MLII C6, P8- "Race Against The Clock"

"Race Against The Clock" is the eighth Part of "Miracula Luxia II". It was released on 10.06.2021.
== Plot ==
A single, careless move leaves our hero, Jared Kaos, trapped inside a cave under the city of Paris. A place where he is alone, without anyone to comfort him or to help him out.
However, this also gives him a chance to hunt down Benedict, the bandit leader, for good.
Guided only by his determination and the eternal flame that burns within his soul, he has to fight his way through this maze of unstable tunnels, as well as the chaos that is trying to corrupt his pure heart. A struggle against Life itself that might leave him weak and insecure during the long run.
Will he make it out?
== Story ==
Jared stares down. He notices that his hands are trembling, a sure sign of his insecurity during a situation like this.
"This... this is not how it was supposed to be."- He says to himself- "How did we miss this important detail? Does this mean that we... we... ?"
A moment later, he looks up and shakes his head.
"No. We will find a way to make it out of this mess."- He says aloud- "And we always will!"
He draws his sword and takes a step forward.
"Benedict!"- He yells- "I do not know where you are, but I will find you! Mark my words!"
Having said that, he starts to move forward, unconcerned about the fact that he is in a cave.
Ten minutes later, he comes across a maze of tunnels. He looks around and sees that there are exactly four of them.
"How interesting."- He says to himself- "Whoever dug out this cave system, they wanted to fool their enemies. Or whoever is unfortunate enough to step in here."
He grabs his bow and aims it at the first passage. Moments later, he notices something red in the distance.
"And they made no effort to hide the potential traps into the dirt."- He says- "A foolish move, but still very smart."
He casts a spell on one of his arrows. Suddenly, its tip starts to burn.
"Let us see how you like this!"- Jared yells and precisely shoots the arrow at the dynamite ahead of him.
He leaps back as the dynamite explodes.
Then, unbeknownst to him, a chain reaction occurs two more bundles of dynamite explode, forcing the rest of the cave to rumble violently.
As Jared braces for impact, he notices that one of the passages is free of dynamite. He runs towards it, in the hopes that he will save himself from the worst that has yet to come.
Soon, he is far away from the explosions. He stands back as the sounds of destruction die down.
Satisfied that nothing is going to fall on him, he leaves the passage and takes a look at the mess that he created.
It looks like three of the four passages have been sealed by rubble, as well as the entrace that leads to the rear exit of the cave.
Jared looks around again, to make sure that he is not in immediate danger...
No such thing, at least for now. If our hero is going to be crushed by a massive pile of rubble, it won't happen anytime soon.
He notices a pile of rubble to the left of him. He takes a closer look and realizes that there is a sword discarded next to it.
He takes it in his hands and inspects it, making sure that it is still in good condition.
"Hmm. This sword is a little rusty, but it is still usable."- He says to himself- "It is clear that someone else has been using it. But... where are they?"
Fearing that he might find something underneath, he carefully removes rocks from the pile and discards them.
After a few minutes of hard work, his suspicions are confirmed. There is a person underneath the pile of rocks... and they are dead.
Jared tries to take a look at them, but realizes that it is too late to find out who they were... or why they came here, in the first place. The rocks have cracked their skull and, on closer inspection, it turns out that the clothes are too torn to identify their gender.
"It seems like I am not the only person who is unfortunate enough to be trapped within this cave."- He says to himself and wipes a tear from his eye- "Poor soul. It must have been an agonizing way to go."
He shakes his head and stands up.
"It does not matter."- He says- "Mourning this person is only going to make me weak. I must focus on the task at hand- getting out of this cave alive. For the sake of my allies out there, I must succeed!"
He starts to leave the cave, but turns around just as he is about to leave this chamber behind him. He approaches the skeleton, kneels and leaves the sword that he found next to him.
"I do not know who you were when you were still alive. I am not sure whether you were a friend, a foe or simply an innocent bystander."- He says to them- "But it does not matter. Nobody deserves to die like this. Nobody."
He stands up.
"Maybe the entire world has forgotten about you. Maybe you became a lost memory that will always remain this way."- He continues- "If so, you should know that there is still one person who will remember you, who will get out of this cave alive and tell the story of those who did not make it."
He bows.
"Rest in peace, my friend."- He concludes his speech and leaves the chamber.
A few hours later, Jared gets lost. He sits down and takes a look at the cave behind him.
"Three hours. Three hours... and still nothing."- He says to himself- "Why is this happening to me? To us?"
Suddenly, he starts to feel very cold.
"No."- He says to himself- "My body is sensing my insecurity. I must... focus... "
He closes his eyes and fights the darkness within him wiith whatever strength that he has left. 
Soon, the imminent danger subsides. In a few seconds, the darkness fades away. Jared feels warmer and is able to stand up.
"There we go."- He says- "Now, let us see what else I can do."
Ignoring the cold within his own body, he starts to move forward. Soon, he is out of this chamber and is approaching another maze of tunnels.
The rest of the journey is very uneventful. All that Jared has does during this time is resisting the temptation to lay down and sleep for a few hours. According to him, it will make him an easy target for the small packs of monsters that might be lurking in the shadows.
A few hours later, he pauses again. He notices that the air is turning cold.
He looks back. His temptation to run away from this place is strong, but it is not stronger than his desire to escape the cave and help his allies. And the only way that leads toward a potential exit... is this one.
Taking a deep breath, Jared turns around and starts to step forward, doing his best to ignore the cold.
Further in, however, the cave's temperature drastically decreases. Our hero notices that his body is getting weaker and weaker, unable to withstand the cold. He tries to move forward, but soon falls on his knees, unable to keep his balance.
He tries to stand up and turn back, but his legs refuse to perform this action. Thus, he is unable to move.
A few seconds later, he tries to stand up again, but soon finds out that he is too weak to move.
"It is so cold."- He mutters- "Must... stay... alive... "
He slumps against a wall behind him. He feels as if his lungs are about to give out. 
At the same time, his legs start to feel like melting butter. 
In a few seconds, his vision starts to get hazy. His body starts to shut down.
"Dad. Grandpa. Mari."- He mutters as his eyes start to close- "I... I am so... so sorry. I failed you. Please... please forgive me... "
As he closes his eyes for the last time, he notices something ahead of him. A bright, white light. It is very tempting, way too much for him to resist.
Jared takes a step forward and inspects the light. Once he is close enough, it coalesces into a humanoid form.
Moments later, our hero recognizes someone who is very dear to him- his uncle, Jason.
"So this is how you want to die, nephew? Lost and forgotten in this cave?"- He says to him- "No. This is not the way it's supposed to be!"
His spirit radiates warmth. It frees Jared's mind from the shackles of darkness that are trying to bind it.
This gives him some time to look around. He notices that he is in a large city, bustling with activity.
He looks at the people. They are happy, much happier than anyone that he has ever seen before. They are walking around, as if they are not concerned about anything that might happen to them. To pass the time, they are talking to each other, smiling every once in a while.
He manages to hear what they are saying:
"Did you really meet him?"- The first person says- "Did you really meet our hero? The one who saved us from an impending doom?"
The second person nods.
"I'm telling you, man. It was really him!"- He exclaims- "Jared Kaos. The man who risked everything to save the people of this world. He was patrolling the city, looking for villains that need to be crushed. Sure, he didn't have the time to say hello, but he smiled at me! Yes, I'm not joking! He smiled and waved at me!"
He sighs.
"He's saved this world so many times."- He continues- "And I'm sure that he'll do it again."
Jared gasps. He soon realizes that he is in the city of Paris.
He looks back at his uncle, just in time to see him smile.
"This is the new world that you are trying to make a reality. The fame that you gain and the respect that you deserve. The power that will make you the savior of those poor, tortured souls, that will give them hope that a time like this will happen. A road that leads toward the future that you are creating with your own two hands"- He says calmly- "So, tell me, nephew. Are you really going to give up on your fellow survivors? Are you really going to let them think that you have completely abandoned them? Because, without people like you, there is no bright future. The enemies that we are fighting... they will still be there. They will harm everyone that you love, everyone that you try to protect. Everything that you have done, it will become a large ruin, a ruin that will signify the end of your hopes and dreams. The end of the good within this world. But this? This is not the time to succumb to your wounds and let the wind carry you away from this world that we call our home. You still have the strength to fight against this evil, so stand up and do what must be done!"
He looks at his nephew and nods.
"I can see that you're no longer insecure. You're confident and ready to fight."- He continues- "Well, what are you waiting for? Go out there and finish what you started!"
Jared salutes him.
"Yes, uncle!"- He says confidently- "In the name of all that is sacred, I will prevail!"
Soon, his soul returns within his body. He opens his eyes and stands up.
In a few moments, the bone-chilling cold in the cave feels like a faint breeze to him.
"I made a promise, that I will always protect the innocent people that live in this world. No matter what it takes."- He says to himself- "And I am not going to give up! Never!"
He takes a step forward and looks down at his feet. He smiles and looks up.
"I am ready."- He says and starts to move forward, completely ignoring the cold in the cave.
Soon, he leaves the cave system behind him and enters a large chamber.
"I am almost out of this place."- He says to himself- "Soon, I will reunite with my friends and family and we will defeat the rest of those vagabonds."
As he gets near the exit, he notices someone entering the cave. They are carrying a small device with them.
Once safely inside, they push a small button on the device. In a few moments, rubble falls from the ceiling behind him and blocks Jared's only way out.
This gives Jared enough time to take a look at the foolish person who trapped himself into this cave. It is Benedict.
Meanwhile, Benedict notices Jared and looks at him. Then, he smiles.
"Well, it seems like your way out has been sealed. Your only chance to leave this place has been taken care of."- He says- "Tell me, kid. How does it feel? Have you lost all of your hope... or are you still clinging onto something that's not going to happen?"
Jared glares at Benedict.
"I will not say anything to a monster like you."- He says stoically- "Either fight me like a man or perish like a coward. There is nothing in-between."
Benedict smiles again.
"Just what I expected from a wanna-be hero like yourself."- He says- "Very well. Let's see who is truly worthy of living in this world!"
He draws his weapon and waits for Jared to attack first. 
He does not.
Benedict sighs and charges.
Jared manages to avoid his attacks and lands a series of vicious and powerful attacks, knocking him back.
Benedict looks back. He notices the emergency portal that his mages made for him and shakes his head.
"I won't die like this."- He says- "My dream... I won't give up on it."
He pulls out his device again and pushes the second button. Soon, Jared hears rumbling behind and ahead of him as the cavern starts to collapse.
"Hero or not, your journey ends here."- Benedict says to him- "Farewell!"
He tries to run away, but Jared is much faster than him. After his previous encounters with the bandit, he was able to study his movements and analyze his weaknesses, trying to find the best time when it is safe to strike.
And it seems like he calculated everything perfectly. The charge allows him to knock the device out of Benedict's hand and force him to fall on his knees.
"This... this is not over!"- The bandit leader says- "Mark my words, Jared Kaos!"
He tries to run away again, but is promptly grabbed by Jared before he can actually do so. 
Jared throws him on the ground and slams his head a few times. He tries to kill him, but notices that the rumbling is getting louder.
He sighs and grabs Benedict by the neck.
"I would gladly leave you to die in this cave, but it would not be a fair fight. I do not want you die so easily."- He says to him- "Our battle shall continue on the other side of this portal, wherever it leads. Get ready, because I will find you... and I will defeat you!"
Before Benedict can respond, Jared throws him into the portal and watches as he is teleported away from the cave.
He looks back and notices the rocks falling from the ceiling behind him.
"It is time for me to leave as well."- He says and jumps into the portal as the place completely falls apart.
Having survived both the cave-in and the teleportation, he takes a step forward and looks around. Soon, he realizes that he was teleported in Avernum.
"Benedict and his bandits have been using this portal to send troops into the lands of Avernum, hoping to conquer them sometime in the future. But, without this powerful device, they will have to find another way to get rid of the Avernites."- He says to himself, guessing the reason why the portal was in the cave where he was trapped- "It seems like dad missed an important detail, something that would reveal the real reason why those bandits are trying to eliminate us. And it seems I will have to uncover the rest of this mystery myself."
He starts to look around.
"Now."- He continues- "Where is that coward?"
He investigates the area around him, hoping to find where his enemy went. But it is clear that he has arrived too late.
Benedict is nowhere to be found.