seems like this journey will be endless, the two of them reach the way out of the city. Running away as fast as possible, they manage to avoid a demon raiding party and reach the nearby hills.
Adam looks back and sees how the demons have flooded his hometown. 
"Had I stayed in there for a while longer, they would have killed me. Such a massive army must not be trifled with."- He says to himself and sighs- "Once again, I feel very lucky. But I fear that I cannot say the same about my family... "
Tears start to fall from his eyes as he imagines what could have happened to them back there.
"Why did I do this? Why did I leave them alone?"- He says to himself- "We were meant to fight Mordred Darkthrop together. This was not supposed to happen."
Sensing Adam's sadness, his nephew starts to cry.
Adam notices this immediately and gently pats him on the head.
"Shh. Calm down, my boy."- He says to him- "I hate to say this, but we are the only ones out here. Crying for those who we were forced to leave behind will not solve anything. We must move on and finish what we started."
Having said that, he gets up and gets down before any of the raiders could see him.
As he prepares to leave, he notices two more silhouettes in the distance.
"More enemies, huh?"- He says to himself and draws his weapon- "Just because we are divided from our team, it does not mean that we will accept being stalked by lone warriors like those. I will fight them to protect this land."
As the strangers get closer, Adam looks down at his nephew.
"Watch closely, my boy."- He says to him and smiles- "Soon, I will train you to become a hero like me. And together, we will purge the world from fiends like those."
Holding his nephew close to him, he takes a step forward and prepares to strike, but refrains from using violence when he notices that they are humans.
Aware that this might be a trap, he takes another step forward, ready to spring into action if either of them makes a suspicious move.
This gives the strangers enough time to see who he really is. When they do, they rush toward him.
Adam tries to run away, but soon realizes that they are familiar to him.
"Donovan!"- He yells- "Sharla!"
As Donovan and Sharla get closer, he rushes toward them and hugs them both.
"I thought that I was alone out here!"- Adam exclaims- "Where were you when I needed you the most?"
Sharla shakes her head.
"We're so sorry, sweetheart."- She says to him- "We tried to find all of you, but the demons were just too many. We were forced to retreat back here, watching for anyone who manages to emerge from that nightmare."
Donovan smiles sadly.
"It's nice to see you again, kid. It warms my heart to know that you're still fighting evil so valiantly."- He says- "Yet, I don't see anyone else with you. Is my brother still in there? Do I need to save him?"
Adam sighs.
"Everyone is still in there, Donovan. Including your brother."- He says- "My father said that everything is under control. They will look out for each other."
Donovan and Sharla stare at each other briefly.
"Maybe it's best if you leave him be."- She says to him- "He may be a kid, but he's very strong. I'm sure that he can defend himself."
Donovan looks down.
"I'm not sure."- He says- "I promised Vehrn that I'll bring him back in Goznor. And yet, I failed my duty. As a brother... and as an ally."
Adam smiles sadly.
"Nothing is lost yet, my friend."- He says- "Hope and faith are still on our side."
Sharla looks down and notices the baby in Adam's hands.
"I can see that you have a little man in your care."- She says to him- "Who is he? And where are his parents?"
Adam looks down at his nephew and smiles.
"This is my dear nephew. He is very sweet and very brave."- He responds.
Sharla raises her eyebrow.
"Nephew, huh?"- She says- "So, this means that he's Jon's child."
Adam nods.
"And Gloria's, too."- He adds- "The poor thing was born during wartime and now, I am forced to take him away from home."
Both Donovan and Sharla gasp. They were not expecting this.
"Gloria had a child with her fellow shaman... and she didn't tell us?!"- Sharla yells- "Oh, I am so angry. When I reunite with her, I'll make sure that she reveals every detail of her affair with him."
Donovan shakes his head.
"We don't have time to think about this."- He says to her- "Baby or not, our mission is to help Adam reach the capital safe and sound."
Adam raises his eyebrow.
"The capital?"- He asks- "You mean Underfall- the City of Evil?"
Donovan nods.
"King John and Queen Uma felt a slight disturbance in an area far to the west of this city. They said that it could have been just a passing army of enemy troops, but we knew better."- He says- "Me and Sharla investigated the site of the disturbance and found a massive city, filled with those creatures. We saw them moving in there. They were preparing for war... or maybe something much worse. We spoke with the King and Queen about this, but they refused to believe that this might be a thing... until the darklings attacked Thais and nearly killed us all. So, they finally realized how grave this situation is to everyone. They still believed in you, so they sent us to find you and take you there. And this is what we will do. We will reach Underfall at all costs."
Adam shakes his head.
"I appreciate your willingness to help me out. However, there are miles ahead of us. We will never reach the city all by ourselves."- He says to him- "And, even if we did, the amount of darklings that we have to fight to get in will certainly be overwhelming to us. We must plan our next move."
Donovan tries to say something, but soon hears a loud roar coming from nearby.
As Sharla stumbles back, a massive dragon lands down and looks at them.
Both Adam and Donovan recognize him.
"Melanchion!"- Adam says- "How did you get here?"
Melanchion nods and reveals a tattered cloth between his razor-sharp teeth.
"I have my ways, young one."
He turns to Donovan.
"Well. Mission accomplished, I suppose."- He says- "The kid is safe."
Donovan looks at him and smiles.
"I knew that you were up for the task, Melanchion."- He says- "Thanks to you, we still have a chance to complete this mission."
Sharla sighs and leans close to Adam.
"Those things scare me a lot."- She whispers to him- "They can breathe fire and that's... really unnerving. To me, that is."
Adam nods and looks at Donovan.
"You know him?"
Donovan smiles.
"Me and Melanchion agreed to help each other during our visit into his realm."- He says- "Me and Sharla managed to rid his kingdom of a few huge pests and he felt so indebted to us that he came all the way here."
Melanchion nods.
"I am a creature of honor."- He says- "Whenever I feel like someone is important to the safety of our world, I do my best to help him succeed."
Adam shakes his head.
"Then why didn't you stay back there?"- He asks him- "My father and his allies need you more than I do. Without your help, they may... may... "
Melanchion looks back at the city and sighs.
"Your father was the one who sent me here. He felt that you still needed my help, so he instructed me to make my way out and find where you went."- He says- "That man is strong. Like I said before, he helped me when I still lived in a small cave with my son. And I owe a lot to him, so I did what he asked me to do. And I am sure that he would be very proud, no matter if he's here with us or not."
Adam looks down.
"But why is our task so important?"- He wonders- "We have so many enemies that are trying to kill us. And I feel guilty for being so helpless. Yet, we have to go far away from here and leave those people to their fate. Why is life so cruel to us?"
Donovan sighs and shakes his head.
"I know how it feels, Adam. Leaving your loved ones in a place where they might die is... traumatizing, to say at the very least."- He says- "But our mission is not here. Darkthrop and his army are wrecking havoc all around our world and it is up to us to prevent him from pouring more salt into our wounds."
He smiles sadly.
"So, come on."- He says- "Let's make your father and my brother proud of us."
Melanchion kneels.
"Jump on my back, humans."- He says to them- "Our adventure begins here and now."
As the three of them slowly climb on his back, the massive beast spreads his wings, flaps into the air and flies off into the unknown.
"Farewell, Paris."- Adam says to himself while looking down at the ruins below- "We will miss you... "
----
And so, Adam embarks on another eventful adventure. Having been separated from most of his allies, he regretfully marches on, hoping to spread the light and purge the darkness from the tainted planet that we call Earth. As the war rages on in the city of Paris, he and his remaining friends fly into the air. Like leaves in the wind, they feel that the sky is whispering to them. And, while most of the things are simple trivia that is unimportant to them, there is one name that remains in their memory- Darkthrop... Darkthrop...
There is little doubt that the final battle is getting very close. Mordred Darkthrop and his allies are waiting for Adam, preparing their final defense in the evil city of Underfall. And yet, they do not realize that the young hero has become more intelligent. More courageous. More determined to stop them, in the name of all that is sacred to him. 
Adam's mission has gotten much harder. Now, instead of simply defeating an evil sorcerer, he must also purge his entire army of equally dangerous creatures, hungry for blood. Such a task has proven to be too arduous for regular heroes, but he is too determined to give up.
So. As Darkthrop prepares his army, life goes on. Birds keep on chirping. People keep on working. And hope does not fade away, no matter how dangerous it gets.
However, nothing will ever return to normal. Not until the evil sorcerer is stopped.
The darkness shall be vanquished. Evil shall fall as the light emerges victorious from the crevices of despair.
Onward!