MLII C3, P5- "Aid From Within"

"Aid From WIthin" is the fifth Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's third Chapter. It was released on 07.12.2020.

## Plot

Jared and his allies let Ghall-Ihrno enter their encampment. Once he is within, he explains how he spied on the Vahnatai who attacked Duskwood and followed them back to their base- a small fort in the middle of nowhere.

It seems like our heroes have discovered the ones who are responsible for the destruction of John's hometown. Soon, they will travel to the fort and avenge their fallen comrades by killing the hostile Vahnatai... and, hopefully, their leader- Rentar-Ihrno.

## Story

Jared turns to the guards.

"You heard him."- He says stoically- "Let him in *immediately*."

Regretfully, the guards lower their weapons and watch as Jared and John escort Ghall-Ihrno further into the encampment.

"Thank you for telling those guards to let me in, Jared."- The Vahnatai says to Jared- "Without your help, they would have killed me on the spot!"

Jared nods and smiles.

"Sure thing."- He responds- "Do not mention it. I am glad that I averted the incoming disaster."

The three of them stare at each other for a few moments as John's father joins them near the campfire.

Ghall-Ihrno turns to him and smiles.

"I am glad to see you again, James."

John gasps.

"Wait! You... you know my father?!"

Ghall-Ihrno nods.

"When Jared's father came to Olgai with the intentions to help our leaders and achieve a long-lasting peace, your father was one of the few people who helped him out on this dangerous journey and was one of his most valuable allies in many battles to come. I met the four of them when they arrived in the capital and helped them out when they fought our enemies- Rentar-Ihrno's Vahnatai."

He sighs and turns to James.

"I can see that you are not as powerful as you used to be once, but I hope that you can still help us out."- He says to him- "The friendly Vahnatai still need your help."

James smiles.

"I'm not going to refuse to help someone in need, no matter how old and weak I am."- He responds- "You can count on me, old friend! I will make those fools pay for what they have done!"

Ghall-Ihrno nods and turns to Jared.

"Speaking of Rentar-Ihrno's Vahnatai, this is the reason why I came here and risked my life to tell you what I learned about them."

Jared nods as well.

"I can see that you came from very far away just to tell us something about them."- He says- "Any information is useful to us, especially in this desperate situation."

He looks around the encampment and sees everyone else staring at them, shooting nervous and mistrustful glances towards the newcomer. He stares coldly at them and they back away.

"Do not worry. No one is going to hurt you."- He continues- "Not while we are here."

He turns to his best friend.

"Right, my friend?"

John nods.

"Ghall-Ihrno is our friend. I'm not going to let him get bullied, just because he is of the same race as those fools who destroyed our hometown."

He suddenly bolts to his feet and angrily points his finger at the people who are still staring at them.

"Did you hear that?!"- He yells at them- "No matter if you are my allies or not, if you try to hurt this innocent creature, I will make you pay for what you've done!"

The people gasp and decide that it is better if they were elsewhere. They quickly find other places to be.

Satisfied that nobody is going to interrupt their conversation and hurt his friend, John calms down and sits near the campfire once again.

He looks at Ghall-Ihrno and nods.

"Forgive me for being so aggressive."- He says stoically- "I just wanted to give them a little warning. Nothing more."

Ghall-Ihrno sighs.

"I understand completely."- He responds- "Thank you for standing up for me. I appreciate it."

John nods and listens intently to what Ghall-Ihrno has to say.

"When I was out in the wilderness, I discovered the ruins of Duskwood."- He begins- "I suspected that Rentar-Ihrno's Vahnatai were responsible for this, so I searched for signs of where they went. Eventually, I found tracks leading to the west of the village. I followed them for a few hours and discovered a small fort, hidden well within the mountains. I killed one of the guards, wore his armor and entered their fort undercover. At first glance, I saw was that they had a very high amount of warriors who were stationed there. I stayed for a while longer and I also noticed how most of them traveled outside to attack another settlement. It looked like most of them were traveling Vahnatai who rarely stayed at the fort and are scouting the area far away from them most of the time."

He stand up and looks around. Then, he sits back down.

"This means that their defenses are very weak. They are not expecting to be attacked. A small raiding party would be more than enough to finish them once and for all. Like the Vahnatai elders always say, "Purge the infestation while it is still small"."

He looks at John.

"I also eavesdropped a conversation between two Vahnatai and learned that Rentar-Ihrno is currently in the fort. She seems to be there to supervise her warriors and aid them in their assaults. From what I learned, there is also a prisoner stationed there, someone who is clearly very important to her. She does not want to kill him yet, but this could change anytime soon."

He thinks about this. Then, he adds:

"Oh, I almost forgot! I did not hear his first name quite well, but it was different for his last name. And I memorized it. It is Braveheart."

John gasps and turns to his father.

"Do you know what this means?!"

James raises his eyebrow, seemingly expecting an answer.

"Matty is in there, among the enemies! And he needs our help!"

James shakes his head.

"Even if we do find him, he is too far gone. He has been away from us for way too long and it's likely that he will help the enemies instead of us. I'm not optimistic about our chances to save him."

Jared shakes his head.

"Do not lose hope, Mr. Braveheart!"- He says- "John's brother might just be waiting for the right moment to get away from them! We will never know until we see him in person!"

John nods.

"True."- He says- "And this is why we must invade the fort as soon as possible. Not only can we rescue Matty from those vagabonds, we can also kill Rentar-Ihrno!"

James sighs.

"I'm afraid that none of us can help you in this assault, not after what we suffered not long ago."- He mutters- "I suggest that we simply stay away until we regain our strength. Then, we can actually have a chance against them."

Something in James' words infuriates John. He stands up and angrily stares at his father.

"This is the attitude that got mom killed by those bandits! This is the attitude that took Matty away from us! And this is the attitude that weakened us and allowed those vagabonds to destroy Duskwood."- He yells at him- "No! I am *not* going to stay here and watch more of my friends and family die, because we failed to protect them! I will fight to defeat them, even if I have to risk my own life in the process!"

He turns to Jared.

"Let me come with you, Jared! I promise that I will help you win this battle, just let me see my brother again! I miss him so much!"

Jared nods.

"I will never stop you from doing what your heart tells you to do, John."- He responds- "If you wish to come with me and try to save your brother, so it be. I appreciate your help and I am glad that we will fight side by side once again."

John smiles.

"So, does this mean that we will invade that fort?"

Jared nods and stands up.

"Immediately."- He says- "We must go there and avenge our allies. At all costs!"

Having said that, Jared leaves with John and Ghall-Ihrno, heading towards the fort.

James watches them leave, still sitting near the campfire. When they leave the area, he sighs.

"*Ah, children. They always fight for the good of everyone, but they never see the danger that they are always getting themselves into.*"- He says to himself- "*Oh well. It doesn't matter. I can't stop them for doing the right things. It would be very foolish of me to do so!*"

He looks at the campfire and smiles.

"All I can do know is cheer for them and hope that they will succeed."

Suddenly, he stands up and angrily looks at the forest.

"*No! I know that they **will** succeed!*"- He continues- "*No matter what happens next, they will defeat the Vahnatai! I'm sure of it!*"

He looks up and sighs.

"Boys, everyone is counting on you right now."- He mutters- "Don't be afraid. No matter where you are, we will always be with you. Rest assured of that."