MLII C1, P4- "Bad Medicine"

"Bad Medicine" is the fourth Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's second Chapter. It was released on 02.10.2020.

## Plot

Jared and his allies listen to Aleks's description of one of the deadliest enemies that he has ever faced in his years as a junior hero- Lysstak the Beast.

Meanwhile, Aleks himself remembers how he barely defeated this powerful villain and fears that his return may bring even more destruction than he had anticipated before.

## Story

Jared looks at his father suspiciously.

"Dad?"- He says- "Does the name of this Lysstak person ring any bells?"

Aleks nods.

"It... it does."- He responds.

"Lysstak the Beast... was one of the enemies that I fought when I was young."

Everyone gasps.

"So... you were the one who defeated him before?!"- John asks him.

Aleks nods again.

"It all happened around two decades ago. It was a nightmare for me, a journey and a battle that I will never forget, an enemy whose presence will always haunt me, even in my most peaceful moments."

"While your grandfather and his allies from the Empire traveled further into the Northern Frontier, I left the safety of Paris to help the people of the village of Exodus, a place in the beginning of the Frontier with a certain problem related to bandits. They promised me that they are not that powerful, that they are disorganized and weak. But when I came to investigate... I saw otherwise. The bandits had them bottled in and were leaving them unable to defend themselves against their constant attacks. After I attacked them, however, we managed to drive them away."

"That's when we knew that were not dealing with a bunch of weak, prideful, disorganized bandits. We were dealing with a powerful bandit army, whose leader was not to be trifled with."

"Of course, they sent me to deal with them. They couldn't spare the soldiers to deal with the whole bandit gang and then slay its leader. So, I sneaked into their lair, managing to take out a lot of them in the process. Of course, those small skirmiskes were painful for me, but not as bad as the one that I was about to experience."

"After defeating most of those vagabonds, I went straight for their leader. When we came face to face, I saw that he was no ordinary human. It was as if part of him was not really there, that it was... in a different reality than the one we are existing in. He was a ruthless warrior- incredibly skilled with a sword, resistant to my blows and incredibly fast on his feet."

"Our battle was one of the biggest nightmares that I had ever experienced. As I tried to hit him with my sword, he nimbly evaded my blows with remarkable speed and struck back with remarkable strength, slowly weakening me with every single blow that he used against me."

"Later, I seemingly weakened him. At first, I thought that I had him where I wanted, I was sure that he was too weak to strike back. I foolishly went forward to finish him off. However, the moment when I hit him he, he... "

Aleks stumbles back for a moment, getting a massive headache just by remembering those bizarre events from decades ago. Especially the one when Lysstak turned into... something much more dangerous.

"The moment when I swinged by blade at him... "- He continues- "... He suddenly split into three different... people. Two of them were similar to him, just a little bit older. However, the last one... the last one was not human. He was... he was like a demon, but much more dangerous, more... wild. And when they all attacked me at once... "

He touchest his chest and sighs.

"I can still feel the pain from that battle, even now- decades after it ended. But... I think that I should count myself lucky for surviving that nightmare and killing Lysstak with the help of Demonslayer."

He shakes his head.

"Back then, we had a small chance to fight back against him. Demonslayer gave us hope in the sea of despair and we grasped it like a bunch of desperate, drowning sailors. But now... now, the mighty weapon is gone. Broken into pieces. Taken away by those... fiends. There is nothing that can truly defeat this dangerous enemy anymore."

"So, in order to defeat him, we *must* find the pieces of Demonslayer and reassemble it. At all costs. "

Ghall-Ihrno shakes his head and sighs.

"I can see why Dorikas wanted to obtain Demonslayer now."- He says- "He did not just want to break it down, so he could take away one of Avernum's greatest treasures. He wanted to get rid of it, because he knew of Lysstak the Beast's half-demon blood and he benefited from it, reviving a very dangerous, almost undefeatable enemy for the world to deal with. A dirty move indeed, but also a very smart one."

"As if the Darkside Loyalists and Rentar-Ihrno's Vahnatai were not enough for us... "- He mutters.

Jared gasps.

"Does this mean that... Lysstak the Beast can only be defeated if we have Demonslayer in our arsenal?"

Ghall-Ihrno nods.

"Unfortunately, Demonslayer is our only hope against this inhumanly powerful half-human. Like the human medics would call it- the only medicine that would truly affect him and cause him pain is the bad one. Everything else is like a good medicine for his body- It barely does anything to him, be it blades or magic. His abilities make him almost invulnerable and way too fast for the untrained eye of a regular person."

Jared nods.

"We understand. Then we shall try to find Demonslayer's part and reassemble it as soon as possible."

Ghall-Ihrno smiles.

"I am glad that you take this situation seriously, Jared. Fortunately, I can tell you where the parts are located. Now, please listen closely."

Jared nods and brings forth his full attention, in order to listen to Ghall-Ihrno's words without any further distractions.

Satisfied that he has Jared's full attention, Ghall-Ihrno continues to speak:

"Not long ago, some of Dorikas's warriors tried to hide the three parts of Demonslayer far away, where no regular humans could ever reach them. Fortunately, a brave, old man managed to stop them before they could even try to spread them across Avernum. His name is Boutell and he is the man who repaired the legendary blade decades ago, back when the heroes who defeated Emperor Hawthorne were still alive. Although he is very old, he surprised and killed all of them without any help, recovered the three parts of Demonslayer without causing any suspicion among the Darkside Loyalists and hid in the ruins of poor Fort Draco- the last bastion of the Avernite forces in the northern regions, back when Dorikas and his forces first attacked Avernum and were slain by your grandfather not long afterwards."

"He sent me a message recently. He is still there, but he is in danger. The Darkside Loyalists are all around that area and he may not survive for much longer. He also cannot repair the Demonslayer due to a powerful curse that Dorikas's mages cast upon it before the warriors tried to take it way. Or, so he told me, at the very least."

"Anyway, the blade's parts are still in our possession. We just need to find Boutell and help him repair it by removing the curse from its parts. Or, at least by loosening its effect for a while."

"But one thing is for sure- someone with powerful magical abilities needs to handle this situation and defeat Lysstak. And that someone is you, dear Jared."

Jared points at himself, surprised.

"Me?"- He says- "From what I just heard now, you are implying that I am the only one who can help repair the D-Demonslayer?"

Ghall-Ihrno nods and smiles.

"I am glad that you finally understand that, hero. Now, I ask you this. Are you ready for this dangerous mission? Are you ready to risk your own life to help save the unfortunate, old man and aid him in repairing Demonslayer, for the sake of everything that is sacred?"

Jared nods without thinking twice.

"I am! I will *not* hesitate, no matter how dangerous this mission is!"- He says- "I will not leave Mr. Boutell to stay there, alone and afraid. I will help him out and when I do, we can reforge Demonslayer together and defeat Lysstak the Beast once... and for all!"

Everyone else cheers.

Ghall-Ihrno smiles.

"The confidence in your eyes... it burns like a fire in a forest. Your endless determination is undeniable. Your iron will is unbreakable. I can see that you are truly ready for this dangerous adventure!"

"Now go, young hero, for there is a long road ahead of you. A long road, filled with anger and despair, but also with joy and hope, both for you... and for your companions. May the light of the Great One light your path to victory and bless your thoughts so that you can win this battle for all of us. Good luck, Jared Kaos."

John steps forward and shakes his head.

"I appreciate the kind words, sir, but we still don't know where Fort Draco... or what remains of it is located."

Ghall-Ihrno nods.

"I understand, John."- He says- "And I will gladly tell you that Fort Draco is not far away from Formello- the glorious city where all of you are seen as heroes and where your friends- Barin and Aimee live. In order to reach the ruins, go west. There is a gate not too far away. They don't let many people through, but I know to help you gain entry. Mention my name to them and they will let you through. Listen carefully to their warnings and go farther west. There, near the bridge that leads to the mighty Fort Monastery, you will find the ruins of a large fort. That is when you will know that you have finally found Fort Draco."

"One more thing. If you find any wrongdoers in there, do not hesitate to eradicate them. I am sure that the Avernites to the west will appreciate it."

Jared nods.

"We understood your words loud and clear, Mr. Ihrno!"- He responds.

He turns to his friends.

"I know that all of you want to come with me. However, only a small band of us has a small chance to succeed, so we have to stay split. As much as I hate to say it."

He looks at John and Aleks.

"Dad, John, I want you to come with me on this dangerous adventure where we will risk our lives for the safety of our world. I hope that you have gotten ready for it, because there is no going back."

John nods.

"I am always ready to come with you, Jared. No matter where you go, I'm always ready to join you and protect you. I fear nothing when we are together!"

Aleks smiles and nods as well.

"I will *never* let my own son go on such a dangerous adventure all alone. I will gladly join you and help you defeat those vagabonds!"- He says- "As a father, I promised to provide you with both moral and physical support. And I shall be true to my word, no matter what."

Jared nods and smiles. Then, he turns back to the rest of his allies.

"Grandpa, Annie, I want you to stay here and help defend the city against the incoming attackers. And, while you are at it, please hire a few enthusiastic helpers to start repairing the damage done on the school by those fiends. My heart cannot take it, seeing it in such a tragic state."

Lethal and Annie nod.

"You can count on us, Jared!"- Lethal says- "Perform your sacred mission without any distractions. We want all of you to be back in one piece, okay?"

Annie nods as well.

"Don't do anything reckless."- She says- "We don't want to get badly hurt, or... worse."

Jared nods.

"I promise that all of us will return safe and sound."

He turns back to his father and John.

"It is time for us to be heroes once again. Let us go the portal!"

Aleks and John cheer and leave Ghall-Ihrno's house along with him.

Meanwhile, Ghall-Ihrno, Lethal and Annie stare at each other for a while.

"You heard what the boy wanted, my friends."- Ghall-Ihrno says- "The city must be defended and the school must be repaired, at all costs. So, are you ready?"

Lethal nods.

"We are indeed!"- He says- "It is time to Rock... *and Roll!*"

## Trivia

* The name of this Part is a reference to a song by "Bon Jovi" with the same name.
* Lethal's last words for this Part- "It is time to Rock... *and Roll!*" are a reference to the genre of "Bon Jovi" 's music- Rock' N 'Roll.