RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The remaining knights-six in total-seemed determined not to be the next victims. Hound thought it was odd how they stayed together in two groups of three in a typical circular formation, but the logic revealed itself when one group had moved to the far end of the room while the other went close to the altar.

The click-clacking of a crossbow firing sounded in the air, but this time the assassin missed. The group at the altar immediately spread out at the sight of a few bolts heading their way, which caused the ammunition to miss the mark and bury itself in the wall behind them.

The second group at the far end of the room drew their own ranged weapons. Some wielded shortbows favored by small adventuring parties, while others used crossbows of their own, and it took only a split second to release their volley at the assassin’s supposed hiding place. Hound knew they found the right area when he heard an accented voice swear an oath to some foreign god, and a group of four more knights in Proselyte gear had entered the room equipped to the teeth with broadswords and battleaxes.

Hound gripped his dragonsilver sword tightly with both hands as the massacre unfolded before him. A young hooded man in dark leathers dropped from the ceiling above, and threw some tiny orbs at two of the groups of knights. He watched as the orbs flared up briefly before exploding with elemental energy, which killed them immediately. The newcomers took advantage of the attack to charge the assassin, and push him right near Hound’s hiding place.

Good job, he thought. That just made things a lot easier.

^+^ 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 02:14:24

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The assassin was hard pressed by the time he stood in front of Hound’s ambush point. He killed one of the Proselyte knights by jamming a dagger into his faceplate, but the other three survivors were competent enough to keep pushing him with wide slashes and aimed stabs to keep him at a reasonable length. But, one poor soul made the mistake of breaking off from the group to flank the Crow, which was the opening he needed to disarm the knight and drive the battleaxe into one of his attacker’s heads.

Gore leaked from the fallen knight’s helmet, and the now weaponless knight attempted to punch the assassin right when the man was facing him. Needless to say, he did*’t stand a chance against the trained killer, who ripped the knight’s arm from his socket and backhanded his only companion with it hard enough that the knight’s neck snapped. The assassin huffed as he rested against the door to the confessional booth, and Hound decided to take his chance.

With an inhuman burst of strength, Hound burst through the woodwork and right into the obviously surprised assassin, knocking him to the floor in the process. Hound drew his weapon to deal a killing blow, but the wererat was fast enough to transform into its beast-man form and squirm out of the way as the sword chopped straight into the pristine stonework that decorated the floor.

The wererat hissed as it leapt straight at Hound’s throat. The knight barely deflected the attack with the flat side of his blade in time, although it did seemingly hurt the wererat something fierce. He saw what he assumed was knowing fear in the beady red eyes of the werecreature, which only sported a coarse white coat of ‘fur’ and a whip-like tail alongside vicious claws and two pointed rodent teeth.

^+^ 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 02:14:45

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Dragonsilver,” the wererat said in an alarmingly human voice. “So I assume that the white shelled ones are paying top dollar for my hide after all? Interesting.”

Hound swung his weapon in a horizontal arc to keep the rat from lunging at him once more. He ended the swing with a motion that brought his sword low enough to the ground so it made a crescent mark in the floor as it came to a stop. “They’ve offered me much more than money,” Hound replied.

“And here I thought you Hunters only valued coin,” the rat said mockingly as it circled him. Hound knew the damned thing was stalling for something, which was fine by him. “So, what did they offer you? Revenge? Combat? A new weapon? Whatever it is, the Iraxian Crows could surely top their offer if you cease your attack and join them!”

There, Hound thought. He noticed that the rat hadn’t outright said it was a member of the infamous assassin clan, but it did confirm they were somehow involved. Now all he had to do was keep it talking.

“Unless they can beat personal vengeance, I think I’ll stay on with the Temple Knights for now,* Hound replied.

The rat hissed, and attempted to disarm him with a whip of its tail. The knight was ready for the attack, and brought the blade down with a slash that would put any swordmaster to shame. The sword cut through the tail easily, and it also caused a straight cut in the floor right above the crescent symbol. So far the lycanthrope did*’t seem to notice that detail as it squealed in pain.

“What could possibly make you so vengeful as to ally with a race that would just as soon betray you for what you really are?!” the rat screamed as it rushed him with claws fully drawn and primed to kill. “What could make you turn away from those who don’t care about your condition? Huh?”

^+^ 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 02:15:41

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Hound stepped back as the rat tried slashing and biting at him. For every swipe of its claws that came within range, Hound counted with a series of horizontal and vertical slashes that left criss-crossed marks on the ground.

Every bite was met with a strike from the sword’s handle, which not only caused the wererat’s head to smash into the ground with deadly force, but also caused small pockmarks to start forming on the ground. The duo repeated the pattern of attacking and countering as they ranged across the room, over many pews, and eventually they ended up near the altar somehow.

It was then that the rat finally stopped its attack and started panting from exhaustion. That shouldn’t have happened at all, and the man-beast knew it. That’s why it spoke with a sense of dread as realization washed over it.

“You don’t willingly deny the Beastgift,” it said. “I get it now. You embrace the side of the hunter that lurks within you just as easily as I embrace the cunning of the rats. But yet you subdue the Beast. How is that possible?”

Hound ignored the rat’s ramblings as he made a flurry of slashes with his sword. The runes on the sword began to glow with an unnatural fury, and soon enough the marks his weapon left on the ground did too. With a final, primal shout, Hound released the energy of his makeshift glyph, which bathed the room in an eerie blue hue. The wererat screamed as it returned to human form and the lights faded, but it was still angry at being tricked like it had.

“Nice touch with the Glyph of He’rkhine the Denier,” the assassin said as he steadied himself against the altar with a hand that looked like it took the worst of Hound’s counterattacks. “I seriously thought nobody in this age outside of our order knew about his influence over Lycanthropy.”

^+^ 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 02:17:02

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

It was Hound’s turn to fly into a rage. With one swift motion, he had sheathed his sword, gripped the assassin’s head, and smashed it against the richly decorated altar of Saradomin. Blood marked the altar, and began caking the young man’s face as both his and Hound’s gazes met.

“Where did you hear that name?” the knight demanded.

“I see…I touched a nerve,” the wererat laughed, coughing up some grime and dirt as he spoke. “Tell me, where did *you* learn of the being?”

“I’m the one asking questions here,” Hound replied angrily.

“And I’m the one who just set the bomb on your precious altar to detonate,” the man said.

Hound looked at the altar dumbfounded, and saw the ‘blood’ on it begin to bubble, crack, and hiss as it grew in size. He looked back at the assassin and growled, “How? When…wait…that’s right. Werebeasts don’t retain their injuries from animal form when they return to human form again.”

The assassin only smiled as he kicked Hound’s chest, and freed himself of the knight’s grip. The next thing Hound knew the ground beneath him gave out and his body numbed as a heavenly white light dulled his senses.

*^+^*

^+^ 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 02:17:39

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Aiden felt a lump attempt to escape his throat at the sudden appearance of the Ogre in the castle. While he had seen the goblin invaders pull a risky suicide bombing maneuver via magic, he still had a faint hope in the back of his mind that maybe the Ogre was just sending the vanguard to their deaths by slaughter before charging in to clean up the tired defenders after the onslaught of green, stinking goblins had worn the other side out.

Of course, that apparently wasn’t the case. Maybe the hulking beast had used magic to teleport itself behind enemy lines to orchestrate the chaos in relative safety the entire time the siege was going on. Or maybe he and his brother had missed some fighting while they were preoccupied with running away from and fighting the vampyric Raven Knights who had managed to get indoors despite the best efforts of Falador’s knighthood.

None of that seemed to matter, however. While the savage creature was somehow polite enough to at least ask who they were mere seconds ago, the warrior knew that such beings weren’t known for the patience. But in all honesty, he had to wonder if any answer would actually get them out of the thing’s way in one piece.
“Well?” the Ogre grunted. “Who the hell are you?”

“We’re….um….your kids?” Caden said nervously.

“Ignore my brother,” Aiden replied. “His mind’s a bit addled from Dwarf Weed. We’re just two guys who had a lapse of judgment and somehow ended up in this whole mess. I honestly don’t understand how this happened either.”

The Ogre ran its free hand back and forth across its massive blade in vile anticipation as it eyed them suspiciously. The savage had a hint of deadly intelligence in its eyes, which did little to ease the tension while it pondered what to do next.

^+^ 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 02:18:03

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Not White Knights for sure,” the Ogre grumbled. “Maybe Temple? They did take me on for a bit, after all…”

“Temple Knights? Us? Trust me, we’re hardly holy enough for those guys,” Caden laughed. “Besides, don’t you think we’d try to kill you already if we were with the defenders?”

“Nah,” the Ogre said, brushing past the brothers in a hasty dash for the desk in the herald’s office. “But you did presumably kill my vampyric puppets out there. And you two seem the type who’d be more likely to stall me than anything….”

“Forget this, we’re leaving,” Aiden said. He grabbed his steel-clad brother by the shoulder and pulled him toward the door. “Hound can find that damn rat by himself for all I care. This isn’t worth dying for.”

The Ogre was nearly done rummaging through the herald’s desk before the warrior’s sentence registered in his barely intelligent mind. He was lucky enough to find a golden bar that was serrated at one of the edges, which fit the description of the vault key that Rock had managed to obtain during the planning stages of their venture.

But that fact was also nearly lost on him as his thoughts began to work through the various implications of his ally being caught in a possible trap set by the two men he had in walked right past. Such thoughts were enough to override his common sense and drive him to activate the shamanic hair decoration once more.

So, all in all, it was a good thing for him that the castle did*’t start to shake until after he initiated his attack. Otherwise, he probably would’ve met a gruesome end at the hands of a few large falling bricks had he stayed behind.

~^+^~

^+^ 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 02:18:42

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Do you understand now?* the armored monstrosity asked. “Do you now see why my brothers and I have offered our lives for this game of kings?”

V tried to speak, but between the searing pain of the thing’s touch and the thought that a wrong answer might cause it to take further action, he found that he did*’t have an answer. All he could do was groan and try to stand up in meaningless defiance of its caustic presence.

The armored figure’s eyes flared up at the red garbed man as it watched. “So it’s true. You may be silent, but I sense it in your very being. Of all creatures, only a Rasvim could hide the aura of fears as well as you’ve managed thus far.”

“Just…what the hell are you talking about?” V asked as he met the abomination’s gaze.

“Do not try and deny it, Damned One,” the figure replied casually. “Did you really believe that my kind and I couldn’t read the undead as well as the living? You’re practically a book to me!”

V did*’t risk answering the figure, and instead began gathering what remnants of necromantic power he could sense in the area. While the feeling of decay and rot would be an anathema to mortal beings, the dark and foul power was enough to ease his pain and soothe burns caused by the figure’s touch, but not enough to fully erase the scars the injuries caused. He hated the thought of how he must look now that his pale skin was marred with charred skin.

But something the creature said was stuck in the recesses of his mind. If it could read his mind (or at least his aura, whatever the hell that was), he wondered just how far back it could go.

^+^ 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 02:19:20

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“If what you say is true,” V risked saying. “Then you should know who I am, yes?”

“But of course!” the creature replied gleefully. “Why do you ask that? A test of mettle between two warrior minds is it? Or maybe a distraction? Or…”

“It’s nothing of the sort,” V said. “I just wish to make a simple request of you as a sign of respect between fellow warriors.”

“You have not earned the right,” the monstrosity answered.

“But I will,” V retorted. “You said it yourself that you won’t fight those who don’t understand your motivations. And I can respect that for what it is. And while I don’t currently understand the whole logic behind them, I’m certain I will in time. But you can speed the process up if you help me.”

The creature rubbed its hooded face with an armored hand in contemplation. “And how will I help?” it asked.

“Simple,” V said. “Read my mind. Or my aura. Whichever one gets you the answer. All I need to know is the answer to something that I’ve been wondering for centuries on end.”

“Let us say we pretend I agree to help. What do you wish to know?”

“Ages ago I wandered into a tomb with some companions I had stumbled across on a mission for my employer at the time,” V replied. “In that tomb was a ghost who seemed to know me. It also said I betrayed it and its friends some time ago, and I don’t remember what happened, let alone if I was even directly involved in it. I just want to know the truth: Did I or did I not betray the Skarjil in my long lifetime?”

^+^ 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 02:19:48

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“The Skarjil?” the abomination asked curiously. “Now*yes, I see how this can help. But be warned: what comes next is of your request. I cannot make anything up as stated under the 13 Precepts. ”

V did*’t get a chance to respond before its eyes flared up once more, causing an unnatural presence to worm its way into his mind. Visions of vague figures overlapped reality as he felt it crawling around in his head, and the scenes became more and more intense in detail as they flashed before him in succession.

He couldn’t see much, but he did make out a few things, chief among them a strange, tear-shaped crystal, Samael walking side by side with a red-robed man with a long mane of raven black hair among what he presumed to be a decrepit morgue or tomb of sorts…and a sea of hellish orange washing over a sprawling city which consisted of impossibly tall towers and eerily perfect stars. He also heard garbled voices scream and rant in his ears, though he knew they were most likely a byproduct of the monstrosity’s psychic intrusion.

“I see daggers hang on his breath,” one particular voice said. “The lips bleed a putrid poison.”

“A trick with two tongues, it is,” another voice said. “It casts a crooked shadow.”

The voices grew in intensity as the visions slid further and further across his eyes. He saw more scenes with the strange tear-crystal and the blue robed Samael. He also saw the rotting corpses of dead men glowing with an unnatural cerulean energy in their dried up veins. And he thought he saw the air begin to swim and tear itself apart as a voice screamed out “Unhand him, Vanguard!”

^+^ 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 02:20:18

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