RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Azura rushed past the Alliverion agent to greet the sun. “I have no idea where we are right now, but I’ll take my chances!” she called to Myra before the blonde woman could protest. It sounded like she did*’t need to either, because the next thing she heard was someone bellowing orders followed by demonic snarls.

*What the hell is that?!” she heard a hollow voice cry. Myra drew her dagger (for whatever good it would do her), and rushed towards the rubble pile. Azura was already at the edge of the surface by the time the agent began her own ascent, and by the expression on the mage’s face she could tell that whatever was going on topside wasn’t pretty.

Her own suspicions were confirmed when she felt her hands grasp a clump of dying grass and she pulled herself up to what she hoped was some form of firm ground. Looking around revealed a city of white cloaked in smoky air, but the more immediate concern was a group of knights clad in white armor fighting valiantly against the former Spider in what looked to be a ruined garden that would be fit for a king during times of peace.

The keyword here was ‘valiantly’, not *successfully’, which was obvious to the knights as their weapons either outright broke upon contact with the bone-armor, or just flat out did*’t cut the thing’s skin at all.

Among the defending knights were a dwarf and a massive bear that walked with a human gait, which struck Myra as odd. Sure, the dwarves ventured topside from time to time for business or adventure, but the bear seemed too out of place to just be a wandering animal, and that fact wasn’t lost on the Spider in the slightest.

The dwarf screamed something loudly. “Fosh La Kho!” the stout knight chanted rhythmically. The battleaxe he held in both hands burst into bright flames, and the bear took that as a sign to charge the demon and attempt to maul it with a meaty pair of claws that seemed too sinister for any normal animal.

^+^ 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 02:05:31

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The bear’s claws dug into the Spider’* exposed shoulder, causing it to glare at the animal angrily. Demonic gore dripped down its furred arms as the bear raked its claws across the shoulder towards the Spider’s chest, ripping off some more of the bone-like armor as it wrenched its claws free.

The dwarf rushed in after the bear backed off and swung his axe at the demon’s legs, only to be punted across the garden thanks to the Spider kicking him as he drew the axe back for a swing.

However, the Spider was staggered as a volley of bolts slammed into its chest and pierced all the way to the back, followed by one sent straight to the shoulder, and another to a poorly armored segment of the knee. Seeing her chance, Myra rushed towards the Spider, her dagger drawn and her nerves steeled. At this point, she figured if she did*’t try something to bring back the masked vigilante she knew was under the demon’s influence, she’d never be able to live it down once she returned to Varrock.

The Spider was brought to one knee as the dwarf returned to lodge the flaming battleaxe into the knee that currently housed the stray crossbow bolt. The weapon held fast against the demonic skin, though the flames did little to actually harm the demon more so than simply irritate it. It was at that point that Myra leapt onto his back and held onto portions of the bone-armor firmly with one hand while she pressed her dagger against the back of the Spider-Demon’s neck.

“Lay off of it!” she screamed at the dwarf and bear, who only acknowledged her with confused looks. “I have a plan that might bring this thing down to size!”

“Lady, if ye be wantin’ to die that be yer own problem,” the dwarf replied briskly as he dodged another kick from the Spider by rolling to the side. “But if it works, be me guest an’ do it!”

^+^ 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 02:06:06

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The bear only growled and circled the pair, studying them intently. She caught a glance of human-like intelligence in the animal’s eyes, and she knew it most likely planned to brush her to the side if she failed.

“Listen here you ugly sob story from hell,” Myra said to the demon-possessed vigilante through clenched teeth. “I know you’re probably trying to fight whatever’s got hold over you, but you need to step it up a bit here!”

The Spider hissed. *Trying. Exsol. It’s…fosri. Ex diao. Too strong. Need holy magic.”
Myra squeaked as the Spider twisted around and tried ramming himself into various knights and trees in an effort to dislodge the woman from his back. But Myra was a trained agent of Alliverion, and her training was more than enough to deal with the attempts made by the demon. Just barely, if her slipping fingers were anything to go by.

“Azura, do you have anything that might be considered holy?!” Myra screamed as the Spider struggled past the desert mage.

*I’m a mage, not a priest!” Azura replied. “What about the knights?”

The dwarf and a nearby knight that was still standing despite the rampaging demon’s attempts at slaughter shrugged. “I beseech ye in the name of Saradomin and Koradin, stubborn leech from the abyss,” the dwarf shouted. “Get outta here or I’ll send ya packin’ even if it kills me!”

The Spider laughed at the feeble prayer, but balked for a moment nonetheless. Myra decided to try a prayer of her own instead after sensing the vague success the dwarf had.

“Saradomin….I know you and I aren’t on good terms,” she began. “But I need a strong man to keep my bed warm and a friend in this damn world of yours. Is it too much to ask if I could at least choose my friend here over the demon in him for the task?”

^+^ 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 02:06:52 - Last edited on 25-Oct-2012 02:08:19 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“What kind of prayer is that?” the dwarf yelled as he stepped back while the Spider swiped at him. The demon overcompensated for the stout fellow’s height and snagged dying grass instead of the meaty dwarf it anticipated, and stopped cold in its tracks as the dwarf swung his gleaming battleaxe at it. The weapon’s flame died out on contact with the demon, and shattered in a shower of metallic shards that gleamed in the afternoon sun.

Myra also felt a chill pass over her body, and it was when she saw frost forming on the Spider’s form that she realized Azura must have known ice spells and decided to use one. It would’ve been a clever move, if she thought to only aim for the Spider. And timed it right, for that matter, for surely the dwarf would’ve been strong enough to break at least the Spider’s leg if it turned to solid ice.

Myra felt her grip loosening from the numbness in her body, and dropped to the ground easily as the Spider shook her off. As the cold made her phase in and out of consciousness, she saw the steadily shrinking form of the Spider as the bone armor broke off and he returned to normal. She also thought she saw a smoky presence leave his body, but whether or not the effect was in her mind was up to debate at that point.

She also saw Azura and a white knight standing over her the next instant trying to say something. She also thought she saw the walls of Falador break apart and float into the air over their heads.

Sure, why not, she thought as the cold began to subside and sleep claimed her. So far she’s been captured, beaten to near death by magic, nearly transformed into a living shadow, saw a giant mole explode, and even managed to exorcise a demon by more or less promising herself to one of the few people she considered a friend in front of some knights, and maybe even a god. Maybe it’s all just a bad dream at this point.

~^+^~

^+^ 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 02:09:16

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Rock huffed as he nearly missed the edge of the rooftop by a few inches. Despite his training with the Iraxian Crows and his unnatural physical enhancements, he was still relatively new to field work in the western regions of the world, and that was a fact the foreigner was desperate to at least downplay in the presence of the vampyric knights circling the castle and steadily assaulting the White and Temple Knight defenders from both the air and on foot as they dived right onto the battlements with a fury that would give any Fremmenik berserker a run for their money. He counted himself lucky that they did*’t seem to notice him during their charges as he pulled himself up onto the castle rooftops.

He had suspected for a while now that the absence of any contact from Caninelle had meant that the Raven Knights were no longer under control of the Crows, and in his mind, that meant that death could come from anywhere at any time if he was unlucky, and anyone savvy enough to sense his inexperience in this particular situation could surely arrange for a number of plausible ‘accidents’ or ‘defeats’ to befall him.

And if that worry wasn’t enough, he also sensed faint trembling in the air that day. It was a familiar sensation that seemed to annoy him whenever another Lycanthrope was nearby, but given the size and scope of the operation, he did*’t know much more than that.

For all he knew, a vampyre could’ve simply conjured up a werewolf’s spirit from beyond the dead, but at the same time Rock also couldn’t rule out the possibility of another werecreature wandering about in the enemy’s ranks, or worse, one that was acting alone towards goals of its own.

^+^ 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 02:10:15

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Nevertheless, that was a worry he’d have to deal with when/if it came to him. Standing around wasn’t going to reveal any mysteries much less get him to where he needed to be, and he had a few things to take care of on his way to rendezvous with the Baron too. And he wasn’t willing to muck up the mission out of principle, if not out of fear of retribution from the disowned ogre.

Looking at the carnage below his vantage point, Rock saw that the mission seemed to be going well. Apparently the Baron had arranged for a diversion in the form of sacrificing his scribe as a living magical bomb, which in turn led to a decent number of goblins and the creatures they used as backup or mounts getting through the gate and into the castle every now and then despite the best efforts of the now mageless defenders.

“Alright,” Rock whispered to himself. “Mental check. Mage is out, but no confirmed kill yet. Southern wing is taken care of. All that’* left is to vandalize the altar, maybe mess around with the armory if someone did*’t get to it already, and meet up at the Herald’s office so we can get open up the treasury vault and just get what we came for. This should be easy, all things considered.”

First up was the altar. The assassin turned his gaze to the largest part of the castle situated in the east, and saw a glaringly obvious (yet intricate, by most standards) circular stained glass window with the symbol of Saradomin emblazoned on it. The vampyric knights seemed to avoid the place for the moment, though that did*’t stop them from circling it and firing arrows and spells from the air.

But to their credit, a fair amount of White Knights had taken residence up on the battlements attached to the building, and seemed to be amassed in great numbers around that particular building and effectively making his job harder.

^+^ 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 02:11:14

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

But that did*’t mean he was completely at a loss as to what to do. The assassin rummaged around in the folds of his garb, and retrieved two things. One was simply a bag of small orbs which enchanted to emit a thick cloud of smoke when they were cracked. It was a simple tool of his trade, but still effective for what he needed to do anyway.

The other was a wicked device that resembled a double bladed dagger. Its leather
hilt was etched with the divine blessings of the Northern Gods he prayed to regularly, but to the untrained eye they could easily be mistaken for a simple wizard’s glyph to store first year spells in. The deception was irrelevant to the item’s true purpose at this point, but he smiled to himself at the tidbit of knowledge anyway. The simpler things in life were to be enjoyed, no matter how odd they may be to mortal minds.

Rock took the bladed object, and drove one of its ends into the roof with enough force to just breach the surface ever so slightly while keeping the other end pointed towards the eastern complex. When he was sure it was securely in place, he whispered a simple prayer.

“Habakkuku of the Sky, bless this endeavor. Lady Silverheart, give me luck. By the Graces I shall bring death to the altars of the Usurper and God of Lies,” he chanted. It was a pitiful prayer by the standards of his homeland, but the promise of death to the followers of Saradomin was also enough to ensure the gods blessed his endeavor and allowed his tool to actually work without exploding in his face.

And work it did. The blade exposed to the air shot out faster than an arrow, and entombed itself in the stonework firmly enough to cause even the wolf-hair rope attached to the blade to quiver merely once before growing tight.

^+^ 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 02:11:47

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Rock smiled, and gripped the leather hilt. By sheer force of will alone, he made it carry him over the castle battles below, and right into the wall of the building which presumably contained his objective.

He immediately pushed off of the wall, and dropped right into the group of White Knights gathered around the door, much to their surprise. In one swift move, the assassin let his pouch of orbs drop to the ground, drew twin daggers, and plunged them between the faceguards of the two knights closest to his reach. The men died immediately as he yanked his weapons out, and in the ensuing chaos, he heard the distinct cracking of the orbs as steeled feet trampled them unknowingly.

The smoke was thick enough to make the knights cough and gasp for air. Those hardy enough to resist their natural impulses swung wildly in an attempt to hit Rock, but he was already through the wooden double doors and in the altar area before they even had a chance to hit him.

Luckily, enough smoke billowed into the room with him to at least obscure his true form, and the defending forces gathered in the altar room seemed surprised at both his sudden appearance and the dissipating smoke. He took advantage of the confusion by throwing a few knives at the knights before rolling behind the nearest column he could find and scaling it for a better view.

He was glad he did. From his vantage point, he could clearly see the star-adorned altar below, and it was heavily guarded by not only White Knights, but if the gold-trimmed armor was anything to go by, a small number of Proselyte Temple Knights as well. Making matters worse was the fact that he wasn’t sure about the true numbers of the defenders in that room, because wooden confessional booths built into the side of the walls were closed up tightly, effectively hiding anyone who might be inside of them.

^+^ 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 02:12:19

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

However, other than that, the room was still an ordinary church from what he could tell. The circular stained glass window overlooked two sets of pews that were guarded by four columns to their sides which weren’t close to the main aisle. A simple red rug claimed the central aisle leading to the richly decorated altar as its own territory, though it seemed content to share its home with the knights currently treading around the room with swords and crossbows drawn.

To their credit, the knights of Falador did*’t seem to make the same mistakes other guards were notorious for, which only made Rock all the more eager to put his training to the test against what were rumored to be some of the best fighters in the western world.

“Well,” he muttered to himself over the din of activity. “Let the games begin.”

~^+^~

Hound watched the assassin enter the chapel through the barely opened shutters in a confessional booth he had commandeered not long after giving up on following the wererat’s tracks over the castle rooftops. He had to admit, despite how utterly easy it is to lose a tracker by sticking to the high ground in the first place, the rat was at least good and smart enough to not rely on his bestial abilities overtly in the middle of enemy territory.

And the smoke bombs were a nice touch, though they did pretty much give his identity away immediately upon entering the room. Only a few assassins had access to such gear in the realm, and none but the Iraxian Crows had any motivation to allow a man-beast into their ranks.

Unless a third party was trying to use their own lycanthrope as a red herring to draw blame to the rogue military unit, Hound just couldn’t think of any other group that would send a lone agent to a city such as Falador to aid an ogre during a siege.

^+^ 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 02:13:16

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

If his hunch about the assassin’s employer was correct, he just had to wonder why the Crows were involved with the Baron in the first place. Simple warfare was below their usual line of work, which included arcane and paramilitary operations that were usually deemed too dangerous and suicidal by even the infamous Temple Knight’s standards.

But the motivations behind the wererat’s presence had to wait for now. A yell in the chapel room turned into a faint choke that was barely audible to human ears. Hound did*’t see anyone dead on the ground, but he had a feeling the assassin had struck a lone straggler from a pillar or high perch near the stained glass window. That fact wasn’t lost on his comrades in the room, who had their weapons at the ready and walked back to back with their gazes scanning the ceiling, pillars, and whatever else their minds could rationalize as a hiding place.

That did*’t prepare them for a pillar to collapse out of nowhere. A muted pop was the only indication that something was wrong, and a pair of knights narrowly avoided falling debris from the pillar that was right in front of Hound’s hiding place.

But the move was precisely what the wererat wanted apparently, if the next pop was anything to go by. Something -he did*’t know if it was a small bomb, a magic missile, or something else entirely- hit the ground by the knights with enough force to knock them a few inches into the air, which provided ample opportunity for a crossbow bolt or two to lodge themselves into not only the unlucky airborne knights, but another group that had stopped to gape at the odd scene dumbfounded as well.

^+^ 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 02:13:54

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