MLII C1, P7- "Let The Hunt Begin"

"Let The Hunt Begin" is the seventh Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's first Chapter. It was released on 05.10.2020.
== Plot ==
After entering the mysterious portal in Fort Duvno, Jared, Aleks and John find themselves in the village of Exodus. Everything seems unclear to them at first.
However, they are soon informed where to go.
The three heroes head east, eager to begin the hunt for Lysstak the Beast and reach the city of Ahonaria (Or, at least, what remains of it) as soon as possible.
However, they should be prepared for the worst. While they are indeed the hunters who try to take down this dangerous enemy in the name of safety, they are also the hunted.
No one is safe in this battle of Light and Darkness. Or, at least not until one of the sides prevails.
Onward!
== Story ==
Aleks leads his son and John to the abandoned Fort Duvno. When they go inside, he points at a building to the west.
"We should enter Commander Jones's office."- He says- "From what I saw earlier, I think that there is something that can teleport us deep into the Northern Frontier very quickly."
When they do as they are told, Jared and John are amazed to see that the former office of the Commander has been used for a certain purpose:
A portal room.
Although almost everything inside is pretty much the same as they left it, the portal that is in the far left end of the room has definitely not been there before.
"This portal... I have never seen it before."- Jared says.
John shakes his head.
"Neither have I."- He adds.
Aleks smiles.
"Well, this was a small surprise, made by the mages in the city of Formello. After I heard that a villain was commanding Dorikas's forces to attack both Avernum and the Surface, I had the bad feeling that it is Lysstak the Beast. So, I told my mage friends in Formello to build a portal in Fort Duvno, in case we have to hunt for him in the Northern Frontier again. Why, you would ask? Well, I already know how much of a coward he is, so it is easy to figure out that he would hide in the same place as before. If not there, then maybe farther to the west or east, but not much farther in."
"Although."- He sighs and stares at the portal- "I had hoped that they would place it somewhere... less obvious."
Jared raises his eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"- He asks his father.
Aleks sighs again.
"Every bandit and looter usually comes to loot the Commander's office. And, if they find this portal and go through it... "
He shakes his head.
"No! We must move on with our mission!"- He says- "I will tell the mages to relocate it later. For now, let us focus on hunting down Lysstak and making him pay for all the innocent people that he commanded his allies to kill. And that he killed himself."
"Especially Lily! She must be avenged!"- Jared adds.
Aleks nods.
"Yes. Especially Lily."- He says.
The three of them get closer to the portal. They can feel the power radiating from it.
They can feel it in their skin, their eyes, their mouths. It is a disturbing feeling, at first.
However, all three of our heroes have entered portals before. This one is nothing new.
Eventually, the feeling of fear and insecurity subsides and is replaced with a feeling of pure responsibility.
"It is time to hunt down Lysstak the Beast. Once...and for all."
Aleks and John nod, completely agreeing with what Jared just said to them.
The three of them enter the portal and immediately become dizzy. Everyone is overwhelmed with a sense of extreme nausea. Everyone except for Jared, who does not seem to mind the high magical energy of the portal anymore. Instead, he just sighs and closes his eyes.
Eventually, Jared opens his eyes and finds out that they are in a village. He helps his father and John stand up and they stare at their surroundings for a few seconds.
They see startled people who are looking at them, unsure how to react to their sudden appearance in the middle of the village.
"I think that this is the village of Exodus."- Aleks whispers to his son- "Mayor Vikas used to be the mayor back at the time when I used to be a hero. But I'm not sure if he's still here."
As the three heroes stare at the crown, someone approaches them and inspects them.
On closer inspection, they realize that it is a man. An aging man with a black sash on his waist.
The man stares at them suspiciously. Then, he says:
"I am Mayor Vikas, chosen mayor of the village of Exodus. And, although you are of our kind, you are still invaders."- He says- "So, tell us. How did you come here? And do you have ill intentions? We don't want enemies in the safe confines of our settlement. That, you should know."
Aleks smiles and approaches the mayor. When the man looks at him for a few seconds, he realizes who he is and shakes his hand.
"Aleks, my friend!"- He says- "To what do I owe a visit by the Senior Hero of Avernum?"
Aleks smiles again and points at the two people with him.
"The boy with the black hair is my son and the red-haired young man with him is his best friend John."- He responds- "We are here to hunt a particularly dangerous enemy who goes by the name of Lysstak the Beast."
The rest of the people gasp. Vikas shakes his head.
"So, he has attacked you, too?"- He asks Aleks.
He nods.
"Unfortunately, yes. We are here to take him down... again."
"From what we learned, we think that he is hiding in the ruins of Ahonaria."- Jared adds- "Can you please help us find him, sir. If we do not find him in time, he might wrck even more havoc than he already has."
Vikas nods and points to the north.
"We are more than happy to tell you where the city is."- He says- "Go to the north, through the ruins of Tranquility and then east. Eventually, you will find the city."
"Oh, and please kill him off for good."- He adds- "He has been too good for our assassins. It seems like only a band of experienced heroes, like yourselves, can take him down."
Jared nods.
"Is there anything else that we should watch out for?"
Mayor Vikas thinks about this.
"Apart from all the monsters that might be in your way? Hmm... "
Eventually, he remembers something.
"Actually, we learned that you were going to come here not too long ago. Unfortunately, the Darkside Loyalists did so earlier than us. They sent assassins to track you down and kill you before you can discover their leader. However, we managed to kill most of them, clearing the way forward for you."
"Just... try to not get surprised by a band of them. That's all."
Jared and his allies nod, thank Vikas for the help and go to the east. Everyone waves them goodbye as they do.
Eventually, after a long walk to the east, they find themselves in the ruins of the city of Tranquility, a land formerly owned by Archmage Solberg.
"This used to be the property of the mighty Archmage Solberg- the man who helped so many Avernites survive in these harsh lands."
"Or, at least he tried to."- He adds- "This is what is left of his efforts."
Jared remembers what happened to Solberg. He wipes a tear from his eye.
"I'm so sorry about Solberg, Jared."- Aleks says to his son- "He was a good man, but nobody is invulnerable, no matter how we wish for them to be so."
"This does not make me feel any better, you know!"- Jared yells.
"I know, I know."- Aleks responds and hugs his son, attempting to comfort him- "But remember that I'm not going anywhere. As long as you are still here, still alive, I know that I have a purpose to be alive myself. And I won't let a beast or a deadly disease take me down. Not while you still exist in this world, this universe. Not while I still have a precious reason to be here, my dear son. My most special boy. The child that I have been taking care of for so long."
"And I am ready to continue doing that until the day I die. And even after that, as a spirit. Believe me, I will never leave your side, no matter how far away we are from each other."
Aleks's words seem to finally help his son regain his composure. He calms down and looks up.
"Thank you, dad. And just like you have a reason to be here, I have one, too."- He says- "And it is my sense of responsibility towards protecting my family, my friends... and the innocent souls that live in this world, that work hard to make a living in those harsh times."
Aleks nods.
"The Kaos family always has a reason to be here. We all fight in the name of honor. And honor is the fire that always burns in our hearts, that always gives us a sense of responsibility. A reason to love, to protect and to respect. That... is what honor does to us, the heroes."
John is close to tearing up. The words of Jared's father are making him feel very emotional, helping him remember what his own father told him when he was just a child- that the real reason that you are here, in this world, is the fact that you have people you care about and wish to protect at all costs, even if it means giving your life away.
However, he soon realizes that all three of them are sitting ducks right now. Time is very short and nobody knows if Lysstak is still hiding in Ahonaria or not.
He kindly reminds them that they have a mission to do. 
Jared and Aleks nod and the three of them walk further east, through the ruined defenses of Tranquility.
They continue traveling for five hours, not stopping for anything, knowing that every second is precious for them.
On the road towards the city of Ahonaria, they are attacked by a small band of assassins, sent by Lysstak the Beast. However, our heroes easily deal with them and move on.
Eventually, the three of them reach the city of Ahonaria.
Jared looks around, surprised.
"So, this is Ahonaria?"- He asks his father.
Aleks nods.
"Yes. The former city of the Anama. Quite glorious, isn't it?"
Jared nods and scans his surroundings.
"At last... "- He mutters and goes through the gates, his companions watching his back.
As they enter the biggest building of the city- the residing place of the leaders of the Anama, they notice that someone is approaching them.
Soon, the person comes into view. It is a thin man with a leather jerkin and blonde hair, wielding a long, vicious broadsword. He is protected by two massive guards who always keep their hands close to their weapons.
Aleks draws his sword and smirks.
"Lysstak!"- He yells and points it at him- "I knew that you would be here, you insolent fool! But you've got nowhere left to go. You are stuck here with us and today, you shall pay for all the pain that you caused, for all the people that your warriors killed in such a dishonorable way, for all the darkness that you spread over this world without even thinking about it."
"You are a disgrace to humankind and you will be eradicated. So, I hope that you are ready to be dragged back into the grave where you belong! Because we will never give up until you are placed right there! Until the world is finally rid of you, once and for all!"
Lysstak shakes his head and laughs.
"How nice of you to say that, Aleks. Those are definitely the words that I've been expecting from a person such as yourself."- He says- "However, there's one thing in your plan that will always drag you down into the depths of despair, no matter how hard you hold onto your pointless beliefs. You are not what you used to be decades ago. You're not the great hero that everyone treats with respect. Now, you are an outcast, just like myself. And, no matter how much they respect you, nobody will ever volunteer to help you out."
Jared smiles and steps forward.
"That is where you are wrong, you villain!"- He yells- "My father is a very honorable and powerful man! And I will always stay by his side, fighting pathetic troublemakers just like yourself."
"Believe me, Mr. Lysstak. We may be only three, but we fight like a whole army. You cannot defeat us. Not while we fight together, side by side!"
"So, I hope that you will be wise enough to surrender and accept your inevitable fate calmly and quietly. Because if you don't, we will continue to hunt you until you are slain. Which will eventually happen, trust me. You are on the edge of the pit and there is nowhere left to run. Only to jump down or be pushed down."
Lysstak grins.
"You sure have a high sense of responsibility, young man."- He says- "I would have respected you for the bravery and determination to face a man such as myself and look him into the eyes like that, if we were not fighting against each other."
"However."- He adds- "Instead, I will test your ability to fight and see if you really are worthy to face me in a battle. And that of your father and your friend, I suppose."
He looks at the two massive bandits next to him.
"Boys, it's feedin' time. Get on with it."
The two men nod and whistle for something.
Soon, a pack of mishappen wolflike creatures join them and they attack our three heroes together.
In the meantime, Lysstak the Beast goes further east, away from the battle. He calmly watches in a corner, completely sure that his allies will take care of the ones who are trying to hunt him down.
"Now, let us see if the young man really is as powerful and brave as I think that he might be."- The villain says to himself- "I'm more than happy to face a challenger who will test my abilities as a leader and right hand man of Dorikas. More than anything... "