RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“That’s just it,” the Spider said. “These guys aren’t in league with the official authorities. If something goes wrong, they can easily get a personal guard unit on my tail in no time. Hell, I could probably disappear and you or Myra wouldn't be able to do anything about it thanks to all the red tape surrounding the issue."

"True. I guess we would need a reasonable basis for a warrant,” Rovin admitted.

“And on top of that, how the hell am I supposed to get past the wards protecting the place without them going off?” the Spider asked.

“My best guess would be one hell of a diversion,” Rovin replied.

“And where would I get one?” the Spider asked. A loud crash sounded through the air before he could say anything else, and he looked over to the GenMag building out of suspicion. “Hold that thought,” he said as he used the shadows to get to the roof of the GenMag lab.

The task, oddly enough, didn't trip any wards when he emerged from the shadows cast by the chimneys. Or if anything went off, there was no obvious sign of anything being amiss. The roof itself seemed normal as well. In fact, the only thing that he found odd was a metal door that was built on the side of one of the chimneys, but even then for all he knew it could’ve been used by the maintenance gnomes for something important.

The Spider approached the door, and as his hand stretched to meet the handle, he heard a click sound from behind him followed by a sharp hissing sound. “You get one chance,” a deep voice said. “Hands in the air and get on the ground. Do anything else and we’ll kill you where you stand.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Aug-2011 19:24:19 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 06:08:08 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The Spider growled in frustration. “So I end up being taken by surprise by GenMag goons,” he grumbled to himself as he complied with the voice’s directions. “How could I be so stupid?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” the voice said. The Spider turned his head and saw a trio of guardsmen in a style of armor he had never seen before. The armor itself was red in color, and the metal seemed to have been chiseled into overlapping scales from one random chunk of metal instead of carefully put together like the armors of the various knightly orders that populated the world.

On top of that, the helmet covered all of their faces save for two eyeholes, and even those were akin to black pits more than actual eyeholes. The guard closest to the Spider had a longsword in his hand, but oddly enough the fellow had no shield. Nor did the others, he observed.

“Well,” the Spider began. “Would you buy a story about me thinking you’re part of the Shroud’s gang?”

The guards guffawed at his comment. “Yeah, like our employer is a criminal,” the closest guard said sarcastically. “If that was the case, we wouldn’t have our jobs thanks to Allivierion’s constant interference with criminal matters!”

The Spider began mentally kicking himself. Ok, he thought to himself. Maybe he should just cut his losses and run like hell. Sure, he’d be in legal trouble (again), but it was better than the alternatives swirling through his mind at that moment.

One of the guards hanging closer to the back put a hand to the side of his helmet, and concentrated for a moment. “Sir,” he said to the lead guard. “Word from containment. They say that the countermeasures have failed in keeping Specimen Six in the lower quarters.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Aug-2011 19:25:02 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 06:08:15 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The lead guard seemed to grow flustered at that. “Truly?” he asked. When his subordinate nodded in confirmation, he pressed the issue. “Where is she now? Do we still have time to prepare for engagement?”

“The team says she went through one of the vents,” the lesser guard said. “They don’t know where she is at the moment.”

“Son of a….alright, call for backup, stat!” the lead guard said. Pointing to the guard who had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal, he said, “You! Keep an eye on this intruder. I’ll investigate the vents, and will call when I make contact.”

The guard nodded. “Aye. But sir, if I may…you know what Specimen Six is capable of. Wouldn’t it be wiser to wait for backup instead of searching for her alone?”

“And risk her getting out while we wait? I’d rather die before that happened,” the lead guard snorted. As he approached the door, he addressed the Spider, “Alright, intruder. Be a good boy and I promise you won’t get in much trouble. You might even get to keep your hands if I feel like it!”

The Spider muttered various obscenities under his breath at the lead guard, who only chuckled as he began working the handle to get the door open. He only had the door ever so slightly opened before a nearby chimney began producing more than just the usual steam.

“No, let me go!” a female voice cried out in panic. “Please, I didn't do anything! I don’t even know why the hell I’m here!”

“Ah hell,” the lead guard muttered. “Alright, everyone get re..” he was cut off as the chimney suddenly exploded, causing many of the bricks to bowl the guards to the ground, and the Spider covered his face to avoid the dust.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Aug-2011 19:25:45 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 06:08:21 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

When he felt that the dust was more or less settled, the Spider looked up and muttered an oath. “Ah, by Zamorak’s gaze,” he murmured. “Not her. Please, anything but her.”

In the hole of the chimney stood a lithe, pale woman. She was dressed in little more than rags that seemed more suitable for a ghoul than anything, and raven black locks fell down to her shoulders, perfectly contrasting with her alabaster skin. She seemed a little bit shaken, and was obviously panicked.

“Oh….gods,” she said absently. “Did…did I just…”

“Blow up a stone chimney?” the Spider asked as he collected himself and got to his feet. “Looks like it. Seriously, what are you doing here?”

The girl’s eyes widened when she saw him. “I…I don’t know,” she said. “Please…just….argh!”The girl clutched at her head and fell to the ground. All of a sudden, a pair of large bat-like wings erupted from her back, and the Spider edged to the closest shadows he could find.

“Ok,” he said in his best threatening voice. “Just….just calm down, alright? We don’t want anyone getting hurt. Or…you know…turned into vampire slaves or something.”

Before he could ready his magic, the girl began shaking. “Just…leave…me…alone!” she screamed in a feral voice. It only took a beat of her newly manifested wings to launch her into the sky as well as take out the rest of the chimney with her in the process. The Spider realized what was happening, so he dove into the shadows and emerged back onto the roof of his original perch as the Vampire began racing through the sky.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Aug-2011 19:26:22 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 06:08:26 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Ah crap,” he said as he began making his way across the rooftops in pursuit of the creature. He was barely managing to keep her in his sight, and it seemed that each passing moment gave her a better lead. He activated the communication spell that Myra taught him, and opened the link to Rovin.

“Ye…yeah?” came Rovin’s rather drunken voice in the mercenary’s mind.

“Miles, we might have a small problem,” the Spider replied.

“Whaisit?”

“Look up the guard records on anything involving Vampires in Varrock,” he said.

“Can’t. On break.”

“Oh, for the love of….then get someone to do it for you! It’s sorta important!”

“Wait…why Vampires? An’ any Vampire in particular?” Rovin asked.

“Well, I’m chasing one right now over the rooftops,” the Spider said. “Looks like there was something to my GenMag theory after all, but I’m not sure if the thing I’m chasing is who I think it is.”

“Well in tha’ case….lemme get those records.”

“Good. The one you should be looking for is a woman. Think she was a shapeshifter and some kind of battlemage back during that whole thing with Delrith.” The Spider managed to barely clear a decently sized gap between two buildings as he filled Rovin in on the details. “I don’t think anyone ever identified her as anything other than a Vampire. Don’t think she cared to hide the fact either. Should be the only one that ever got any positive press in the Herald, if I’m right.”

“Well, I got good news and bad news,” Rovin said, apparently sobering up. “Good news is I found the file. Bad news is the last recorded activity was nearly 10 years ago, back when there was that zombie invasion that Arrav’s Shield drove back.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Aug-2011 19:27:27 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 06:08:31 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Please tell me that’s not all,” the Spider said as he began walking carefully across a clothesline.

“Well…other than what I just said, it looks like the rest of that thing’s record is sealed by order of the Temple Knights,” Rovin replied. “Apparently it dropped off the map after that. But the interesting thing is they labeled it as an outstanding ‘Class X’ threat. Dunno what that means, but thought you’d like to know you might be in for a world of hurt beforehand.”

“Oh, gre...” the Spider was cut off midsentence by the sight of a trio of shadows passing overhead accompanied by the sound of flapping wings. The sources of the distraction were gone by the time he had the wits to look up, though to his delight he had somehow managed to finish crossing the clothesline and make it to the nearby rooftop without realizing it.

“Ya didn't die on me yet, did ya?” Rovin asked, breaking the mercenary’s concentration.

“I’ll have to get back to you on that,” he replied. “But do me a favor and get a hold of Myra for me, will ya? Then get anybody on the city guard who’s willing to help out and start shutting down the western sector. I have a feeling things are gonna get real ugly here soon!”

~^+^~

The afternoon sun hung over Myra’s head like a Red Dragon would hover over its hoard as she entered the mansion before her and surveyed the scene that lay inside. The building that looked like it would fall apart at any moment, which was surprising considering it was in the upscale side of Varrock. Debris and overturned furniture cluttered the common room that she was currently standing in, and a trio of Allivierion agents were currently combing through each and every pile that they came across in search of clues as to what had occurred there overnight.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Aug-2011 19:28:03 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 06:09:16 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The house maid, a woman who had looked like she had seen her own fair share of winters by the looks of her haggard face, was frantically speaking to Myra as she tried making sense of the woman’s odd ramblings.

“Shadows, I tell ye!” the maid cried. “I saw them me self! The shadows just came out of the walls and attacked Lord Gorvanki! Sliced him with green fire, they did!”

“Uh huh,” Myra replied halfheartedly. “So tell me again. Did your boss happen to be in any trouble with local gangs that you knew of?”

“Oh heavens, no!" the maid gushed. “He was a humble man, a kind man. And he paid so well for housekeeping!”

“And you just happened to find the card on his body when you went to check in on the noise he was making,” Myra said. “I’ve read the report, but something’s not adding up.”

“But I be telling truths, I swear!”

Myra nodded and began walking towards the doorway which led to a caved-in hall. “I don’t doubt you for a minute, but I have concerns,” she said. “For starters, why didn't these ‘Shadows’ attack you? And if this was late at night when it happened, why the hell were you still around?”

“Lass, I live here,” the maid replied. “I’ve always lived here since Lord Gorvanki hired me! ‘Tis part of his contract, you know.”

“It’s true,” a nearby Allivierion agent replied as the duo walked past him. “My sister used to work for this guy before she got accepted to the Wizard’s Tower. She can attest to that if you really want an outside confirmation.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Aug-2011 19:28:46 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 06:09:27 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“That’s not necessary,” Myra said as she examined the debris in the hall that was close to the doorway. “I’m assuming she wasn’t anyone important enough to warrant the thug’s attention, but important enough to keep around for housecleaning. Arnold wasn’t the only noble to use that practice, you know.”

“That’s right!” the maid beamed.

“Alright, you’re dismissed," Myra said. The maid curtsied and left the house, muttering to herself as she went.

Myra sighed in relief when she was sure the maid was gone, and reentered the main common room. Sunlight poured into the area courtesy of a wrecked wall that overlooked a nearby courtyard, but other than that the murder scene looked just like every other Brotherhood case she had worked since the cult had popped up on the scene: bloody, messy, but yet not any bloodier or messier than what happened over in the ghettos of southern Morytania.

“So, you think she’s a suspect?” the agent who had spoken earlier asked.

“No," Myra replied. “I can’t imagine anyone in her position would want to kill their own boss if they paid well. And let’s be honest, I doubt she could pull it off without giving herself away in the process anyway.”

“Well, it’s not like anyone else had it out for this guy,” the agent remarked. “He was a goddamn gem collector who paid handsomely for shiny things. It’s not like he hired cutthroats to rip people off of their gems or anything from what I hear.”

“Or did he?” Myra asked, much to the agent’s puzzlement.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Aug-2011 19:29:41 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 06:09:33 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“I’m not sure I follow,” the agent said.

“Well, the family keeps thorough records,” Myra replied. “I've read them before I came here to look at the scene. Only four crystals of odd design were reported missing from storage when the initial investigation team came through, while the more high priced things were left untouched.”

“So you think the Brotherhood guys wanted the unique but useless crystals over something that was way more valuable? I don’t think that makes any sense.”

“Well, you’re looking at it from a robber’s point of view,” she said. “But what if those crystals did something that only they knew about?” Her face drained of color as she thought over her own words. “Oh…gods…” she muttered.

“Alright, now you’re thinking of something,” the agent said. “Mind telling us what to look for so we can finish this job and get back to Benny for another assignment?”

“Y…yeah,” Myra said. “Stop searching and try getting in contact with the family members that still talked to Arnold Gorvanki. I want to question them about their records and his gem collection.”

“Well, if ya say so,” the agent said. He turned to face the other agents and bellowed. “Alright lads, start packin’ and movin’ out! We’re gonna try another route for this case!” His fellow agents looked relived at the announcement and moved quickly to carry out their new orders. They cleared the room in a matter of seconds, leaving Myra and her cohort behind.

“So, mind telling me what’s on your mind with the gem thing?” he asked.

“I think we’ve been looking at this all wrong,” Myra said. “We’ve been looking at motives. Suspects who might have a reason to either kill the victims, or maybe even political reasons for the attacks. So far nothing’s stood out as noteworthy except for the calling cards and pure randomness of the crimes.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Aug-2011 19:30:35 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 06:09:38 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The agent nodded. “Ya know…I think I’ll have to set up some interviews with the surviving families of some of the victims. I wonder if anyone else had anything stolen from them too.”

“That's exactly what I was thinking,” Myra said as she began making her way towards the collapsed wall. “You see, I think that these guys might be looking for something and the victims are either warnings or just got in the way.”

“So you got all that from the mere mention of jewelry theft?”

“Well…it’s all we have to go on at this point,” Myra said. “You said it yourself, there were much more valuable targets to be had here, but they took some gems that were relatively worthless in comparison. I can’t help but wonder if there might be any other missing ‘family heirlooms’ or some such that went under our noses because they weren’t related to the murders at all.”

The agent nodded. “Well in that case I’ll talk to Benny and see if we can get cracking on it. Let’s hope that you’re right on this one.”

“You and me both,” Myra said. The agent nodded and left the house, leaving her alone to investigate further.

In hindsight, that probably wasn’t the best of ideas, she thought. Being alone in ruined mansions where murders occurred was the very stuff that many a penny dreadful was made of. Possibly because of that thought, she couldn’t help but feel like someone-something- was watching her at that moment as she began climbing over the debris and into the courtyard beyond.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Aug-2011 19:31:20 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 06:09:43 by A Mad Hatter

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