RuneScape Forum Archive | ||...Agony...||

Infinity A8

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Natalie & Veronica scampered over to Tristan who was kneeling by the river's edge.
"What is it Tristan?" Veronica queried.
"Look! Fish! I think they're salmon!" Tristan hollered, pointing happily at the water.
As Natalie wandered off, Veronica knelt down with him, watching the aquatic life swim by, distracting her from the foreboding thoughts of the past. To her surprise, a trout, curious as to life out of the river, leapt up & immediately flopped back down, much to the enjoyment of Tristan. Veronica also managed a giggle.
"If only this could last," she thought, rather timely as Natalie called out to the two of them.
Veronica noted with dread that she was standing by the Wilderness Ditch.
"I've found something. Veronica don't look," she proclaimed as the two arrived. Natalie, speaking as quietly as she did, failed to deliver her message properly to Veronica's ears. So the blood smeared over the furthest edge of the ditch was quite a surprise to her.
"A-ah!" Veronica squealed, turning her eyes away pronto. Veronica didn't always faint at the sight of blood. Large quantities would have her out in a flash but small amounts would merely leave her woozy. Nobody in the town was quite sure what had triggered Veronica's prominent Haemophobia, but it was most likely her consternation upon seeing someone hurt.
"It's okay Veronica, there's not that much." Tristan said calmly, patting the frightened girl on the back.
Veronica mustered the courage to look at the stain out of the corner of her eyes. Indeed, there wasn't that much there, only enough to fill an eggcup at most.
"It looks recent." Natalie discerned, observing that the blood was still a rather pronounced red.
"There's plenty of animals around here, there's no telling where it came from!" Tristan stated optimistically. "Let's keep looking!"
Veronica agreed, all too happily, but as she turned away from the ditch something caught her eye, something red, yet not blood.
"Guys, wait...Look..." she breathed.

29-Nov-2008 08:47:57 - Last edited on 04-Apr-2010 06:35:01 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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*********************************************************************************
"Robeerrtt! I'm getting bored!" Edward whined, tugging on Robert's jacket. Georgia was off scaling the walls of the ruins the group searched for some unknown reason. Edward had done little work and spent most of the time complaining to Robert, who was the only one conducting any form of exploration.
He was currently looking around the yew tree in hopes that he would find something relevant to Jaden's disappearance. So far, he wasn't having any luck.
"Edward, please, aren't you worried about Jaden?" Robert groaned for what seemed the twentieth time to the impatient child. Edward was just about the only person who seemed capable of irritating Robert, as at all other times he was calm and cheerful.
Though his behaviour was reasonable, Edward complained about anything. He was largely impatient and stupendously stubborn.
"But can't we look somewhere else?" the child fussed.
"If you've got somewhere you want to look just say so."
And for the twentieth time, Edward just huffed and folded his arms, having no idea of where to go. Robert sighed and resumed his examination of the tree. By then, Georgia had reached the peak of the stone structure and sat upon it contently.
"Anything up there Georgia?" called Robert, a tiny hint of sarcasm in his tone.
"Huh? Why would there be?"
"Never mind."
The tree didn't present any clues to Jaden's whereabouts, troubling Robert. This was the last place he had been, he must have left something behind.
'Unless he didn't want to be found...' thought Robert anxiously.
"Lalala." sang the girl sitting above Robert. Georgia was swinging her legs back and forth, enjoying the sights and sounds up high. She began rocking back and forth, rhythmic to her cheery tune, the ancient wall dancing dangerously with her.
"Ah, Georgia? That looks da-"
The wall crumbled abruptly, sending the hyperactive girl tumbling down with it.

29-Nov-2008 08:52:29 - Last edited on 24-Apr-2009 13:51:36 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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Luckily, the wall wasn't awfully tall and Georgia managed to land on her bottom. Such actions elicited another sigh from Robert and he got up to determine whether or not the careless girl had hurt herself.
"You okay?" he asked, passing through the broken doorway. Georgia had managed to tear a sizable amount of bricks from the structure and sat among the heap, rubbing her backside.
"Yeah yeah..." she mumbled. Edward began picking up the bricks and counting them, occupying himself for the moment.
"Will there ever be a day where you'll learn to be careful?" Robert asked. Georgia stood and brushed debris from her clothes, then set her sights on climbing the other wall. With the supervision of the girl being pointless, Robert doubled back towards the yew tree, unsatisfied that it contained no clues.
Without warning, something made a cacophonous boom.

29-Nov-2008 08:52:32 - Last edited on 07-Mar-2009 11:59:17 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

Posts: 10,192 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

~Chapter V~
Initially, the three had no idea what had caused the sound. As soon as the bang was heard, the trio froze and stood silent for minutes, waiting for the source of the noise to reveal itself.
When there was no sign that something was about to happen, Edward spoke up.
"Should w-we see what it w-was?" his fear of the unknown making him stutter.
"Yeah, stay close though." Robert responded softly.
Georgia got up, reacting to the situation with no visible panic. Edward clung to Robert's leg as the three looked around.
"Do you think another brick fell down?" Georgia asked Robert.
"No, it sounded too...I dunno. Distant I guess."
Indeed, the sound had been echoey, like how a coin dropped into the bottom of an empty well sounded.
"Ed, how many bricks did you count?" asked Robert, an idea formulating in his head.
"Six, I think. I dropped them over there." the child said, pointing at a cluster of the decaying materials. Robert moved over to inspect them. He then counted the remaining bricks on the ground.
"Georgia, when you were sitting on the wall was it flat or was it already missing a few bricks?"
"Um, it was flat."
Robert chose a mostly intact brick and approached the shattered wall. Before doing so, he scanned the his left, looking intently at something for a moment before measuring the brick and the wall. Finally, he came away with a conclusion.
"We're missing a brick and I think it might lead us to Jaden."
"Huh? How'd you come up with that?" Georgia remarked skeptically.
Robert simply pointed to the left. Edward left Robert's side and followed Georgia off to the side. The two looked around confused at the wall for a second before glancing downwards.
"Wait, you think...?" Edward gulped. Robert strolled over, brick still in hand. He held the rectangular object high and proceeded to send it plummeting down through the open trapdoor.
The slab fell all the way down into the dungeon of Edgeville and landed with an echoey boom.

29-Nov-2008 08:52:33 - Last edited on 24-Apr-2009 13:53:36 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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"Sound the same?"
The two younger members of the group concurred. The thing about Edgeville Dungeon was, it was hardly difficult to get into. At the time of Edgeville'* foundation, it was a mere hole in the earth. Later, a church was constructed atop it and within was the door contained. With the church having secured the area with walls and simple magic, a trapdoor was all that was felt necessary to seal the hole.
Inevitably, a horde of black demons had burst free and decimated the chapel, leaving it in ruins. Nearby adventurers and guards were called in to eradicate the monsters and then proceeded to annihilate anything else that could be found below ground. The church was rebuilt in the west and the ruins had remained as a symbol of how you can never be too careful.
Presently, with the beasts of below choosing to remain in their dank domain the only security the trapdoor had was a lock. It required a brass key to unlock and only the mayor of Edgeville held such a key. Sometimes the door would be opened so the curious children could peer into the darkness. But only whilst under the strictest supervision and even considering crawling down into the darkness alone would result in severe punishment.
So as Robert noticed that the a brick was missing and must have plummeted down a hole of sorts, he figured the only one possible was the obscurely located opening they currently crowded around. Robert noted, as he took a closer look, that the lock had been smashed and the hatch torn off and hidden discreetly and so it became apparent to him that someone had tried to enter.
"Y-you think Jaden's down there Robert?" Edward stuttered, gazing down into the darkness, shivering at the idea that horrible monsters lurked in it.
"If not him, someone. Or at least someone has tried to get in here recently."
"You're not thinking we should go down there, right?"
"Of course not. We'll go tell a grown-"
"Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Georgia interrupted obtrusively

29-Nov-2008 08:52:38 - Last edited on 24-Apr-2009 13:54:02 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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"What now?" moaned Robert.
"This is the first time we've ever been able to go down into the dungeon! It's open and there's no one around to stop us from going in!"
"Don't be stupid, we could get killed."
"But Jaden's probably down there! What if he's in trouble and needs our help?"
"That's why we're going to get the gr-"
"What if we need to go now and if we waste time getting the adults he dies?"
"Georgia, we're not going down there." Robert finished firmly.
Frustrated, Georgia tried a different tactic.
"Well I'm going to go down by myself! I'll find Jaden all on my own!"
Robert knew Georgia would do it. He knew that she could not be trusted to behave herself in a dungeon full of monsters.
He'd have to act fast, as changing Georgia's mind was a nigh impossible feat.
"Edward, can you go and get your mummy and daddy and maybe anyone else that's around to help?"
The boy obediently moved to leave, only to be grabbed by the straps of his clothing.
"Oohh no you don't. You want to come down into the dungeon with me, right?" Georgia sneered deviously.
Poor Edward just looked from Georgia to Robert, his morals and desires conflicting in a thunderstorm of thoughts. Robert too, was in a state of indecision, unsure whether he should be responsible and drag Georgia away from the hole and into the grip of a well-meaning adult or let the reckless girl venture into the dungeon and die.
Robert was leaning rather heavily towards being responsible and literally hauling the girl by her pigtails to her parent's home before Georgia chose to fulfill her adventurous urges rather suddenly.
"Down we go!" she declared, stepping beside the trapdoor, Edward still attached to her by his overalls.
"Georgia, don't." Robert stated with utter seriousness.
In response, Georgia stuck her thumb on her nose & spat her tongue out at him mischievously. Then, grasping the ladder within the trapdoor she began her descent with Edward following hesitantly.

29-Nov-2008 08:52:40 - Last edited on 07-Mar-2009 12:05:11 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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Of course Robert could have stopped them. He could have acted out on his fantasies and dragged Georgia away by the hair but in reality, that simply wasn't possible for him.
He was far too sympathetic to hurt any of his friends, physically or emotionally. And he knew Georgia would be deeply upset if the opportunity of her life was seized from her.
As he trailed the two down into the dungeon, Robert wished that Georgia would just once understand and respect the feelings of her friends.
*********************************************************************************
It was Jaden's light red cap, stained near the peak with a messy crimson splatter.
Veronica wouldn't even look at it for more than a couple of seconds and Natalie had to fish it out of the pitiful gap, made supposedly to protect the town from the demons of the north. After being inspected briefly by Tristan and Natalie, they confirmed that it undoubtedly belonged to Jaden, his name on the back being the decisive evidence.
"Y-you don't think he went to the W-wilderness, do you?" Veronica sputtered. "And why is t-there b...b..."
"Blood on the hat?" Tristan finished the sentence for her. "I dunno, but this doesn't look good."
"We should get help. I'll go find an adult." Natalie stated.
"No, wait!" Tristan called as the quiet girl motioned to leave. "He couldn't have gotten too far, we can find him ourselves."
"No!" Veronica sort of screamed, her voice incapable of actually being any louder than regular speech. "You know we can't go into the Wilderness! We can't!"
Staying out after dark was forbidden. Going into the Edgeville dungeon was verboten. But setting foot in the Wilderness was downright madness. While the ditch didn't help to stop monsters from entering Edgeville, it did let anyone know where you were safe and where you weren't.
Crossing that line, no matter how far, meant you weren't safe.

29-Nov-2008 08:53:08 - Last edited on 26-Oct-2009 06:44:00 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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But still, Tristan began to protest. "What if he's in trou-"
"Then we'll get someone to help, there's nothing we can do in there. We'd be eaten alive."
Veronica was right, the children of Edgeville were rather unskilled in the ways of combat. Robert and Jaden had learnt some basic magic skills, Veronica practiced basic archery and Georgia would sometimes swing her father's steel longsword around. Tristan and Edward were forbidden to practice combat in any shape or form and Natalie's skills were entirely unknown.
Basically, the kids were hopeless when it came to fighting.
Tristan exhaled, taking Veronica's last statement into account before shaking his head irritably.
"I guess you're right," he mumbled. "Let's go then. I don't want Jaden to be eaten alive!"
"Oi!" a gruff voice called from the west. "What are you kids hanging around here for?"
The Wilderness patrol guard, Edgville'* only form of law enforcement was one man. He'd work all day walking up and down the Wilderness ditch, ensuring that nobody was attempting to cross. Of course nobody did, but even if someone wanted to, it wouldn't be difficult to get past anyway.
"Excuse me sir," Veronica approached the guard timidly. "My friend has gone missing and uh, we found his hat in the ditch and um..."
Finishing the sentence would require Veronica to mention blood and as that wasn't possible for her, Natalie simply presented Jaden's stained hat to the guard.
"Hmm, I see," he answered frankly. "You think your friend's gone to the Wilderness? Not a very smart idea if I do so say myself. He'd have to have gone at night though, because I did a pretty thorough job yesterday."
The guard was a friendly man & spoke to the children sometimes. He was an honest worker, even if his job was rather meagre.
"Yeah, we think he went at night too," Tristan chipped in. "What should we do?"
"Well, I reckon we should take this to the mayor, he might know what to do. After all, this is the Wilderness we're talking about."

29-Nov-2008 08:53:10 - Last edited on 26-Oct-2009 06:49:04 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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He beckoned the children to follow him to the Mayor's house, behind the bank and south of their current location. As the guard began to walk, he suddenly stopped in realisation.
"Actually, now that you mention it, as I was finishing up yesterday I do believe I saw your friend. In the black shirt and that cap, right?"
"Yes, that's right." replied Veronica.
"Yeah, I think I saw him heading east. Dunno why though, the River Lum is the only thing in that direction."
"I see."
The three followed the guard, Veronica shivering and whimpering as thoughts rushed through her mind. Tristan did an exceptional job at hiding his panic and strolled along without a sound but wailed for Jaden in his mind. Natalie's mind was sealed to all but herself.
"Here we are," the guard announced as the reached the mayor's abode. "I don't know anything aside from what I've told ya and I've got a shift to do so I'll be seeing you kids later."
The three bade the guard farewell and quickly conferred among themselves before entering.
"We need to tell him everything," Veronica explained. "How Jaden was feeling, what he said before he left, the fact that he'd been attacked the night before and, um..."
"His hat." Natalie finished. Veronica thanked her and motioned for the other two to go in. She went to follow, but stopped in the doorway and fixed her vision towards the floor.
She let out a single, anguished tear, her thoughts continuing to rush about her head. But one phrase in particular repeatedly screamed at her, one phrase hit her so hard it drew a tear.
'He's probably dead.'
She hated to even consider that he might be dead. However she knew it was the most likely scenario. Jaden had wandered into the Wilderness to solve his problems and was now dissolving in the belly of a green dragon.
As she stepped into the household after her friends, one more thought racked her brain.
If Jaden's hat was found in the ditch to the north, why had the guard seen him go east?

29-Nov-2008 08:53:21 - Last edited on 07-Mar-2009 12:08:01 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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"Welcome children!" the mayor called heartily as the three stepped into his office. "What can I do for you?"
The mayor was rather similar to the guard personality-wise and enjoyed speaking to the children when he could. He was a plump and hearty man and very generous.
(c) "Mr Mayor! Our friend's gone missing!" Tristan announced.
"Yes, I am aware. Jaden was it? His mother came to me yesterday in tears, the poor thing," he replied sympathetically.
"Well, we were looking around, trying to see if we could find him and we were looking around the ditch-"
"You're not supposed to be playing around there you know," he tutted playfully.
"We found his hat," Natalie presented the sullied headgear. "It was at the bottom of the ditch."
The mayor claimed the hat from Natalie's hands and inspected it rather intensively. He was soon satisfied that it was Jaden's and aware that these were particularly well behaved children, the sort not to pull pranks, and so he placed the hat upon his desk.
"The ditch you say? My, my this isn't good at all," he muttered grimly. "Do you know anything else?"
Tristan nodded towards Veronica, indicating that it was her turn to speak. She stepped up and disclosed everything she knew about Jaden and his actions, going over every detail with precise accuracy. When she had finished, the mayor mulled over the situation in silence for a few seconds.
"Well," he said at last. "It would seem he has gone and done something rather rash. But we have nowhere to look! One source says he's gone east and another says north! This is most troubling."
"Can't we just get a bunch of warriors together to look around The Wilderness?" Tristan suggested.
"I'm afraid that that is a rather costly idea. Warriors don't come cheap you know and I'm afraid we havn't been making all that much money lately...
"But I'll tell you what, we'll gather who we can and tomorrow morning we'll head as deep as we dare into the Wilderness for young Jaden."

29-Nov-2008 08:53:23 - Last edited on 26-Oct-2009 06:56:30 by Infinity A8

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