RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

It wasn’t before long that V was merely a few strides away from the strange wizard and his bodyguard. He felt a heavenly aura permeate the air as he got closer and closer to the pair, and it took him but a moment to realize that either the ‘mage’ was actually a priest of sorts, or the ‘bodyguard’ was actually an Inquisitor or some other equal rank of a church. There was no other explanation for the increasing discomfort he felt as his gaze met the pair’s, and he thought he was beginning to feel holy energy sear pain into his normally dulled senses.

The red haired knight noticed V, and wore an expression which was torn between confusion and apprehension. No doubt the defender was suspicious about a man covered in red and black fabric and armor appearing out of the blue in the midst of a hectic battle, nor could V blame him for such thoughts. But regardless of the knight’s intentions, the earth continued to toss and turn of its own accord around them, and that was more than enough to keep them somewhat occupied with whatever they were doing.

V was struggling to even drag his feet as he walked within arm’s reach of the wizard and knight. He had to steady himself on a random piece of stone jutting from the surprisingly stable ground, but he still had enough energy to talk coherently. “This…giant. I can stop it,” he gasped through the pain.

The wizard, who V noticed was bruised and bloodied in many places, ignored him. But the knight wasn’t so preoccupied, and approached the newcomer with a drawn blade. “Just who the hell are you? And what is this thing?” the knight asked.

“Long story,” V replied. “But I need this thing in one piece. We can sort out the rest later. For now, I just need to know….is this castle on holy ground at all?”

“By Saradomin’s beard, have you not heard of the tales of the fabled Falador Castle?” the knight asked haughtily.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:46:16

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“I’m not from around here,” V answered. “But I need to know. My ally….he can usually control his form unless he’s in the presence of divine power or a mage has a counter spell working on him. And I’m not seeing many mages beside your friend here, so I’m assuming this castle has divine protection somehow.”

“And you would be right, foreigner,” the knight said. “But I cannot divulge the secrets of our order so freely. Especially not to a stranger such as yourself.”

“Then I’ll just kill you, this wizard, and everyone else in my way until the protection goes away,” V said angrily. “I’m no mere traveling commoner, sir knight,” V said when the red haired knight’* expression turned to horror. “I’m somewhat versed in the art of divine and arcane power. I know it can be undone somehow. You know it can be undone somehow. But I’d rather avoid bloodshed of potential allies at this point.”

“Allies?” the knight asked angrily as he advanced, his sword pointed straight at V’s heart. “Just what sort of man threatens potential allies and still thinks they’ll fall in line with him after the fact?!”

“A man who holds a contract which was signed by your very order eons ago and has come to collect on your end of the bargain,” V replied nonchalantly.

“I know of no such dealings.”

“Then maybe killing you and your friend here might get the attention of those who do.”

“I cannot guarantee that,” the knight said. “But…I have heard rumors of such things in our halls. We can discuss the specifics later, I guess, but I must know: are you alone?”

V hesitated for a second. Did he dare mention Samael by name to the knights? He did*’t know just how involved the Skarjil mage was in this world’s dealings, so he thought it would be best to omit mention of his benefactor for the time being.

“Yes,” he said after what seemed like hours of dealing with the excruciating pain which assaulted his senses relentlessly.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:47:34

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The knight seemed to consider V’s words, and lowered his sword after a moment. “I don’t know what one man can do against this…thing,” the knight admitted. “But I do know if my friend stops praying, the barrier that keeps us safe shall fall, and the earth itself may kill us. With that in mind, I also fear what your ‘friend’ may do to us once he finds he is free to control his form should you bring down the divine barrier which surrounds this castle as well.”

“I don’t understand,” V said, motioning to the elderly mage. “This man is the sole cause of the divine protection?”

“Heavens alive, no!* the knight laughed. “He has merely spawned a smaller barrier around us through sheer force of faith alone. Have you not noticed how the invading forces avoid our very vicinity, and how the earth too dares not quake around us?”

V looked around, and noticed the knight was right. He did*’t have time to notice during his initial journey, but the pair was surrounded by an odd serenity that seemed to calm the chaos in their immediate vicinity despite the battles spiraling out of control around them.

“This smaller barrier…can it stun anything that attacks it at all?” V asked.
The knight shrugged. “I reckon it might stun my friend here if anything were to try breaching it at this rate,” he replied honestly. “But it’s not out of the question to redirect the power of his faith to a specific target just yet either.”

“Then do it,” V ordered. “And I hope you know how to undo some of the divine protection this castle has as well. Otherwise things might get a tad messy.*

The red haired knight approached the elderly mage and put a hand on his companion’s shoulder. “I suppose this might be our best chance,” he replied quietly. V wasn’t sure who he was addressing at that point, and sensed something was going unsaid between the two humans.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:48:14

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The old and beaten mage began to breathe hard from exertion as the knight continued. “Look, I’m putting a lot on the line here,” he said. “If you try anything devious, it won’t be just my hide on the line here, but my friend’s here as well. And possibly yours. I don’t know what world you hail from, but around this one we have ways of ensuring those with malign hearts stay noticed long after their crimes have passed.*

*I certainly believe it,” V said. “But time runs short. Just tell me what I need to know and I’ll handle the rest.”

The knight sighed heavily. “Very well. There should be three holy artifacts of power scattered around the castle that act as anchors for the divine power protecting these lands. Destroy them and it should weaken considerably.”

“But not completely?”

“The power is said to come from Saradomin himself,” the knight said. “A god’s blessing is harder to undo in such a base fashion. But it should suffice for your needs, and I have can sense that at least two of them are somewhere on your friend’s body right now. I cannot say what has become of the third.”

V committed that information to memory. “So what form will these items take?” he asked.

“I assume you’ll know when you find them.”

“How can you be certain?”

The knight looked at V knowingly. “It’s in the way you’ve been standing this entire time. No mortal creature should be so weak as to need a crutch to stand on in the presence of a holy prayer.”

At that, the old mage shouted something incomprehensible to V’s ears, and all of a sudden he felt the radiant energy of the holy mortal leave the air and instead sensed it compressing tightly around the frail man. With a small intake of breath, the old man sent the holy energy sailing straight towards Grim’s ever changing form, which convulsed quite a bit as stone flesh and a Shade’s naturally mutated soul met the power of a god.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:48:49

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

V took note of Grim’s massive body, and saw the faint gleam of two golden star shaped icons. One was closer to the ground where his knee might have been if he had the strength to keep a proper appendage formed, and the other was closer to his shoulder, which was continuously leaking gravel and crushed bits of metal from a gap that had formed during the mage’s holy attack. Overall, he was covered with suck gaps of varying sizes, and seemed stunned out of his mind.

“Somehow ‘I told you so’ just doesn’t say it,” V heard the knight remark. He turned to regard the red haired human with anger in his eyes, but thought better of it at the last moment. There was no need to berate potential allies over something so petty to his mind, and in fact he knew under different circumstances he might have said something similar.

Instead, all he could manage was, “Just make sure to cover me if things go wrong.” He did*’t wait to hear the human’s replies as he rushed towards Grim, setting his crossbow to the ice element all the while. He had to dodge a few stray arrows as he moved closer to the stone colossus, but it was only once he got to where Grim’s ‘feet’ should be that he had met any sign of resistance at all.

Of course, it came in the form of a winged, black clad knight crashing to the ground. V could barely make out the shape of dreadlocked hair sprouting from the sides of the Raven Knight’s bat-like helmet (or was it wolf-like? The damn thing looked like a cross between the two animals somehow, but yet he couldn’t be sure), and a grating voice rang loud and clear in his ears as the obstacle spoke.

“You’re a hard man to find, you know that?” the knight asked calmly.

V did*’t bother replying, and just shot off a round of icicle bolts at the Raven Knight. The magical discharge caught the knight by surprise, and stumbled back a bit as the ice magic bit into his shoulder.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:49:34

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“I guess I deserved that,” the knight said. “After all, I would’ve done the same thing in your place not too long ago.”

“I don’t care,” V snarled as he set his weapon to channel fire magic, and fired. The knight seemed to know what he had done before he even started the action, and took to the air with a soft beat of his leathery bat wings as the resulting fireball roared harmlessly underneath him. Despite his advantage, the knight did*’t bother charging with his blade pointed straight at V’s heart. Instead, he just hovered there calmly, as if he owned the world itself.

“There was no need for that,” the knight replied as the last of the ice magic began to dissipate. “I only wish to talk. But I do understand the language of violence as well.”

V ignored the subtle jibe at his expense and looked around for a way to get closer to the artifact on Grim’s knee. He couldn’t find any convenient methods, but an idea was beginning to form in his head nonetheless.

“It seems like everything wants to talk to me lately,” V said. “What makes you any more special than the last few suitors of mine?”

“Nothing at all,” the knight answered. “Unless some answers pique your interests.”

“There’s no problem that ails me which you can tend to,” V said.

The knight only laughed as he slowly floated to the ground. His wings retracted into his form as he landed, and he slowly strode towards V as he began talking.

“No problems, eh? I know the feeling. You, a lonel undead, set against a world of relatively lesser beings that you have to protect from what amounts to genetically defunct werewolves. I know that feeling all too well.”

“Then you know nothing of my purpose,” V said as he took aim at the knight again.

“Actually, I do,” the knight replied. In an instant he stood behind V, and sent the red garbed man sprawling to the ground with a powerful blow to the back. V rolled to face the knight, and saw that the black armored foe had sheathed his weapon and began working his helmet free.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:50:45 - Last edited on 02-Oct-2013 02:53:08 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

V sprang to his feet and fired his weapon in one swift move. Fire flowed freely from his crossbow, but harmlessly passed around the knight as the foe simply muttered a short string of trigger words to activate a shielding spell. All the while, the helmet slowly slipped off, and V beheld the slowly decaying visage of an enemy he had nearly long forgotten by now.

*Now do you wish to talk?” the knight asked.

V seethed with anger at the sight of his old foe. Old memories began to flood back to him, and with them, old emotions as well. “Talk?” he asked angrily. “What could you possibly have to say that’s of any interest to me?”

“A lot, actually,” the knight replied as more Raven Knights began to form up around him. They slowly edged their way into a circle around V and himself, which V barely saw from the edge of his vision. “I know the Hounds are coming. But I’ve also learned a lot more about what’s really going on. I know why you were sent to Ukrosha so many eons ago. I know of Samael’s involvement, and I know what fate he has in store for you once the Invader comes back.”

“That’s a load of bull and you know it!” V screamed over the din of battle. “The last time we ‘talked’, you set me up to kill a man who merely disagreed with your side!”

Erevin merely shook his head in disbelief. “Believe me when I say I did it with a heavy heart,” he said. “But fighting against Arial was necessary if Nhur was to succeed, and quite frankly, at the time you seemed to be the only player on the board most suited to the task.”

“And I’m to assume I still am,” V said with conviction. “Tell me, Erevin, did you know what really happened to Arial? Did Nhur know as well? And why are you here, anyway? The last time I saw you was the night before you were declared dead by Nhur himself!”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:54:03

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

A look of curiosity crossed the former spymaster’s face. “Quite frankly, I’m here because we both have the same goals. We just serve different masters. I know you don’t trust me, and truth be told, if I were you I’d feel the same way. In fact, I’m surprised you did*’t attack me when we last met on the night of Ukrosha’s siege. But whatever happened after that, I only know what I’ve been told over the years in captivity,” Erevin said. “Tell me: what became of my old friend?”

V looked around, taking the stock of his chances of pulling off his idea. He needed a fight, but right now Erevin suddenly reappearing after millennia threw a wrench into everything. But that did*’t mean he couldn’t adapt as well.

“Nhur killed him,” V replied truthfully. “Lukil…or something that was masquerading as Lukil…turned out to have a hold on Arial. In the end, he was blind to it and attacked Nhur at the thing’s urging.”

V could see the sadness in Erevin’s eyes, but yet had to admire how Ukrosha’s former spymaster hid his feelings well despite the bad news he was just dealt. “I…see,* was all he managed. “I can** say I’m surprised.”

“Now I think you owe me an answer,” V said. “You did*’t appear here just because you’ve been tracking me down all these years. And you wear the garb of the invading force. Why are you really here?”

Erevin approached V and looked him straight in the eye. “As I said, we serve the same goals,” he answered stoically. “You seek to prevent He’rkhine’s pets from coming to this world, yes? I too wish to spare this world from their hunt. But not because I care for the mortals of this world.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:54:50

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“There’s more to it than that,” V said.

“Naturally. I’ve come to learn that the Hounds somehow draw the attention of Primordial beings that hold a grudge of sorts against them. In fact, my men have reported in recent years that four such beings in particular have been sighted across this world, and on top of that, their mortal agents have begun making steps towards taking advantage of that fact somehow.”

“But what does that have to do with Falador?” V asked.

“I’m getting to that,” Erevin said. “Not too long ago, an agent of the Iraxian Crows, an order of assassins that was formed to fight such beings, approached my order with information about a ring which was kept hidden in the city’s royal vaults. A ring that might be one of He’rkhine’s prisons, and one the enemy would do anything to possess.”

“And I’m sure everyone somehow knows about it now,* V replied.

“Of course, and the Crows want the artifact as well,” Erevin continued. *I don’t trust them enough with that kind of power, so I let the agent who informed me into the ranks of our Raven Knights in order to keep an eye on her. Things did*’t work out. She planned this whole thing so we can get the ring, but in the end left me to take the fall for it all once she realized what was going on.”

V blinked. “So you mean you did*’t want this at all?”

“Not really,” Erevin admitted. “But the Ogre…the Baron, he calls himself…he’s somehow running with the Crows too. Once the girl bolted, he insisted on following the plan she made. I simply wanted to send a few mercenaries in to steal it from the White Knights under the cover of darkness and avoid a protracted battle.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:56:47

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Then it seems fate intended our paths to cross,” V said after thinking for a minute. “I’ve seen the raven emblems on some of the knights under what I’m assuming is your command. Am I to believe that you are a part of the same Raven Knights who protect the Circle of Hecate?”

Erevin nodded. “I am.”

“Dammit,” V muttered to himself. He did*’t want it to be true, but at the same time he was bound by his Order’s mission to see things through to the end regardless of the help he had to recruit to his cause.

“Why does that matter?” Erevin retorted. The earth started to rumble as Grim began to awaken once more, causing everyone to brace themselves in some form. The vampyric knights simply took to the air, while V steadied himself by channeling necromantic power to his legs.

“I’ll explain later,” V screamed over the earth’s groans. “Right now, I need one of your men to get me up in the air.”
~^+^~

~Now*

Jethro’s hawkish features seemed exaggerated as the lights in the cell began to dim during the course of V’s tale. “So, this Erevin,” he said. “Do you really to expect me to believe the words of a vampyre who was leading the charge against Saradomin’s Holy City?”

“No,* V answered. “I expect you to believe the account of a Grave Watcher’s agent when you ask for it.”

“And yet, such accounts has an undead conspiring with another to do something.”

“Which hasn’t harmed your order in any way whatsoever,” V replied sternly. “In fact, the rest of the incident happened as thus: One of Erevin’s men lifted me high enough so I can drop down onto my ally’s ‘body’. From there I simply made my way to the two glaringly obvious artifacts, and destroyed them by channeling energy of my own into them.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:57:54

Forums

^+^ Onslaught ^+^