Miracula Luxia C6, P3- "A Tactical Approach"

"A Tactical Approach" is the third Part of "Miracula Luxia" 's sixth Chapter- "The Great War". It was released on 10.12.2019.
== Plot ==
Some hostiles have nested themselves in a cave near the capital, attempting to expose the plan of the good ones to their leaders- the leaders of the Order of the Black Fist.
It is up to Jared, his uncle- Jason and Captain Viridian to eradicate this hostile force and keep their plan secret.
However, venturing in this cave will prove very dangerous for the unprepared adventurer.
Will they survive?
== Story ==
Ten minutes later, Jared, Jason and Captain Viridian were at the entrance of the cave where the hostiles are currently located.
They looked at it.
"Looks like a completely normal cave."- Jason said.
"Don't be fooled, Jason. There might be dangers inside."- Captain Viridian warned him.
"Well, if there's danger in that cave, we are here to clear it out."
The Captain nodded.
"Yes. Let's go."
The three of them entered the cave and noticed the absence of any sound whatsoever.
No chirping bats. No dripping water.
Just complete silence.
Jared struggled to look forward.
Jason noticed this.
"Can't see ahead, Nephew? It seems like you still haven't gained the ability to see in the darkness like every Avernite."
"Seems like it. I can barely see the area a few steps ahead of me!"- Jason exclaimed.
"Good thing your uncle knows what to do. Take this."
Jason gave his nephew a lantern and lit it.
"Now all of us should be able to see. Move on."
The three of them walked forward until Jason noticed something suspicious. He pulled Jason and Captain Viridian back.
"What is it, Uncle? Is something bothering you?"- Jared wondered.
"Traps!"- Jason whispered- "The small variety."
He was right. Just a few steps ahead of them a small mine was planted in the ground. And many more were around it.
They could easily kill an unaware adventurer, because of their small size. That makes them very deadly.
Captain Viridian inspected them.
"Ah yes. The "smallpoke" variety of mines. Very small and very, very lethal. But... there must be a way around them."
"Just like in the videogames, there must be a secret around here."- Jared said and poked the walls with his finger.
His search for a secret did not take a long time. Soon, he clicked a hidden button and the wall behind them revealed a secret passage.
"Incredible, Sir! Your abilities to sense things we cannot make you very valuable."- Captain Viridian praised Jared's abilities.
"I agree, Nephew. You just saved us from a lot of fiery pain."- Jason added.
Jared smiled and entered the passage.
Soon, the three of them found themselves near the end of the cave. There was a small door.
Jared pressed his ear on it. He heard laughing.
"We're very close. Soon we will find what they're hiding and we'll kill 'em! Easy, like eatin' pie!"- One of the hostiles said.
"Yeah! Too easy!"- Another added.
"Easy, eh?! I will show them!"- Jason said and tried to open the door, but Jared and Captain Viridian stopped him from doing so, to avoid confusion.
"Not yet, Uncle. We must find a better way to clear them out more... quietly."- Jared whispered.
"And how do you think we should do that? They're hostiles and deserve a punishment in the way of a quick, bloody death!"- Jason whispered.
"I agree with the leader. We must find a more tactical approach."- Captain Viridian nodded.
Jason sat down on the floor.
"So, what's the grand plan?"
"I don't know yet. But there must be a way. Let's try to find more secret passages.
And so, the three of them continued trying to find more secret passages.
Their effort was rewarded when they found another secret passage to the right of the door. It was leading upwards.
"This might lead to the top of the room. Let's go!"- Jared whispered and moved forward.
Soon, the three of them found themselves on top of the cave where the hostiles were located.
They also heard chanting from above. It seems like the hostiles have positioned themselves to be near the Portal and hear what is happening.
However, they were in for a nasty surprise.
Jared saw a small opening leading to the cave.
"It seems like they didn't predict that there would be an opening here."
"So what, we jump in and surprise attack them?"- Jason wondered.
"No! That would be too risky. Let's see what's down there first.
Jared looked down and noticed a pressure plate on the floor below them.
He showed it to his uncle and Captain Viridian.
"It's a good thing you saw it before we attempted to jump in. It might instantly kill us!"- Jason noted.
Jared also noticed a lot of dispensers set on the walls of the cave.
"Those dispensers can contain anything! Bombs, arrows. Even Quickfire."- Captain Viridian whispered.
"We might be able to trigger them. But we need to lock the hostiles in, so they can't escape."- Jared said.
"But how? Neither of us has anything to lock something (or someone) in!"- Jason exclaimed.
Captain Viridian grinned.
"You're not right, Jason. You see, I am an expert when it comes to locking and unlocking doors, chests and other simple contraptions. Leave it to me."
"Ah, you're a Locksmith, Viridian? I see, I see. I'll let you handle this, then."
Captain Viridian nodded and headed downstairs.
Jared went after him to make sure everything goes according to plan.
Captain Viridian pulled out a Lockpick.
"Alright. Let's trap those fools!"- He grinned.
"They shouldn't have messed with us."- Jared said.
"Yes, Sir. You're right. Now let's finish this once and for all."
He used the Lockpick on the door.
*click*
Success! The door is locked now!
Jared pressed his ear on the door once again. The hostiles in there seemingly haven't heard or realized a single thing.
For now.
"I did it! Now return to your uncle and help him out."- Captain Viridian said.
Jared nodded and headed upstairs.
He told his uncle about the small success they had downstairs.
"So, it's locked? That's good. We got them where we we want them."
"But the problem still remains- how do we activate that pressure plate?"
Jared looked at it and nodded.
"Only something heavy would be able to activate it. Like a foot."
"But those hostiles are too smart to not fall for this. Maybe... "
Jared started casting a spell, wisps of flame dancing around the palm of his hand.
Soon, it was more than obvious what he was going to do.
He casted the spell which turned into a small fireball flying towards the pressure plate.
Quickly and silently, it landed on the pressure plate and pushed it.
"And now we wait."- Jason said and sat down.
About 30 seconds later, something started hissing in the room.
The hostiles panicked and tried to open the door, but with no success.
It was locked.
And none of the hostiles had the key to unlock it.
The hissing continued. The hostiles begged their dark masters for help, but none arrived.
Soon, the explosion happened. The hostiles's screams stopped abruptly.
It was safe to enter now.
"Alright. Let's go in."
Jared nodded and they headed downstairs.
"I think they're dead."- He said to Captain Viridian.
"Okay then. It's safe to unlock it."
Captain Viridian unlocked the door and they headed inside.
The room was mostly undamaged, except for the part where the hostiles were standing.
There were seven of them. And all of them are dead.
"Good riddance. That should send a grisly message to the survivors of their order."- Jason said as he looked at them.
Jared saw a chest to the right and opened it.
Inside he found lots of dirty clothes, rusty weapons and a letter.
It was adressed to someone named "G", presumably the leader of this small party.
"G- You know the drill. Find out what they're trying to do and stop them at all costs. The bandits I sent with you are more than competent enough to fend off a party that tries to drive you out. And remember- The darkness shall rise, no matter what. Take care. - The Leaders"
On the back of the letter there was a sign, possibly that of the Order of the Black Fist.
The three of them looted the corpses and headed out of the cavern, their work done.
That night, they headed towards the capital's Inn to talk about their recent experiences.
"They were expecting a friendly party to come and wipe them out, but didn't expect the party to trick them into believing they're safe. What a disorganized team."- Jared noted.
Captain Viridian nodded.
"And they wanted to hurt us really badly. Too bad their plan backfired."
"But what if they were just a scouting party and the real trouble comes later?"- Jason wondered.
"Probably. But we won't know that until they attack us again. Until then we must concentrate on the main goal- to enlarge the Portal, so the soldiers of Avernum can help us out."- Jared said.
"Agreed. We shouldn't forget it."
"How about we go back at the Portal to see how our brave mages are doing?"- Captain Viridian suggested.
Jared finished his glass of water and nodded.
"Yes. Let's see how much progress they've made in our absence."
They stood up and left the Inn, but not before paying the Bartender.