MLII C4, P2- "Twists And Turns"

"Twists And Turns" is the second Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's fourth Chapter. It was released on 02.03.2021.
== Plot ==
Our heroes enter the secluded cave where they were supposed to meet the so-called "Council" which promised to give them advice and help them out against the ravaging Slithzerikai.
However, the Council is nowhere to be found.
After discovering an item which indicates where its members went after the attack on the cave, Jared and his allies leave, but not before scavenging whatever meager supplies they can to survive the journey.
== Story ==
After leaving the city of Bargha, Jared, Aleks, Annie and Devin embark on a difficult journey towards the Surface.
Once there, they walk towards a secret location, many miles away from Paris. The place where they are supposed to meet a powerful organization that is tasked with defending the world from evil and advising its heroes on what to do next.
Of course, finding the location is the hardest thing to do. It takes them a very long time to cross the mountains to the east, trying to find shortcuts and fighting enemies.
There is no shortage of contraptions either. It is as if someone wanted to prevent them from succeeding.
Albeit bruised and tired, our heroes arrive near the location that was marked on their map and start looking around for clues regarding a secret entrance which will lead into the home of the Council.
Minutes later, Jared finds a small rock protruding from the nearby mountain. He presses it.
He receives a nasty shock and carefully pulls his weakened hand away.
"Sounds like you found something interesting."- His father says- "Well? How are we going to proceed?"
Jared inspects the button. It is still electrified.
He takes a few steps back and looks at the ground, unsure what to do.
Annoyed, he picks up a rock that is in front of him and looks at his father.
"We will proceed like this!"- He says and throws the rock towards the button.
Suddenly, hidden machinery springs into action as the button is pushed. A large rock is moved out of the way, revealing a secret entrance.
"Well done, Jared!"- Annie exclaims and pats her friend on the back.
Jared nods and looks at his allies.
"Are you ready to meet them?"- He says.
Everyone nods.
Now assured that his allies have his back, Jared enters the cavern.
The entrance behind them is blocked by the rock. They panic until they realize that they simply need to pull a lever from the inside to walk out.
The heroes delve deeper into the cave system, which is surprisingly illuminated by strange, glowing fungus that is spead throughout its ceiling, providing a pleasant, white light.
A few miles within the system, Jared finds a fortification dug into the rock of the mountain, leading towards a small stronghold. He notes that the gate leading towards it is wide open, as if the people within already knew that they were coming.
No. This is not right. The meeting is supposed to be private. No one else is allowed to know about it. Yet, someone has opened the gate leading towards the inner sanctum.
Perhaps the guards were careless? Or maybe something is wrong...
Soon, the heroes find out that it is, in fact, the latter.
They look around, but do not see anyone in sight. The guardposts around them are empty. The small settlement within is bereft of any sort of activity. No citizens walk on the streets. No merchants are staying in the shops. No guards patrol the perimeter.
And, most importantly, the smell. The smell of sulfur coming from deeper within. It is truly nauseating.
Although everyone is able to smell it, they fail to notice another important detail. Only Jared is able to detect it, thanks to his keen senses.
Stepping further, he can feel a new smell. A new clue that points out to the fate of the residents.
"B-blood.. "- Jared mutters and nearly faints.
Annie manages to catch him just in time, preventing him from falling onto a pair of spikes. She gently places him on the ground nearby and kneels.
She checks his pulse and realizes that he is not doing well. Something is affecting him. Weakening him.
"Jared, no!"- She yells and hugs him tightly- "Not again!"
She shakes her head in disbelief.
"Please! Fight it! Fight it back! Don't give up on the world, I beg you!"
That is when she smells it. The smell of blood. The one that is making her friend faint.
She turns to his father.
"Mr. Kaos, Jared is falling unconscious!"- She yells- "Please, do something!"
Aleks realizes that the air is affecting his son and quickly casts a powerful wind spell.
The spell manages to clear the air in just a few seconds.
Just as the last trace of bad smell leaves Aleks's nostrils, he notices something that is mixed with the smell of blood.
"Chemicals."- He says- "I should have known. Those are highly poisonous!"
As the air clears completely, Devin approaches Aleks.
"Mr. Kaos, is Jared going to be okay?"- He asks him, concerned about his friend's well-being.
Aleks nods and smiles.
"Now that the poison is gone, he will recover. I am sure of it."
Both Annie and Devin look at him, shocked.
"Poison?!"- They say in unison.
Aleks sighs.
"It seems like someone was trying to kill us. Thank God we were able to survive."- He continues- "And it's all thanks to my son's keen senses."
He approaches his son and looks at him. He sees him open his eyes and smiles.
"Dad?"- Jared says- "What... what was that smell?"
Aleks shakes his head.
"Blood mixed with potent poison. Can be lethal to those with no resistance to it. Unfortunately, you are one of them."
Jared gasps.
"So... was someone trying to... to... "
Aleks nods.
"I'm still unsure, but it is indeed possible."
Jared nods.
"Maybe this means that they set a trap for us... "
Aleks looks at the entrance to the inner sactum, whose door is wide open.
"Or maybe someone infiltrated this place prior to our arrival and killed those people. Most likely, the barbaric Slithzerikai are the ones to be blamed for this."
Annie is now fully alert, but is still unconvinced.
"Do you have any proof that they were responsible?"- She says.
Aleks turns to her and shrugs.
"Sure. Nobody knows if they even learned about this place... yet."- He responds- "But I am sure that their dark mages are entirely capable of casting such a powerful, vile spell that can contaminate the air."
He looks back at the gate.
"Before I lost my wife, I met one of those barbaric mages. He knew many powerful spells, one of them being able to poison the air around the caster. Fortunately, I managed to kill him."
He sighs.
"But... I'm sure that there are more who are capable of such trickery."- He says- "And one of them was responsible for this evil deed."
Without another word, Aleks enters the inner sanctum.
The four of them look around and witness the results of this unexpected assault.
All around them, there are corpses laying on the ground, both human and slith. This was the place where the humans prepared their final stand against their enemies.
Jared shakes his head.
"Unfortunate."- He mutters- "Another friendly stronghold has fallen to the clutches of evil."
He looks around and notices that one of the Slithzerikai is still moving. He taps it on the shoulder and it turns to look at him.
Once it gets a good look, it hisses.
"You were too late. This place isss no more."- It says- "We killed them all."
Jared points his sword towards its chest.
"Where are the elders?!"- He yells- "Tell me, you fiend!"
The slith hisses weakly.
"Gone. Avernum. In a powerful fortification. Far away from danger."- It responds- "Sssoon, our allies will avenge us. They will find you and take care of you. You will see our power. You will s-- "
Suddenly, Aleks lunges forward, draws his sword and stabs the creature in the head, ending its life.
Jared looks at his father.
"Dad. Why did you... "
Aleks sighs.
"He spoke too much."- He responds- "Enemy or not, he deserved to be put to rest just as much as anyone else."
He kneels and loots its belongings, among them a small map of Avernum. He gives it to Jared.
While his allies scavenge the area for useful supplies, the boy inspects the map. At first, he does not see anything that is out of the ordinary.
However, he soon looks closer and notices a small "X" scratched onto the exact location of the city known as Formello- the first friendly settlement that he visited when he first arrived in Avernum.
He shows this new clue to his father.
"So this is where those reptiles will strike next."- He says stoically- "Interesting."
He looks around.
"We need to catch up with them. But first, let's collect whatever we can from this stronghold."- He continues- "The journey to Formello will be long and tiring. We must prepare as best as we can."
The four of them split up and search the area for more supplies.
Fifteen minutes later they meet up near the settlement's only subterranean garden, their packs filled with whatever they could scavenge.
Jared notes that the supplies should be enough to keep them alive for this long journey. He nods.
"There. We are finally ready to fight."- He says- "Now let us make those reptillian fools pay."
The four of them walk out of the cave, leaving it behind them for now.
They check the map again and begin to walk towards the city of Paris.
Once there, they approach a teleporter near the eastern exit and inspect it.
"This is it, the teleporter that leads to the city of Silvar."- Aleks says- "It may not be perfect, but it is our only choice in this matter... ever since the portal to Formello malfunctioned. Thankfully, Formello is not that far away from there, so this journey is not going to be as hard and tiring as it was supposed to be."
He looks at his son.
"Ready, Jared?"
Jared nods.
"Let us save Avernum."- He responds- "Once again!"
With that, the four of them step into the portal, one after the other.
Moments later, they are teleported into the city of Silvar.