MLIII C1, P4- "The Awakened"

"The Awakened" is the fourth Part of "Miracula Luxia III" 's first Chapter.
It was released on 18.10.2021.
== Plot ==
Thanks to the advice that General Khobar gave them, Adam and Sharla finally reach Ellhrah's Keep and speak with Ellhrah- the leader of the servile sect known as the Awakened, hoping that they can achieve a mutual agreement and help each other in the process.
Meanwhile, Donovan continues to speak with Yu-La. He agrees to help her attack the gates outside the labs where the Geneforge is located which are guarded by many powerful Sholai- allies of Trajkov and sworn enemies of both Yu-La and Donovan himself. Having recently allied himself with both the Sholai trader and the serviles that live with her, the young mage's newfound hope for survival does not cease. He knows that he will reunite with Adam and Sharla very soon and eagerly awaits for the day when it will happen.
But until then, both parties must fight for their lives... and their new allies.
== Story ==
Seeing how polite he is towards both of them, Adam is flattered. He eagerly sits down, ready to deal with this clever leader like an equal.
While doing so, he bows again, showing his respect to the one who has more authority than him.
"Yes. It is clear that you are honorable and very loyal."- Ellhrah notes- "That is good. I like to speak with people like you."
Adam smiles.
"And it is the same for us, sir."- He says- "It is an honor for us to be here."
Ellhrah nods.
"You mentioned that Khobar sent you here to speak with me?"- He asks- "Is that so?"
Adam nods.
"He did."
Ellhrah smiles.
"I had a lot of faith in him. I hoped that he would find people who would be eager to help us out."- He says- "I am glad that he didn't give up."
He sighs.
"Anyway. I know why you are here. You seek my advice, my aid. You want me to help you find someone."- He continues- "I regret to say it, but I am afraid that help does not come for free."
Sharla nods.
"And that's what we thought when we came here."= She says- "Is there something that we can help with?"
Ellhrah nods.
"Ah. Enthusiasm. Dedication. Devotion."- He mutters- "Few people have them nowadays. I'm glad to see that heroism is still a thing."
He clears his throat.
"But I'm just rambling to myself."- He says- "I am an old man, after all."
It is strange that Ellhrah is referring to himself as "man". Serviles may be humanoids, but they are not quite like humans. They are creatures that are programmed to serve not to live and think independently. Some of them like to see themselves as humans. However, this is not quite the case and they are still inferior to them in almost every way.
Still, this does not bother Adam and Sharla at all.
"Old people are very wise."- Adam admits- "There is so much to learn from them. And I am glad that I am talking to someone as ancient and powerful as you, sir."
Ellhrah nods and wipes a tear from his right eye.
"Respect. This... this is what I've missed for so long."- He says- "Thank you, child. You just made my day much better."
He clears his throat again.
"Anyway, we have much to talk about."- He says- "But first, I want to tell you my story. Our story."
He looks at them expectantly.
"Would you like to hear it, dear visitors?"
Adam nods.
"I am always ready to learn more."- He says excitedly- "We are interested in hearing what you have to say."
Sharla nods as well.
"Although our problems are pretty urgent, it's never too late to learn something new about the past."- She says- "Go on."
Ellhrah nods and smiles.
"Hundreds of years ago, a lot of serviles lived in this place that we call Sucia Island. We had normal lives. We tended to our fields, day and night. And we always strived to improve whenever we were able to. Everything went perfectly normal for all of us... until the Shapers decided to abandon the island and leave the serviles to face their impending doom."- He says- "Many good people died, slain by the rogues that inhabit this place as well. We faced some very dark times, struggling just to survive and not improve, like we always wanted."
He sighs.
"That is when we split into several sects. Some went mad and created a town called Kazg. There, they plotted their evil plans in secret, hoping to discover and destroy their own creators- the Shapers- someday. Others devoted themselves to protecting the ancient artifacts that they left behind. They've always wanted to see the Shapers again, always ready to serve and prove themselves as loyal underlings to their beloved masters. And the rest? They formed a sect of traders who wanted nothing more than to make business with their creators and the rest of the world. To be treated as equals. They always fought to improve and saw a bright future ahead of them."
He looks up.
"And the final sect that we are talking about... are the Awakened. My people."- He says- "All the time, they have been badly treated by serviles, humans and Shapers alike. They are being laughed at, because they are different. They saw many of their allies die, just because others did not want to live in harmony. Because they saw us like they saw the rest of the servile sects- a bunch of rebellious rogues who must be destroyed at all costs. No peace. No diplomacy. Just destruction and nothing else. And I... I was there ever since it all began. I am the founder of this sect, the one who witnessed all of his people suffer at the hands of evildoers and tried to stop them as best as he could. I have lived for hundreds of years and I will likely live for many more, cursed to see the troubles of this world."
He looks down.
"All I want is for my people to be respected, to be seen as trustworthy individuals who are capable of making their own decisions while still abiding to the laws that we have."- He says- "When that happens, I can finally die happy."
Adam shakes his head.
"Do not give up!"- He exclaims- "Your people still need you. This is not the time to doubt yourself! They need a strong and capable leader and I can see that you are both. So, keep fighting. Protect your evil against the scum that dares to harm them. Soon enough, you will see that your mighty efforts were not in vain!"
Ellhrah nods.
"I appreciate your concern, my boy. I really do. But you are only a child and there is little that you can do for us, other than helping us with whatever troubles we have right now."- He says- "Still, I am looking forward to seeing what you can do for us. I will watch your progress and determine whether you will be able to help us create a brighter future together or not. We shall see."
Adam nods.
"Fair enough. I will trust your judgement and do my best to prove myself to both you and all other members of the Awakened."- He says- "Now, let us move on. You mentioned that you have some problems that need to be solved as soon as possible. I want you to know that we are are eager to help you out, whatever they might be."
Ellhrah smiles sadly.
"Actually, we only have a single real problem."- He says- "However, it is way too arduous for all of us. So much that its worse than ten problems combined."
He points to the south.
"There are some halls over there where the weather is very cold. The Shapers used them to store their precious supplies when they were still here, as well as a single Servant Mind."- He continues- "After their sudden departure, they were eerily quiet. Worryingly so."
He sighs.
"Not too long ago, we had some... visitors. A few Sholai arrived in the keep and talked to me. They seemed like normal, civilized people. At first, I thought that they are part of the friendly Sholai who only wish to trade."- He says- "However, we soon realized that this was not the case. Our guards found out that the Sholai visitors are actually a group of spies, sent by Trajkov to secretly infiltrate the keep under the guise of friendly traders and murder be before anyone can realize who they really are. Their cover blown, those vagabonds entered the tunnels to the south and sealed themselves inside. Soon, I sent some warriors to track them down, but they never again. I did it again and the result was the same. Either there are more rogues in these tunnels... or something bizarre has happened to them. Something that altered them. Changed them."
He looks at Adam.
"I know that it is a very bad idea, but maybe you can find a solution for this problem."- He says to him- "It is likely that you'll have more luck than we did."
Adam and Sharla stare at each other for a few seconds.
"Are you sure that you still want to help them?"- She whispers to him- "This might not be a good idea!"
Adam sighs and shakes his head.
"I know."- He whispers back- "However, it is necessary if we want to ally ourselves with those people and convince them to help us out. We need whatever help we can get and I am eager to do whatever I can to get those people on our side."
He turns to Ellhrah and nods.
"Very well. It will be done. You have my word."- He says- "And not bother to send any of your precious warriors to help us out. I know how much all of them mean to you, so I promise that we will find a way to solve this problem all by ourselves."
Ellhrah nods.
"So it be."- He says- "You seem competent enough, so I will allow you to do whatever you can."
He takes a look at him.
"Just... be careful."- He continues- "Okay?"
Adam nods.
"You will not regret it, sir."- He responds- "We will be back as soon as those invaders are gone."
Adam and Sharla follow the directions that Ellhrah gave them and eventually discover the entrance to the tunnels.
"It's too quiet here."- Sharla says- "Eerily quiet."
Adam nods.
"This is a very bad omen. I feel like we are being watched, for some reason."- He says- "Still, we have a mission to complete. I am not going to back down."
Sharla nods.
"It's the same for me, dear friend."- She responds- "Come on. Let's find those freaks."
It doesn't take them long to discover where their enemies are. 
As soon as they go further into the tunnel, a small group of four Sholai jumps out of their hiding spots and intercepts them.
It is clear that they are not in their right minds. Being trapped in this place for so long has definitely taken a huge toll on their sanity. They are mad. Deranged. And very, very angry about their unexpected imprisonment.
"In this state, trying to talk them out of what they are trying to do is not going to work. At all."- Adam says to himself- "The only cure for their madness is swift, painless death. And it is clear that we have no other choice in this matter."
He turns to Sharla.
"Be careful."- He says to her- "This is going to-- "
Suddenly, one of the Sholai warriors jumps on his back. The bewildered madman roars and tries to stab him with the weapon that he found in this place- a curved, wicked sword.
"Adam!"- Sharla yells- "I'm coming!"
Unfortunately, she does not get the chance to help him out. The remaining Sholai surround her, making sure that she does not intervene and trying to kill her themselves.
"Oh, come on!"- She says- "Watch out, Adam! I'll be there soon. I promise!"
Adam is unable to listen to what she is saying to him. Instead, he fights for his life, trying to push the madman away from him.
He is soon knocked on the ground. As he tries to stand back up, the Sholai that attacked him stands up himself and laughs at his struggling.
"Come on."- He mutters- "Just a little more... "
He tries to reach for his weapon, but is soon stopped by the Sholai, who manages to push it away from him.
He steps on his land and laughs.
"You are expecting me to go down like this?"- Adam mutters- "A hero never goes down that easily."
He pulls out a small dagger from his pocket and stabs him in the leg.
"I still have some tricks up my sleeve."- He continues- "And I am going to use every single one of them to defeat you, no matter how powerful you may be!"
He quickly picks up his weapon from the ground nearby and swings it at the Sholai, who manages to avoid his attacks with ease.
"Impressive. I admire their skill and dedication."- He says to himself- "Those people would be ardent allies... if they were not our sworn enemies, that is."
A few seconds later, he hears Shala calling out to him. He turns around and listens to what she has to say.
"Be careful!"- She yells- "They can use magic!"
Adam raises his eyebrow.
"Magic?"- He asks- "What do you mean?"
He turns around just in time to see the Sholai who attacked him preparing to cast some sort of spell avoids it just as he casts it on him.
Having just avoided a powerful attack, he leans next to a nearby wall for a second and smiles.
"Finally. Someone who is able to also use his brains, not just his brawns. Well done."- He praises his enemy- "But that does not mean that I am going to give up!"
Having studied the element of the spell, Adam realizes that his enemy's primary element is Dark. He quickly infuses his sword with light magic and charges.
Fortunately, his surprise attack takes the madman by surprise and prevents him for doing anything other than trying to defend himself.
After swinging his weapon at him a few times, he finally manages to land a single blow that proves to be fatal for his enemy.
As the weapon pierces the Sholai warrior in the chest, he takes a look at Adam. For the first time in a while, his eyes no longer show the look of a bewildered madman. Instead, they show an honorable warrior who dies in battle without any regrets, knowing that he was slain by someone very competent.
"Beware... Trajkov."- He whispers- "He is very... very powerful."
Having said that, he closes his eyes and lays on the floor. He is dead.
Adam shakes his head.
"I am sorry that this had to happen, brother."- He says to his lifeless corpse- "I will do my best. I promise."
A few moments later, he hears a scream coming from behind him.
Turning around, he sees that Sharla is surrounded by enemies. It seems like the rest of the Sholai managed to summon some backup while he was distracted.
"Adam! I... I can't do this!"- Sharla yells- "There's too many of them!"
Adam draws his weapon and charges.
"Do not worry, Sharla!"- He yells- "I will save you!"
He manages to kill a few of the creatures spawned by the Sholai while getting the attention of one of his real enemies.
"Leave my friend alone, you vile fiends!"- Adam yells- "You are leaving me no choice!"
He battles two of the Sholai while the last one (and whatever creatures have managed to survive Adam's onslaught) approaches Sharla, intending to kill her before Adam has the chance to intervene.
"No! Stop!"- She says, clearly exhausted- "We can work this out! Please, listen to me!"
The Sholai ignores her pleas. Instead, he draws his weapon and points it at her. He is preparing to make his final move.
Suddenly, a group of Awakened warriors bursts into the passage and attacks them, killing the one who was threatening Sharla.
"Ellhrah!"- Adam exclaims, noticing that their leader is also here- "You saved us!"
Ellhrah nods and swings his sword at two creatures, killing them.
"I would never abandon a friend in need."- He says- "Stay strong. We are almost done."
As the guards kill the remaining creatures spawned by the Sholai, Adam, Sharla and Ellhrah survey the fresh carnage.
"It was a hard battle."- Sharla admits- "I've had many close calls like this one. But I can tell that this one is definitely the worst out of all of them!"
Ellhrah nods.
"You are right. To think that such competent warriors would enter our place and threaten the safety of my people is truly... horrifying."- He says.
Then, he takes a look around and gasps when he catches a sight of something grotesque.
Not far ahead of them, they see the bleach white skulls of some unknown people, mounted on poles and eerily reminding them of their own mortality.
At first, they are unable to recognize their origin. All of them look the same. However, Ellhrah soon notices the armor that is neatly placed under the poles, revealing their true identities.
"This... this cannot be."- Ellhrah mutters- "My warriors! They... they are... "
Adam and Sharla realize what is going on. They shake their heads.
Ellhrah falls to his knees and looks down.
"I shouldn't have sent them to their doom."- He says- "It is my fault. My fault."
Adam shakes his head.
"It is not your fault, sir!"- He assures him- "Sure. You may be responsible for commanding them to complete this task. But they were just following your orders. They did what they were told to. Enemies like those are too hard to defeat and they fell in battle. But they did it for you, sir. They died for you and the Awakened, trying to protect you from those madmen. In my eyes, those people are heroes and I respect them for fighting so valiantly. It is sad that they are gone, but this does not mean that we must fall in despair."
He sighs.
"I am immensely sorry about them. I never had the chance to meet them in person, but I am sure that they were honorable warriors who were fiercely loyal to the Awakened until their last breaths."- He continues- "As much as I regret to say it, this is not the right time to mourn the fallen. Your people still need you to guide them and it is the same for mine. We must keep fighting our enemies. Our work is not done yet, so let us go."
Ellhrah stands up and nods.
"I agree. Those warriors died for us and I don't want their sacrifice to be in vain."- He says- "Still, I want to come back here as soon as possible. I want to bring their skulls back and bury them as heroes. Do you think that we can do that?"
Adam nods and smiles.
"I give you my word that it will be done."- He responds- "As soon as this madness is finally over, we shall come here personally and do this for you. Rest assured of that."
Ellhrah smiles.
"Thank you, Adam."- He says- "Thank you."
Adam smiles back.
"You are welcome, sir."
Sharla looks at the passage that leads back to Ellhrah's Keep and sighs.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I want to let you know that we've still got things to do."- She says- "Whenever you're done, we must go back and plan our next move. Donovan is in danger and I want to help him as soon as possible. Striking down the remaining evil Sholai is also our primary goal, so we must prepare for a long battle."
Adam nods.
"Of course, Sharla. We are on the same page."- He responds and turns to Ellhrah- "Whenever you are ready, sir."
Ellhrah takes one last look at the poles, turns back and sighs.
"I am ready."- He says- "Let's do this."
Soon, the three of them return in Ellhrah's office.
As soon as Ellhrah steps inside, he is attacked by a Sholai who was hiding in there.
It turns out that there is a sixth Sholai who secretly hid in here and patiently waited while the others fought Adam and Sharla, possibly shortly after Ellhrah's departure. It is unknown why he would try to do something so dangerous, but it is clear that he hates whoever lives in here and wants to kill them all. Starting with their leader.
"Let me go, you scoundrel!"- Ellhrah yells and tries to reach for his weapon- "Adam! I need some help over here!"
Adam does not take long to react. He violently pulls the mad warrior away from Ellhrah and tries to stab him.
Unfortunately, the Sholai is prepared for a counterattack. He avoids Adam's attacks and strikes back, forcing him to fall on his knees.
"Nice try, criminal."- Adam says- "But you have to do better than that!"
He jumps to his feet and swiftly stabs him in the neck before he can have the chance to defend himself.
As the madman falls on his knees, his wound starts to bleed at an alarming rate. He glares at Adam and smirks.
"Trajkov is not... far away."- He mutter- "He will kill you. He will kill you all."
Sharla is tired of this nonsense. She takes a step forward and plunges her spear into the Sholai's chest, immediately killing him.
She turns to Adam.
"I need to do something really fast. A fair warning for the Sholai who would dare to attack this place in the future."- She says and starts to leave the room- "Stay here. I'll be back soon."
Wondering what his friend is trying to do, Adam joins her and walks outside the keep.
As the warriors watch them silently, Sharla searches for something nearby.
She soon find a huge stick and asks Adam to hold the corpse for a second.
Just as its skin turns completely gray, Adam has managed to throw it on the pole, piercing it and effectively preventing it from doing anything.
Soon, it turns out that he did the right thing. The fallen Sholai reanimates into an undead and tries to attack them, but is unable to do so due to the fact that it is trapped.
"It's sad to see a fellow warrior like this."- Sharla admits- "However, all of them are monsters. They only live to destroy their enemies. They're a bunch of merciless, mindless addicts who deserve no mercy."
She kicks the undead Sholai in the leg.
"They deserved what happened to them."- She says and turns to Adam- "Let's go."
A few minutes later, they return in Ellhrah's Keep and enter Ellhrah's office.
They notice that he is much calmer than he was before, if a little desperate.
He looks at them and nods.
"Well done, heroes. All of the Sholai invaders are dead and the tunnels are clear."- He says and stands up- "I feel like I should give you a reward for the favor that you did for us. So, I will allow you to train with us for a while and hone your skills for the worst that has yet to come."
Adam bows to him.
"It will be an honor to train with you, sir."- He responds- "We are ready."
Sharla nods.
"Indeed."- She says- "We're looking forward to it."
Ellhrah nods and stands up. He leaves the room and walks towards the training hall to the east.
He turns around and looks at them.
"Come with me."- He says- "It is time."
Meanwhile, Donovan has come to an agreement with Yu-La and her allies.
"So. The Sholai have been harassing you, too?"- He says to her- "I'm not much of a fighter, but I'll do my best to help you out."
He looks at her.
"What do you want me to do?"
Yu-La walks out of the building. With Donovan walking right behind her, she goes outside and sighs.
She turns to him.
"All this time, I was fighting for those people. Thinking that they're righteous and willing to do their mission."- She says- "However, it is too late for me to help my former allies. All of them have gone mad and the only way we can save them... is by ending their pitiful lives."
She looks at the area to the north and points at it.
"At the northernmost part of the island lie the labs where the infamous Geneforge is waiting for someone to use it. Trajkov wants to be the first one to do so and he will stop at nothing to achieve his mad goal. I fear that he might be close, so this will be our only chance to stop him."- She continues- "When we saved you and brought you here, we didn't do it solely because we pity you, because we care about you. No. We saved you, because we're confident that you can help us out. That you can make a difference in this endless war."
She sighs.
"Time is running out and I'm afraid that it might be too late to act very soon, so we must get on with our mission as soon as possible."- She says- "It might be a very bad idea, but we're going to send a large force to attack the guards at the first entrance to the labs and, hopefully, breach into the building and slay as many Sholai as possible until a larger force arrives to help them out. I'm going to go with them and I want you to do the same."
She looks at him, hope sparkling in her beautiful eyes.
"Can those brave souls count on you?"- She asks him- "Will you protect them during this battle?"
Donovan nods.
"You saved my life and I am more than eager to repay you for what you did back then."- He responds- "I shall help you as best as I can."
Yu-La grins.
"Excellent!"- She exclaims- "We're going out tomorrow. At dawn, we shall make our way towards the gates. Once we are there, we shall discuss the situation further."
Donovan nods.
"How long will it take for us to reach the laboratories?"- He asks her- "And, if we manage to defeat the guards who protect the entrance, how are we going to get in? I mean, if this island is Barred then I am sure that the Shapers have found a way to protect their inner sanctum from intruders!"
Yu-La sighs.
"Yes. I'm afraid that this might be a problem."- She mutters- "But don't worry! If we win this fight, I am certain that we'll find a way to get in."
She walks towards the settlement.
"I will prepare a place for you to sleep in our training hall."- She says and turns around- "Do you mind staying in such a dirty place? I'm afraid that we can't provide anything else, so I'm sorry if this is the case."
Donovan shakes his head.
"Not at all."- He responds- "As long as I've got a place to stay, I'm good."
Yu-La smiles.
"Very well."- She says tp him- "Remember. Tomorrow at dawn. We will be waiting for you."
Donovan nods.
"I will. Thank you."- He responds- "Good night, Yu-La."
She smiles.
"Good night, Donovan."
It takes a few hours, but Yu-La manages to finish her job.
Just as it completely becomes night, she approaches Donovan and tells him that he is free to go inside.
Donovan nods and approaches his new, temporary shelter.
When he opens the doors, he manages to inspect his surroundings for a few seconds.
Yu-La was right. The place is a mess.
It is clear that they still have a lot of cleaning to do, but Donovan does not mind. He finds the place where he is supposed to sleep. It is a small bed. 
He lies on it and begins to close his eyes.
"Tomorrow, our mission to end Trajkov's tyranny shall begin. Not all of us will survive the journey, but we will do our best. And when we arrive, we are going to fight valiantly in order to gain entry."- He says to himself- "It's sad that Adam and Sharla are not here to witness what we are going to do, but I know that they have their own plan in mind. Soon, I will reunite with them and get out of this cursed island once and for all. Once we are back in Thais, we are going to inform His Majesty about what we did and tell them about the innocents who are stuck here. With some luck, we might be able to convince him to send a large platoon of guards to arrive on the island and evacuate as many of them as they possibly can."
He sighs.
"The end of this mission is near. I can feel it."- He continues- "I might not be able to make it until the end, but I know that Adam and Sharla will. I'm confident that they're still out there and that they've allied themselves with one of the servile sects. That they're devising a plan to destroy Trajkov and his allies. Even if I don't survive, I'm sure that they'll finish what we started. They will!"
He sighs.
"But this is all just a dream right now. A dream that I want to make a reality."- He finishes- "For now, I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow, my abilities as a mage and as an ally shall be tested in battle. And I don't want to let anyone down. That is for sure."
Having said that, he closes his eyes and tries to sleep.