RuneScape Forum Archive | Presence in the Depths

Jun

2016

Zorial

Posts: 2,537 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Hello folks, my name is ZoriDia and I'm posting a story idea that I had that I've been wanting to write for a long time. It's based off Runescape, and my particular avatar, yes, but it's drawing heavily on a particular mythos made by a friend of mine, Black Mole. I won't reveal too many details, as I believe most entertainment is best experienced mostly blind, but I would like to credit him for what I will draw from in the story. What, exactly, I won't say. I also have to credit him for helping me a lot with the progression of the story and with writing his character, because no one knows his character or story better than he does, heh. ^^ (QFC for Mole's thread: 49-50-867-58652442)

I will try to post frequently, as I tend to write quickly, but college sometimes might throw my schedule off. As well as any personal issues that come up.

Also, just a brief warning, I may spoil some quests, as I have played through them all. I may post which specific quests if that's not too intrusive or spoilery. Read with care!

UPDATE: As this gets more readers and criticisms from people, I may revise this without warning. Last revision/posting was on 06/16/2016. However, I don't think I'll revise this -as- much as previously

UPDATE: I'm back from hiatus and have worked more on this story, so I intend to update with a LOT of new stuff. As such, there's going to be a lot of cleaning up around here. Thank you in advance for your patience!

UPDATE: Wellp, with the posting of Repose, this story is up to date. Have fun reading! (I also updated this intro post.)

~*Zorial Serenity Diamond*~

02-Jan-2015 23:00:49 - Last edited on 16-Jun-2016 17:19:21 by Zorial

Jun

2016

Zorial

Posts: 2,537 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

~Prologue~

It was perhaps a tenser than normal day, I recalled, seated at the Rising Sun on the day that journey began.The white, plastered walls and oak furniture, and of course the bar with its assorted spirits were all infused with a nostalgic feeling, all these framing an overlook to the grand white stones of Falador Castle, the moat, castle, and even the grass gleaming with streaks of sun like paintbrush strokes in the morning light. I found myself absentmindedly twirling my wavy sky-blue hair streaked with white between the fingers of a long-gloved left hand, next to a pair of peridot green eyes underpinned with three green diamonds, set in a round, somewhat youthful face with fair skin. My face, one I never imagined would have been among those at a ritual of the Mahjarrat, amongst the quarrels of the gods, inciting revolutions and regrowing ancient cities, among other things all those years ago, when I took up the sword for the first time.

“Hello, Zorial, it’s good to see you today. Ah, is that a new outfit? That turquoise blue looks lovely on you! It matches your hair...and your wings. * That was Kaylee, one of the bartendresses here. Her brown hair was tied up as usual, green eyes full of fresh energy, basic pink shirt with green slacks and basic leather boots, with the standard white apron that most employees in Gielinor wore as part of uniform.

“It is, thank you. I’d just like some apple juice today, if you have any in stock. I have an assignment, and I need to be sober-minded.” I replied, with a neutral expression on. A glass of wine was nice in social company every now and again, though….

I examined the paper in my right hand, a missive from the dwarves, who complained of tremors in the mines, rumored to have originated from Living Rock Creatures making a fuss deeper in the caverns. A slightly unusual assignment, I thought, though not too unlike one of many I had recieved on my path to becoming a Slayer Master and beyond.

02-Jan-2015 23:02:12 - Last edited on 16-Jun-2016 16:29:09 by Zorial

Jun

2016

Zorial

Posts: 2,537 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

I went with my usual Armadylian light armor, armed with an ornate battlestaff made as a housing for a pieced-together orb from the famed Staff of Armadyl a small but agile buckler and a sharply-pointed crystal pickaxe; the plan was to weaken its joints with water spells and crush them, the most hands-off way I knew of to deal with the animated hunks of stone.

I knew the mines like the back of my wing, so making my way through was no issue. I made it to the precipice of the Living Rock Caverns, a land known for the presence of stony giants. Ordinarily one dwarf was there trying to stake out the mines but right now it was too dangerous for anyone besides my caliber to be there. As I treaded to the precipice I could feel faint tremors, and the normally stable and faithful yet somewhat frayed rope that was the method of descent for most looked like it would easily break, leaving that unfortunate soul to fall and be prey to the creatures down below. Luckily for me, however, fate had granted me a pair of wings.

So I tensed and relaxed into a familiar and aerodynamic pose, leapt off the chasm’s lip, spread them like a parachute, and descended into the nether regions.

~The Cavern~

It was sheer chaos; it seems like the newly anointed Patriarch of the race was not pleased with the foreign presences there, and was trying to expel them.

Immediately I was pelted with rocks, which I used a light Armadylian buckler to fend off. It gave a sharp metallic clang that lightly dented some of the winged trimming, and the pressure could have crushed my hand were I not wearing armor. I then resumed my main plan when I had the opportunity, firing off water spells at the attacking monsters to slow them down and do some damage. I had to get to the Patriarch, the center of the uprising, to get the caverns to calm down. Immediately I ducked into a smaller passage to regroup and strategize.

Never had the walking rocks been as aggressive as this.

02-Jan-2015 23:37:45 - Last edited on 16-Jun-2016 16:31:16 by Zorial

Jun

2016

Zorial

Posts: 2,537 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

~The Cavern, Continued~

It would be tough, but I’d faced worse on my past ventures.

The strongest tremors would be coming from the Patriarch, I reasoned. I would have to ignore all other rumblings and attempt to strike at him directly while taking minimal fire from the other creatures. But it seems, as luck would have it, there were poundings on the ground in the pattern of footsteps that nearly slammed me into the wall. Perhaps the other creatures had alerted him to my presence.

The sooner done, the better, I thought, gathering myself for the coming fight.

I braced myself and ran out, wings scrunched close to my back, shield out and staff charged with a spell to hurl. The Patriarch, about three times my height and over twenty five times my bulk tried to put his whole weight into me, which I narrowly dodged, taking the opportunity to hit him with an aquatic missile near his head, which connected at his shoulder -good, that would mean I could disable one of his methods of attacking more quickly- however, some Strikers had noticed and were throwing rocks. I fended off some but found myself forced to retreat into a passage again.

This Patriarch was more clever than most.

The arms came down, and the floor gave way underneath, and suddenly it became exhausting to even stay standing on my feet. It was not the sort of exhaustion that came from a long marathon; after all, I hadn’t been fighting long, but the acute exertion that comes from sudden pressure, in this case, trying to do a complex dance with my feet from rock to rock, keeping myself from falling, as footholds became scarcer and scarcer. My muscles started to cramp in weird ways as I had to contort myself in positions I wouldn’t have thought possible to keep myself from being vulnerable; another strike like that would lead my wings carrying me to eternity.

I could feel them slipping...slipping...sinking…oh no.

02-Jan-2015 23:38:28 - Last edited on 16-Jun-2016 16:32:52 by Zorial

Jun

2016

Zorial

Posts: 2,537 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

He’d broken some layer of stone and now I found myself in what seemed to be quicksand.

I fought as I could, closing my eyes and holding my breath.

~The Fall~

Suffocated, trying to fight sand and stone filling my mouth and nostrils and leaking within my armor…what felt like nearly being crushed under the pressure, the snapping and popping of bones, some being cracked, others dislocated…pulled under.

But it gave way, to the depths, sand falling down around me, enough to shake me out and cause me to spread out my wings on impulse. However, they seemed weakened, damaged, painful to unfurl…But it was a long way down. I clenched my teeth and spread them as best I could, falling, descending further into the darkness, it seemed, for a short eternity.

The deeper I descended, the more scarce light became and the less I could tell where I was. I carefully concentrated as best as I could, to draw upon some of my particular power and cause a soft glow to emanate from the green orb of the battlestaff to create enough light to discern my surroundings as I floated down. It seemed I was in some kind of atrium, and I was able to see more of a confluence of tunnels down below.

Another while and I landed, unsettled and weak all over, my wings now barely responding to me. It seemed that the damage to my skeletal structure and having to endure the stress of the fall rendered them next to unusable.

I got more of a chance to survey my surroundings, my staff still casting a bluish green glow. It seemed like there was some alien vegetation able to survive down here, some mosses and mushrooms, and some traces of creatures with which I was unfamiliar. It fascinated me somewhat; that there were creatures that even lived down this deep.

My pickaxe, never actually utilized in the battle, still hung at my side. I used it to carve myself out some kind of shelter in some of the softer rock.

02-Jan-2015 23:42:19 - Last edited on 16-Jun-2016 16:34:06 by Zorial

Jun

2016

Zorial

Posts: 2,537 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

~The Fall, Continued~

However, my presence was not unnoticed, even at these depths, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that some eyes were fixed on me, perhaps some beast thinking that I would be their catch of the night.

Whether or not I was not alone being a good or bad thing was not clear at this juncture.

Then, as if smelling my blood, it struck, what looked like an abominable mix between a Dark Beast and a giant rat with horrid looking teeth and claws, hissing at me in an otherworldly way. I raised my shield to guard against it, able to throw it off, but not without some dents in my armor and some minor wounds where the chainmail was weak. I gathered up the means for a water missile as quickly as I could in my weakened state, managing to hit it enough to disorient it. I then slammed my foot down on an opportune spot on its head, which seemed to work well, making it let out a quiet and anguish filled squeal as it died.

I had eased the threat and my muscles eased with it, the pain faded that came from awkwardly cramped muscles able to relax again, but some worry started to manifest in my mind. The feeling of being watched hadn’t been abated by this creature’s death. It must have kin; there must be monsters of all sorts crawling around these depths.

How would I be able to sleep, without fear that there would be one of its companions to wake me up, or perhaps slaughter me when I tried to rest?

Would after facing gods and their like a fall be my doom?

I would laugh at the thought if I weren’t so terrified.

~The Threat of Madness~

I wanted to get it out of my mind and assuage the horror I felt somewhat. I hid the creature’s carcass underneath some of the rock; the flesh felt tough on the outside yet had a disgustingly squishy core. I continued to make my shelter, still wary of when another of its like might strike. The feeling of being watched closely lingered.

02-Jan-2015 23:47:12 - Last edited on 16-Jun-2016 16:35:29 by Zorial

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03-Jan-2015 05:35:12

Jun

2016

Zorial

Posts: 2,537 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

~The Threat of Madness, Continued~

Perhaps I could rig some kind of magical trap with some of the runes I had brought that would obliterate them if they got too close to my shelter.

More importantly, I’d need to find out if the vegetation was edible. How it grew in what seemed like utter darkness, I had no clue.

With my staff in my right and and my shield in my left hand, I proceeded carefully, due to my wounds and due to the aura of observation. I picked the tunnel nearest me, in case I needed to retreat to my shelter.

I moved along carefully, harvesting some of the jade green moss and giving it a stern scan with my senses. The smell was an odd mix between stagnant water and hints of lavender, and had an odd texture much like a combination between light feathers and swamp mush. It seemed edible enough, so I gave it a tentative bite. It was…surprisingly delicious and refreshing, having a velvety feel and a creamy and minty flavor. I gathered as much as I could before I felt the threats of the darkness encroach, if not on my person, than on my conscious and subconscious mind. I returned to my shelter, securing my gains.

I set myself to work on fortifications next, perhaps to distract my mind as much as to protect myself. I merely had to set up some water runes to cast a spell when stepped on, and...oh, this might be problematic. I would have to plant my staff in the ground to power it. That would leave me with no way of long range attack, unless I were to throw my pickaxe, which would be highly impractical…and of course, I had only a limited knowledge of what beasts roamed here. I needed every supply I could get.

Alright, I would save that for when I felt like I needed to sleep.

For now, I ate some of the moss, a smile involuntarily crossing my face as the surprisingly rich vegetation tickled my tastebuds and seemed to refresh my bones as it went down with the minty aftertaste filling all of my pores and the air.

07-Jan-2015 01:06:58 - Last edited on 16-Jun-2016 16:36:41 by Zorial

Jun

2016

Zorial

Posts: 2,537 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

~The Threat of Madness, Continued~

It had the added effect of masking the onset of decay of the rat from the Abyss that had struck earlier, as well as the generally dank smell that accompanied the underground. I was careful not to eat it all, though, as I had no way of knowing when I’d find more.

That made me feel more confident and eased, and I resumed my search, darkness illuminated by the head of my staff now, the depths now less imposing than they’d been before. I found more of the refreshing moss, and a few more interesting creatures that were easily dispatched with a pickaxe to the head. Unfortunately, those other creatures were about as unappetizing as my greeter to the depths, and I dealt with them in a similar fashion. I’d think of burning them for warmth, but I did*’t have the supplies, nor did I want any potential fumes gathering in this space.

Eventually I found myself exhausted, and I made my way back to my base, finishing the rune trap and laying myself down to sleep, taking off a minimal amount of my armor and generally feeling tense, from my activity, my wounds, and years of instinct from adventuring and slaying.

I woke up with a start, nearly screeching, an unsearchable amalgam of villains long dead, or even some alive, and demons and monsters chasing me down the corridors of the depths, blood dripping down, the glistening of gemstone-like eyes, a voice like a legion…

The caverns were still silent and calm. I seemed to be the only one unsettled. It seems like my mind had a way of unearthing all my secret fears onto the canvas of the unknown darkness of the depths.

No matter. I had to continue to look for a way out. After all, I knew for a fact that most of the beings I had imagined were gone for good, or if not gone yet, were soon to be defeated…hopefully.

08-Jan-2015 19:11:18 - Last edited on 16-Jun-2016 16:37:47 by Zorial

Azigarath

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

“I could see the rope snapping and hurling me to the ground, where I could suffer major injuries and leaving me prey to the creatures below**
**, how come you did*’t just glide down to begin with? Note that a snapped rope wouldn’t hurl you; you’d just fall.

“It gave a sharp metallic clang that lightly dented some of the winged trimming, and the pressure could have bruised my hand through my armor if I hadn’t reacted properly.”
If armour can** prevent bruising from rocks, why wear that kind of armour? I feel that “impact” or “blunt force trauma” would be a better word than pressure.

You make your way to the Patriarch, whatever that is. You fight him. Despite he being three times taller than you, is unable to grab you. You fend off more rocks thrown at you, however you do it.

Post 4,
“The arms came down, and the floor gave way underneath, and suddenly it became exhausting to even stay standing on my feet.”
Um, what does that mean?

You fall into quicksand, not bothering to hover or fly away, presumably due to the odd exhaustion that overcame you. What’s quicksand doing in a subterranean cavern? That’* geologically impossible. Note that quicksand actually is too dense to provide sinking. The idea that people fall into and disappear under quicksand is just a myth. Nevertheless, I like how you mention sand filling up your mouth and nostrils, and sinking into your armour.

“The deeper I descended, the more scarce light became,”
Um, where does this light come from, anyways?

You fall again, and this time, fly, despite having broken and popped bones.

26-Feb-2015 04:57:26

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Presence in the Depths