RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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Azura saw a red flash of scales on top of the pillar closest to her, and she looked up to see a massive Naga coiled to strike on top of it. She knew it wasn’t the one sentenced to die with her, for the creature bore red scales instead of purple, and a triangular skeletal crest framed a twisted demonic face belonging to a Vrik that was missing part of its beak. The creature also had two sets of forearms, each ending with sickle-shaped blades instead of fingers, and sharp spines of bones lined its back.

“Ah,” the voice whispered. “Good. The Second Echelon of the Nest is around. This makes what we have to do that much easier.”

“Wha..” Azura began, but she was cut off as the red Naga reared up and let loose a shrill scream from the depths of the hells themselves, causing demon and captive alike to cover what passed for their ears. As if on cue, more hisses and shrieks rang through the arena, and Azura saw many more Nagas of different sizes and colors pour out from various cracks and holes in the stonework, each wearing the face of either a demon or some other unlucky humanoid that happened to be found by the abominations.

The Naga swarm surged towards the statues, causing the one holding the Yautja to drop its charge and conjure a crooked staff in its hand. It impaled the closest serpent on the staff, and the other statues followed suit with their own weapons as the swarm began throwing themselves at the Sentinels with reckless abandon.

“Listen carefully,” the voice said. “Images and incantations will appear in your mind shortly. You must cast them in quick succession if we are to survive.”

“Yeah right,” Azura retorted. “How can I do that if I don’t know how to channel the power for them?”

“Have faith and trust in me. Besides, that’s what the gauntlets are for.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

02-Apr-2011 15:42:05

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Azura looked down at the gauntlets, and all of a sudden she saw a greenish hue fill her vision as arcane symbols danced in front of her. She thought she saw a fully armored Yautja as well, but the scene kept shifting between the arena and different worlds she had only imagined to exist that had somehow defied conventional description, so she couldn’t tell for sure.

Her vision finally settled on a dark haired man in a wide brimmed red hat flanked by an earth elemental, a man with white hair in a crew cut, a fat man dressed in purple, a man in red mystic leathers and a goatee, and a brown haired man holding twin cerulean blades. Many voices filled her head. She struggled to keep up with them, but only a few phrases could be made out.

“The Ancient Power…his symbol?” the red garbed man asked.

“Not his,” Azura heard the voice whisper. “Not his at all.”

“Then who’s?” she asked. She wanted to ask what the hell was going on at that moment, but the voice continued anyway.

“Not ours,” it said. Many more visions flew past Azura. She saw many images, most of which involved the red man in some way. Her vision eventually settled on a pair of yellow eyes surrounded by purple tentacles holding the man, and arcane symbols filled her mind as an odd understanding finally came over her.

“Wait,” she said with the voice in unison. “I see it now."

"The hell?” she heard someone reply.

“Not hell,” the voice whispered. “But close enough. ‘Tis a prison.” Azura saw a Zarosian symbol, and ancient voices entered her mind as the vision drew to a close. The shrieks and screams of the Naga swarm drew her back to reality, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

02-Apr-2011 15:43:17 - Last edited on 25-Nov-2011 03:12:16 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Cast the spells,” the voice demanded. “You can do it, and you better do it fast if we wish to live this night!”

Azura nodded and flung out her hand with her fingers spread apart. She shouted an alien phrase, and green energy shot from her gauntleted hand and slammed into the ground, causing many of the Nagas to slow down long enough for the Sentinels to step on them. The serpents shrieked as they died, but Azura paid them no mind as she felt the spark of magic within her flare into a flame that would put any phoenix to shame. She made a cutting motion with her right hand while balling her left into a fist, and the Sentinels stopped in mid-action.

The statues began to crack, and all at once they had shattered. But that was not the end of it. The pillars in the arena shattered as well, causing the massive red Naga to fall to the ground. The rubble of the Sentinels and pillars coalesced into three huge spheres, and they lit up with unholy power as Azura chanted a short incantation. The desert mage focused on the red Naga, the audience, and the Red Queen’s throne all at once, and willed the makeshift projectiles to their destinations.

The red Naga died first. The creature disintegrated into nothingness as the missile connected, causing the surviving Nagas to fall to the ground and spasm as their hivemind was severed. The audience had mostly managed to teleport out of the way as the second projectile hit its destination, causing only a few deaths, all of which were the unlucky ones who couldn’t teleport or fly at all.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

02-Apr-2011 15:43:38

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

As for the Red Queen…well, Azura couldn’t tell for sure because of the loud boom that sounded when the magical attack landed. A bright light filled the arena, blinding everyone for a brief moment. When the light subsided, Azura was shocked to see the Queen still alive and barely scathed at all.

The demon matriarch was leaning over a balcony, her angry expression replaced by that of an even angrier face that belonged to a dragon. “Enough!” she screamed. “This foolishness has gone on long enough!”

The Red Queen’s personal Vrik stood up beside her, scorched and barely alive. “I see," it wheezed. “That Belial’s servant…is powerful…”

“Enough with the damn lies!” Azura shouted in rage. "I don’t know what a Belial is, and I don’t serve anybody! I just want to go home and leave…well…whatever this place is!”

“An innocent request,” the Queen replied. “But unfortunately your actions speak otherwise.”

“Should I order the beheading?” the Vrik shouted for all to hear…which was only a small handful of demons still interested in sticking around for the outcome of the drama unfolding before their eyes.

“No,* the Queen replied. “I feel that any normal executioners will only fail in killing this human.” The Queen began to levitate and make her way into the arena. “I shall handle this one personally,” she declared. “Her crimes are unforgivable. Espionage. Attempted assassination. Fraud. All have the same sentence, and you do not get a pardon because of your false story.”

“Remember the spells,” the voice whispered. “Use them. She can’t counter every Fade spell I have given you.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

02-Apr-2011 15:44:12 - Last edited on 25-Nov-2011 03:14:00 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Right,” Azura muttered.

“Ah, so you admit it,” the Queen replied as she landed. Azura backed up a step as she saw that the Queen’s hair was made up of thorny vines dotted with roses. A pleasant scent permeated the Queen’s presence, but that did little to diminish the sense of unholy and unnatural power that surrounded her.

Azura readied her magic. “Actually, I admitted nothing,” she said. “You’re just confusing me talking to myself with whatever you want to hear.”

The Queen’s face became a blank slate at that. No features covered her face at all, giving the appearance of a bloodstained mirror instead. “Lies have earned you this sentence,” she said. “Now do not try to stall any longer. Off with her head!”

Azura fell to the ground in pain as the thorny tendrils of the Red Queens dress bit into her ankles and dragged her closer. She felt her magic slip from her grasp for a moment, but she recovered enough focus to discharge a spark of blue electricity into the tendrils, causing them to release her as the magic arched towards the Queen. The demon seemed unaffected by the magic, but it did seem angry as a hiss suddenly sounded from behind her. Azura watched as the Naga from the prison crawled up the Queen’s form and began squeezing her neck.

“I’ve been waiting too long for this,” the Naga spat in her face. “You should make a good Matriarch for the Nest!”

The Queen only chuckled, and the Naga’s face twisted in surprise as it burst into flames. The serpent squealed, causing the barely alive but previously prone Nagas to rouse from their involuntary hibernation and begin streaking towards the Queen with hisses and shrieks of anger. The Queen only levitated a little bit off of the ground, and suddenly the tendrils on her gown shot into the ground and spread out like tree roots.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

02-Apr-2011 15:44:43

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The Nagas that crawled over the tendrils were then impaled by expanding thorns. Those that survived were incinerated as the roses in the demon matriarch’s hair spat out corrosive acid and demonic hellfire, and Azura used that moment of distraction to cover herself with an elemental shielding spell and ready another attack as the Queen turned back to her.

The Red Queen shot out a trio of black darts as the “roots” she had created began to atrophy into nothing, and Azura felt her spell shield disappear as they connected. She quickly worked another spell that caused a ball of blazing fire to appear around her. It happened just in time, for as soon as it appeared the Queen had already swung a few tendrils at her, hitting the fire instead of the tanned mage. The Queen swore as the fire spread to her body, causing her to fall to the ground in a heap of screaming and thrashing vines.

“Witch!” she cried. “You claim to owe no allegiance to Belial yet have control over fire to that degree? Impossible!”

Azura winced at the words, but put them to the back of her head as she began walking towards the Red Queen. “No,” she heard the voice protest. “I know what you want, but don’t do it.”

“How do you know?” Azura asked. “It’s not like I deserve to punch this one in the face a few times for arranging this entire thing.”

“Trust me,” the voice said. “I haven’t lied to you yet, and I have no reason to lie now. Not when her kind is involved.”

Azura looked down at the Red Queen with disgust and hatred. The Queen only slumped on the ground in defeat as the flames died out, silent and still as a statue. Which was ironic, she thought, because only a few moments ago she had seen statues take out a strong fighter almost effortlessly.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

02-Apr-2011 15:45:19

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“So,” Azura began as the fire shield dissipated. She reached down and gripped the featureless mask, feeling the bitter cold of the metal flow through her entire body as her fingers grasped the edges tightly. “Let’s see what’s under this mask, shall we?”

A yank was all it took to steal the mask away from the face. A yank that only made the Red Queen laugh. A yank that caused Azura to reflexively scream at the results.

“Surprised, human?” the Queen asked with her face. The features were a perfect duplicate of her own, with the only exception being that Azura didn't have demonic tattoos on the lower part of her jaw at all.

Azura backed away, unable to comprehend just what was going on. The rational part of her knew that demons relied on trickery and fear to gain an advantage in combat, but she couldn’t help but feel stunned with supernatural terror as her magic began draining from her. “W-what..” she began.

“There’s a reason demon queens are known as prophets and oracles,” the Red Queen replied menacingly as she began getting to her feet. “We can show…visions…of the future in our own unique ways.”

“Don’t listen to her,” the voice said. “She’s little more than a Mirror Demon with fey blood.” The fact didn't calm Azura down at all, but she had to admit it made sense in a way. Not that making sense was important right now, mind you.

Azura began throwing magical darts at the demon matriarch, each one either missing or dissipating against her natural counterspells. “Why fight the truth?” she asked. “I cannot control what one sees. Only you can.”

“No!" Azura screamed as she conjured a ball of lightning and threw it at the Queen. “I’m not you! I’m not!"

"Oh, but you may very well be," the Queen replied as she countered the attack and sent it spiraling harmlessly into the air. “I’ve already seen the future, you know. You…alone…on the throne…surrounded by the corpses of your loved ones.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

02-Apr-2011 15:45:48 - Last edited on 25-Nov-2011 03:17:28 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The voices of the audience began to clamor at the proceedings, causing Azura to become overwhelmed in hopelessness. Her vision began to twist and turn, but she managed to stay on her feet long enough for it to clear…

…and see a pair of blades sticking out through a surprised Red Queen’s chest. The blades disappeared into her body, and she slumped to the ground as a triumphant Yautja stood over the fallen demon.

“You,” he addressed Azura. “Come…here…” Azura found the strength to obey, and walked haphazardly over to the warrior. The Yautja crouched down and removed the Queen’s head with a swift flick of his wrist, but he did*’t have the strength to stand up anymore and fell to his side with a weak gurgle instead.

“What did you want?” she asked.

“Remove…my mask,” the Yautja said. “Just as you did with hers. I wish to see her damned head with my own eyes before I die this day…” Azura hesitated a bit before curling her fingers around the mask’s edges. Despite being slick with blue blood, the mask came off rather easily, and Azura saw that the Yautja’s face was caked with his own blood that had flowed freely from a broken mandible.

“Heh,” he said as he held the Queen’s head in front of his eyes. “I finally…did it.” The Yautja lowered his prize to the ground, and dug one of his fingers into his side. He drew blood, and began dotting it in odd patterns on his gauntlets, which began to glow.

“Wait,” Azura said. “Didn't you say doing that would activate a failsafe that would destroy anything in range?”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

02-Apr-2011 15:46:58 - Last edited on 25-Nov-2011 03:19:10 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“That’s…the plan,” the warrior wheezed. “But worry not.” He grabbed Azura’s hand and dotted blood on her gauntlets, which too began to glow. Before she could protest, the warrior added, “I know of the owner of these…gauntlets. I don’t…know why I…didn't recognize them…earlier. But…he has a way…of escaping the…traditional bonds created by them.” The Yautja began coughing violently.

“What do you mean?” Azura asked as her vision began to blur and fill with a bright light.

“He…maybe escaped. But he was not...Yautja,” the warrior said. “So he…made a new…failsafe. One that would remove him…from the world if needed.”

“But I thought these belonged to your ancestors?”

“Not all…family members…need be Yautja. Not all…” the warrior closed his eyes and began laughing. Azura only heard one last tirade from her unlikely ally as the world turned white.

“I am no mystic. I failed the trials to become one. But I know the signs when I see them. Mokosh left them here for you, Youngblood. Take them and their knowledge…use them to become the mage I never was.”

Azura could only scream as pain filled her senses.

*^+^*

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

02-Apr-2011 15:47:51 - Last edited on 25-Nov-2011 03:20:30 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Azura? Hey, wake up already, will ya!” She felt cold water splash over her, jolting her wide awake. At first she only saw darkness, but her eyes adjusted quickly and allowed her to see a simple fact. She was home.

“Wha…how?” she stuttered.

“Hey,” she heard Aiden say. “Seriously, we heard you tossing and turning all night so far. But then you screamed and…well…”

“The fire’s out,” Caden said as he appeared next to her bed. “I swear, kid, Anastasia won’t be happy about you doing that to one of her dressers. Ok, it’s the guest dresser, but still…”

“What…happened?” she asked.

“Well,” Aiden began.

“You screamed. We came in to see what was going on since we got hungry and couldn’t sleep,” Caden finished. “And you somehow set the dresser on fire in your sleep. Dunno how.”

“So you alright or something?” Caden asked.

“Y-yeah,” Azura replied. “It was just…a nightmare, I guess.”

“Some nightmare,” Aiden muttered. “I dunno about you guys, but I’m going to bed. I’ll eat in the morning I guess.” He left the room, and Caden agreed with his brother that it was getting late and took his leave as well.

Azura waited until both of the brothers were in their rooms, and only moved when the sounds of their snoring crept into her bedroom. When she found the strength to move, she threw the covers off of her, and found that she was in her nightgown again...and quietly gasped as she saw the Yautja gauntlets on her arms.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

02-Apr-2011 15:49:19

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