MLIII C5, P2- "Only For The Worthy"

"Only For The Worthy" is the second Part of "Miracula Luxia III"'s fifth Chapter.
It was released on 02.04.2022.
== Plot ==
Adam and his allies manage to reach the capital of Mordred Darkthrop's evil kingdom. However, simply getting into Underfall and searching for its leader is virtually impossible.
As it is, our heroes are forced to face the city's darkling army. Although they are easily able to dispatch a sizable amount of them, this is not enough to make them surrender. And soon, they realize why.
Now, they have to face a much more perilous threat. A creature of the dark that is more than happy to get rid of them, in favor of serving his dark master for a while longer.
Will Adam and his friends manage to defeat the vile dragon?
== Story ==
Dorgen walks around Melanchion, slowly evaluating his new appearance. It is almost as if he is trying to taunt him, although the massive creature is unfazed by his pitiful attempts to scare him off.
"Why did you do this, Dorgen?"- Melanchion asks him- "Why did you abandon your own family and join those... freaks?"
The darklings are threatened by Melanchion's words. They try to make a move, but Dorgen stops them with a single grunt.
"Because you left me no choice."- He responds- "While you and the rest of our siblings trained to become mighty dragon, I sat in the dust. I wanted to be like you, yet you treated me like a pile of dirt. You ignored me. You laughed at me. And now, you will get what you deserve."
Melanchion roars. The sound itself is enough to throw a small number of the darklings back and effectively terrify the rest.
"We left you no choice?!"- He roars at him- "You ungrateful lizard! That is what you thought back then! Even though we never paid a lot of attention to you, we still recognized you as one of our own! A brother, in blood and in arms! We treated you with the respect that you deserved! We helped you unlock your true potential! And yet, you blame us for your own misfortunes! You were our brother, our ally! And then, when you left us to do horrendous things to those humans that even God himself is unable to fix, we still let you do it! And you know why?! It's because we loved you! We wanted you to be happy! Even though we respected Mother's decision to exile you from our kin, we were still sad to see you go! The world is the one that changed you, not us!"
Dorgen snorts.
"And you think that I'll believe all of this nonsense. Oh, how delusional you have become."- He responds- "But now, I have a family that is better than you'll ever be. Those people actually treat me with respect. Even better, they see me as their leader! They know that I'm suitable for their home, so they let me in with open arms."
Adam shakes his head.
"Have you ever thought about the reason why they welcomed you?"- He chimes in- "Those vile creatures are manipulating you. Exploiting your abilities to achieve their own evil, selfish goals. You are just a simple pawn in their hands. A toy that is being controlled by a powerful master. Mordred Darkthrop and his allies are using you as their servant, a way to threaten the rest of the world to give them what they want and one of the reasons why they have not been instantly obliterated by the warriors of justice. They need you to survive. I can tell that you used to be a mighty dragon... once. Now, you are just a pitiful remnant of what you used to be. A broken being whose fragments of power and wisdom can never be recovered. You have gone too far, beast of the dark."
The darklings attempt to chime in and defend their ally. However, Adam's words strike home. They are unable to respond to such a true accusation.
Unfortunately, Dorgen is too far gone to believe the truth, even when it flashes into his eyes.
"Rragh!"- He roars- "Your words marked you for death, mortal! You'll be the first one to die!"
Having said that, he flaps his wings, flies toward Adam and attempts to land on top of him.
However, the young hero manages to leap back by performing a perfect backflip, landing on a nearby rock.
He draws his bow.
"If I am unable to drill some wisdom into your empty head, then I will do it in the old-fashoned way."- He says- "En garde, you fool!"
Dorgen growls.
"I will end your pitiful life, mortal."- He says to him- "I shall nail your coffin with my own hands."
Having said that, he breathes fire at him and watches as he slowly disappears.
Thinking that he has already won, he turns back to Melanchion.
"Heh."- He says- "Your friend may be a smart human, but he's no better than the rest of them."
Just as he prepares to attack, a volley of holy arrows strikes him in the back. While most of them are deflected by his thick hide and sharp spikes, some of them manage to pierce his skin and severely burn it.
"YOU!"- He roars and leaps back- "How dare you survive?! You should be dead!"
Adam smiles as he prepares to take another shot.
"And yet, I am still here."- He says to him- "Looks like you are the one who is bad at fighting."
Dorgen roars again, but Adam is unfazed.
"Your attempts to terrify me are considerable, but rest assured that they will never work."- He says- "Back in the time when I honed my skills in Canonia, I was trained to resist such cowardly moves. You will never break me down."
Dorgen growls and angrily stabs the ground with his claw. He digs deeper and soon pulls out a large ball of dirt.
"Oh, really?"- He says to Adam- "Then maybe this will change your mind!"
In a matter of a single second, he throws the tainted dirt at Adam's eyes and watches as he falls backwards.
"Hah!"- He yells- "Now you can't see me!"
Satisfied that he won't recieve a lot of resistance, Dorgen closes in for the kill. Donovan and Sharla try to strike him down with their spells, but he easily avoids them.
"Pathetic fools, you all are!"- He roars- "Nothing more!"
As he gets closer to Adam, he lifts his claw.
"Good night, mighty hero."
Before he can do anything to him, Adam draws his sword and stabs him in the arm.
As Dorgen roars in pain and shock, he is forced to stumble back to recover. This gives our hero the chance to listen to his surroundings and determine the vile creature's exact location.
Without thinking twice, he decides to trust his instincts and launch a powerful spell at the area in front of him... 
*BOOM!*
Bull's eye! 
A massive thunderbolt strikes Dorgen right in the head, severely stunning him and leaving him helpless for a few seconds.
"This is... impossible!"- The mighty dragon mutters- "I can't die... like this!"
Adam's eyesight has not recovered yet, but he is still able to find where he is. Then, after making sure that he will not fight back, he casts another spell and pierces the dragon's chest with a ray of light.
As he finally recovers, he hears a satisfying thud and watches as Dorgen slumps on the ground. He kicks his corpse to make sure that he will not stand back up, but receives no response.
"This is not the end."- He says to himself, aware that this might be another trick- "I am sure of it."
Sure enough, his worst fears come true. As he steps back to prove his theory, Dorgen stands back up and attacks him again.
"Wait. But... why is he not dead?!"- Sharla wonders aloud- "The last attack should have ended his life!"
Donovan sighs and shakes his head.
"Whoever this dragon may be, he has an iron resolve. Nothing seems to break him down."- He says- "Perhaps he truly is undefeatable."
Melanchion shakes his head.
"This is not the time to be afraid!"- He roars- "Dorgen may be strong, but he is not invulnerable! He is just a dragon, like me. If we fight him together, then we will surely have a chance to get rid of him!"
Unfortunately, before the three of them can make their move, the rest of the darklings finally decide to help their mighty ally out. That is, they make the decision to not stand inert and attack instead.
As Donovan and Sharla fight back against them, Melanchion steps forward and blocks their way to them.
"Stand back, humans. I will handle this."- He says- "Go there and help your friend! I will make sure those fiends don't reach you!"
Donovan and Sharla nod and run toward Adam, confident that Melanchion will hold them off.
Meanwhile, Adam makes a leap of faith and jumps on Dorgen's back. He attempts to stab him, but the dragon easily pushes him away.
"He is too strong."- He says to himself- "I must find another way."
He turns around and looks at Donovan and Sharla, who have just joined him in the fight.
"Donovan!"- He yells at his friend- "Now!"
Donovan nods and leaps forward. He stabs Dorgen in the tail with his spear and channels some of his intense energy into it.
Dorgen roars in pain again. He angrily looks back at Donovan and swats him back with his tail, like a fly on a horse.
"Donnie!"- Sharla yells- "No!"
As she tries to help him stand up, Dorgen flies up in the air and launches a massive fireball at Adam. However, the young hero manages to leap back and shoot a few arrows at him, although he is too high for them to reach him.
Dorgen laughs.
"Prepare yourself, mortal."- He says to him- "This is the end of the line."
Having said that, he swings his claw at Adam. Moments later, a large group of drake spirits surround our hero.
"How interesting."- Adam says- "You use others to fight for you."
He draws his sword.
"Very well."- He continues- "I will dance for you."
As Adam fights the drake shades all by himself, Dorgen laughs. He is clearly amused by his suffering. However, soon feels a sharp pain in his tail and is forced to land on the ground.
This gives Sharla the chance to strike him with a thunderbolt. However, this is far from enough to bring him down.
"You know, you look like a tasty little morsel."- Dorgen says, unfazed, and smiles- "Perhaps it won't hurt to take a bite."
Then, he starts to approach Sharla. She tries to back off, but he sinks his teeth into her left leg, rendering her temporarily immobile.
"You'll make a good meal. damsel."
He tries to rip her leg off. However, before he can harm her further, a massive ray of light pierces his back and forces him to roar in pain.
He turns around to see who dared to attack him, only to get bombared by a barrage of holy fireballs.
"What is the meaning of this?!"- He roars as he attempts to avoid them- "Who dares to make fun of me? Me?!"
He looks closer and sees that his new enemy is much more fearsome. In fact, he is a part of his kind. A sibling, one might say.
"You may have forgotten me, fiendish abomination. However, I never did. I've always remembered how you made us all cry."- The dragon says as he continues to attack him- "To refresh your incredibly short-spanned memory, I will say that I am Ardo the White. A fellow dragon and brother of yours. Many years ago, you made Mother angry with your actions. You made us unable to trust each other. Worst of all, you dared to team up with those who rained destruction upon our lands. That is why I came all the way here- to stop you from causing any harm and to save the poor humans who are subjected to your cruelty."
Melanchion smiles.
"I am glad that you heeded my call, Ardo."
Ardo takes a moment to smile back at him.
"Your friends are also mine, dear brother."- He says to him- "And I would never let them down."
He looks back.
"Aiden, now!"
Donovan stares ahead, surprised.
"Aiden?"- He says- "My brother is here?!"
Aiden takes no time to make his move. He rushes forward, blade drawn and ready to fight.
Then, he jumps up in the air, mutters a few words and, as everyone watches him, his sword gets far bigger than it already was.
"Incredible!"- Sharla exclaims- "How is that kid able to hold such a weapon?!"
Donovan smiles.
"This is my brother."- He says- "Nothing is impossible for him."
Aiden lets out a tremendous battle cry and swings his sword at a nearby building as he descends, easily slicing it in half and making it fall apart.
"Look out, Adam!"- He says as he rushes to help his friend.
Adam, Aiden and Ardo leap back just in time to see the entire building crash into the massive dragon that is called Dorgen. He roars in pain as he tries to get back up, but soon realizes that he is trapped.
"Rragh!"- He roars- "Imbeciles! Fools! Throwing me into one of your traps doesn't change anything! I will escape and tear you apart!"
Ardo smiles.
"Keep on believing that, dark one."- He says to him- "Your life is already over."
He turns to Adam.
"I am glad to see that you survived."- He says to him- "Are you hurt? Shaken? Fighting a giant dragon like my brother must have been quite a challenge for you."
Adam smiles and shakes his head.
"Your brother was a formidable opponent, but he was no match for a bunch of skilled warriors such as ourselves."- He says- "I may be hurt, but this does not matter. Defeating Mordred Darkthrop is my sacred task. Scratches like those are just a minor dragdown."
Ardo smiles.
"Of course."- He says and bows to him- "You are a worthy hero. Your accomplishments have shown that much to me. Out of all the heroic humans out here, you deserve the most respect. Thank you for your service to the Light."
Adam is thrilled to see that he is respected by such a mighty creature. He looks down and smiles, unsure how to respond.
"Thank you, O Mighty Dragon. I... appreciate it."- He finally says- "You are very kind."
Meanwhile, Dorgen listens to them and roars in anger.
"I can still hear you, fools!"
Ardo looks at him and takes a step forward.
"You have paid your dues, young one."- He says to Adam- "Now, it is my time to pay mine."
Fearless and determined, the massive creature of light approaches his evil brother.
As he steps forward, our hero cannot help but admire how beautiful he looks. His scales are pearl white, almost luminescent and his eyes are golden, like the sun that shines in the sky. His spikes are sharp enough to kill a man and so is the end of his massive tail. Like Dorgen, numerous scars mar his flawless body- clear signs of a skilled veteran who has fought in many battles, emerging victorious every time.
And his wings... his wings... it is almost as if they actually belong to an angel. They are gorgeous and white, just like the dragon himself.
"I have always wanted to see a righteous dragon, but... woah."- He says to himself- "I never imagined that this experience would be so thrilling."
Melanchion approaches him and smiles.
"Majestic, isn't he?"- He says to him- "This is my youngest brother- Ardo the White. He is a part of the youngest members of our kin, but he is not a defenseless little morsel. On the contrary, he knows how to make a difference. And he never fails to do it. Or amaze me."
Adam nods.
"I know a valiant hero when I see one."- He says- "Your brother is truly one of a kind."
Melanchion grins.
"I know, right?"- He responds- "His actions have always inspired me to be a better dragon! And I think that the rest of my siblings would agree with that!"
He breathes a gout of flame, saddened and angered.
"Unfortunately, this is the end of my journey."- He says- "Now that I am reunited with my brother, we must take care of Dorgen before he can do anything to you."
Adam is surprised by this.
"But.. you said that you would help us out!"- He says and looks down- "It does not matter, though. If you wish to help your brother, so it be."
Melanchion smiles and places his clawed hand on his shoulder.
"Stay strong, young one. The end of this treacherous journey is very close."- He says to him- "As soon as you get into that building, you will face your destiny. Your fate will be written and rewritten. You will make history that will last for many years to come. And someday, I hope that I can tell our family's descendants of the young man who risked everything to save our world from the evil wizard Mordred Darkthrop."
Adam smiles.
"I will miss you, my big friend."
Melanchion smiles back.
"Me too, Adam."- He responds- "It was an honor to fight alongside you."
He bows down and watches sadly as Adam rejoins his companions. Then, he turns around to face Dorgen for the last time.
"Alright, brother. This is it."- He says to Ardo- "Let us get rid of this corrupted scum. For the Greater Good."
Ardo nods.
"I agree, dear brother."- He says- "It is time to do what we failed to do years ago."
The two mighty dragons raise their claws and prepare to put Dorgen down for good.
Meanwhile, Adam and his allies step into the fortress.
"It was so hard to get in here. Fighting wild creatures, darklings and even a dragon, just to stumble into this place."- Donovan says- "I really hope that it was worth it."
Sharla nods.
"I hope so, too."- She chimes in- "I don't want my sacrifice to be in vain."
Adam nods.
"It will be worth it, once we defeat Darkthrop and his henchmen."- He says- "Heinous crimes like those shall never go unanswered."
Donovan looks at his brother. He never imagined that he would ever see him again.
"Why didn't you listen to me, Aiden?"- He asks him- "I told you that it was too dangerous. And yet, you still risked your life. Why would you do such a thing?"
Aiden sighs.
"It's because I love you, Donnie."- He responds- "Seeing how my own brother goes to a place where he may remain forever made me feel worried about you. I had to leave the city of Paris, just to find you and protect you. As a brother, it is my duty to keep you safe from harm."
Donovan looks down.
"Even since dad died, you've changed a lot."- He says- "It's like you became an entirely different person. A beacon of light, of justice. You were always so shy back then, so it's definitely unexpected to me."
Aiden smiles nervously.
"I am sure that you'll get used to it."- He says- "I mean, it is not that hard to believe that your baby brother finally became a man. Right?"
Donovan smiles serenely and hugs him.
"You will always be that adorable, cheerful kid to me."- He says- "And I will never leave you alone. Not anymore."
Aiden smiles.
"And neither will I."
Adam looks back at them.
"Um."- He says- "I hate to ruin your precious moment of peace, but we have arrived."
Donovan and Aiden look up and stare at the place, both in awe and in disgust.
"So. This place is meant to be some sort of church."- Donovan says- "But why? Why would they make it so... sinister and unwelcoming?"
Adam shakes his head.
"Remember, Donovan. We are in a city of evil."- He says to him- "Everything here will be sinister and unwelcoming."
Sharla is more impressed by the fact that no villains are here to "welcome" them.
"I think that someone is supposed to emerge and face us in battle."- She says- "Where is the master of this place, I wonder?"
Seconds later, the double doors that lead into the inner sanctum at the cathedral swing open and slam into the walls with a loud thuds that shakes our heroes to the core.
As they wonder who would be foolish enough to risk their life to enter this place when they are around, they stare at the intruder and immediately realize why.
"Well."- Adam says- "I guess that this answers your question, Sharla."
Sharla sighs.
"Oh, no."- She says- "I wasn't expecting this."
The creature that steps into the cathedral is a tall, elegant vampire. Although he is dressed like a gentleman, the evil aura that exudes from his very soul is enough to put even the greatest heroes on their guard. 
As for his eyes... oh my god. Those eyes look like they can suck your soul out just by staring at them. It is creepy, to say at the very least.
"I am Gyendal Ravenfoot- Master of Ghed'Ahre. Leader of the revolution against the foolish humans. Most trusted servant of His Majesty, Mordred Darkthrop."- He says and smiles- "As the primary representative of Underfall, I formally welcome you into my master's domain."
He bares his teeth at the heroes, showing a worrying number of blood stains. In fact, some of them look unnervingly fresh.
"I hope that you enjoy your stay."
== Trivia ==
* It is confirmed that Dorgen survived his encounter with Adam and his allies, despite his numerous injuries and having his entire body crushed by a massive building.