MLII C3.1, P4- "Stuck In The Middle"

"Stuck In The Middle" is the fourth Part of of "Miracula Luxia II" 's third Chapter (Episode 2).

It was released on 19.01.2021.

## Plot

Jared and his allies enter the cave system which will eventually lead them towards the wild lands west of Fort Remote, in the hopes that it will be near Rentar-Ihrno's settlement.

However, their plans are soon changed as a massive rockfall blocks their only way out of this mess. Now with only one way to go and no help from the rest of their allies, they shall soon find what they are looking for... at the cost of fighting the entire Vahnatai army alone.

Despite the circumstances, the show must go on. And the lights have yet to shine further than they already are.

*It is clear that the end is near. **But for whom shall the bell toll first?***

## Story

Jared is the first person from his team of capable explorers to set foot in this cave, as well as the first person who has set foot into the system ever since it was abandoned by the Avernite miners three years ago.

Immediately after he takes the first step, a horrible chill runs down his spine and he gets a bad feeling. One that doesn't wash away immediately.

For a moment, he feels like running away. That it would be better off if they left this cave alone and explored the area west of Fort Remote, in the hopes that they will find another way in.

But that feeling fades away just as fast as it came. Our hero remembers why he and his allies came here- to sneak past the enemy lines and attack their settlement while it is still relatively unguarded.

He bravely starts to move forward once again, confident that they will succeed.

John, on the other hand, seems to be curious about exploring this huge cave system. In his entire lifetime, he has only seen one cave- the one near Duskwood.

While staring at the walls, he hears a strange sound and draws his sword. He carefully steps closer, aware that something dangerous might be ahead. Something that is lying in wait... patiently.

Moments later, he realizes that it is a simple rat. It squeaks and runs away.

Jared shakes his head.

"John, it is just a small rodent."- He says to him- "It is harmless."

John sighs.

"At this point, anything could be an enemy."- He responds- "Even creatures like... like *those*."

Jared sighs and takes another step forward, knowing that there is no time to educate John about certain topics.

Immediately after he does, he hears a faint \*click\* coming from something beneath his foot.

He steps back and realizes that it is a pressure plate. And he just activated it.

Expecting a trap to activate at any minute, he pushes John, his grandfather and Ghall-Ihrno out of the way. Sure enough, the boy's keen senses have just saved their lives.

A massive boulder rolls down from above and lands into the lower section of the cave system with a loud \*thunk\*.

Our heroes slowly emerge from their hiding spots and realize that the boulder has sealed the way from which they came in.

Jared shakes his head.

"I understand now."- He mutters- "I understand what those fiends were planning to do with us."

John raises his eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"- He asks him- "I thought that this cave was abandoned!"

Jared turns around and looks at John.

"They set up the trap that unleashed the boulder on us shortly before we came. The results of my quick investigation show that they must have set it up for any kind of traveler that dared to set foot into this cave system- human or otherwise. In other words, they were not picky when it came to their intended targets."- He says- "However, the way from which the boulder came... they were *not* intending to kill anyone."

He takes a deep breath.

"They were intending to trap them in here and watch them starve to death."

Just as Jared finishes his sentence, a flock of enormous cavebats descends from the ceiling and swoops towards them.

"Or to be killed by the denizens of this unholy land."- He continues- "Whichever comes first, I guess."

However, he is left no more time to explain the situation as one of the bats tries to bite him. The boy evades it and swings his sword at him.

Unfortunately, bats are known to be very nimble. This one is no exception.

However, Jared's quick thinking gives him an advantage in this battle. Just as the bat tries to regain its senses, the boy casts a light spell on it and kills it with minimal effort.

Meanwhile, John tries to bring one of the bats down with a magical boomerang that he crafted shortly before he and the others arrived in Avernum. However, his efforts prove to be futile as the creature easily evades the attack.

Just as the boomerang returns to John, he gets angry. He grabs his weapon and lunges forward.

"No more tricks!"- He yells and swings the boomerang at the bat.

In the blink of an eye, he strikes it down and watches as it bleeds to death due to the sharp tip of the weapon.

And so, the heroes work together to strike down those flying monstrosities and attempt to move forward.

A few minutes later, all the bats lie on the ground. Dead. The cave grows quiet and the only sound that can be heard is the one coming from the underground river nearby.

Jared breathes a sigh of relief as he stares at the passage ahead, their only way out of this fresh mess that they have stumbled upon.

"Well, this is it."- He says to his allies- "Looks like there is only one way for us to go. *Forward*."

It takes them a few seconds to climb the last few steps of the cave. Fortunately, the hostile fauna within the system is now gone, thus making their walk much more pleasant.

But there is one last obstacle left for them to cross before they get to the end.

Now a few steps away from the exit, Jared and his allies are still not aware of the storm that is brewing.

Moments later, a massive monster appears in front of them and blocks their only way out. A monster made out of the rocks that are forming the walls of the cave.

John shrugs.

"I knew that one of those would be around here... "

Lethal is amazed by what he is seeing.

"Ah, a Golem!"- He exclaims- "What a fascinating and beautiful creature! I wonder how powerful it-- "

Jared pulls his grandfather away just as the creature tries to slam its massive fist into him, rendering its attack invalid.

"Does this answer your question, grandpa?"- Jared asks him- "Or do you want to be crushed underneath its fingers to realize it?"

Lethal sighs.

"I know. It's a shame that we have to fight them, but... "- He draws his weapon- "... let's make it sweat!"

Everyone attacks the golem, managing to distract it as it tries to pick its attack target, but is unable to do so due to the many possibilities.

Finally, it decides to simply attack every enemy that is in sight. It lifts its fists in the air and pounds the ground beneath him, causing the cave to rumble.

"It's trying to cause an earthquake!"- John says- "Let's kill it before the whole cave collapses on us!"

Jared jumps on its back and plunges his blade into the back of its neck, rendering it disoriented for a few moments.

"John!"- He yells- "Now is your chance!"

John nods and takes Lethal's blade.

"Hey, you useless bag of rocks!"- He taunts it- "Let's see how you like *this*!"

He swings the massive sword at the golem, causing it to shatter in only a few seconds.

The remains of the creature roll down into the lower section of the system, never to awaken again.

With the monster out of the way, Jared and his allies approach the exit, but they soon find out that it is blocked by a large slab of rock.

"Oh, come on!"- John yells- "Why are those aliens so inclined to keep us in here?!"

Lethal looks at the slab and nods.

"They prevent us from getting out with yet another mechanical trap."- He says- "How smart of them."

Jared sighs.

"How do we get out of this predicament, grandpa?"- He asks him.

Lethal looks around and realizes how this trap works.

"Check the walls for anything that looks out of place!"- He exclaims- "There's bound to be something hidden in plain sight... "

Jared checks the walls near the exit. He carefully presses his hand near each inch of them, careful not to miss any important details.

Soon, his efforts are rewarded when he finds a well-concealed button.

"There we go!"- He exclaims and pushes it.

A few seconds later, the stone slab is lifted up by a hidden mechanism and the way is clear.

Lethal pats his grandson on the shoulder.

"Well done, kiddo!"- He says- "Now let's get out of here and show them the magnitude of their mistake!"

Once everyone is outside, the slab is pushed down. Looks like this is a one-way passage.

Either way, the heroes look around. Even though only half an hour has passed since they entered the cave and were trapped within it, they are very happy to see the outside world once again.

"Hmm."- Jared mutters- "I have never seen this area before."

He turns to Ghall-Ihrno.

"Do you have any idea where we are?"

Ghall-Ihrno looks around. His vision may not be as good as that of the other Vahnatai, but his hearing is still sharp. Sharp enough to hear sounds that the others are not aware of.

He takes a step forward, smells the air and listens to the sounds coming from farther away. Finally, he turns around and says:

"My friends, it looks like we have reached one of the most unexplored areas in Avernum. A land that I have only heard about from other travelers."

He looks at them sadly and continues:

"Welcome... to *No Man's Land*."