Miracula Luxia C6, P11- "Under The Mistletoe"

"Under The Mistletoe" is the eleventh Part of "Miracula Luxia" 's sixth Chapter- "The Great War". It was released on 24.12.2019.
== Plot ==
Jared, John and Annie left to find Fort Emerald, trying to get there as soon as possible to warn them about a possible attack from Lord Farrar and his minions.
It's a long hike, but it seems like they'll manage to get there.
But they have to do it fast. Time is of essence here and it's not clear when the hostiles will attack that way (Or if they will even attack at all).
It's time for our heroes to act and make a difference against those thugs.
== Story ==
Guided by random soldiers's directions, Jared, John and Annie traveled to the east where the lands were much safer than in the Abyss.
They came past the city of Blosk. Aleks saw them and stopped them to hear what's going on.
Jared explained to him what happened to John and Annie and how the Barghan thugs refused their offers of peace after he has told to tell them by the mayor of Spire and even tried to kill them.
Aleks was shocked.
"You... you traveled west?"- He asked his son, shocked.
Jared nodded.
"But why did you do that? You have to stay here, so I can keep you safe."
Jared stared at him.
"It's not like I cannot defend myself. I'm 16, Dad! Actually, 16 and a half now."
"Anyway, I know how to defend myself from hostiles and you know it, too. I'm not your little boy anymore!"
Aleks shaked his head.
"I see. I understand, I won't be able to stop you, even if I could."
"You're a grown up boy now, Jared. It would be pointless for me to call you a little boy, but you're still my son. I still have the duty to protect you from the malevolent forces. It's what I promised your mother before I left the Surface."
"Sp, I will join you in your travel to Fort Emerald. I want to make sure that you succeed."
Aleks looked at the clan members.
"Can you guys manage without me for a little bit? I promise that I'll come back as soon as this threat is over."
One of the clan members nodded.
"Yes. We can manage. We've managed for whole months, after all. Good luck."
Aleks smiled, flashed them a peace sign and left with Jared, John and Annie.
Three hours passed. Soon, the moon withdrew its presence on the sky, allowing the sun to rise and shine again.
The Heroes were at the gates of Fort Emerald, but nobody came to greet them. Jared grew suspicous.
He yelled for someone to open the gate for them.
No response.
He banged on the gates, yelled even louder.
But to no avail. Nobody came to greet them.
Aleks sighed.
"The fort has probably been abandoned. Let's leave it be."
However, as he tried to leave, he heard a scream to the west.
He peered through the closed gate and saw a bunch of soldiers trying to fend off a small band of people, dressed in black clothes and wielding small weapons.
Jared peered through the gate as well. He saw them, too.
"We have to help them!"- Jared exclaimed.
"But we don't have a way to go in there! The gate is closed!"- Annie answered.
"Stand back, children. Let me handle this!"
Aleks grabbed a large log from the ground and began smashing it into the gate.
At first there was no progress whatsoever. The gate's bars were not giving in to the pressure and it seemed like Aleks's hard work was going to be in vain.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Jared saw what his father was doing and did the same as him, grabbing another log from nearby and smashing the gate.
John and Annie helped him out, smashing the gate as well.
Finally, after about three minutes of quality work, the gate finally gave in to the huge pressure and its bars cracked.
Then they broke down, allowing the heroes to go in.
They did so just as one of the thugs managed to sneak behind what looked like the captain of the fort and tried to stab him.
Fortunately, Aleks managed to strike him in the back with his sword just in time, surprising the man he was trying to kill, but also saving his life.
The man thanked Aleks and noticed the smashed gate. He wanted to scold them for what they did, but decided to forget it, knowing that they (and most importantly, Aleks) have just saved him life.
He told them about the unexpected assault of those thugs and how they're trying to break in, kill them and take over the fort.
"We were sent to warn you about that, but it seems like we were too late."- Jared said.
"Oh no! No, you're not."- The man said- "In fact, you might be able to help us out. Will you manage?"
Jared nodded.
"Alright. It's killing season!"- He yelled and charged at some of the thugs who tried to break into the fort.
After a short scuffle, he managed to slay them, scaring some of the soldiers.
Someone in the back of the small force yelled, reminding them of why they are here- to take down the fort and establish a clear route towards Avernum.
Most of the thugs yelled and charged once again, trying to do as much damage as possible.
However, their effort proved to be futile when Jared launched some of his spells of them, helped by Annie who managed to blast at least ten with one of her new spells.
The mages of the fort noticed what the two youngsters were doing and followed their lead, launching even more spells at the thugs.
Some of the thugs stepped back. They have never seen such a counterattack ever before, and in such an effective way as well.
As the other fools tried to kill the well-prepared soldiers, those thugs decided to run for their lives and ran to the west, leaving their friends for dead.
Soon, the battle was over. The skirmish was done, leaving many dead victims behind.
"This is how I expected it. Those bastards from Bargha have never been ones to deal with peacefully."- The man from before sighed- "No wonder they had to put someone competent in charge. This is a difficult task."
"Oh, by the way."- He turned towards Jared and smiled- "I'm the captain of Fort Emerald. Welcome to out humble little fort. Enjoy your stay and come to me when you're ready to make your next move. I'll be at my office, a little bit to the south."
"And don't worry about us being attacked again anytime soon. This fort has been built to last and now we know where those fools will come from. We just have to repair the gate to the east, protect every perimeter and we'll be fine. No evil shall harm us."
Having said that, the captain entered a small office to the south.
Jared and Aleks looked at each other.
"What a battle!"- Jared exclaimed- "I didn't sign up for this!"
"Well, we survived. The soldiers are safe and sound as well. And that's what matters the most."- His father noted.
"Now we have to see what we can do to help further. Are you ready, everyone?"
"Yes, Dad."- Jared nodded affirmatively- "Everyone of us is ready to help those poor people fight against the oppression that is called Lord Farrar."
"Of course, Mr. Kaos. We're always ready."- John smiled.
"We're ready, Jared's dad."- Annie looked at him- "Just say the word and we'll do what you want us to do."
Aleks smiled.
"Then let's go. It's time to make the difference everyone is expecting us to make."
Jared, Aleks, John and Annie entered the office.
Near the building, a tree was planted, standing there- tall and imposing.
It was a cavewood tree with mistletoe growing on top of it. A rare sight to see in Avernum, but definitely not an unseen one.
Hopefully its presence will bring hope to the citizens of the fort and motivate them to fight back for this beautiful place against the thugs.
Hopefully.
== Trivia ==
* "Under The Mistletoe" is one of the most meaningful Parts of "Miracula Luxia" overall, explaining how the soldiers of Fort Emerald protect their home, risking their own lives as some of the Barghan thugs attack them, ready to repel the hostiles in any way possible, because they know that, should they fail, Fort Emerald will fall apart and Avernum will be in grave danger.
**The Mistletoe is said to protect against evil (Like Witches and Demons) and bring good luck. This is a possible reason why there's a cavewood tree with mistletoe growing on top of it in the fort- to keep them safe spiritually. It is unknown if the mistletoe grows there naturally or if it was put there by some of the guards/workers and it simply attacked itself to the tree like a parasite.
*This Part was released on 24.12.2019- A day before Christmas.