RuneScape Forum Archive | ~^v^~ Kashan's Tale ~^v^~

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“Kashan, that shot drained my power. It was a Seercull bow, one of the ancient weapons of the legendary tribe leaders. There’s a spell worked into it that drains magical energy, and I'm afraid to say that it worked. You have to fight them yourself now, I can’t help you.”

Kashan nodded, and launched himself into the fight once more, this time taking active part in the battle himself. Armor and shields splintered under his claws, and five men fell in just a few seconds. The rest were quickly dispatched, and now all that remained were five men; the archers and the mages.

He made his way up the hill, ducking and weaving to avoid the missiles launched at him. A blast of fire caught the hem of his sleeve, but he rolled, and it guttered out in the wet dirt. As he finally reached the mages, they stopped casting spells and dropped their staves, pulling knives. Yet Kashan was quicker.

Picking up one of the staves, he sliced it in the center with his claws, ramming the two ends straight through their chests. They gasped, falling to the ground in pain. Eventually the internal bleeding got to them, and they died, quietly.

The archers all readied their bows, only to find their arrows suddenly headless sticks lying in front of them. Kashan had wrenched himself and slashed the heads off them.

They seemed confused at their weapons being destroyed in that manner, and hesitated. Kashan took that moment, and severed the jugular of the two archers flanking the last one. Without even removing his claws from their throats, he yanked his hands back and his body forth, head-butting the last archer.

Without a warning, Kashan felt the full pain of the arrow in his calf. He collapsed on the ground, leg giving out, and yelled for Timier to come help him. He came, and with a single practiced twist, removed the arrow. Pain came, white-hot, but dissipated just as quickly when Timier healed it with a single spell.

19-Sep-2006 23:15:51 - Last edited on 19-Sep-2006 23:20:10 by [#80N8R0VWZ]

[#80N8R0VWZ]

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Before he discarded the arrow, however, he looked at it, surprised.

They gathered the most valuable items they could carry, and then set off for Edgeville. It was still an hour’s walk from there, and they had delayed enough already.

Along the way, Timier spoke in a grave tone.

“Kashan, I have to ask you something. The arrow…it was poisoned with dragon’s blood. At the very least, your leg should be gone, and you could have died! How are you still standing?”

End of Chapter 3.

19-Sep-2006 23:16:51 - Last edited on 19-Sep-2006 23:20:27 by [#80N8R0VWZ]

[#80N8R0VWZ]

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Chapter 4 - Kashan, the Balancer

“I - I don’t know. I just… am. But there was something else.

“When I was fighting, I didn’t actually move; my body just reacted, I didn’t have any control over myself. I mean, I just killed over a dozen men, without trying; literally. ”

Timier looked closer at his now younger brother, trying to determine if anything had changed. Indeed, he looked to see if there were any signs of madness in his eyes. Yet he discovered the answer to everything hanging around Kashan’s neck.

The amulet that had once been Krystal’s now hung there, yet the design was different. Instead of the black and white halves, which had once resided there, the black was slightly larger. And it seemed to be giving off a dark energy; one which Timier found to be slightly frightening.

“The Amulet… could it be?” he thought, and the more he thought, the more he believed it to be true.

“Kashan, do you remember where Krystal got her amulet?” Timier asked after a while of thinking. He had a hunch that his ideas were correct, and his suspicions were confirmed at the answer.

“I think she found it on the ground on her 18th birthday, why?” Kashan asked curiously.

“Kashan, this might be the prophecy of Guthix!” Timier replied excitedly. “Whenever the balance in Gielinor shifts too much to be corrected by itself, Guthix calls in a warrior to the Heavens, where he is extensively trained and given a special object to correct the balance when he returns to the world.

That warrior is called a Balancer. Balancers get many special ‘powers’, such as superhuman speed, enhanced senses, fighting skills, and, like we’ve seen already, immunity to most poisons.

“Balancers often become legends of their time. The last time I know of this happening was around 300 years ago, when a dwarf, Shinshu, was taken. He was a powerful chaos dwarf before he was taken, and after, he was powerful enough to bring chaos and destruction on Gielinor.

19-Sep-2006 23:16:52 - Last edited on 19-Sep-2006 23:21:21 by [#80N8R0VWZ]

[#80N8R0VWZ]

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I guess that from a Guthixian’s point of view it was a good thing, as the world was very orderly at the time.

“The tales also tell of a special amulet, The Amulet of Balance. That amulet is given to someone close to the to be-Balancer, seemingly by coincidence. That person then leads the chosen warrior, unconsciously, to a place strong with the force of Guthix at that given moment, where he can transport them into the Heavens for training.

“Kashan, I think you’re a Balancer!”

Kashan was wordless after this. He, a warrior, chosen to bring back peace to the world? It was a lot to take in, and he wasn’t completely convinced. After a little while, he was able to gather his thoughts enough to start talking.

“Assuming all that’s true, why haven’t I heard of this? I mean, if they became LEGENDS, I would have thought everybody had heard of those Balancers,” he asked skeptically.

“Well, you HAVE heard of most of them, the Guthix training part was just ignored. There aren’t many people that follow Guthix, so that part has been mostly edited out. But people like the idea of exceptionally powerful people, so the story eventually changed. You’ve heard of Arrav, haven’t you? He was a Balancer, and his shield was his special object,” Timier replied.

“Why can’t I remember any of this ‘training’? If it took thirty two years, I think I should at least remember something,” Kashan asked, still unconvinced.

“The Heavens are not a place to be seen by a mortal, even a Balancer. If it so happens that a person sees the Heavens before it is his or her time to pass on, they will simply forget everything. It’s pretty much the same with Balancers,” Timier said, now talking casually.

“How do you know all this? This isn’t something that everyone knows, like the legend of Arrav or the God Wars,* Kashan said, now starting to believe him; this made sense.

19-Sep-2006 23:18:24 - Last edited on 19-Sep-2006 23:22:07 by [#80N8R0VWZ]

[#80N8R0VWZ]

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“One of the pros of being a follower of Armadyl, and living in Seers village, is that the library there is extraordinarily good. And even better: Armadylists get increased access to the ancient scrolls,” Timier said smiling.

“So…I’m a Balancer.” Kashan said as the truth came over him, but then he seemed to remember something very important, and asked quickly, “What about Krystal? What happens to the person that is close to the Balancer?” he spoke fast and with fear on his face, an emotion that turned out to be a rightful one.

“Well, the person that leads the Balancer to the Heavens goes in first, and doesn’t come back, so I guess that, in our sense of the word, she’s dead,” Timier said, looking down in mourning. “But Krystal gets something out of this. Her soul, her spirit, returns into Gielinor and comes back in a different person. It’s an afterlife, of sorts,” he added hurriedly as he saw the look of dismay and hopelessness that took over Kashan’s face.

They ceased talking, and walked towards Edgeville in silence.

End of Chapter 4.

19-Sep-2006 23:18:25 - Last edited on 19-Sep-2006 23:22:22 by [#80N8R0VWZ]

[#80N8R0VWZ]

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Chapter 5 - The Protectors and the Tournament

“Finally! There it is!” Timier exclaimed as Edgeville came into view, the yew trees standing tall over everything else.

As they walked into town, there was not a single person on the streets, but many people could be heard near the yew trees, shouting encouragements to the contestant they were rooting for. Suddenly all the screaming stopped and not a sound was heard, until the ‘thunk’ of two arrows sounded in the silence. Then the screaming started again. This time they were moans of people that had lost a bet, and the shouts of victory of those who had won, followed by an announcers booming voice: “With an outstanding bulls-eye, Arya advances to the last round!”

As they walked to the yew trees, they saw a hill and decided to watch the competition from there. From their high point, they could see the announcer, a tall, fat man wearing a white shirt, standing on a platform to introduce the next two contestants.

The first contestant stepped forwards, a man about twenty years old and 6’3. He had long grey hair, along with eyes that gleamed like a silver bar. He held a longbow carved of magic wood, one of the more expensive bows in this period of time. He wore a black cloak, covering the black dragonhide armor that he wore beneath. A black cavalier was perched on his head, making him look quite the ranger. Below his cloak there were two other weapons, dragon-metal scimitars, deadly sharp and gleaming red.

Kashan realized that this was yet another weapon that he had yet to hear about, and gazed in awe at the powerful swords. Yet he was rendered completely dumbstruck as he glimpsed the other contestant: Arya.

The girl was exactly like Krystal!

She was the same age, same height and the build, and the only exception was that her hair was brown instead of blonde. As if that weren’t enough, she was even wearing similar armor.

19-Sep-2006 23:18:26 - Last edited on 19-Sep-2006 23:23:07 by [#80N8R0VWZ]

[#80N8R0VWZ]

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He was awestruck… his mind wouldn’t function, allowing only one thought: she’s still alive!

Timier saw the look on Kashan’s face, and chuckled.

The two contestants stepped up onto the platform, each holding their bows and a single rune arrow. They looked to the other side of the range, and there were two targets set up, fifty yards away. The tiny yellow bulls-eye looked small enough to be an ant.

Arya looked up into the crowd, and saw Kashan and Timier standing tall above all the other spectators on their hill. She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at him. She didn’t hear the spectators anymore, she didn’t hear the announcer’s roars, and she couldn’t see anything other than Kashan. She knew she had seen him before, and she was certain that she knew him from somewhere. And yet, there was no chance she could have ever glimpsed him; he was obviously an outsider. She finally got out of her daze, grabbed the arrow, and noc*ed it to the bow. She let a breath out slowly, steadying her aim, but she still saw Kashan out of the corner of her eye.

“Fire!” the announcer bellowed, and Kaiser let his arrow loose, hitting the bulls-eye clean in the center. Arya was surprised by the loud word, and let her arrow loose. Yet her concentration wasn’t complete, and the arrow was nudged slightly off course. It whirred through the air, yet the head buried itself a mere centimeter away from the bulls-eye. She spoke in a low tone to her opponent, offering her hand to him.

Kashan couldn’t see what she was saying from the distance, but he saw her smile and shake Kaiser’s hand, so he guessed she wasn’t very mad.

The crowd went ballistic, cheering loudly for Kaiser as a man and woman approached him; the two elders of Edgeville. In the hands of the male, there was an incredible creation of glimmering crystal. A tiny filament was the string, and there was a tiny button below the arrow rest. It looked too fragile to be anything but a trophy.

19-Sep-2006 23:20:37 - Last edited on 19-Sep-2006 23:23:30 by [#80N8R0VWZ]

[#80N8R0VWZ]

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Timier spoke. “That’s a crystal bow. It uses no arrows, but rather magical charges that pierce the opponent. But after a certain amount of uses, the crystal reverts back to a seed; its original form. It can be recharged, but only by those skilled in crystal singing; elves. It was created in the elven land of Tirannwn, but very few of them exist out of that place. So it appears that it is this year*s reward.”

“I guess times have changed since Krystal was competing here just for the title and the honor,” Kashan said, but the memory of Krystal was too painful, and he instantly stopped thinking about her.

While they were talking Arya had made her way up onto their hill, and before they noticed her, she started speaking to them.

“Good afternoon gentlemen, might I ask what you are doing here in Edgeville on this fine day?” she asked, sounding happy even though she had lost. “I’ve never seen you here before, so I’m guessing you must be out-of-towners?” she added as they turned around.

“We’re not; actually, I’ve just been… away, for a rather long time,” Kashan said as he noticed whom it was talking to them. “I’m Kashan, by the way, and this is my litt… my brother, Timier.” He then added, suddenly realizing how ridiculous it would sound that this forty two-year-old man was his little brother.

“That was some nice shooting, who taught you?” Kashan asked; trying to distract her from the fact that he was saying Timier was his little brother.

“I taught myself, actually. Ranging abilities have run in my family ever since my aunt disappeared.”

Timier, who was just going to leave the young people alone, suddenly turned around and asked, “Who was that aunt? When did she disappear?” He spoke fast, emphasizing every word.

“I think her name was Krystal, but I didn’t know her, she disappeared before I was born. All I’ve heard is stories; stories that she disappeared in the Wilderness, along with some friends and the town warrior at the time.

19-Sep-2006 23:20:41 - Last edited on 19-Sep-2006 23:23:49 by [#80N8R0VWZ]

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Apparently, he disappeared with her. And that was thirty two years ago, if I remember correctly,” she replied, rather surprised at the sudden interest. This wasn’t one of the best tales Edgeville had to offer.

“Town warrior?” they both asked in unison, Timier chuckling.

“Yeah, I think he was called Koran or something, a powerful warrior at the time.” She was still surprised by their interest, and even more by Timier’s laughter.

Timier couldn’t hold in his amusement, and laughed: “Warrior, hah! Oh my, I should have come back here long ago!”

Kashan looked at him angrily and impatiently, and eventually Timier stopped laughing, though he still giggled as Kashan started to speak.

“Wait, how exactly are you related to Krystal?” Kashan asked, doing his best to ignore Timier.

“She was my mother’s sister. My mother was only eight years old when she disappeared, so she doesn’t really remember her all that well, but she says that from what she does remember, I’m like a piece of the same brick.”

“She was right,” Kashan said in awe at that almost exact replica of his old girlfriend. Then he quickly added, “I think. Of course I didn’t know her, so I can’t really tell…”
He spoke quickly, flustered.

Just as Arya was opening her mouth to reply, a voice boomed out over the field, though it didn’t appear to have any point of origin. It simply emanated from thin air.

“Balancer of the new age! Step forth, and the people of Edgeville will be spared!”

The voice was hoarse, unnaturally deep, and filled to the brim with blood**** and evil.
“What the hell…?” Arya started, but was instantly silenced as a gigantic fireball flew up from the center of the field, coming from a tall man in dark robes with the symbol of Zamorak on them. He held a large staff in his hand crafted of a dark wood that Kashan didn’t recognize. It had a large emblem on the top: a circle with a glowing red pentagram in the center.

19-Sep-2006 23:20:43 - Last edited on 19-Sep-2006 23:24:30 by [#80N8R0VWZ]

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Before Kashan was even able to take in the situation, the man that had won the contest, Kaiser, stepped forward.

“I am the Balancer,” he shouted bravely over the crowd. “Do with me what you wish and leave.”

The man with the staff was suddenly gone, and in his place, there was a vicious, snarling wolf, the staff’s emblem embedded on its forehead. Before Kaiser was even able to draw a weapon, it had knocked him onto his back with a clawed footpaw at his throat.

“Fool! You do not even possess the object!”

The wolf snarled at Kaiser, digging its claws deep into his sword arm. It bared its teeth at his throat, then transformed into human form again. The man’s foot rested on Kaiser’s chest.

“Balancer! Step forth, or see this fool burn in the fires of hell until he is no more!” the man boomed, and suddenly a large fireball was in his open fist, prepared to be launched at Kaiser.

This time Kashan reacted, and yelled to the man, much to the surprise of Arya.

“I am the Balancer of the new age, and I possess the object!” As he shouted this, he held up the dragon claws which he had until recently kept at his sides.

“Good,” the man mumbled, as he raised his arm to cast the fireball at Kaiser, but before he could, a shower of bolts and green, barbed arrows arced into the air from a distant location. They slammed into him, hitting his upper body, face and that bizarrely shaped staff.

Kashan looked towards their source, sharp eyes picking out two men standing on a rooftop, maybe hundred yards away. It was hard to tell in the distance, but the one on the left was human, around eighteen years old. He wore a coif, which covered much of his face and hair, though his eyes were still visible.

19-Sep-2006 23:20:49 - Last edited on 19-Sep-2006 23:25:22 by [#80N8R0VWZ]

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