MLII C3, P8- "Face To Face"

"Face To Face" is the eighth Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's third Chapter. It was released on 13.12.2020.
== Plot ==
After months of endless searching for his intended target, Jared finally finds her. Rentar-Ihrno- leader of the hostile Vahnatai that have been causing many problems to the humans everywhere for a long time has decided to face our hero and see whether he is strong enough to defeat her or not.
Typical arrogance coming from a former leader. It might well be her undoing, for all we know.
Either way, it is time for Jared to face his greatest challenge yet- to defeat an enemy that is much more powerful than Dorikas himself and sent her back into the Abyss from whence her soul came. Or, at least try to do so. It is not going to be an easy task.
Rentar-Ihrno is a powerful Vahnatai that has lived for centuries thanks to her transformation into a Crystal Soul (Although she has done more harm than good when she was still alive). She possesses a remarkable amount magical power within her very being than can easily rip a regular person apart and give even the most skilled artisans a very hard time. And yet, a skilled and determined hero like Jared can easily disrupt her defenses and shatter her crystal... as long as he is not distracted by anything else, that is.
Whether he will succeed or not remains to be seen. Everyone trusts Jared to end this threat once and for all. And knowing how far he went to achieve this goal, he will do his best not to let them down.
== Story ==
Jared draws his sword and shakes his head.
"I do not have time for small talk, you fiend."- He says stoically- "Either fight me or admit defeat, like the coward that you have always been."
Rentar-Ihrno gasps.
"W-what do you mean?!"- She asks him- "Explain yourself!"
Jared sighs.
"All this time, you hid in places like this fort, away from those who would try to kill you for all the crimes that you and your precious worshippers have committed. You thought that they would eventually give up, that no one would be strong and determined enough to face you and fight you."
Jared looks at her coldly. And yet, his eyes still radiate warmth. It is a strange combination.
"And yet, I am here."- He continues- "For many months, I fought your foolish allies and succeeded where many others have failed. I killed Lysstak the Beast. I killed Dorikas and ended the tyrrany of the Darkside Loyalists. I became the ray of hope for all those innocent souls whom you and your Vahnatai were intending to slaughter without thinking twice, without showing any mercy towards them."
He clenches his fist and yells:
"Do you even understand how many families you tore apart with your actions?! How many children you separated from their mothers and fathers? How many innocents you scared for life?! And if you tell me that you had no regret about what you did to them, then you are a monster!"
Rentar-Ihrno smirks.
"It's hard to feel regret when you have to exact your vengeance upon those who killed you a long time ago."
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"Vengeance?"- He asks her- "What do you mean by that? Why are you vengeful?"
Rentar-Ihrno sighs, having clearly heard this question many times before.
"Allow me to tell you my story. Maybe you will understand me more after that. Or still attack me. It doesn't matter, just hear me out."
Jared sighs. Although he wants to refuse and fight her immediately, he decides that it is better off if he learned more about her first.
"Alright."- He says, defeated- "I am listening."
Ghall-Ihrno decides to listen to the story as well, although he has clearly heard it many times before. What he wishes to do now is to fight the one who is tainting the image of the Vahnatai in the eyes of the everyone around them.
"As you may know, I am... was Rentar-Ihrno- the most powerful Vahnatai mage and devoted protector of my people. Long ago, I met a group of brave adventurers who asked me for help in their war against the faction that they called the Empire, the ones who stole three of our Crystal Souls at that time and whom I truly hated. Those were the people of Avernum- the people whom I would soon hate for what they did to me. Nonetheless, I helped them and soon, they won the war and returned our sacred leaders. However, as I was preparing to fill the Surface with plagues and make it a living hell for everyone who lived there, a band of adventurers, once again from Avernum came to my fortress. They had figured out that it was I who was committing those so-called "crimes" against the Empire and sending those monsters to kill them. And then, they attacked me and killed me! I was lying in wait, angered by this treachery and swearing vengeance on those foolish humans. When I returned as a Crystal Soul, I lashed out at them and killed many of their citizens, causing another group of adventurers to hunt me down. But I did not truly die. Once I was gone from this world, I was resurrected once again, my vengeance still intact."
Her crystal flashes red.
"And now, I am here, ready to hunt down every foolish human, whether it is on the surface or down in Avernum. Including you and your Vahnatai slave- Ghall-Ihrno."
Ghall-Ihrno gasps. Jared takes a step forward, angered by what Rentar-Ihrno just said about him.
"Ghall-Ihrno is not anyone's property!"- He yells- "He is a valuable ally who has helped us on many occasions and gave us advice on how to defeat our enemies. Unlike you and your foolish allies, he has always been kind towards the humans and showed care to us when you traitors tried to erase us from the face of the world. If anything, he is a loyal ally whom I will always respect for his actions and kindness... unlike you, you treacherous worm!"
Rentar-Ihrno's crystal glows red once again.
"I've had enough of your insults, human!"- She says- "Prepare to meet your demise!"
Suddenly, a large group of Vahnatai emerges from the shadows nearby and attacks Jared and Ghall-Ihrno.
The two of them manage to take a down a large amount of them, but not without a cost. Ghall-Ihrno is wounded in the shoulder by one of the Razordisks that they threw at him.
However, he does not fall to his knees. Instead, he uses whatever power he has left to attack and kill a Vahnatai that was fighting Jared, saving his life in the process.
He looks around and sees more enemies emerging from the shadows around them. 
"They have been hiding here all along!"- Jared exclaims- "This is an ambush!"
Rentar-Ihrno laughs.
"I'm glad that you finally figured this out, hero!"
Ghall-Ihrno sighs and pushes Jared out of the way.
"I know that this is a foolish move, but I think that I will stay here and fight them by myself."- He says- "If we are unable to defeat this fiend anytime soon, we may well be overwhelmed by her lackeys and our jouney will be over for good."
He turns to Jared.
"I know that you can do this, Jared. Now go! Defeat Rentar-Ihrno and save the world from the evil that resides within her soul!"
Jared nods, smiles and prepares to rush forward.
"Good luck, my friend."- He says and runs towards Rentar-Ihrno.
While Ghall-Ihrno fights Rentar-Ihrno's worshippers, Jared faces their leader.
Rentar-Ihrno laughs again.
"Foolish! You are a very foolish person if you think that you can challenge me and win!"- She yells.
Jared smiles.
"Well, nothing is decided until the last breath is spent."- He responds- "How about we find out which who will meet their doom on this day?"
Rentar-Ihrno's crystal flashes red again.
"I will be glad to get rid of you once and for all."- She says- "Bring it on, hero!"
Jared swings his sword at her and manages to break her initial defense in one hit, although the Crystal Soul manages to push him away with a second layer.
The hero stands up quickly and wastes no time to think about a strategy. Once again, Rentar-Ihrno's defense is broken by Demonslayer and this time, it touches the surface of her crystal, melting a small part of it in the process.
"Ahh! W-what is this sorcery?!"- She yells- "It burns!"
Jared shakes his head.
"I am going to make you pay for everything, you monster!"- He yells- "Now begone!"
He tries to hit the crystal again. Just as he thinks that he will succeed, however, a wave of powerful magical energy pushes him back again.
This time, he is forced to fall on his knees for a few moments.
Rentar-Ihrno laughs.
"Excellent! Now, for the final act... "- She says and suddenly, a spirit appears in front of her.
The magical creature immediately pulls out a sword and charges at Jared while he is weakened.
"... you will face the embodiment of death."
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While Jared and Ghall-Ihrno are fighting, John and Matthew are listening to the sounds of the battle from outside.
"It sounds like they need our help!"- John says and tries to go in, but is stopped by his brother.
"Maybe it's better if we don't get involved."- He mutters- "Don't go in there, big bro. I... I don't want you to get hurt."
John shakes his head.
"As much as I would like to stay here and wait for a miracle to happen, I also know that my friends are in danger."- He responds- "And I am not going to leave them fight those monsters by themselves!"
Suddenly, he stands up and rushes back into the fort without a second thought.
"I'm coming, Jared!"- He yells as he draws his weapon.
Matthew has no choice other than run after his brother and help him out.
"Big bro, wait for me!"- He says.
While the two brother run towards Rentar-Ihrno's throne room to help the friends, Matthew thinks about how his older brother always cares about Jared.
"I'm glad that my big brother has found such a good and loyal friend in the time when we were separated."- He says to himself- "Such brave and heroic people are rare to find. And in this situation, he is very, very lucky."
He sighs.
"I hope that I can also become Jared's friend... someday."
Just as he finishes his thoughts, he and his brother enter the throne room and see that Jared is in danger.
He is fighting an evil spirit. He is weakened and might lose the battle.
Rentar-Ihrno laughs.
"Yes! Yes!"- She yells- "Suffer! Beg me to stop! Fuel my desire for vengeance!"
Suddenly, she notices someone watching her and turns her attention to them.
"Wait a minute! Who... who are you?"- She asks them- "What are you doing here?!"
Seeing that his best friend is in danger, John does not waste time talking to the one who is trying to kill him. Instead, he rushes towards the spirit that is attacking Jared, weapon drawn.
"Leave my friend alone, you fiend!"- He screams and swings his blade at it.