RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Sirs! Sirs!” a young voice cried. The pair did*’t have time to react before a youth who looked no younger than 12 winters nearly crashed into them. “Sirs, dire news! A Wererat has been spotted! It also killed Blademaster Karn in combat!”

“Somehow I’m not surprised,” Dionysius muttered to Augustus.

The Inquisitor nodded and looked at the youth. “Lad, who sent you with this news? And has anyone even tried going after it?”

The youth shook his head, causing his head of moppish hair to fly wildly for a bit. “Sir Amik told me to find you sirs,” he replied. “He told me to tell you about it. And to say that a Sir Albert said he was sending aid our way.”

“Did he say what to expect?”

“All I was told was to expect a Hound,” the lad answered. “I dunno what a dog is gonna help us with, sirs, but that’s what Amik told me to say.”

“Well, you did us a good favor, lad,” Augustus said. “Now go back to Amik, and tell him that we’re still waiting on the Nightblade unit we were promised about a half hour ago.”

The lad’s eyes widened in surprise. “Bu…but sirs…the Nightblades were already deployed before this attack started!”

Augustus blinked. “Dionysius*tell me….that knight…”

“I did*’t catch his rank,” the mage replied. “Nor his name.”

“So that must be our Wererat then,” Augustus huffed. Turning to the youth, he added, “Alright, you still did well. Now, go back to Amik and tell him this: Someone’s managed to weaken the enchantment. Probably the rat. Tell him that we’ll need any available knights to come to the courtyard immediately. Anyone with minor injuries needs to come too.”

^+^ 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 01:18:48

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The lad nodded, and disappeared back into the crowd on the battlements. Dionysius picked up some pebbles that had been knocked loose over the course of the siege, and put them into a cloth sack hanging at his waist. “I have a plan,” he said.

“You mentioned Bigby’s Theory before that squire showed up,” the Inquisitor replied. *I don’t know the specifics, but I understand enough of it to know that the enchantment will fade to the point of origin before collapsing in on itself.”

“And the courtyard has to be the origin point if the entire castle is really covered with the divine enchantments,” the old man said. “And if this is the same Ogre I’ve met in the past, he will want to make a base in the courtyard just to gloat about it.”

“But yet we’ll still have the interior of the castle to use as sniper points if we can get near the windows. That hardly sounds like a viable strategy on his end.”

“Aye, but if the Raven Knights can land on the battlements, they’ll most likely head out of the sun. And you and I both know that Vampyres are stronger when they’re in the darkness, no matter how faint it is.”

“So it appears the damn thing did it’s research after all,” Augustus said.

“Mayhap, but I’m willing to bet it won’t expect a full counterattack right at its goal,” the Wise Old Man replied. “It’s may be smart, but even a horde of goblins and monsters wouldn’t be able to stand against an organized attack in a confined area such as this for long.”

Augustus looked at the enemy forces below. Despite the miles upon miles of goblins and lizard-esque monstrosities he saw, he had to admit that the members of the invading party were nothing new by themselves. It was just the size that made things hard to handle.

^+^ 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 01:20:00

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“So,” the Wise Old Man said as he put his wrinkled old hand on the Inquisitor’s shoulder. “Here’s what I’m going to do. The gates will open to invite the army in. And a squad of able bodied knights will be there to meet them. The knights will also have magical aid in hindering the foe long enough to wear their numbers down little by little. Of course, we’ll need rotating shifts, and archers to deal with the Vampyres.”

“And we can have some of the knights protecting the other sides of the castle defend their positions while a small squad hunts the rat,” Augustus said. “I must admit, this might work.”

“No, we’ll let Albert’s aid deal with the rat,” Dionysius replied. “Not that I misunderstand the threat that damned lycanthrope represents, but I feel that anyone in Albert’s command will be more than enough to deal with it. Besides, we need as many able bodies as possible to pull this off.”

“I see,* Augustus muttered. “But I must know….I agree with the plan, by the way….but just how do you know of Albert’s squad? Knowledge of their existence is limited strictly to senior White and Temple Knights and their squires.”

A smile crossed Dionysius’ elderly face. “Let’s just say that many years ago, he made an offer I refused,” he replied cheerfully.

~^+^~

“So, lemme get this straight: Ye actually thought the damn illusion woulda worked on that guy wit’ the webs?” Grazj the Dwarf asked.

He saw the blonde woman scowl in the darkness. “For a minute I thought it did,” she replied. “But something interfered with the spell. And I think you might’ve done something to tip him off.”

“I read his thoughts. The names seemed to match what his mind told me. So don’t be pinnin’ this on me, lass,” the dwarf snarled.

^+^ 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 01:22:26

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The woman ignored him as her form began to waver. The feminine curves of the captive’s visage dwindled from the frame of a rather plain female shade with shoulder length platinum hair, and for a moment Grazj almost felt sorry for her. Of all the beautiful shapes she could take, they only lasted so long, and even then they were just an illusion at the end of the day. It had to pain her to be stuck in such an otherwise unordinary body by her race’s (and dwarf) standards.

“Maybe you said something wrong,” she said. “Memories can only be so accurate a depiction of reality. Or maybe he trained himself to…”

“Oh, cut the crap,” Grazj replied. “Look, Mori, I saw his damned memories. I read the names from his mind using the tricks Strife taught me. If the problem was on me end, the intruder musta done a hell o’ a job guarding his own thoughts!”

“Maybe,” Mori replied. “But that doesn’t matter right now. What’s done is done, but be thankful I have a way to find him.”

The enchantress did*’t need to make any mystical gestures for Grazj to feel the air chill around him. Despite the darkness pervading the halls, he saw two hunched figures materialize from the shadows themselves to the sound of faint clicking against the stone floor. The red eyes and pitiful whines which accompanied them only confirmed the dwarf’s suspicions about his coworker’s methods.

“Shadow Mastiffs,” he said. “Ya know, those have to be me favorite things to hunt people down with. But don’t they need a scent to chase?”

“I saw the interloper’s armor,” Mori said. “It was enchanted with pure shadow. And I managed to tag a bit of it with a spell to let the dogs find it on their home plane when he wasn’t looking. That’s more than enough for them to work with.”

The dwarf smiled as he pulled his executioner’s hood over his bearded face. “Well, lead the way, lass. Let’s go hunt some bugs.”

~^+^~

^+^ 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 01:23:24

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Earth flew through the air as the Manticore’s tail ripped itself out from where V was standing only seconds before the impact. The undead did*’t waste any time in setting the creature on fire with flames which had belched out of his crossbow, and a swift kick to the legs was enough to take it out of the fight for a few minutes as it shrieked in aggravated pain.

“C’mon, Grim,” he said to himself as a Raven Knight swooped down to meet him head on. “How long does it take for that guy to just turn into a giant earth golem and smash these things?”

The knight slashed at V’s face with a black sword, and the red garbed man stepped back and shot a single missile into the attacker’s lowered helmet visor. The magical attack dissipated as it slammed against the unholy being, but it did*’t matter. It was only a distraction so V could press the attack and get close enough to rip it’s helmet off to reveal a cloud of steam as sun met vampyric skin.

The knight did*’t even scream like its comrades did as it slumped to the ground in a smoking heap. For their part, the scrawny goblins watching the fight edged away carefully, as if he was a terrible scion of death to them. And they were probably right, seeing how even the biggest group of goblins stood little chance against someone who had only laid waste to a small number of armored Vampyres, Manticores, and even the odd Basilisk which had strayed over to watch V with interest.

“And to think the other two did*’t help,” V growled as he surveyed the carnage. “Ten Raven Knights dead, a burning Manticore that’ll probably die in the next minute or two, and a few goblins killed by a Basilisk’s gaze that I triggered. At least Grim would’ve loved this.”

^+^ 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 01:24:09

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The goblins eyeing him chattered to each other in their squeaky language, and apparently decided to advance away from V’s position. Smart move, he thought as he began walking towards the walls of the City of White. Or rather, somewhere near them, for once again he felt the odd power pulling his senses towards the southeast.

“Be careful, dear,” he heard a faint voice whisper in the wind. “War draws near.”

His vision seemed to grow cloudy with each step he took. It did*’t seem strange to him either, despite a pervading sense of something being horribly wrong with the world gnawing at his mind. The oak trees seemed to grow twisted and sickly as he passed, and the ground barren of grass and stone. The air grew thick with an unnatural heat, and the walls of Falador grew blackened against a reddening sky.

*This seems familiar,” V mused. “But this isn’t normal. What happened to Falador?”

No answer greeted him, though he wasn’t much surprised. Whoever was talking through the wind obviously couldn’t or did*’t care enough to explain themselves, and even if they did he doubted the answer would’ve been even remotely simple.

As he walked on, walls of yellow stone began to burst from the ground, and a ceiling of dark branches wove together to keep the strange sun from his view. Torches peppered the scenery every so often, though they seemed unnecessary in the oddly bright hallway.

“Remember,” he heard Samael’s voice say in his head. “Everything I’m about to say is true.”

~^+^~

^+^ 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 01:24:47 - Last edited on 25-Oct-2012 01:25:16 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The next thing he knew, V was back in a familiar room barren of shadows. Rickety furniture decorated the corners of the sparse room, and Samael sat in front of him, his tattoos glowing with potent magic.

“Glad to know my talents impress one of your power. Now, I have some explaining to do. I need your help.” Samael said.

V nodded as the strange mage’s words surged to the front of his mind and matched his memory of their first encounter at Skyvern Keep perfectly.

“I’m not sure where to start, so I’ll just make things as simple as possible,” Samael continued. “The world we just came from isn’t natural. Our people call it many things, but to the greater multiverse, it is simply known as the Fade Realm. The Realm of Nightmares, or in some cases, the Realm of Dreams.”

Yeah, some dream, V thought. He remembered the incident clearly, and the screaming banshees and strange zombie creatures did*’t seem like any dream he had encountered before.

“But that world itself isn’t the main issue. It’s what lives in the magic holding its existence together that concerns me the most. You see, eons ago, a war waged between the Shining Heavens and what came to be called the Fade Realm. Sacrifices were made. Entire races vanished due to extinction. Continents sunk beneath the waves under the footsteps of the Gods and their immortal foes.”

“And just what was the war waged over?” V remembered himself asking.

“That’s just it,” Samael had replied. “Nobody knew initially. The invaders had come from beyond our world, that much we knew. But that’s all. Their initial attacks had all but scattered our forces to the ends of the earth.”

~^+^~

^+^ 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 01:26:26

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

All of a sudden, V was back in the surreal hallway. Samael’s words continued to echo through the air as the strange stone walls began to move of their own accord, and the branches overhead began to wither as if engulfed in an invisible flame.

“But we were not defenseless,” the memory continued. “Many of our boldest adventurers and brightest mages had come together from across the world to meet in secret. With the Council of Kings either dead or dying, they knew that something had to be done.”

The hall shifted to produce a metallic door before him, and V cautiously stepped through as it opened silently. The scene beyond the portal showed a small group of cloaked figures standing in a circle talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. What they were saying, he did*’t know.

But he did*’t have time to take in the scenery before a bright light filled the room, and soon enough he felt a wave of heat rush over him as the ground dissolved from under his own feet.

~^+^~

^+^ 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 01:27:04

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

When the heat disappeared, V felt his body collapse onto soft grass as his vision slowly returned to normal. Large stones with esoteric markings loomed before him, casting menacing shadows over the small patch of land around them. Some seemed to be perfectly shaped cones, while others were in a state of erosion after what had to have been many eons since their original construction, and one stone in particular had an eerily symmetrical hole carved through it.

V pushed himself to his feet, his vision still a little fuzzy as his eyes acclimated to the sun. Looking around revealed sections of a stone fence surrounding the ritual stones, though they looked to be on their last legs.

“Beautiful, is it not?” a grating voice asked. V looked to his left, then his right, and saw a massive figure clad in what appeared to be iron armor engraved with profane and divine symbols dedicated to gods most likely long forgotten by all but the most learned sages. Its head was covered by a featureless hood that cast shadows over twin locks of fiery red hair, and a long sheet of metal was attached to its back by similarly colored straps of an unknown make.

V’s hand moved to the crossbow at his hip, and the focus required to power the runes on it gathered in his mind. “In a way it is,” he admitted grudgingly. “But I’m not here for the sights. And I don’t think you are either.”

^+^ 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 01:27:30

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Battle is my vice, I will admit,” the figure replied. It began pacing among the stones, studying them intently. “But there is a time and place for everything. Now is not the time for battle, nor is it the time for my betrayal.”

V watched the figure as it continued pacing. He remained silent as it continued to talk.

“Not that I expect you to believe me,” it said. “In fact, I am counting on you thinking me for a liar. But regardless, I merely wish two things of you.”
“I’m listening, but no promises,” V said.

The figure nodded. “You already prove to live up to his legacy,” it replied. “Tell Samael that his actions have not gone unnoticed by the Vanguards. We are well aware of his plots, and nothing he can do will alter the course of a history that is not his to write.”

“So in other words, we’ll never win, the big bad overlord will rule again, and we’re stupid for trying,” V remarked, hoping to goad a reaction from the figure. Suicidal it might be, but something the creature had mentioned changed things a bit.

*Quite the contrary,” the goliath-esque creature said. “You may very well win. And should that happen, we shall return to our eternal slumber as we have in the past. Or, you may not, and your skies shall shine with our stars once more as our eternal Sovereignty returns to rule that which was rightfully ours before He interfered.”

^+^ 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 01:28:16

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