MLTG P1- "Hard Times"

"Hard Times" is the first Part of "Miracula Luxia: The Guilt". It was released on 18.07.2020.
== Plot ==
Filled with guilt for not helping the people enough when they needed him and hatred for his enemies, Jared decides to return to Avernum with his father's permission, eager to hunt the hostile creatures down and make the lands more peaceful.
Meanwhile, he is plagued by the visions of his whole world falling apart. He sees everyone dying in front of his very eyes. He sees the ghost of his late mother, shaking her head in disbelief.
All those visions make him realize that something dangerous may happen soon, something that would shake him to the core, bring him to his knees.
And he has to prevent it from happening. At all costs!
== Story ==
Jared heads to his father's office. He sees that the man is working very hard on something.
"D-dad?"- The boy says.
Aleks turns around.
"Yes, son?"- He asks him- "Is something wrong? Did you rest well last night?"
Jared nods and sighs.
"Yes, but... there is one thing that is troubling me."
Aleks looks up, his full attention focused on his son's problem.
"A problem? What kind of a problem?"
Jared shakes his head.
"It's... it's just that I feel bad. That could not help the people in Avernum when I could. When they needed me the most. I feel so bad for... not hearing their cries of help earlier."
Aleks shakes his head as well and pats his son on the shoulder.
"I know how it feels, son."- He says- "We lost many good people to those monstrosities. Nice, innocent people that would never mean anyone."
"Some of those people even being close to us... "
He closes the vat behind him and wipes the tears from his eyes. Something is clearly troubling him, too.
Jared can see that very well. He knows what his father had to go through to be here, to be the alchemist of Paris. He lost as many friends as his son did. And members of their family as well.
However, the boy decides not to talk to his father about that. He knows that he is still missing his wife, Jared's mother and that he does not want to talk about it. Not even with his own son.
"I... want to go to Avernum."- Jared continues- "I want to continue helping those people. Do what I can to ease their tedium. Make them feel at least a little bit happier."
"Can you manage this alchemy without me for now? I might be gone for a while... "
Aleks nods and sighs.
"I understand that, son. If you want to go, you're free to do so. Those people need your help more than I do and it would be cruel for me to even try to stop you. So, go ahead. Try your luck and defeat those monsters."
He looks up at his son happily and smiles.
"And, if you're lucky enough, maybe you can find some nice things to sell and help me keep this alchemy up a little while longer. What do you say?"
Sadly, Aleks is very much right about this. Ever since they defeated Xehanort and freed the city from his tyranny, Aleks opened up this alchemy, a way to help the people of this huge city surviving against other such dangerous threats in the future.
Unfortunately, the money in his possession have started to become less and less ever since, leaving barely enough for him to maintain his alchemy at the minimum. However, his son is always there for him, doing little errands for everyone in the city and making it safer. And thus, people decided that it would be wise to donate some of their money to Aleks, to keep the place up and running. The reason for that is because his potions are way too valuable for the locals and he needs money to buy them from traveling herb merchants in order to make them.
But the financial problem is still not over, despite the kind donations of the city's residents and Jared's frequent earnings. There is barely enough money for herbs to create health potions and remedies for the sick.
Jared looks at his father. He knows that the poor man is looking up to him. And that he needs his help more than he ever has before. He knows that he needs to earn what he can to help their business continue to work at full speed.
Without thinking twice, he nods and smiles.
"Of course I will do that, dad! Money is what we need the most right now and I will gather it for us."
"Fear not, dear father, for I shall succeed in this little quest of ours."
Aleks nods and smiles.
"Very well. Then go! Help those people and make them happier. They really deserve it. Every single one of them."
Jared nods and leaves the alchemy.
Jared glares sadly at his son as he leaves. Then, he turns around and stares at the picture of his late wife on the wall above him.
He wipes a tear from his left eye and sighs.
"One day, Seiko."- He says- "One day, me, Jared and Marinette are going to bring you back. One day, you will be in my arms, smiling and laughing, always being the cheerful woman that you used to be."
He looks at his gloved hand. It is clenched into a fist. He is holding something within it.
When he opens the hand, he reveals a small, white crystal. It is cracked, looks fragile and generally unfinished.
Aleks shakes his head.
"I should get back to work. Jared is doing what he wants to do. And I will do the same."
He takes one last look at the picture.
"One day, my dear. One day, you will be back here in this world. Just wait... a little while longer. I beg you."
He puts his protective glasses on, puts on his lab coat and grabs a nearby hammer and chisel. He continues to silently work on the small crystal, wondering if his son is still truly worried about his well-being.
Meanwhile, Jared goes to the portal room where the portal to Avernum is located.
The guards there check his belongings to make sure that he is not carrying anything dangerous with him. One of them nods.
"Seems like you're going back in Avernum, eh?"- She says- "Well, we're not gonna stop you."
The other guard nods as well.
"Good luck, kiddo."- He says- "And stay out of danger, okay?"
Jared nods and smiles.
"Will do! Thank you for the warning!"
Both guards smile as well and watch as Jared enters the portal to Avernum.
3 hours later...
Jared finds a cave near Formello. 
After talking to Commander Jones a few hours earlier, he realized that there are a lot of pests emerging from within it. Rats, bats and other similar weak monsters.
However, what is worrying the man is the man that a new threat is brewing inside. Something that might be too strong for the guards themselves to handle and that requires a hero's help.
And so, our hero bravely enters the deep, dark cave, hoping to find the problem within and clear it out.
What is clear is that he does not want to stay longer than he has to. His senses tell him that he wants to flee, to go back to the relative safety of the city of Paris, where his whole family and his friends are.
However, he also knows that he has Commander Jones's trust. And that he does not want to lose it if the problem becomes worse. He knows that he has to walk forward bravely and strike fast, just like a true hero would do.
He goes further into the cave, a lantern in his left hand and a shiny, white sword in his right.
"I will never fear anything anymore."- He says to himself- "I am done with being the fearful, little child that I used to be years ago. I am done with pitying those monsters."
"Now, I am a grown-up young man and I will gladly come face to face with anything and anyone that threatens the safety of my allies. I shall move forward with no fear in my mind and strike with the force of the Heavens themselves, raining holy judgement upon those miscreants. Onward!"
Not a single drop of fear left in his heart, wishing to bring forth the fear with his blows and strike it into the hearts of his enemies, Jared bravely moves forward. He slices through every pest around him- rats, bats and even the usual giant lizards. He does not want to leave any survivors that might harass the nearby city later.
Finally, after half an hour of hunting, he reaches the central chamber of the cave. Inside, he sees a strange creature.
Although he has never seen it before in his life, he immediately recognizes it. He sees a Drake- one of the mightiest creatures in Avernum, close cousins to the Dragons and usually enemies to the human kind.
This one in particular seems to be very angry. It hisses when Jared approaches it.
The boy puts his hands up, as a sign of peace.
"Hold on, don't kill me!"- He says- "I just wanted to talk to you."
The Drake looks closer and smiles.
"Ah. You're the kid that the city sent to exterminate my pest problem. Good"- It says- "I can see that you are a very competent one."
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"Wait. You're... not the enemy that I have to kill?"
The drake shakes its head angrily.
"Don't be silly, morsel. You were sent here to eradicate something much more dangerous, in the caves below us."
It stares at the stairway behind it.
"And it's over there."
Jared stares at the stairway as well. He realizes that the Drake is really worried about the problem.
"So, what is the problem we are speaking of, if you don't mind me asking?"- He asks the drake.
The creature looks at him.
"There's a very strange creature in there. A being of pure, magical energy. It killed my brood and is not staying in my treasury. I cannot kill it, because it is immune to all of my magic."
"Only one of your blades will be able to truly harm it and destroy it for good."
"So, will you?"- It says and looks at our hero hopefully.
Jared nods.
"Very well. Consider it done."- He says.
"But... "- He adds- "Will you leave the residents of Avernum alone afterwards. Do you swear to not harm them after your cave is cleared."
The drake shakes his head.
"Actually, I have decided to seek my fortunes elsewhere. I thought that it would be better if I went to one of your human cities and became a merchant's pet. It's a better life than staying in this place and waiting for trouble to stir."
"So, if you get rid of that strange being for me, all of the treasures down there are yours."
Jared looks up hopefully.
"You mean it?"
The drake smiles.
"Of course. I feel that you need them more than I do."
It picks up some food from nearby and begins to leave.
Before it does so, it looks back at Jared.
"I think that this will not be the last time when we see each other, Jared."- He says- "If you ever need my help... or advice, I will be going to Formello."
Jared nods.
"I will be looking forward to speak with you further, O Wise One."
The drake smiles wider.
"You flatter me."- It says- "Good luck. You will need it."
Having said its piece, the Drake leaves Jared alone in the cave.
Jared looks at the stairway and sighs.
"Let's do this."- He says and walks down the stairs.
Below, he sees that he is currently at the drake's treasury. It is enormous, still filled with all kinds of goodies. Gold still fills the shelfs on the walls and food is still in the baskets. Precious gems are placed in various chests.
However, the treasury is not empty. It is populated by somebody. Or somebody, to be more honest.
The resident is not a guard of the treasury. It is in the distance, a being of magical energy. And it is looting the treasury.
Jared looks around with a fearful look in his eyes.
"All this treasure... !"- He says- "This is what will help me and dad get afloat again. Everything will blossom for us!"
He looks at the creature ahead.
"But first... the problem.
He cautiously approaches the creature as it puts a gold nugget in a bag and put his sword against its throat.
"You should not have come here, creature of darkness."- He says- "Now, it is time for you to pay.
The creature looks around. This is when Jared realizes that it has no no eyes or mouth. Its face is blank.
However, he can still clearly hear what it is trying to tell him- "Time to die, drake servant."
Without a warning, it pushes the boy away with a strong wave of magical energy and begins to throw fireballs at him.
Jared manages to evade all of them and draw his bow. He shoots the creature with it.
However, he soon realizes that the arrows are just going through its translucent body and not doing actual damage.
"This is bad... "- He says to himself and draws his sword.
Immediately after delivering a few powerful blows, he realizes that the creature could only be hurt by melee weapons. 
He sees that the creature is trying to drink a potion and, without a moment of hesitation, knocks it off its hand and slices it in the abdomen.
However, the wound heals completely, much to our hero's horror, leaving him amazed at how fast the creature regenerates its body. So amazed that he is unable to fight back and is forced to the ground.
As the creature prepares to kill him, he remembers what his mother told him once.
"You always need to be strong, son! No matter what enemies you face, face them with bravery. If you are destined to die, do it with honor. Fight until your last breath and show the world that you're a real fighter that will never go down without a good fight!'
Jared shakes his head.
"I will not give up!"- He yells and bravely uses his leg to make the creature fall to its knees.
From there, he quickly stands up and unceremoniously stabs it in the head. Once the deed is done, the creature emits a loud, shrilling scream and evaporates into magical dust.
Jared collects the dust and decides to keep it in a jar that he found nearby after the battle, as a way to not leave it here to waste.
He looks around the treasury. His eyes glitter with happiness.
"Finally!"- He says- "My hard work has been rewarded. We are going to be rich!"
He decides to take some of the gold and food for himself, but leaves most of it to be taken by the residents of Avernum's cities who need them much more than he and his father do.
After taking a few gems along with them, Jared leaves the dark, gloomy place behind him.
He returns to Formello and informs the Commander of the successful mission and is rewarded with more gold. He also tells the Drake about the deed (Who has decided to stay with Ken and Jen- the lizard farmers when it arrived in the city), making it very happy in the process, now that it knows that there are truly good people left in this world.
After speaking with him for a while, it tells him about a strange cave to the west of Fort Draco and how he used to hear faint whispers when he came close to it.
Compelled to help the creature find out what this mystery truly is, Jared decides to investigate it himself.
After a few hours, he arrives at the cave and looks at it.
He hears the whispers that beckon him forward. He realizes that they might be able to give him answer about all of the nightmares that he had recently.
"Well."- He says- "I can see that there is no other way to go, but forward. So, here I go."
He grabs a torch from the nearby wall, lights it with one of his fire spells and enters the strange cave, eager to get answers for his problems.