RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The Spider reached the mage, and wrapped his hands around Surok’s throat with no small amount of demonic force. The mage seemed unaffected, though the mercenary knew all too well that appearances could be deceiving. “How did you hear that?” he growled.

Surok grinned sardonically. “Do you really expect a scholar of the Planes to not know how to hear a demon’s whisper?” he asked. “Or is its influence over you so strong that you haven’t realized how easily you’re slipping into becoming possessed by it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well…you see, I don’t know many men who can catch on fire and not notice it until someone points said fire out.”

The Spider glanced at his shoulder, and saw cerulean flames covering his armor. He dropped Surok in a panic, and began furiously attempting to swat the flames off, but to no avail. Each handful of black leather only made his frame grow more muscular, each brush of his velvet cape made it shorter, and try as he might, his attempt to hold Skin’s fury in was rapidly failing.

He wasn’t sure if it was he or the demon who screamed with rage as the pentacle on the floor began to heat the air.

~^+^~

^+^ 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 01:38:57

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“That was way too easy for my taste,” Caden said the minute the small group finally reached what appeared to have been a small, cramped storage area in the basement of Falador Castle.

“Since when did sewer crawls have to be hard?” Hound asked as he pushed a rickety door open. “Sure, you hear stories about how the damn things usually turn out to be dungeons and creature dens, but that can apply to anything as far as I know.”

“Good point, but I sorta figured that since Varrock’s sewers are like an entirely different world, Falador might’ve been similar.”

“That’s just Varrock,” Aiden remarked. “Nothing personal against that city, but that place is weirdness bait anyway. If it’s not under attack by some rampaging demon one day, it’s getting burned to the ground by insane cultists or something equally crazy.”

“And Falador’s getting attacked by goblins allied with some sort of vampyre knights controlling some nasty beasts right now,* Hound said. “And none of them are going anywhere if we don’t get rid of that Wererat so the big guys can pull off a counterattack. So less talking, more moving.”

“Alright, fine,” Caden pouted as the group made their way to the ground floor. The dank basement gave way to polished white walls the minute they reached the top of a set of stone stairs. Knights were running everywhere, some drawing weapons, while others carried wounded comrades in from what they assumed was the courtyard and battlements. It was hard to hear any single conversation over the chatter, so Caden and his brother followed Hound through the twisting corridors and up many flights of stairs before they reached a relatively quiet section of the castle.

^+^ 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 01:40:30

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“This way,” Hound said, pointing at a door on their left. The group entered a small room overlooking the courtyard below. Random crates and boxes were scattered about as if nobody of importance frequented the area, which struck Aiden and Caden as the perfect hiding place for a weapon stash, though a musky smell also hinted at small animals inhabiting the area as well.

For his part, Hound moved through the room with purpose in his stride, and it only took him a minute to produce a rectangular box that was as tall as he was if he stood it on its side. The latch locks flicked expertly open, and the lid swung up to reveal a gleaming longsword covered with red velvet wrappings. Four small bottles were also in the case, and Hound held one up to his helmeted face, audibly sniffing its contents as he uncapped it.

“Just…what is that stuff?” Aiden dared to ask after the strange knight repeated the action with the three other bottles.

“It’s a sort of incense,” Hound replied. “To the untrained nose, the stuff can be completely smell-free. Or maybe it’ll smell like something it’s not. Depends on the specific recipe, but the bottom line is trained practitioners of the Watchful Path can use this stuff to give them an edge over monsters in some form.”

“So it gives you super powers or something?” Caden asked. “Just by smelling that stuff?”

“It may appear to be so, but not entirely. Again, there’s different recipes which give different results. I could spend all day trying to explain them, but in the meantime we sort of have a rat to catch.”

“So you came all this way just for some bottles and a sword?” Aiden asked curiously. “Why not just use your own weapons you’re already carrying?”

^+^ 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 01:41:46

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Hound carefully picked up the longsword, unwrapping it with great care. The brothers caught a glimpse of various runes of unknown make engraved on its blade, and they seemed to glow eerily in the sunlight streaming through the room’s lone window.

“Unfortunately, I don’t feel like relying on steel and my own…talents…to fight this lycanthrope,” Hound replied. “Steel is all well and good, but it’s simply no match for a Dragonsilver weapon at all.”

“Wait…you mean that stuff’s REAL?” the brothers asked in astonished unison.

“Assuming you can find a dragon willing to use its fire to smelt your weapons, and one willing to impart some of its natural magic into the metal after the fact, of course it is,” Hound said.

The sounds of battle cries and stamping of armored feet echoed from the courtyard below. Hound sheathed his weapon, and made his way to the window with Aiden and Caden in tow. The scene unfolding before their eyes was nearly unbelievable in every respect.

“Dammit,” Hound swore. “This makes things a bit more complicated.”

“Looks like you might want to use your talents with that sword then,” Aiden said.

“Alright, new plan,” Hound said. “You two need to act as distractions for the invaders so I can end the rat. I’ll find you once my job’s done.”

“What kind of plan is that?” Caden asked. “I mean, outside of the whole armory thing we did*’t even go to, you just expect us to blindly hold off some vampyres coming in through the battlements?”

“You’ll have help,” Hound replied. “Just be sure not to die. That will void our deal.”
Caden tried to protest in anger, but for once he found he was speechless.

Apparently Aiden was too, because the next thing they knew, they were picking out a spare weapon from a random crate and rushing into the hall, all while hoping Saradomin was just having a big laugh at their expense that day.

~^+^~

^+^ 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 01:42:40

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The Baron smiled a toothy smile (for an ogre, at least) at the sight on Falador Castle’s gates opening and the sound of wounded knights scattering before the Raven Knights charging onto the battlements from the skies. The goblin horde before him stormed the gate eagerly, only to be cut down by a volley of arrows followed by a stream of arcane missiles that sought a new home in their wrinkled green flesh. The dying screams were drowned out by the roars of two groups of basilisks whose handlers had managed to smuggle across the relatively large moat unharmed.

The multi-legged beasts began scaling the castle walls at the same time some of the Raven Knights had managed to land on the battlements and begin cutting a swath through the defenders, who were doing surprisingly well for humans who had never fought a vampyre before.

The Baron scanned over the goblin horde one last time, and managed to pick his scribe out of the group, who protested with a barely audible squeak as the ogre plucked the goblin into the air by its gangly hair. “Where are the Cockatrices and Manticores?” he snarled.

“Dunno,* the goblin shrugged. “Last check had earth say Manticores be at big gates, and Cockatrices be under its embrace. Mole children attack them.”

“Moles? I thought adventurers killed those things off years ago.”

The goblin sneered. “Maybe Big Baron should do more looking before charging to death for Big High War God next time,” it replied.

The Baron angrily shook the goblin close to his face. “I did do some research,” the ogre said. “But even the best laid plans have…kinks. Kinks like the wizard decimating large parts of our vanguard at this very moment.”

^+^ 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 01:43:24

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“What you want me to do about it?” the scribe asked.

“I can think of something,” the Baron replied; his free hand toying with a hair decoration. The totem was barely larger than any other ring which could be worn around the finger, but the power it contained was somewhat apparent to those who studied even a tiny bit of magic in their lifetime.

For some reason, the diminutive goblin scribe did*’t like the ideas going through his mind.

~^+^~

The goblin horde surged through the ever widening gate of Castle Falador, only for their bravado to be cut short by a series of lightning bolts erupting from the ground beneath their very feet. The scent of charred flesh filled the Wise Old Man’s nose as the ugly creatures fell from the attacks, and the dying screeches assaulted his elderly ears, though his training held true and allowed him to continue his relentless attacks.

White Knights around him managed to fend off most of the surviving attackers who had somehow held together long enough to reach something they could actually hit, but Dionysius did*’t have time to focus on his allies’ plights once he caught sight of darkly armored figures landing on the battlements and spilling human blood on black blades. He rambled off a short phrase, and the sound of cawing ravens filled the air. Visages of ghostly birds appeared in the sky, and the phantoms dove straight towards the Raven Knights with purpose in their eyes.

The knights seemed unaffected by the ghosts as they winked out of existence upon hitting their marks, and the few birds that did*’t dissipate continued to try and annoy the enemy to the best of their ability. A few managed to succeed by somehow worming into a visor or two here and there, but the successes were far and few in-between to be considered a godsend by any means. Though it was enough for the defending knights to slay a few enemies and hold some ground in the meantime.

^+^ 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 01:43:49

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Some more goblins surged through the gate in an attempt to take advantage of his distraction. The attempt was in vain thanks to the ground growing muddy under their feet and causing them to get stuck long enough for the White Knights in the courtyard to cut them down. Dionysius called an arcane counter to his mind, worried about the turn of events. He did*’t know of any spells that could do that to the environment, and assuming he interpreted the source of power that created the effect correctly, he was certain Geomancers did*’t grace the ranks of the defenders or invaders at all.

Before he could ponder the occurrence in any amount of rational detail, an impressive figure strode through the dying hordes, seemingly unaffected by any of the magical traps the Wise Old Man had placed during the siege. Dressed in holy armor dedicated to Bandos, its hair tied in neat dreadlocks adorned with the odd piece of tribal jewelry, and snubbed tusks, he knew that the Baron must have finally decided to move things forward and end the episode once and for all.

The old mage wasted no time at all in conjuring forth arcane flames, ice, and blasts of furious air to harass the Baron. But, each attack had either passed over him completely, evaporated before it even touched him, or outright did*’t hurt him as expected. If the magic had internally injured the ogre at all, it did*’t show when the beastly humanoid managed to pick up a pair of knights who had decided to rush him and crush their skulls with his bare hands.

^+^ 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 01:44:26

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The ogre dropped the bodies to the ground nonchalantly as it continued its steady pace towards Dionysius. Arrows and bolts stuck to his armor uselessly, and the cleaver-like blade on his back hissed sharply as he unsheathed it and held it in plain view for all to see. He barked a guttural word, and the knights around him swore as their swords and bows flung themselves straight to the ground with enough force to get stuck for quite a while. But, for some reason, the old mage’s staff wasn’t at all affected somehow.

“Dionysius of Draynor Village, learned Sage of the Lore. You know who I am, yes?” the ogre bellowed over the chaos.

The mage cleared his throat and reinforced it with magic to ensure the Baron heard him. “Awiti the Forgotten of Gu’Tanoth. Apprentice of the Iraxian Crows, Ally of the Raven Knights and the Circle of Hecate…also Traitor to the Temple Knights of Saradomin. I damn well know who and what you are, but not why you decide to go through with madness such as this.”

“If you define madness as attempting to save this realm all while gathering power to become a mighty war-chief and dealing a gruesome blow to those who cast me out simply for knowing Vampyres, then it seems you shall never truly understand my motivations,” the ogre replied.

A group of knights gathered enough courage to attempt to take down the ogre with their bare fists, but they did*’t get close enough before the Baron turned his attention to the group and traced an esoteric sign in the air with a hand. The group stopped in their tracks, looked around, and proceeded to attack their comrades with a feral yell. The poor saps were put down almost immediately by their comrades in arms.

^+^ 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 01:45:25

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The Wise Old Man saw a chance and took it. Dark clouds gathered overhead, and many thunderbolts rained down on the Baron repeatedly. Each strike emitted a resounding clap that was enough to deafen even the gods, but Dionysius managed to keep his concentration long enough to will the thunderbolts to grow brighter, hotter, more furious. Each strike grew more and more blinding, and when the mage was certain that even the ogre couldn’t see or hear over the magical assault, he cried “Now! In between strikes!”

The attacks let up a bit. Awiti was nearly burnt and twitching horribly, though a golden haze surrounded him as soon as each attack let up for merely a second. The ogre tried to move, but was stuck firmly in place by another lightning bolt from the mage. One attack managed to break through the haze, and a steel sword pierced the brute’s huge belly rather easily, drawing a small slit from his chest down to where the armor covered his waist. The ogre looked down in surprise, and collapsed as he started bleeding profusely.

Red-bearded Augustus stood over the ogre triumphantly, his sword covered with surprisingly little gore for having delivered such a lethal blow. T the Wise Old Man edged over to the charred and bubbling corpse of the ogre cautiously, and knelt down to inspect it.

At first nothing seemed amiss. However, that did*’t last long, for the corpse started flickering and waving around as if it was disappearing from reality entirely.

The brutish facial features gave way to cracked and burnt remains of what looked like a piggish face. The nose was extremely crooked to the point of absurdity, and the eyes were all but popped in their sockets. As for the body, it was hard to say if the bloated parts were natural or the result of the brutal magical onslaught it had just endured. Nevertheless, both men knew enough about monsters to be able to identify a goblin corpse, no matter how mutilated it was.

^+^ 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 01:45:52

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Well, then,” Augustus said as he poked the corpse with his sword. “It seems our adversary is more cunning than we first thought.”

“Agreed,” Dionysius said as he stood to full height. “But I wonder*was what he…it…said about saving the realm true?”

“I doubt it,” the Inquisitor said. “If what few files we have on the Baron are even remotely true, he consorts with a Vampyress by the name of Caninelle Belamorta. An Iraxian Crow that supposedly went rogue around the same time a group called the Liberators attacked Varrock. Nobody knows why for some reason.”

“What exactly did he do though?”

“As far as we could tell, just sending her highly sensitive information we have about various subjects. Obscure forms of magic, intelligence about Morytania, and a few other things I can’t really tell you about. Needless to say, what he leaked could very well be used against anyone and everyone in the wrong hands.”

“For some reason, I don’t think he’d attack Falador like this just over information,” Dionysius replied. “It seems too petty, for one thing.”

“But he could also use it as a rallying point for future campaigns,” Augustus countered. “Falador is considered the apex of human civilization in some circles, and if a simple ogre could bring it down, imagine who or what else he could draw to his banner for more battles.”

“A valid point,” the mage said. “Bu…”

“Sirs, the corpse is bloating! Look out!” a knight called from the battlements. The men looked around to see what the threat was, but they did*’t get very far before the goblin corpse exploded with enough force to slam everyone in the courtyard against the nearest wall.

~^+^~

^+^ 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 01:47:07

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