Miracula Luxia C4, P5- "Cry Thunder"

"Cry Thunder" is the fifth Part of "Miracula Luxia" 's fourth Chapter- "Estavius".
== Plot ==
Jared, Aleks and Annie enter the Tower Colony, only to find it besieged by the forces of the rogues.
They realize that no part of Avernum is safe from them.
Will they defeat them and save the Colony?
== Story ==
The trio noticed that there is something wrong in the Colony.
First, there are no guards outside.
Second, there are shouts coming from inside. Not the usual shouts of merchants and training wizards. War shouts.
And third, they see a very scared man approaching them.
They draw their weapons, but see that the man doesn't have the armor of a rogue.
He gets close enough to inspect them. He does so and slightly calms down.
"Thank the Gods! Heroes!"- He said- "The Colony is attacked by a bunch of rogues! You need to help us!"
"Can't you handle this by yourselves?"- Annie interrupted him.
"We could, only if our most powerful wizards didn't... "
He suddenly became very quiet.
Aleks noticed the nervousness within him.
"Your wizards?"
"P-Please help us. We won't be able to... handle this... alone-- "
Suddenly, he was shot in the back. He fell to the ground, dead.
Jared looked at the rogue who shot him and responded by drawing his bow out and swiftly shooting at him before he could fire another round.
The shot pierced through his head.
"Good job, son."- Aleks said- "Unfortunately, it's too late. The man is dead."
Jared looked at him and noticed a scroll sticking out of his pocket.
"Look at this!"
"Maybe it's a map?"- Akari wondered.
"Or maybe a map to a secret treasure?"- Said Aleks jokingly.
Jared picked it up and opened it.
"It is a spell!"- He said, noticing the strange markings on the papyrus.
"It must have been an emergency scroll that he could use if anyone attacked him on the way out of the Colony."
He rolled it up and put it in his pocket.
"Let's go."- He said to his father and Annie, determined to save the poor Colony.
They entered the Tower Colony and were immediately attacked by five rogues.
Jared took them out easily and proceeded forward.
Some rogues tried to shoot them from the walls, but a few fireballs and thrown rocks dispatched them.
Soon, the trio were in the main part of the Colony- The Leader's Office.
They noticed three rogues. One of the troublemakers was choking an elderly man.
"Now you die!"- The huge man screamed.
The men beside him noticed the trio.
He turned to look at them.
"So, this is Jared Kaos, huh? Kill him!"
The rogues tried to do so, but were taken down by the team, one after the other.
"Come on, give me a challenge."- Jared said, still panting from the battle.
"Oh, I'll give ya a challenge!"- The rogue screamed and charged at him.
Jared parried the blow and pushed him back.
The man tried to attack again, but was thrown to the ground.
Suddenly, he became very angry.
"I'LL KILL YA!!!"- He yelled and dashed forward.
Jared tried to parry the blows, but the man's blows were too strong.
He fell to the ground.
The man pointed his axe at Jared's throat.
He laughed.
"Oh, the mighty Jared Kaos! Taken down by me! Oh, if the Crones could hear--- "
But before he could finish his mockery, he was stabbed in the head by Annie who took advantage of his stupidity and moved behind him.
He tried to look at her, but died before he could do so.
Annie stomped his head in afterwards.
"Just in case. You never know if they will wake up or not."- She said.
Jared stood up (with his father's help) and hugged her.
"Annie, I don't know how to thank you. Today, you saved my life and I... "
"It's okay, Jared. That's what friends are for, right? We help each other without fearing what happens."
Jared smiled.
The elderly man approached Aleks and shook his hand.
"Thank you for saving me, Mr. Kaos! You helped us one again, and for that I am grateful."
Jared and Annie cleared their throats.
"Oh, and thank you, kids for saving me as well."
"Greetings!"- Jared said to the man.- "I am Jared Kaos and this is my friend Annie Mitchell."
"Jared Kaos! I've heard about you. You're the young man who saved Formello from destruction, am I right?"
Jared was surprised. Apparently, news of his victory over the Orcs at Formello have reached here as well. 
"Anyway, excuse me for my curiosity. Welcome to the Tower Colony- One of the biggest centers for magic in Avernum."
"Here you can learn many powerful spells to protect yourself against the constant dangers of the world."
"And, as the leader of this place, I allow you to explore every part of the Colony. Feel free to do so!"
The man proceeded to pick up his ravaged papers and burn them in the nearby fireplace.
"Thank you, mister... uhh... "
"Kelner. Just Kelner."- The man added, smiling.
Aleks patted Kelner on the shoulder.
"I remember when you were a scribe back at the time when me and Seiko were in Avernum. Seeing you as the leader of the Colony is quite a surprise."
"I had no choice, Aleks. After the Tower of Magi was destroyed again, I had to take over and rebuild the place."
"It was for the people's safety."
Aleks nodded.
"I understand. It's good to see you again, old friend."
Kelner smiled and turned to Jared and Annie.
"Well, young heroes, if you want to help the Colony with anything else you can go ask Captain Jamal. He is in charge of the missions that mercenaries could take and complete."
"Meanwhile, me and your father will stay here, Jared. Go take your friend there and see what you can do. It's west of here."
Jared nodded and left the office, Annie going aftter him.
"Amazing, aren't they?"- Aleks smiled.
Kelner nodded.
"I'm glad you're here, my friend."
"Me too."
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Meanwhile, Jared and Annie noticed more rogues attacking the guards.
One of the mages approached them and saw the scroll in Jared's pocket.
"That's the spell that I gave to my apprentice! What... what happened to him?"- He asked.
"He... he... "
Jared was not sure what to say to the man, but his eyes said it all.
The apprentice was the man who was killed outside the Colony.
The man bursted into tears.
"Poor kid. He was so young. And skilled."
"Anyway... The scroll describes an ancient ritual to kill all enemies near you. It is called "Cry Thunder"."
"But... It takes a long time to use. Read all of it and I will tell the guards to move near us."
"Let's do this!"- Exclaimed Annie.
The mage started barking orders to the guards. They nodded and came close to the heroes as Jared read the words of the ritual aloud.
The rogues tried to intercept them and ruin their formation, but failed. The guards pushed them back.
And so, the battle continued for a while, until...
"Now scream the last words, kid!"- The mage said.
"CRY THUNDER!"
Suddenly, the sky got darker. There were now distant sounds of thunder.
The sounds were growing louder with each passing second.
Suddenly, a lightning struck one of the rogues.
The others stood back, finally understanding the danger they were in.
They tried to run away, but were killed by a powerful thunderbolt.
Jared tried to protect Annie from the thunder.
"Don't worry."- Said the man- "The thunder and lightning only hurt them, not us."
Soon, all of the rogues were dead. Another victory for the trio.
The guards cheered, excited that the enemy was finally destroyed.
The mage introduced himself as David- One of the most powerful mages in the Tower Colony.
"My task was to protect the guards and citizens from those miscreants after the other mages ran away (Those dishonorable cowards), but... they became too many."
"We tried to stop them from entering the Colony, but they bottled us up."
"We were doomed... until you came up with that scroll. You saved a lot of lives today, kid."
"No problem. I've gotten used to that."- Jared grinned.
"You're Jared Kaos, right? So the prophecies were true!"- One of the guards exclaimed.
"Incredible. Jared Kaos saved us... "- Another added.
"Quit your excitement, guards and get back to work. I'm expecting a lot more from you next time!"
"Y-Yes Sir!"- The guards said and got back to their posts, determined to protect the Colony from another attack.
"They're good people."- David the Mage continued- "But they tend to forget who they fight for and why. So I have to help them see the right way. Harshly or not."
"Wow. Sounds like a lot of work!"- Annie exclaimed.
"It is. But... it's my job."
"My problems are the best problems. I won't trade them for anything."
Jared nodded, clearly understanding what the man wanted to say.
"Anyway, you can visit me later. My office is to the east of Captain Jamal's office."
"I can teach you powerful Mage Spells for a reasonable fee."
"Anyway, don't let me stop you, heroes. Continue exploring the Colony! Oh, and have fun while doing so!"- David smiled and walked away.
"So, this is the Tower Colony."- Jared said.
"Mhm. The place where we will learn some sweet spells to use!"- Annie responded excitedly.
"And learn more about those rogues."- Jared added.
The two of them started walking towards the Captain's office while Kelner and Aleks talked.
== Trivia ==
* "Cry Thunder" is also the name of a song by the band known as Dragonforce.