MLII C3, P6- "Time To Strike"

"Time To Strike" is the sixth Part of "Miracula Luxia II" 's third Chapter. It was released on 10.12.2020.

## Plot

Jared, John and Ghall-Ihrno invade the fort and start searching for Rentar-Ihrno, despite the warning of John's father- James that their mission is very dangerous.

Along the way, they find someone whom John knows very well. However, their reunion will not go as expected.

## Story

After traveling for a few hours, our heroes finally reach their destination- one of the main strongholds of Rentar-Ihrno's Vahnatai.

Upon closer inspection, they realize that this is no mere defenseless settlement. This is a place that is ready for war.

The walls are massive, there are ballistas everywhere on top of them and oil that the defenders can use to douse the attackers and then set them on fire with their spells. It is a very deadly combination, to say at the very least.

Fortunately, there are no guards watching the area from above. Our heroes are safe... for now.

"Were they preparing all this time?"- Jared asks Ghall-Ihrno.

The Vahnatai sighs.

"We were foolish. We thought that they were not dangerous, that they would not be a problem for us. Not after we defeated someone as powerful and deadly as Dorikas and his army of Darkside Loyalists."- He says and points at the walls- "And here is the result of our ignorance."

John searches the area for signs that his brother came here. Soon, he finds a small toy and picks it up.

It is a small teddy bear, possibly a prized possession for the child that he valued a lot. But the question remains- where is he now? And why did he leave it behind?

Having no choice but to go in, John steps towards the gates.

This is when Jared notices that there is another trap ready to repel their assault- a rockfall trap. And the rocks are about to fall on top of his best friend...

"John, look out!"- He yells and rushes forward.

Just in time, he pushes his best friend away from the rockfall, saving his life. Ghall-Ihrno joins just a few seconds before the route is fully blocked and shields them from harm with a protective spell.

Once the rocks stop falling, the protection fades away and our heroes stare at what is in front of them. They are terrified by what they are seeing.

The rockfall did not wound them (or worse), but it blocked their only route out of this place- the front gate. They are trapped here, with the enemy and there is no escape route for them.

At least, not until they find the one who is responsible for trapping them here.

"Curse those traitors!"- Ghall-Ihrno exclaims- "They might be foolish, but they are not stupid. They knew that we would eventually come here and set this trap for us! Now we have to fight them, whether we want to or not!"

Jared shakes his head and looks around. Just in time, he sees an arrow flying towards him and dodges it.

Suddenly, a small band of Vahnatai approaches them. Their weapons are drawn.

Jared recognizes them immediately. They are not members of the Olgai group. They are worshippers of Rentar-Ihrno- the mastermind behind the hostile Vahnatai's raids.

"I expected more of you to attack us."- He says stoically- "What a pathetic army you are. I almost feel bad about having to fight you. *Almost*."

One of the Vahnatai steps forward and grins.

"Oh, don't worry. More of our allies are going to be here soon."- It says- "Once your friends are dead, we will take you to Rentar-Ihrno... alive. And there is no escape from her. Once you're there, you can never get out. We will extract every memory that you have within that brain of yours, find out about your family and kill them, just to make you suffer even more. We will keep you alive until you see all of the people that you care about get killed by us, the ones who will bring your doom and erase Humanity from the face of the p-- "

Suddenly, Jared pulls out his bow and swiftly shoots the Vahnatai in the head, shocking its allies.

The boy sighs and shakes his head.

"*Some of them talk **way** too much.*"- He says to himself- "*Although it is amusing to hear about their futile dreams, we have to move on and find their leader. And there is no time to spare for listening to their mockery.*"

He aims his bow at the Vahnatai's allies. His eyes are cold, he has determination in his heart.

And one thing is for sure. If they try to stop him from achieving his goal, they are going to pay.

"So, who wants to be the next one to feel my wrath?"- He says stoically- "Do not worry. I have some time to spare."

The Vahnatai look at Jared and realize that they cannot defeat him alone. They run back and try to get help, but are quickly shot down by him. One by one, they all die at the hands of the young hero.

Jared approaches them and shakes his head. He turns to John and Ghall-Ihrno.

"If they were not so foolish, this battle was not going to happen."- He says stoically- "How foolish of them."

Ghall-Ihrno shakes his head.

"Rentar-Ihrno lusts for revenge. And so do her allies who will do anything to make their master happy, even hurt the ones whom she swore to destroy decades ago."- He says- "Little do they know that this will lead to their eventual downfall. The question is whether they will survive for a long time or not."

John looks around, but does not see any signs of his brother. He turns to his brother.

"Where do you think he is?"- He asks him.

Jared sighs.

"If he really is in this fort, then he must be a part of their army."

John gasps.

"Their army?!"- He says- "You... you can't be right about... about this!"

Jared sighs again and steps forward.

"Get ready for the worst, John."- He continues- "If your brother is allied with them, we have no choice but to fight him. We must not let this possibility divide us as a team. We *must* move forward without any fear. This is the only way we can find the one who is responsible for killing so many humans... and kill her once and for all."

Although he is not convinced by what his best friend just said to him, John decides not to argue with him, out of respect. He nods.

"You're right."- He says stoically."- "Let's find this fiend and end this madness."

After searching most of the fort and killing the few Vahnatai inside, our heroes come across a large door that leads to the throne room of the fort.

Jared tries to open it, but it does not budge. A few moments later, he does the same thing, but fails once again.

Ghall-Ihrno shakes his head.

"It's no use."- He says to Jared- "Either we need to find someone who is strong enough to bash it open for us... or find the key that unlocks it."

Jared raises his eyebrow.

"Good idea."- He responds- "But where could we find this key?"

At this moment, John noitces someone watching them to the left. Once they are spotted, they run away.

"Hey, wait!"- John yells and runs to the left.

Accompanied by his friend, John runs after the person, intending to find out who they are and question them about his brother's location.

Soon, they catch up with them.

Upon realizing that they have nowhere to go, the person lifts their hood and reveals their true identity.

Jared and Ghall-Ihrno see that it is a young man with long, blonde hair that is unkempt. Other than that, they cannot see more of his details. The room is too dark for them to see him clearly.

John, on the other hand, immediately recognizes him and gasps. He sheathes his weapon and slowly approaches him.

"John, what are you doing?"- Jared asks him.

John turns to them and smiles.

"Friends, this is my brother."- He responds- "His name is Matthew."

Jared and Ghall-Ihrno gasp.

"*Your **brother**?!*"

John nods, smiles and turns back to his brother.

"Matty, it... it's been so long. I missed you so much, little brother. Me... *we* have been looking *everywhere* for you!"- He says and tries to hug him- "We will finally be a happy family once again. We just need to get you out of this place!"

Suddenly, Matthew jumps back. Much to his brother's surprise, he draws a sword and points it at him. His eyes show signs of mistrust and his hands are shaking.

Truth be told, his whole body is shaking. He must be really scared of his brother. But why?

"P-please stay back!"- He says worryingly- "I don't want to hurt you. I-I don't want to fight you, not you... of all people. Stay back, I beg you!"

Jared and Ghall-Ihrno and equally surprised, but decide not to do anything that would agitate the boy even more. They stare and John, waiting to see what he has to say about this.