RuneScape Forum Archive | The ScapeRune War

WolfLord7777

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Snake strapped his helmet on and moved out of the bunker, thinking about their chances of success. In front of the bridge, in the trenches, were over two thousand men, spread out through several miles of trenchwork. In addition to this were twelve tanks.
Against a force of at least twelve thousand ScapeRune men who had broken through the scouts at the Tree Gnome Village.
***
“Are you sure this is safe?” Fang asked dubiously.
“So long as you don’t distract me by asking completely unnecessary questions, yes. Are you honestly stupid enough to think that I’d risk someone’s life when we have so few to spare?* Dorn replied angrily, his eyes flaring dangerously.
“All right all right, just get it over with,” Fang replied, cowed by Dorn’s anger, brief as it was. They had all had too many experiences of his anger before.
Dorn frowned in concentration for a second, and the swirling mists were cut as if by a knife, creating a pathway of clear air so that Dorn could see what he was doing.
Then Fang suddenly lifted into the air and hovered over the gaping abyss. He flinched as he looked down and he wobbled in their air as Dorn’s concentration broke for a moment.
“I told you to stay still!” Dorn yelled.
Fang nodded almost imperceptibly and then made no further movements.
Within a few minutes he was across and Roal stepped forward to be hovered over.
It took almost an hour before Dorn finally hovered himself over into the narrow tunnel in the rock. Beyond the light from the torches fixed under Roal, Hawk, Fang and Selvaria’s guns was in impenetrable inky blackness.
“Take a good long glance at the sky,” Deother said softly, “because there won’t be any for another week, probably longer.”
While the others were preparing themselves for the long underground trek ahead of them Roal was examining the rocky walls.

12-Oct-2010 06:15:20 - Last edited on 11-Jul-2011 10:10:44 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

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They were pitted and scratched, quite unlike the smoothly chiseled handiwork he was used to. It looked like it had been made by someone with and incredible amount of strength but no skill, using primitive tools.
*That’s enough stalling. We’re going to have to get going sometime, so lets do it now. So get going!” Dorn said, striding off into the darkness of the tunnel, the tip of his staff glowing with a faint red light.
Roal shared a glance with Fang, and both of them immediately set off after Dorn into the darkness of the Catacombs.
***
The red light of the sunset looked like the blood of a thousand men staining the sky. Above the ruddy sunset black thunderheads loomed, and lightning flashed, splitting the sky in two.
Rain poured down in thick sheets, turning the already muddy trenches into small streams rapidly filling with water and plastering the men’* clothing to their bodies.
“Why is it always raining,” Snake muttered as he looked out over the area in front of the trenches through the incredibly high powered scope on his long barreled sniper rifle.
It had been fifteen minutes since the last assault had come. It had been barely a hundred men, not even enough to get past his forward marines.
“Sir, incoming targets approaching. Twenty men, forty metres out. Permission to engage?” a voice said over his helmet.
“Engage at thirty metres. Single shots, don’t waste your ammo on these pansies,” he replied coolly.
“Command Squad, this is 3rd squad, atleast fifty targets approaching our position. Most appear to be better armoured than the previous forces. Permission to use suppressive fire?” another voice said barely a second later.
“Squad three, go ahead and use suppressive fire,” Snake replied.
A few seconds later he heard a barrage of machinegun fire, followed by men screaming as they were cut down by the armour piercing rounds.
Several of the ScapeRune soldiers made it past the jumble of rocks where squad 3 were hidden.

12-Oct-2010 06:15:31 - Last edited on 10-Jan-2011 01:43:53 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

Posts: 1,881 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Snake raised his rifle to his shoulder, aimed for a second, and fired. His silenced rifle made a soft thump sound and one of the men fall as a bullet shot straight through his head.
Suddenly a wave of transmissions came over his helmet.
“ –large numbers of enemies approaching-”
“ –too many to take down-”
“ -request permission to pull back-”
“All units hold positions until further notice. Use suppressive fire until 20 metres and then pull back. Squads six to ten cover their retreat. Once you’re at the trenches use suppressive fire and hold them back. Once they get to ten metres set bayonets,” Snake said smoothly.
Then he flicked a switch on his helmet and started speaking,
“Sir, another assault is coming. So far we’ve killed atleast 60 with no casualties, but we have large amounts of troops coming,”
“Hold your positions for as long as possible. Remember, if you have to evacuate across the bridge you have five minutes before I launch the eraser,” the voice of the Falador general replied.
“Yes sir,” Snake said, then switched his helmet back to the normal channel.
He turned to the twenty men standing around him.
“Sub-squad A, man the heavy guns. B, follow me,” he told them, striding off towards the trenches.
Behind him the ten men from sub-squad A ran off towards the large turret emplacements just behind the second trench line. Each one was manned by two men and had 4 large 65 millimeter guns which each fired a large incendiary shell.
Snake and the other sub-squad moved towards the forward trenches, just in time to see the last of the forward squads jump into the trenches.
Snake slid his rifle off his shoulder and rammed a new ammo clip in. He looked down the sights and saw a swarm of men coming towards the trench lines.
He saw small group of soldiers wielding rocket launchers.
“Sub-squad A, take down the heavy weapons squad at one o’clock.

12-Oct-2010 06:15:41 - Last edited on 10-Jan-2011 01:44:14 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

Posts: 1,881 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

As the rest of his squad turned towards the heavy weapons squad Snake shrugged his rifle onto his shoulder and leaned against the low sandbag wall behind him.
***
Snake strode through the narrow confines of the front trench, rifle on his back and a light machinegun in his hands. The silvery half-light of the moon illuminated little of the landscape.
Blood was mixed in mud in the bottom of the trench, creating a pool of foul liquid half a foot deep that had soaked through Snakes boots in the first few minutes and were now soaking his feet.
Snake reached one of the trench ladders and climbed to the top, looking out over the corpse-strewn battlefield before him. Very little could be seen of the carnage that had been wrought less than an hour previously.
In the last assault Snake had had to lead the reserve forces himself in an attempt to hold the trenches after almost half his force was killed or injured. Snakes company was depleted from 120 to about 80, and most of the survivors were injured. Snake himself had a large **** on his shoulder after a gun emplacement to his left was destroyed, sending a wave of shrapnel in every direction.
Snake turned on his helmet mike and spoke quickly.
“General, no enemy contacts since I last reported.”
“Keep me posted. Remember: if you’re driven back you have five minutes before I launch the eraser,” the voice of the general in charge came back.
“Yes sir,” Snake replied, switching his helmet mike back to the normal channel.
He then jumped back down into the trench and climbed back up the other side, walking towards the second line of trenches.
An explosion shattered the night behind him.
A finger of fire hit his back and he was thrust forward thirty feet, where he tumbled into the next trench.
His back burned, and he shrugged off his rifle to check if it was damaged. It had become a tangled mess of charred wood and melted metal. He threw it down in disgust and spoke into his helmet.

12-Oct-2010 06:15:53 - Last edited on 10-Jan-2011 01:44:53 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

Posts: 1,881 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Up arms! I report atleast one break in the first trench!” he yelled, running towards a nearby ladder, his back burning with a fierce pain.
He heard voices over his helmet, screaming or cursing.
He saw why as soon as he reached the top of the ladder.
The front trench was broken and battered. Flames burned in the aftermath of the explosion and bodies were strewn over a large area. Atleast five explosions had smashed through the defences, and the few survivors from the massacre were sprinting back towards Snake.
Behind them, several large shapes were lumbering forward. Each one was about ten feet tall, heavily armoured and with several armed men on their backs.
They look like tortoises, Snake thought.
Bullets strafed the giant tortoise, bouncing of either their thick shells or their heavy armour. Return fire from the men on their backs was ripping through the few men still in the open.
“All forces pull back! Get to the third trench line! Anyone with a rocket or an RPG try take those monsters down. Everyone else, concentrate on their riders. NOW MOVE!” he yelled, sliding down the ladder into the trench and scrambling up the one on the other side in a matter of seconds.
A large number of people were already congregated in the third trench and many more were scrambling out of the second, sprinting for cover.
His back burning with every step Snake spoke into his helmet as he ran forward.
“General, we’ve sustained heavy losses. Our first two trenches have been overrun and we have a large number of heavily armoured targets approaching our position. We don’t have the equipment to deal with them, since you withdrew our tanks. I request several heavy weapons teams or some armoured support.”

12-Oct-2010 06:16:06 - Last edited on 10-Jan-2011 01:45:14 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

Posts: 1,881 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“I’m sorry colonel, but I can’t give you any more support,” the voice of the general came back over his helmet, the harsh sound of guns and the boom of artillery were in the background, “You’ll have to hold out as long as possible without that support. However, we’re being pushed back here. In an hour or so we’ll be past you*re bridge and you’ll have nowhere to pull back to.”
“Very well sir. I’ll pull the men back and trap the ScapeRune forces on the bridge, then you can launch your eraser and we can aid the other bridges.,” he replied, switching his helmet mike back to the normal channel.
“Men, there’s no more support coming. The other forces are being pushed back, so if we want to pull back we’ve only got about an hour. Leapfrog withdrawal to the bridge, once we get there me and the first company will hold them off while the rest of you get across. Once we get to the bridge we have five minutes, so go as fast as possible,” Snake said, diving into the third trench as he did so.
“Colonel,” a voice replied over the 1st Company’s private channel, “We won’t have enough time to get over the bridge f we wait until the rest are over.”
Snake sighed. “I know that. When the general launches the eraser, get off the bridge into the river. Keep close to the bank and try move up the river to a point where the current is weaker then swim across.”
There was a pause before the answer. “We probably won’t survive.”
“Our job is to serve Ardougne. If this is how we can best serve, then that’s what we do. No matter what the cost,” Snake replied.
“What is the eraser anyway?” another voice said.
“It’s a barrage of heavy artillery shells. Each shell is filled with large amounts of incredibly powerful blasting powder, and they’re also fitted with hardened tips to drive deep into the bridge. Their sole purpose is to completely destroy the bridge and anything on it,” Snake replied.

12-Oct-2010 06:16:35 - Last edited on 12-Jan-2011 10:00:56 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

Posts: 1,881 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

***
Snake lifted his machinegun to shoulder height and looked down the barrel at the group of men approaching over the open ground before him.
It made a cracking sound as it fired, sending out a swathe of fire. The first two men went down without a sound, the another three went down screaming and the last one stumbled and clutched at his right arm. Then he raised his pistol towards Snake. Snake swung his machinegun towards him.
Click!
The gun had run dry, and he had no more ammo to reload. He jumped too the right just as several shots boomed from the ScapeRune soldiers pistol. Snake rolled, jumping to his feet with a pistol in each hand, firing hard. The ScapeRune man was blasted by bullets, falling to the mud with a splat.
Snake walked towards the bodies, callously executing the survivors as he did so. He stripped the bodies of anything useful, taking several grenades and a pair of matching assault rifle and plenty of ammo for both. Then he jogged away, pulling the pin out of a grenade and throwing it behind him as he did so. The grenade bounced several times and then exploding, stripping the flesh from bodies of the dead soldiers and destroying any equipment they had that could be useful to ScapeRune men.
Then he spoke into his helmet.
“Captain, how many of the others are still on the bridge?”
“About twenty sir, just reaching the other side. We’re giving them supporting fire from about thirty enemies that followed them,” the voice of one of Snakes two captains replied.
“Captain, we don’t have any more time. If we want to go, we have to go NOW,* Snake replied, then raised his wrist mike to his wrist.
“1st Company, pull back. We have five minute before this place goes to hell. Get going!” he yelled.
Then he turned around and started jogging back towards the bridge, speaking into his helmet mike again.
“General, I’m pulling back. I’ve get them back as long as I can, but enemy forces are about to trap us.”

12-Oct-2010 06:17:07 - Last edited on 12-Jan-2011 10:01:21 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

Posts: 1,881 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Very well colonel. We’re in serious **** here, we won’t hold long. Get your men back to Ardougne, there’s nothing you can do here. I’m launching the eraser now,” a voice replied. In the background were gunshots and men screaming.
Snake was now sprinting towards the bridge. As the bridge started about 100 metres in from the banks on either side, it was almost a kilometre wide, so he would need to be quick to get across and get clear in time.
He stumbled over a dead body and sprawled into the mud, splattering himself with gore. He picked himself up and kept running.
Suddenly a burst of fire shattered the silence, and bullets splattered into the mud around him. A bullet hit his left ankle, and he fell over, falling into the mud again.
He rolled over, coming face to face with a bullet-ridden corpse. He clambered over it, ducking down the other side just as more fire erupted around him.
Several seconds later the fire stopped, and Snake snapped up, pistol in hand.
He fired, hitting the frantically reloading soldier twice in the chest.
He ducked down again as more fire shattered the night.
“Captain, I’ve been held up and my ankle’s busted. Don’t wait for me like we planned, just get over that bridge,” he said quickly into his helmet.
“But sir-” a voice came over his earpiece.
“No buts, just get out. If I don’t make it, you’re colonel. Clear?” Snake said sharply.
“Yes sir,” came the stiff reply.
Snake pulled his assault rifle from their holsters, one in each hand.
Then he snapped up and opened fire.
His initial burst of fire took out the lead four men approaching, three injured and one dead.
The others raised their guns, but Snake never stopped moving. He ripped out a grenade, pulled the pin and hurled it, still firing with his rifle.
The grenade exploded, blowing the soldiers apart and scattering their bodies.

12-Oct-2010 06:17:37 - Last edited on 12-Jan-2011 10:45:55 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

Posts: 1,881 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

But in the few seconds that he was exposed to their fire, Snake had taken several hits. His right arm was ruined, his chest plate was badly dented from a shot that should have killed him and his left ankle was shattered.
He limped forward, using a long splinter of wood lying nearby as a crotch.
Within a minute he was at the beginning of the bridge, and he saw some of his men sprinting for the other side. He started across the bridge, intent on reaching the other side.
He reached about halfway before he saw a light arcing down towards him. He limped towards the edge, bailing over the side and splashing into the water just as the bridge convulsed as the first missile struck it. Within seconds it was shattered beyond repair, before collapsing into the fast flowing river, just missing Snake as he flowed past.
He grabbed a wooden sign as it fell next to him, and he started to swim towards the other side of the river.
By the time he reached the other side he had drifted several miles downstream. He crawled up the bank, spluttering and coughing. His wounds stung, and his lungs were parched with thirst.
But atleast he was alive, which was more than he could say for most of the 2000 men who, less than a day ago, were preparing for a heroic delaying action.
Snake stared at the horizon as the sun rose, the light staining the clouds a bright red.
The colour of blood.

12-Oct-2010 06:18:16 - Last edited on 12-Jan-2011 10:46:17 by WolfLord7777

WolfLord7777

Posts: 1,881 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Epilogue: The Bloody Hand of Fate
A red-robed figure stared out over the corpse strewn battlefield, savouring the sight of the carnage.
He had always enjoyed violence, always enjoyed the feeling of power that came when you beat a worthy opponent. Not that the opposition in this case was particularly worthy.
It amused him to think that all the people whose lives he snuffed out had hopes, ambitions, dreams. Each one had friends and family, people who depended on them. People who loved them.
Most were probably new recruits, expecting glory and heroism the likes of which bards would sing about for generations.
But all they had found were bloody deaths, hardly worthy of note, at the hands of him and his minions.
He had personally executed each of the prisoners his men had taken, reveling in the sheer violence of the act.
As he looked out at the bloody dawn, his eyes shone with malice and glee as he thought about the slaughter to come.

12-Oct-2010 06:18:51 - Last edited on 13-Jan-2011 00:00:46 by WolfLord7777

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The ScapeRune War