RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Caden was desperately trying to think of a way out of his situation, but then he saw Aiden sneaking up on the creature. Apparently the Ogre was either purposely oblivious to the other combatant in the room thanks to its rage, or it was once again attempting a feinting attack, and both did little to put Caden at ease. It was one thing to deal with a semi-intelligent Ogre in a fight, but a semi-intelligent one that was lost in bloodlust was a beast very few adventurers have faced and lived to tell tales about.

Aiden, with a sword in hand, slashed at the Ogre’* exposed midsection viciously. The weapon barely scraped against the leathery flesh of the savage, but it was enough to cause the Ogre to temporarily shudder in pain before turning around to face the new threat on the playing field. Caden could see that despite the relatively weak attack, the Ogre was indeed wounded slightly. A thin, red line began to seep lifeblood as the Ogre tensed up for another swing of its blade, and this time it was Caden who took advantage of the creature’s distracted state.

Caden forced himself to his feet, and blindly charged right at the Ogre’s backside. He was by no means a large man, but he was desperate, and absurdly lucky at that. He put the full force of his weight into his good shoulder when he made contact with the creature, which stumbled forward with a yelp, though it did not fall.

Aiden, seeing an open shot, swung at the Ogre’s wrists in an attempt to disarm the creature. Though he did*’* hit his intended target, the effect was just as good in his eyes. The sword bit deep into one of the Ogre’s hands, and with a grunt Aiden forced the weapon deeper and deeper into the wound while the Ogre watched in surprised and pained horror as its hand was separated from the rest of its body.

^+^ 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 03:06:16

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Blood began to pour from the devilish wound, and the Ogre began to quiver as it dropped its weapon and tried to keep as much of its lifeblood as possible still in its body. The battered human warriors did*’t have much time to cherish their celebration before the ceiling began to collapse, forcing them to make a break for the courtyard.

The brothers made it out before the wing of the castle they did battle in collapsed in a pillaring tower of smoke and deathly stench. They were breathing heavily at their close call, and couldn’t help but giggle hysterically at what just happened.

“We….we did it, did*’t we?” Aiden asked. “There’s no way that damn thing could’ve survived a dismembered hand and an entire wing of castle falling down on top of it!”

“Y..yeah,” Caden said. “There’s…jeez. We should just be lucky that thing did*’t go into a full berserker rage. Otherwise we probably would’ve died before it even decided it wanted to kill us.”

“Tell me about it,” Aiden said. He poked Caden’s arm lightly. “Say, you might want to put something on that before it gets diseased.”

Caden looked around the chaotic battlefield in amazement. All around Raven Knights and what survived of the initial goblin onslaught were embattled with White Knights and, if the gold-trimmed armor was anything to go by, a few low ranking Temple Knights. It was hard to tell who was winning and losing, because the air was not only thick with black feathers from the Raven Knights and flying martial projectiles from the defending forces, but it was also thick with dirt, smoke, and random debris from the castle which had apparently decided to fall apart and float around of its own accord.

^+^ 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 03:06:49

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

It was then that he finally realized what was going on. In the midst of the chaos, he could make out a large…thing. It looked like a half-formed leg of stone and other materials, and as he traced the ‘appendage’ up, he saw that it belonged to a massive colossus the likes of which he had never seen before, let alone read about.

“That…no, you know what? We’re in the middle of a damn siege. A fight that did*’t even concern us,” Caden said. “The wound can wait until we find a healer. Let’s just focus on getting out of this mess first, then we can get a healer to tend to us.”

Aiden shrugged. “You won’t get any argument there,” he replied. “But in case you haven’t noticed, we’re surrounded by goblins, vampyre knights, white knights, temple knights, and…by the gods….a freaking giant stone thing. Getting out alive might be a bit of a stretch right now.*

*Then we find Hound and get him to introduce us to his knight buddies,” Caden said. “At this rate it’s the best chance we have. Hell, I’m surprised nobody noticed us yet and decided we were the enemy!”

“Then we need to move and hope it stays that way,” Aiden said as he began walking towards the northern wing of the castle courtyard. “Gods only know how much weirder this situation can get as it is.”

~^+^~

~Now*

*Wait, you mean you faced the Baron and lived?!” Augustus asked in genuine astonishment.

Caden and Aiden looked at each other, then around the room. Azura did*’t show any hint of recognition at the name in her face, yet Hound’s eyes seemed to fill with a newfound respect for the pair.

^+^ 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 03:07:33

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Truth be told, all we know is the Ogre was large, and well groomed for its kind,” Aiden replied. *I don’t think we actually heard its name at all during the ordeal.”

“And we did*’t really see it after our encounter, so we couldn’t confirm anything,” Caden said, absentmindedly stroking his left arm. The Temple Knight healers might have done a good job patching him up, but the wound still stung at the memories of the fight.

“By Saradomin’s beard,” Augustus mumbled. “You two have no idea how lucky you are to be alive.”

The brothers looked around for a split second before meeting the Inquisitor’s gaze once more. “I’m not so sure,” Caden said. “The Ogre might have very well killed us, but yet here we are being interrogated to avoid death at your order’s hands”
“It’s almost ironic in a strange way,” Aiden added.

“But yet, we have rules we need to abide by,” Augustus retorted. “You see, the Baron isn’t so nice in that respect. We found that out the hard way when he slaughtered more than two hundred of our men on his way out after we found out what he was really doing in our order.”

“So,wait,” Azura said. “You mean to say that you hired that thing at one point?”

“That’s news to me too,” Hound said sternly as he locked eyes with the Inquisitor. “I knew it was allied with the Iraxian Crows because of the dossier you kept on it, but that was about it. Why the secrecy?”

Augustus’ eyes narrowed at Hound’s question. “There’s many reasons that don’t concern you, Shade,” he replied. “Right now all you need to know is at the time we had a policy that allowed nonhumans to join the Temple Knights under the idea that anyone with enough resolve to stand up to Zamorak was worth having on our side.”

^+^ 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 03:08:04

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“But yet, that nonhuman just came in with a horde of others and sent a message that it was ready to wage war with your order,” Hound said. “And if you ask me, I think if it wasn’t for the intervention of that colossus and another, Falador might not be standing here today.”

“Hound!” the Inquisitor hissed. *Hold your tongue! We’re here to get their accounts of the incident and potentially recruit them, not have a discussion of past decisions. Besides that, this is not a discussion appropriate to have in front of those who are not a part of the knighthood.”

The shadowy human – Shade, Caden corrected himself – simply shrugged. “Fine by me,” Hound said. “But rest assured, we will be continuing this in private later.”
“Fair enough,” Augustus said.

“And I assume you’ll do the polite thing and inform these youngbloods of what transpired if they end up being accepted,” Hound added. “They of all people deserve to know why they were being held prisoner for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, let alone in the middle of a siege that might have been preventable.”

“FINE!”Augustus screamed. His face was beginning to match the shade of red which colored his beard, though the Inquisitor regained his composure almost immediately after the small outburst. Meeting the gaze of everyone in the room, he simply said, “That was inappropriate of me. For that, I apologize. But regardless, I must insist you two boys tell us the rest of what happened. Or more importantly, just how you came to be accused of destroying a sacred treasure.”

“That’s…a little more complicated,” Aiden said.

“Yeah,” Caden added. “See, not long after our fight with the Ogre, we managed to make it to the northern part 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 ^+^

02-Oct-2013 03:08:29

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

~Then~

“Get down!” Aiden screamed over the deep groaning of a wall ripping itself apart. He threw himself to the ground, and Caden followed his lead. The swordsmen narrowly avoided a small cluster of bricks heading straight towards their heads, but spared their luck no thought as they pushed themselves to their feet and made haste towards the ever approaching and increasingly unstable northern wall of the courtyard.

Looking back, they had to admit that it was simply pure luck that had saved them from getting squashed completely by the titanic golem that seemed to be struggling to free itself from the confines of Falador Castle’s own walls and grime. They heard harsh commands from knights on both sides of the battle barking at their troops to get in gear and fall back, but the deafening crunch of metal and the screams of the dying and wounded drowned out the majority of the orders and gave way to a primal panic that seemed to infect nearly everyone who wasn’t made of stone and dirt at that point.

By the time Aiden and Caden managed to reach the north wall, it was almost in shambles. A majority of the White Knights who were still standing and not severely wounded formed a small half circle around their wounded brothers in arms, and seemed to be watching the chaos engulfing the courtyard with no small amount of worry in their stance. The titanic golem did*’t keep them from taking their weapons and leveling the points of their swords and spears at the pair, though.

“An’ who the hell are you two?” a helmeted knight with red plumage pillowing out of his armor asked suspiciously.

*They’re human, mate,” another knight, this one with blue plumage on his helmet, added. *I don’t think they’re against us just yet.”

“Easy now,* Caden said as he held his good arm up. “My friend and I are just two adventurers who were caught in the city when this happened. Right now we’re just on the side that’s not trying to drink our blood or step on us.”

^+^ 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 03:09:22

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Don’t think that damn Vampyre trick of makin’ us think you all are human will work,” the red feathered knight said angrily.

“If that were the case, we probably would’ve tried killing you already!” Aiden yelled at the knight. “For Saradomin’s sake, don’t you see my buddy’s bad arm over here? He got that from fighting the damn ogre we saw leading this thing!”

“I think they’re telling the truth,” the blue feathered knight said to his red companion. “This is Falador, after all. Adventurers pass through here every day, and these two look pretty normal compared to some of the types we usually see on patrol.”

“But do they really expect me to believe that this guy got his wound from fighting an ogre?” the red feathered knight asked. “The only one we know is around here is the same one that’s good enough to slaughter Temple Knights by the hundreds, so how did these two manage to survive?”

“Ok, how about you go ask Hound about us then?” Caden asked. “He’s the guy who needed our help, and last I checked he was hunting some rat or something.”
The red feathered knight laughed. “And just who the bloody hell is Hound? A werewolf that’s on your side too?”

“Oh, for the love of…c’mon buddy, we don’t have time for this crap,” the blue feathered knight screamed at his friend as he pointed behind Aiden and Caden. “Look! That damn thing just made a hand out of our western tower. We need to get these guys out of here, and fast!”

The red feathered knight muttered something unintelligible, and lowered his weapon. Aiden turned around and saw that the knight was right. The golem had somehow managed to force what must have been a watchtower on the western wall of the battlements into the shape of a disfigured hand, and it was beginning to attach itself with broken bits of what appeared to have been a bridge or balcony.

^+^ 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 03:09:53

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“At this rate we’ll end up with that thing actually walking all over us,” Aiden said to Caden.

Caden only nodded in agreement. “I say we find Hound and just get out. At this rate that wererat can wait until we don’t have the castle trying to kill us.”

Aiden turned around to address the knights, who were working overtime to gather as many of their wounded friends to their feet as possible. “So do any of you guys know anything about magical creatures like this thing? We might know of a guy who can help get rid of this if you promise to not bother us while we take care of business.”

The blue feathered knight came forward. “I’m no mage, but I have a theory. But we need to move before this wall comes down on top of us.”

“Then lead the way already,” Caden screamed. *I don’t exactly see our chances improving the longer we sit here and talk like this is a campfire!”

The knight motioned for them to follow him. He said to his comrades, “Don’t wait up for me. We’ll see each other at the bar if we survive this.” The other knights merely saluted him as they began ushering their wounded along the wall to the west. It appeared that despite the hand forming from that region, the castle wasn’t entirely obliterated in that area just yet, though how long it would stay as such was questionable.

But that did*’t mean the blue feathered knight was going there. Instead, he led Aiden and Caden into the northern halls – or rather, what remained of them- and talked as they made their way over corpses of Falador’s valiant defenders.

^+^ 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 03:10:34

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“This castle is protected by a sort of divine enchantment,” the knight said. “I can’t claim to know how it works, but that…thing…outside seems to be held in place by it for now.*

*So can we strengthen it?” Aiden asked.

“Maybe, but that would probably require a mage and knowledge of how many wards that keep it working. None of which I know, but I have heard rumors of three main artifacts that keep it active at all times.”

“But you don’t know what they are if they actually exist,” Caden said.

“I only know the rumors,” the knight replied. “You see, there’s this section of the armory that only Temple Knights are allowed to access. We White Knights have no clue what’s in it, but seeing how only a small handful of priests have been seen going in and out of it over the years, I believe that may be where one of them is kept hidden.”

“So what’s the plan?” Aiden asked.

“Knowing this city, probably pray until the damn thing leaves,” Caden replied.

“It can’t hurt,” the knight retorted as the group turned a corner and walked up a set of stairs that was luckily still stable enough to climb. “Saradomin keeps watch over his faithful, and if there were a time where faith was needed this would be it!*

The group came to a stop at a wrecked door. The stench of blood and decay crept into Aiden’s nose, and Caden tried willing himself to ignore the smell despite its best efforts to infiltrate his nose.

“This…would be the armory,” the knight gulped nervously. “Let’s just hope that the smell is Raven Knight corpses and not our own dead.”

^+^ 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 03:11:26

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Aiden walked over to the door, and managed to push it in with no effort at all. The wooden frame nearly collapsed on top of him though, causing the swordsman to jump back with a small yelp. He peered into a darkened room that was only barely lit by sunlight peeking through slim cracks in the surprisingly whole wall.

Caden and the knight followed him into the room. Weapons of various make and sizes were scattered around a floor dotted with broken benches and chairs, and all three of them scooped up two weapons, each made of fine steel, as soon as they heard faint crunching sounds emanating from deeper in the area.

It was then that Caden realized there was a small opening near the back of the room. Between the awkward lighting and his own nervousness, he had nearly missed it. He walked toward the opening, and motioned for the others to stay close to him. He tightly gripped his sword with his good hand, and put his back against the wall closest to the open space. Aiden and the knight followed his lead, with Aiden taking the opposite end and the knight hiding behind a broken table.

The crunching sound continued for a bit as they waited for their nerves to settle down (and thank the gods that whatever was outside hadn’t thought to take apart their end of the castle just yet). Caden nodded at Aiden, who held his own sword at the ready. The pair silently counted to three, and as if on cue, the crunching stopped. They took that as a sign, and both jumped around the corner ready to attack whatever was in the room beyond.

However, there wasn’t a room beyond the opening. Instead, they ended up in another hallway of pure white slicked with the grime of blood and unliving flesh. The hall bent around another corner, and this time they could heat the faint clanking of metallic boots echoing through the air, and the sound was drawing closer.

^+^ 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 03:12:05

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^+^ Onslaught ^+^