RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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Chapter 10-3
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“Should anyone come across this glyph, heed my words. Research into the Darksime crystals has yielded startling results, and this knowledge must not be made public at all costs.

First things first, these crystals aren’t worldly. While that much is common knowledge, various divinations have found that strange energies from the Fade Realm- Or as others call it, the Nightmare Realm, or Paha Kaluvistaa in the tongue of the magi- somehow react with one another to form the actual minerals.

That said, the energies are impotent after formation, yet they remain ripe for invasion by psionic energies. Where the odd powers come from, I know not. Psionics can literally come from any reality, and if they came from beyond…well, we’d have no way to confirm the origin without going insane.

However, I know full well the benefits of the Darksime, despite the strange origins of the substance. I may not have intentions of Lichdom like other casters before me, but I do know a way to gain immortality of another sort using the crystals.

Yes, I have said it. I, Samael…Magistrate Arcane of the Seventh Order…know how to bypass the curse of the Ritual of the Rasvim should the need arise. And I fear I shall have to undergo this blasphemy if Mokosh becomes tainted by the Gate.”

~Skarjil Datashade Glyph [Personal] - Samael’s Notes III
<>
Wind whipped through the trees of the forest north of Falador, carrying smoke from the City of White with it. By no means was that any surprise, V thought, given the fact that even under the cover of the pines and oaks at the forest’s edge, he could see the orange glow of flames behind the city walls, and above them, a blanket of armored darkness in the form of what he had guessed was some kind of Black Knight augmented with unholy power.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

25-Oct-2012 00:25:03 - Last edited on 25-Oct-2012 00:27:06 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

A large stone form rumbled behind the red garbed man, causing the ground to nearly collapse under the weight of the unnatural behemoth of what used to be a man.

“Great, this damned wind’s gonna erode me or somethin’,” Grim growled as a massive outstretched hand shielded his eyes.

“At least you don’t run the risk of losing your very essence to the weather,” a wispy voice replied. Though no physical body was around to utter the words, the small group knew all too well that the revenant that had come to be known as Old Ghost was hanging on to its very existence by sheer force of will alone.

Of course, the effort meant that it had to dissipate its incorporeal form to the point of invisibility, but given the fact that the Spirits of the Condemned were a very rare and dangerous sight outside of the wastelands to the north, such a state was preferable if they wished to avoid suspicion at best, if not outright conflict with the land’s various holy orders at worst.

V ignored his companions’ banter as he scanned the horizon. While there were still large groups of goblins situated around various big war tents and the occasional Manticore or two that had stayed behind (presumably as guard dogs, he thought), the invading army was more or less smaller in size than what they had originally anticipated from Old Ghost’s information only a few hours earlier. Though, to be fair, maybe the forces outside the city were just the rear guard, and the bulk of it was roaming the great city in an attempt to plunder its riches.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

25-Oct-2012 00:27:52

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“I see three large groups around what looks like a statue,” V said as his companions kept arguing about who was worse off with the weather. He felt something tugging at his heart, but it was very faint, almost like a whisper in the back of his mind begging for him to come home. “But…hey, Old Ghost, can you sense something pulling you to the southeast a bit?”

“Aye,” the revenant replied. “Earlier reconnaissance has revealed a set of standing stones used in what I assume was pagan rituals at some point in that direction. I felt their pull grow stronger as I approached them, but I had to pull back for fear of dissipation.”

V looked in the direction he felt the strange energies coming from, and was glad to see that they might have been able to evade a good portion of the goblin army if they stayed close to the edge of the cliff they were currently on while moving steadily east.

“Hey red, you thinkin’ on actually fillin’ us in on what’s goin’ on?” Grim asked.

“If my hunch is right, those standing stones Old Ghost mentioned may hold enough power to get us into the city somehow,” V said. “So what I’m thinking is we get around the goblins, power up using the stones, and get to whoever runs the Temple Knights.”

“Just how do you know what the stones can do, assuming they’re still active?” Old Ghost asked.

"I...don’t know,” V admitted. “Something’s drawing me in the direction they might be in. Something…powerful. And it seems like it’s telling me what to do in the back of my mind, if that makes sense.*

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

25-Oct-2012 00:30:07 - Last edited on 25-Oct-2012 00:31:09 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Old Ghost said. “There’s power in them, yes. But whatever power they used to have has long since diminished. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to pull away from the area.”

“I ain’t feelin’ nothin’,” Grim muttered. “Are you sure it’s not just someone attemptin’ to draw undead spirits to them to control?”

“It could be,” V admitted as he started walking along the edge of the cliff. “But really…we have a goblin army in front of us. Sure, we may be able to fight our way through a group or two if we’re lucky. But even then, we’d be exhausted a bit and outnumbered once the others realize we’re there. So the least we could do is get to the stones, and if there’s nothing useful there, attempt to find another way into the city other than the front gate.”

The rest of the group did*’t have time to debate the merits of the idea before a dark humanoid shape crashed through the trees violently, only coming to a stop once it slammed into the ground with enough force to kick copious amounts of dirt high into the air. The dust had barely settled when an inhuman hiss sounded from the armored form, which boasted a generous set of wings with feathers as black as the ravens of the north. While gold trimmings in strange angular designs adorned the figure’s black plate armor, they did little to hide the fact that whatever was under the armor had possessed an unnatural aura of power around it. And the power was one which V recognized all too easily.

“Well, look at what we have here,” the figure said with a hollow voice. “I must admit, you two seem to fit the description our commander had given us.”

“Us? What’d we do?” Grim asked as a group of four shadows began to circle around the leafy canopy overhead. The flap of wings was barely audible, even to V’s enhanced sense of hearing.

“The elemental has a point,” V said as his hands moved to the crossbow at his hip. “We don’t know you. But you know us.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

25-Oct-2012 00:32:41

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Nay, I don’t know any of you personally,” the unholy knight said. “But the commander does, and his orders were clear: Bring the red corpse and revenant to him. The stone man can go his own way.”

“Hey,” Grim said as he and V eyed the knight warily. “Do you know what this one’s on about? Because I don’t remember no commander we ticked off except that one guy with the hat bow in that Land O’ Wonder or whatever they called it.”

“No, and they must think we’re crazy if we’ll just go with them to what could be a deathtrap,” V said as he aimed his crossbow to the air. He willed the magical energies to flow to the rune depicting a lone flame, and pulled the trigger. Orange flames erupted from the weapon and leapt into the air, catching two of the flying knights in the blast. The pair fell to the ground with shrieks that would make a banshee green with envy, and the lone knight on the ground drew a thin rapier as it kicked off into the sky.

“Hey, ghosty, you still ‘round?” Grim called as he began melting into the ground.

“That I am,” Old Ghost replied from everywhere and nowhere at once. “In fact, I’d venture to say…oh gods… run!”

V did*’t have to ask why as he almost stepped off the edge of the cliff by accident. He had already seen another trio of knights speeding through the air towards them on the same wings that their companion sported, and a small group of goblins had gathered around the cliff’s base to watch the skirmish going on.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

25-Oct-2012 00:34:01

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

V readied his necromantic magiks as he activated the snowflake rune on his crossbow. A single bolt of ice had nearly missed one of the knights, which had dodged out of the way before impact with a dive straight to the cliff’s base.

The goblins did*’t have time to react before the knight rambled out a short incantation that had lifted it and the goblins into the air with a gust of wind. The goblins cried out in surprise as they sailed through the air, and had landed on the cliff’s edge on their sides and heads, though a few did get caught in some tree branches before crashing back down to the earth.

Nevertheless, they did manage to keep their weapons firmly gripped during the whole ordeal, and it was only a matter of seconds before V found himself alone and surrounded by not only goblins in tattered gear on the ground, but the knights hovering overhead in the air as well. And if the distant roars were anything to go by, the Manticores and other strange beasts that had tagged along for the ride were coming over to dinner as well.

“Get ready, dear,” V heard a faint voice whisper through the wind. “This is only just beginning.”

~^+^~

As the masses of goblins surrounding the Bloodbound Guardian began growing excited, the black plated giant had only grown more and more restless. Its mistress lay dead at the hands of humans, and the thought stoked its pure hatred of the natural world of the living to the point where a big forest fire seemed but a small ember in comparison.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

25-Oct-2012 00:35:11

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

But what could it do? Without a mistress, the guardian was nothing more than an empty suit of armor filled with energy just waiting to burst. It needed purpose! Just standing around outside of the city walls surrounded by the rear guard (which in reality were just the goblins who were simply too stupid to follow their friends into the city in search of loot. Apparently the stones and fallen trees were more interesting than gold in their eyes) was not a task worthy of its power! It needed to kill something, and soon. Otherwise, it would just go berserk and possibly implode on itself out of sheer boredom…

Or would it? The Bloodbound Guardian did*’t know for sure. Its mistress had never died a Final Death before, and the thought scarred the construct in ways unimaginable to mortal minds. Maybe something was wrong with the enchantments powering the construct that day, or maybe the enchantment was fine. Whatever the case, only one thought filled its empty helmet as the goblins began looking towards the north and moving away from the city walls.

Vengance. Two mortals had killed its mistress. The single thought it had mulled over in various ways for the past few hours kept coming back to the forefront of its conscience. With the mistress dead, it had no purpose, save for that single word.

The massive construct ignored the goblins, and turned back to face the city walls. It crashed through the pure white stonework easily, and rambled into the city with a teetering gait that suggested a psychopath had worn the armor that day.
As its foes would soon come to find out, that wasn’t too far from the truth in the end.

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

25-Oct-2012 00:36:34

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The streets of Falador were littered with debris and corpses of slain goblins and the defending guards as Caden carefully made his way closer and closer to the western bank in the city. Despite the occasional lightning echoing in the distance, the city seemed calm for something that was under siege by destructive beings.

The warrior passed a pair of corpses which seemed relatively fresh compared to the rest. One of the bodies was that of a goblin wearing a torn leather jerkin, and the other was a robed elderly man who still clutched a small jeweled dagger in his withered hands. It was obvious that the two had struggled at some point, but further inspection revealed that there were no bodily wounds present on either of them, which struck him as odd.

“Let’s see,* Caden murmured to nobody in particular as he worked the ornate dagger free of the man’s grasp. “No cuts or slashes. No punctures. No strange magiky smells. I swear I’ve seen this somewhere before.”

The dagger popped free after a brief moment, but it fell apart as Caden attempted to look at it. Apparently the weapon was made more for show than actual combat, which gave him a little grief as he considered the condition of his own sword.

Bloodied as it was courtesy of more than one passing goblin, the steel was slowly wearing down, giving it the appearance of a dull ritual blade more than an actual weapon. And though his armor wasn’t in much better condition, at least it still gave off an imposing image if the sun hit it just right, which had saved his own life from a goblin horde more than once in the last hour or so.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

25-Oct-2012 00:37:28

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

With a sigh, Caden walked away from the corpses and into the nearest alley. While he could see the barber shop in plain sight, he knew that attempting to walk more than a few feet at a time in the open was dangerous thanks to the black knights who had began circling the skies above. So far they had left him alone, but after the encounter with the Bloodbound Guardian outside of the city, he did*’t feel like taking any chances with their members while alone.

After a few minutes had passed, he chanced a small peek out into the open, and saw that the coast was clear. Caden made a mad dash over to the barber shop, and on trying the lock he found out the hard way that it was locked up tight. When he glanced in the broken window, he saw why.

Whatever had passed through the area had turned the place upside down, smearing blood and debris across the small shop. It was barely recognizable as the barber shop, if only because of the checkered floor which peeked out from any and all gaps it could find. A mutilated corpse was slumped on a broken chair near the door, its hand gripping the lock mechanisms as if hoping for help that would never come.

A hint of movement in the corner of his eye drew Caden’s attention to the darkened alley between the barber shop and a place which had used to sell maces in its heyday. The gloom in the cramped space seemed oddly out of place in the daytime despite the current siege, and as he warily edged closer to it the darkness seemed to intensify almost instantly. A quick flick of a shadowy limb followed by a sharp inhale that sounded more like a deep hiss drove Caden to turn around and run the other way.

The bank was coming into sight as his legs carried him down the beaten path of the city, and despite the clear skies that day, a shadow seemed to hang over Caden’s head as he began approaching the doors to the strangely pristine building.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

25-Oct-2012 00:38:32

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The wooden doors flung open with no effort at all, and closed with a barely audible whisper behind Caden. The lad was panting heavily by that point, though he began collecting his wits and started looking around the bank so he could finish his business and meet back up with Aiden. The perfect white walls and stainless glasses framed by well constructed beams of oak seemed eerily out of place in comparison to the barber shop, and a strange quietness soaked the room with an even stranger sense of serenity about it.

And most importantly, as Caden soon found out to his dismay, was the fact that nobody was even there.

“Hello?” he called out nervously, his voice echoing in the relatively cramped chambers. “I know this is probably the stupidest thing I’ve done all day so far, but is anyone here?”

The young warrior saw a shape move behind the bank booths, though he couldn’t see much thanks to a glare which was cast by the sun filtering through the sparse windows. His risked tapping on the glass with his gauntleted hand, but to no effect.
“Ok, so I’m alone,” he told himself as his hand went to his sword. “If that’s the case, then forget this. I’m gonna get what I came for and get outta here.”

The glass shattered easily under the weight of his blow, causing the tinkle of the falling shards to explode in a catastrophic symphony around him. Even louder was the wailing of some kind of alarm, and a charge building in the air hinted that some sort of magical ward starting to come into effect.

Caden decided to ignore the noise and squirmed his way through the makeshift entrance rather easily for one of his berth. Though he fell to the ground with a thud, the crunching of the glass did*’t draw any unwanted attention as he gathered his wits and began looking around the back area of the bank.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

25-Oct-2012 00:39:07

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