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Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Augustus merely sat back and listened as Caden recounted the events that led to his arrest. Apparently, the youth had swam from the moat to shore, where he found a few straggling goblins attempting to use a Manticore to catapault themselves over the water in a futile effort to join the fighting.

The resulting confrontation led to Caden somehow activating his own talisman that gave him the strength to overcome the foes, but not before a passing group of defenders had seen his use of what they believed was Zamorakian magic. The youth, in a moment of pure stupidity, did*’t even try correcting them and attacked in a blind rage that resulted in the knights somehow bringing him down despite being infused with unnatural power during the whole fight, which in turn led to the current situation.

When Caden finished his side of the story, the torches were beginning to flicker out of existence. Shadows crossed everyone’s tired faces, though he did*’t pay the dying light any mind. They were almost done anyway.

“So from the sound of things, you two being here is because of a misunderstanding,” Augustus said at last. “I cannot apologize for that since I had no part in it, but I can do the next best thing.”

“We don’t want to join the Nightblades,” Aiden and Caden said in unison.
“We actually work better without someone looking over our shoulders while fighting,” Aiden added.

Hound cleared his throat. “Fine by me then. Just know that breaking out of jail will become near impossible once your choice is made,” he said. “And don’t count on me for help either. I may not be an official member of the team, but getting on anyone’s bad side isn’t in my best interest at this point in the game.”

^+^ 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 03:27:31

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Azura looked at the swordbrothers nervously. Hound could see that the girl was conflicted despite her silence. He wondered if she remembered him from their encounter in the Fade Realm, or if she thought it was just a bad dream despite the strange gauntlets she now bore on her hands. Or maybe she was just concerned about losing her friends in such an unfair situation, which made his mind wander back to his own past with Kaz before she was conscripted by Ukrosha’s own Chantry simply for displaying an affinity for magic that few had in his time.

But yet, despite the happy memories he was trying to recall, he found himself unable to do anything except focus on the situation at hand. The only thing that came to mind was something she had said before they last parted ways, and despite the age difference it seemed relevant right now.

*What if I joined?” Azura asked.

The swordbrothers nearly flipped the table in their sudden shock. “What?” Caden asked.

“Azura, you can’t be serious,” Aiden said. “Do you really think that joining a group because we were told to if we did*’t want to go to the gallows is a good idea?”

“Actually, I think they use a headsman for crimes like what you were accused of nowadays,” Augustus said.

“That just makes it worse!” Caden screamed.

“But what choice do you guys have?” Azura asked. “All of that time we spent together fighting monsters, and you’re willing to lie down and die in Falador because you don’t want to join a group that…what exactly is it the Nightblades do anyway?”

“We fight monsters,” Hound replied. “And I’m not talking about goblins and annoying little imps either. I’m talking about things that are so big that they make Nex look like a kitten in comparison. Things so deadly, that even the dragonkin were afraid of them, and created siege weapons known as Jabberwockies in order to fight back.”

^+^ 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 03:27:55

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Oh, now I see it,” Aiden said sarcastically. “In other words, you guys are the ones the people in charge send to destroy Drakan himself when they need a convenient excuse to get rid of prisoners and other unpopular people, right?”

Hound shrugged. “I won’t lie. Yes, some of our members are ex convicts. Some actual criminals, and some that were falsely accused. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who you were, what matters is that you’re fighting to make sure that even the gods themselves have a home to wake up to tomorrow.”

“In that case, I’m in,” Azura said. She turned to Aiden and Caden and added, “Sorry, but I can** sit by and let this pass by.”

“But you’re not even in trouble!” Aiden said.

Azura cast a quick glance at Hound before replying. “No, but you and Caden are. And if what this guy says is true, then I’ll at least let you die here knowing that I’m doing the sort of thing you two always wanted to get paid for.”

The swordbrothers looked at each other in dismay. No doubt they were questioning just how serious Azura was, but Hound could sense a reluctant air about them. Something wasn’t adding up, and it was eating away at both of them, and quickly at that.

“Alright,” Aiden said. “If she’s signing up, we will too.”

“All we ask is that you guys don’t get us killed on our first day on the job,” Caden added.

~^+^~

Hound and Augustus were stalking through the halls of the Temple Knight headquarters not soon after the interrogation ended. The men both sensed that something was a little too convenient in getting all three of the adventurers to sign on for what amounted to a suicide squad, and that did*’t sit well with them at all.

“So what do you make of it?” Augustus asked as they made their way past bustling servants and lower ranking members in white robes who scurried to get out of their way as they passed by.

^+^ 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 03:28:28

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“They obviously care for the girl a great deal,” Hound said. “And the girl seems to reciprocate the feeling. But whatever it is, it’s not what you humans call love.”

“If the descriptions in the reports were right, these appear to be the same adventurers who were fighting against Karamthulhu’s cult a few years back,” Augustus said. “I imagine they’ve been through a lot together since then and don’t wish to part ways yet.”

“Which makes me think we could use them,” Hound replied. “Let’s face it, as interesting as the current Nightblade lineup is, we don’t have people with the knack of survival like these guys have. We keep replacing more people than we actually retain, and part of it is because we’ve been using commoners for the most part and thinking that training them works.”

“But I have to wonder if they can survive without the amulets they had,” Augustus said.

“They survived against the cult in Varrock without magic like that didn't they?” Hound asked.

“True, but that wasn’t typical Nightblade work either.”

“Actually, it is some days,” Hound replied. “But now that you mention it, that…Aiden, I think his name was. He said that his amulet let him pick up a Zamorakian scroll unharmed. Since when did the Temple Knights have such artifacts that close to the city?”

“I did*’t wish to say much about that in front of them,” Augustus said. “But the truth is, we have to contain foul powers when we find them lest they fall into the wrong hands. But, as far as Zamorakian artifacts go, we haven’t had a scroll of Zamorak in our possession for quite some time now.*

*Then why were the Raven Knights interested in it?” Hound asked.

Augustus shook his red maned head solemnly. “I wish I knew. See, that artifact the lad described has eluded the best of our attempts at identifying it in the past. But seeing how this is the Raven Knights we’re talking about, I fear to think that it may have some relevance to Hecate.”

^+^ 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 03:28:56 - Last edited on 02-Oct-2013 03:51:13 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Hound scratched his head. He could’ve sworn he heard the name somewhere before, but he wasn’t sure where. “Let’s just hope that they’re wrong, then,” was all he could say.

~^+^~

“Dear Protectors of the White City,

No doubt you are reading this because you wish to finally take the warnings seriously. Or maybe you are not a knight of Falador, but rather a thief or magus who thought to harness this artifact for yourself by liberating it from the White Knight’s prison. I regret to inform you, however, that your attempts were for naught.

For years I have tried to warn the rulers of the world about the coming of the Huntsman. I’ve tried in vain to make preparations to avert the revealations of his prisons such as that which you sought this day in hopes that maybe somehow we might be able to hide from it forever. But I have obviously failed, or else you would not be reading this as of now.

So, I say to thee: Reap what you’ve sown. I have already taken the artifact and made moves towards solving the problem myself, with the aid of beings that genuinely have fear of what is to come. And for that, I am grateful.

For you see, the End of Days are approaching exactly as the Dagon Hai have predicted. You can thank the Dreamers for that as well, if your judgement is so clouded as to exclude professional opinions of diviners who have dedicated their lives to the Art. And should you be reading this on the cusp of oblivion, then know that your only salvation lies in an alliance with every god and religion on this world and not solely in Saradomin’s gilded lies.

As for me, I shall be waiting at the Gate. You shall know it when it appears if it hasn’t already. Come there if you wish to make amends for past transgressions and join in on one last push to keep our world free.

Strength through Chaos,

Surok Magis”

~^+^~

^+^ 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 03:30:59

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The Baron crumpled the note in his hand as he watched the City of White awaken to the realities of his attack from the cliffs overlooking the city. Damn that lying treacherous snake ! He thought. Damn him and that martyr complex of his!

But yet, in retrospect, he was still grateful that the mission wasn’t a total failure. When he had awakened in a nearby emergency encampment that Rock had set up, he had assumed the worst. And when he felt only one hand, and saw the stump of the other, he nearly lost his senses as the Rage tried to overtake him.

And it had nearly succeeded until Rock pointed out that his attack also crippled the primary military power in Asgarnia for quite some time. According to the assassin, his move had thrown the White Knights into doubt in the minds of the survivors. Surely stronger monsters than goblins could menace the city just as easily in their worst nightmares. There were also rumors that the knighthood was in a conspiracy with the Raven Knights, which added fuel to the fire.

But that was all the good that had happened. And yet, despite Rock’s disappointing reports that the Raven Knights had fled the city after a giant golem of sorts appeared in the castle and went on a bloody ramage, despite the claims that their entire invading force had been scattered to the winds, and despite the reports of their ultimate goal being taken from under their noses, the Baron had taken it all in quiet stride as he felt angry in his mind.

After all, he was playing a dangerous game at the behest of a vampyre. Such beings tended to lean towards intrigue and underhandedness as part of their nature. Such setbacks were to be expected, but yet something seemed different about this one in particular. It was just too…practiced. Nobody knew. Nobody was supposed to know. But somehow, more than one party knew of the ring. Why?

^+^ 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 03:32:50

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

That was the big question. But regardless of the answer, he knew now that he had to figure out how to fix this. He wasn’t sure just what the ring he was sent for really was, but he knew that Caninelle had predicted bad things if it were to get into the wrong hands. And Sliske was supposedly after it as well. But yet, Surok found it and hid it somewhere. Talk about strange bedfellows.

“Comrade,” Rock said as the assassin appeared behind him silently. “I have received word from her.”

“Hmph. What does she have to say about all of this?” he grunted.
“We are to meet her at the volcano in the wilderness,” he said. “She says there might be a way around this.”

“She doesn’t seem mad that her plan failed,” the Baron replied.

“Trust me, Comrade,” Rock said. “She might be mad for all we know. But she is above all else an Antidiluvean. From my experience, vampyres of such power tend to plan ahead for failures like this.”

“How long do we have then?*

Rock put a hand on the Ogre’s shoulder. “Travel should take a week. She may get there sooner, but it appears she has business to attend to in Varrock first.”
“But will she be there when we arrive?”

“You should know by know that Caninelle is punctual,” Rock said, “She’ll be there. She always is.”

The Baron merely grunted as the assassin slinked back to the shadows. He tried taking the wererat’s word to heart, but something lingered in the air that day as he recalled each and every event that appeared to contribute to his failure.

It just did*’t add up. Her plans had always worked in the past, so what went wrong? The Baron kept that thought in the back of his head as he turned away from the City of White and made his way to pack his things. Or at least what remained of them.
And all the while, as the wind began to create a slight breeze at his back, he could have sworn that he felt something watching him at that moment. He just wasn’t sure what, or who, it was.

^+^ The End of Chapter 11 ^+^
^+^ Phase I Status: Completed ^+^

^+^ 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 03:34:33

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Woohoo. About time this damn thing finally went up. Now for some post chapter news stuff because yay long time in between chapters.

Concerning events left out of the chapter (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT)

: I did not forget to put in how the siege ultimately ended (including the events that led Grim's ultimate fate as of a coming chapter). I figured some of the events I had planned for this would work better as character development for later stories in the series, so for now this is the end of the actual Siege of Falador. Now all that's left for this particular story is to deal with Varrock, which I won't say anything more about because I suck at not revealing spoilers when I get talking.

So let's just say that if you felt bad at the end of The Age of Nhur, you'll most likely feel bad about what's to come as well

Concerning formatting errors/typos/other wierd things:

Due to a lot of computer issues that led to me having to rebuild the entire thing some time ago, some things may or may not be aligned with the rest of the chapter. Some things may also be misspelled or run together. I'm aware of that, and plan on fixing it shortly.

And lastly, concerning the update schedule:

As always, they tend to come when they're ready. But now that I got past a major writing hurdle with this thing, maybe now it won't take nearly an entire year to get one chapter rolling. But don't take my word for it.

However, we can expect at least one more before the end of the year, guaranteed. That's all I can promise as of the time of writing, barring death, terrible injury, or permanent insanity that takes me to the Realm of the Great Old Ones.

/Hatter Out. Goodnight, and thanks for your patience

^+^ 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 03:49:51

Azigarath

Posts: 9,271 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Well then, I’m late again. Hope I’m not annoying or anything, maybe since I’m the only one posting, my username becomes irritating.

Page 60, post 4, third clause, second sentence has a censored issue. In case the weird quote thingy glitch is there, you can copy the entire post, click edit, repost the whole thing again, and then fix the *s.

Page 61, post 2, second clause, there's another censoring issue. I suppose “tilted” would work.

Page 61, post 3, last paragraph
“who wielded a crossbow in each hand”
Um, how’d she reload them? I guess she’d drop one after shooting.

Page 62, post 6, third clause from the bottom,
“You, a lonel undead, set against a world of relatively lesser beings that you have to protect from what amounts to genetically defunct werewolves.”
lonel = lonely ?

“...and the same old dying torches that just seemed to never go out despite their obvious age.”
Speaking of torches, the average torch burns for about twenty minutes.

Page 65, post 2, last sentence of sixth clause,
“Not broken, falling apart, of withdrawn, but just plain gone.”
of should be or

Just thought I’d mention those so that’s it’s a little easier for you down the road. Nothing else to say, this time I decided not to bother with anything more than minimal feedback, I don’t think it’s that important.

Hounds are returning, yay (I guess).

That’s all for now, well done on your work, I can only wait and guess what is to come.

24-Oct-2013 03:38:58 - Last edited on 24-Oct-2013 03:39:20 by Azigarath

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

^Thanks for that, and good timing. I've been slowly working away at edits and was actually about to go over that chapter just to double check what went wrong.

'Um, how’d she reload them? I guess she’d drop one after shooting.'
----
We can either go with that just being done for the Rule of Cool, or there might be a lore related reason for it. I haven't decided yet since I'm not 100% sure how far I want to go with the Nightblades having access to stuff that's a little unique as far as fantastical weapon design goes.

And nice info about the torches. I could actually use that. *takes notes*

^+^ 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-2013 05:27:13 - Last edited on 25-Oct-2013 05:30:19 by A Mad Hatter

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