RuneScape Forum Archive | A Tale of Four Champions

[#9PE5KKJ52]

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He first walked into the weights room. It was business time for him now, and his self-inspired heavy training regime spared him not even one glance at the women. He hated himself for that.

Drake lifted up a seventy-pound weight and tested it with one arm. Too light. An eighty-pound gold-inlaid weight for each hand should do the trick, he thought.

For the next two hours, as the sun rose, he lifted weights, pulled heavy cartloads of bricks, sparred with master sword-fighting experts, practiced maging and ranging, jogged in place, and did hundreds of various difficult exercises. Every day he would work off his various gluttonous urges here.

Then, the final stage before entering the Arena: dressing in today's war regalia.

Drake considered the options. A heavy set of dragon armor would be invaluable in hand-to-hand, but he would be taken down by a mage. A lightweight leather archery suit? Good against arrows and mage spells, but nothing more than cloth against a sword or spear. Mage robes? Definitely not. Arrows and swords made mincemeat out of robed enemies. So it had to be his ghostly rune armor, his famous trademark armor that nobody could defeat. He also took a super-poisoned dragon dagger, runes to make a mage staff, and a crystal longbow, fully charged.

Drake the Champion was ready for Dueling.

Drake marched off down to the Duel Arena to great cheering from thousands of spectators soon to be filling up the arena. To his left, right, front, and back, gleaming soldiers in rune armor marched beside him. Drake never was carried in pavilions. They made him weaker, and they were too easy to light on fire. No, he used the most reliable source of transport: his own two feet.

25-Jul-2007 13:41:38 - Last edited on 15-Apr-2008 15:33:22 by [#9PE5KKJ52]

[#9PE5KKJ52]

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There were three arenas in the Dueling Superplex. There was the Grand Arena, in which the champion duelers fought alone or in teams. There was the Staker's Arena, where average fighters hoping for a chance at the Grand Arena would stake and fight. Watching these was optional, but not many did. The final arena was the Fun Arena, where any people could go to fight with wooden armor and weapons. Alongside the three Arenas were the healers' building, the stakers' building, and the congregators' building. The whole area was already hot and dusty, and full of excited spectators, both Al-Kharidian and foreign. After all, the Duel Arena was the largest attraction in the whole area east of Varrock.

Drake walked out into the middle of the Grand Arena, and held up his arms. The cheering of the stadium grew even more intense. Then he threw up his hands again, and a huge explosion shook the air above Drake, signaling the beginning of the day. People immediately went to stake on their favorite fighter, or themselves, depending on the arena.

Then Drake sat in his spacious room, waiting for his fight to be called. In the meantime, he looked out on the Stakers Arena, where budding young fighters defeated their opponents in new and startling ways. Newbies today, challengers tomorrow, Drake thought to himself.

After a couple of hours, the crowd was really revved up. A fighter named Brance Irok had taken down single-handedly a team of thirteen warriors with only minor wounds. He was an extremely muscular man from the far land of Sophanem, whose only apparent weakness was his incredible bulk. Drake didn't want to bring down the budding warrior, but then again, he didn't want to soil his Champion reputation. Besides, he knew that someday, the two were going to fight.

But Drake didn't plan to lose.

25-Jul-2007 13:43:07 - Last edited on 15-Apr-2008 15:35:34 by [#9PE5KKJ52]

[#9PE5KKJ52]

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"Brance is the crowd's favorite for now. He has fought his way through countless warriors without wounds. But can he stand up to... the great DRAKE in HAND TO HAND COMBAT?"

The crowd cheered, and Drake walked into the stadium. His acute eyes quickly assessed the situation. Brance had a huge flail and an even huger shield. His eyes were wide and red, so he was mad. He didn't want to lose. His whole body was unadorned except for a loincloth, but no wounds scratched him. This could be advantageous.

"FIGHT!"

Brance roared and charged forward like an enraged rhino, swinging his flail back and forth. He jumped up in the air and brought down his flail on Drake, but his quick dagger was already moving. It caught Brance's flail by a chain link and flipped it around, then spun and delivered the huge man a flying kick to the face. Brance fell to the sand just in time to see his own flail fall on his left arm, where his shield was. Blood began to pour out of the arm wound, staining the sand red. Good. His shield arm was down.

But Brance wasn't done yet. Not anywhere near. He quickly kicked out at Drake's chest, sending his enemy flying into the sand thirty feet away. The crowd ooed and aahed. Drake picked himself up and went into cat stance, dagger poised. Brance charged again...

... And tackled thin air. Drake was suddenly on top of Brance, holding up his dagger in triumph. Brance roared almost inhumanely and picked up Drake with a huge muscular arm. Then the giant man hurled Drake across the stadium, attracting more ooes and aahes. Brance began to run over to Drake's slumped form, flail held high. But then, at the last second, Drake turned around to look right into Brance's eyes. Brance stopped running abruptly as he was hypnotized by Drake.

25-Jul-2007 13:43:08 - Last edited on 15-Apr-2008 15:38:20 by [#9PE5KKJ52]

[#9PE5KKJ52]

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Then, as Drake held up his poisoned dagger, ready to throw, Brance suddenly roared in anguish, dropped the mace, and punched himself so hard in the chest that his hand was sticking through the other side! Drake watched coolly as his adversary reached up to his lungs and crushed them. The huge giant began to gasp and cough up blood, but even still, he had enough strength to pull his own lungs out of his body, before a torrent of blood and gore shot out of Brance's chest. His right arm was covered in blood, and more of the red liquid stained the gaping hole in his chest. Then, with a final shudder, Brance's nose began to bleed, and he fell to the ground. Blood continued to seep from the hole in his body, making a red body outline. Brance was dead, and Drake maintained his Champion status.

But deep inside, Drake was disgusted at himself. By hypnotizing Brance, he robbed his adversary of a clean fight and killed off a very good fighter. Without a word, he stalked off the Grand Arena field and into the fighters' room.

"Nice job out there, Drake."

"Good hypnotizing, Drake."

"Brance couldn't have possibly beaten the great Drake."

More support was given as he walked through the room, but it fell on deaf ears. Drake pulled on a black cloak and stalked back to the palace.

Even the company of the greatest "friends" in the world didn't pull him out of his anger.

Well, the fourth one did.

25-Jul-2007 13:43:10 - Last edited on 15-Apr-2008 15:39:30 by [#9PE5KKJ52]

[#9PE5KKJ52]

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Castle Wars~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daren Dragontooth, descendant of the ancient Dragonbacks (hint read The Day The Sun Didn't Rise hint), woke up to find himself still in his Saradomin armor and dragon long sword still in his hand. He yawned, and attempted to raise his arms up to stretch, but he was still so tired that he couldn't pick up his armor, so his arms bounced off the metal and fell back limply to his sides.

Daren was the Champion of the great Castle Wars, though he didn't like all the fine treatment. Instead of sleeping in huge beds with beautiful women like Drake of the Duel Arena did, he preferred to sleep in his armor, eat in his armor, and even shower in his armor. Joshua Dragonback the 7th, the last Dragonback, had blessed it. When Daren found the armor buried in Joshua's ancient tomb, he intended to never take it off. And indeed, he never did. It was special armor; it was solid, but it was also elastic, so Daren could press his face into the metal, and it would push forwards. He could also see through a transparent part right over his face, but no weapon could harm there any more than anywhere else. It had an unlimited supply of fresh air, and when he wanted it, he could turn off the transparent plate so he could eat, drink, and (occasionally) kiss.

But he wasn't really that kind of guy. He was fiercely loyal, strong, and funny. The perfect Castle Wars leader.

Today was special for Daren. He was taking off his armor. It was a simple process, really. All he had to do was say, "off!" and it would slide off his body like water. Then it would reform itself for when he came back and said, "on!" where it would slosh back up his body and reform, a perfect fit.

25-Jul-2007 13:43:10 - Last edited on 15-Apr-2008 15:39:55 by [#9PE5KKJ52]

[#9PE5KKJ52]

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"Off!" Daren commanded. The blue-white armor slid off his body. His short-cropped dark hair was revealed, along with his steel-gray eyes and tall, muscular body. He was a Dragontooth, descendant of the Dragonbacks, so he had no idea where he really came from.

He was born in a cave high up in the mountains, overlooking Castle Wars. Two goats, a mouse, a wolf, and an old man cared for him. When he was old enough, he went down to Castle Wars and participated.

Sometimes he wondered what had happened to the old man. The wolf ultimately ate the mouse, and the goats fought to death in a duel for some grass. He shook his shoulders to rid himself of such thoughts.

And now, fifteen years after that first day in the Game, a thirty-year-old Daren was Champion of his favorite game on earth.

As he washed himself, he reflected upon that day when he found his trademark armor.

It had been a horrible game. Zamorak had taken their flag seven times, and Daren, the only good fighter on Saradomin, was being chased by thirty-five Zamorakians. He had been so close to getting the flag, so close...

When a Zamorakian ranger took out an arrow and shot Daren in the arm. He fell to the ground, where Zamorakians clobbered him half to death. When the game ended, all the Saradomins on his team blamed him and cast him away. A storm came, and everybody went back inside. Everybody except Daren, who had nowhere to go.

He had climbed miserably up the mountains, hungry and alone. He had been high up in a rocky part right below the snow line when a mountain lion attacked him. Daren still had the huge scars from where the monster slashed his back. Then he had fallen down, down, down, down almost halfway down the mountain before crashing through the rock into a huge cave. Water was dripping somewhere in the cave.

A voice had said, "Daren. Thou must not prevail to darkness yet. There is a destiny for thee still in store. Be strong, my son. I am always with you.

25-Jul-2007 13:53:05 - Last edited on 15-Apr-2008 15:43:39 by [#9PE5KKJ52]

[#9PE5KKJ52]

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And then, a full meal had appeared, but a mountain lion was guarding it. Part of Daren wanted to kill the lion for attacking him, but the calm voice told him otherwise. Instead, he held out his hand to the beast. A bluish light poured out of his hand to the mountain lion. In its place was a tomb of Joshua Dragonback. His armor was on the tomb.

Daren had donned the armor and weapon, gone back to Castle Wars, and fought as hard as he could.

And it paid off.

The instant Daren was finished showering, he ran back to his armor and shouted, "on!" And his monthly taking off of armor was done. As always, his armor felt light as a feather after he woke up, and actually seemed to make him stronger. He sighed in mock adoration and picked up his dragon long sword.

Servants in Daren's quarter of the palace jumped to the side as Daren came barreling down the hallway to the marble stairs. Still running full speed, he jumped on the banister and slid down on it. The wind rippled around him until he lost his balance and fell ten feet into a perfectly set table, breaking it and sending the porcelain plates and silver cups crashing into walls and the floor and breaking into a million pieces. Daren paused to pick up three muffins and a doughnut and stuff them into his mouth, then ran to the weight room. He was running so fast that he couldn't slow down in time, and he slid, headfirst, through a glass window and right smack into a servant carrying three glasses of water, who was thrown off his feet. The glasses spilled their water in midair, and Daren ran in front of the water just in time to dodge the broken glass and drink all the water out of midair.

The servant quickly rose and brushed off his suit. "Exquisite catch, I might say, milord," he remarked, then walked off.

25-Jul-2007 13:53:13 - Last edited on 15-Apr-2008 15:44:17 by [#9PE5KKJ52]

[#9PE5KKJ52]

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For the remaining hour, Daren lifted (and broke) hundreds of various weights and objects before realizing he was late for the Game. He quickly spun on his heels and ran back to the gates, running through a glass wall and four servants, leaving a trail of destruction behind him.

A breathless Daren made it to the Saradomin Game room twenty minutes before the Game started.

"Hey, Daren! What's up?"

"Good to see ya, Daren! Let's kick some Zamorak booty!"

"Here comes Daren!"

Daren was used to the constant praise; after all, he WAS the Champion of the most widely known classic Game there was.

"Okay, guys, here's the plan. We-"

"Why the hell is everybody worshipping this klutz?" A voice was heard.

Everybody turned. An elf was standing there, with a contemptuous look on his face.

"This 'klutz' is the Champion of Castle Wars!" Somebody with a huge ax yelled. "You mess with him, you mess with all of us!"

"Whoa, calm down, human. I'm new here."

"Apparently," somebody muttered. But Daren shot an evil look at the speaker, and he fell silent.

"I admit it, I am a klutz. My name is Daren. I am the Champion of Castle Wars," Daren said. "What is your name?"

"Rah is my name," the fiercely blue-haired elf said. His blood-red eyes sparkled. "I am a champion fighter in the Elven lands. My residence overlooks Castle Wars, and the Champion Palace, which is how I figured out how clumsy you were." Then he muttered, "Though it doesn't take a wizard to figure that out."

"Can it, will ya, elf?" A huge man wearing full rune and a huge double-edged sword rumbled.

"Ooh, I'm scared now," Rah said contemptuously. "Fatty here wants to play war."

"All right, that's it!" The man roared, tossing away his sword and jumping at Rah. The calm elf sidestepped and delivered the man a stunning kick to the back of the head, knocking him over. Rah drew a small dagger and was about to stab the man when Daren picked him up by the shirt.

25-Jul-2007 13:53:17 - Last edited on 15-Apr-2008 15:48:04 by [#9PE5KKJ52]

[#9PE5KKJ52]

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"Get out of Saradomin. Now!" He roared, hurling the elf into a wall. Rah glared at him, his eyes glowing red. Then he ran away, presumably to Zamorak.

"Nice job, Daren."

"Yeah, great fighting."

"Elf didn't stand a chance!"

Daren shook his head and muttered something under his breath. "He is going to be a problem." Then he straightened, and began barking orders. After a fifteen-minute period of planning, the cave they were in suddenly disappeared, and everything went black. Nobody was worried; they were just being teleported into the arena.

When they could see again, they were standing in a room. A ladder was on one side, along with a portal. On the other were tinderboxes and bandages. The Saradomin team looked out on the arena.

It was a huge place. Stands lined every side of it, far up along protective walls. Easily, three hundred thousand people were seated. They were standing in the Saradomin castle. Across the river was the Zamorak castle. In the middle was a destroyed fort, symbolizing Guthix. Tall spears jutted up off the ground, and the occasional scrap of cloth hung from the tip.

"Let the Games BEGIN!!!" A voice roared to huge cheering. Daren adjusted his armor. Bring it on, Zamorak.

Immediately, people began grabbing bandages and filing out the doors of the room. Daren grabbed five bandages and ran over to the ladder. At the bottom, he ran to the supply room and grabbed a few explosive potions, five rocks, and a barricade kit. Then he ran through the white halls of the castle to the wall. As he ran up the stairs, he thought about Rah. The two of them would definitely fight. And Daren didn't want to kill the elf. He could be useful.

When he got up to the top of the wall, he saw blue-cloaked Saradominists with bows, slings, and mage staffs waiting for the Zamorakians to come. Daren went over to the catapult and positioned a rock. Then he looked out with the telescope.

25-Jul-2007 13:53:21 - Last edited on 15-Apr-2008 15:49:22 by [#9PE5KKJ52]

[#9PE5KKJ52]

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Hundreds of red-cloaked Zamorakians streamed out of their gates. A few turned to the stepping-stones on the river, where Saradominists ran towards the stones. None of the blue-cloaks went across the river. All according to plan.

Daren waited until the Zamorakians were right in the middle of the ruined fort in the middle before firing. The rock hit just right, knocking a tower loose and crushing the front-runners. Then he turned to the stepping-stones. Two well-placed rocks sent the Zamorakians floundering as the river current swept them away. Then the final signal. The Zamorakians were disoriented.

Daren stuck an explosive potion to a rock and sent it flying at the wall of the Zamorak fort. When the rock exploded, a huge shout let fly from the Saradominists, and they swarmed across to meet the Zamorakians. Daren smiled and jumped off the wall. The attack was on.

The first blue-cloaked fighters reached the fort in the middle. Daren ran forward...

And that's when a magically charged arrow struck him in the leg, knocking him over.

Daren spluttered and coughed. He looked around wildly, looking for the attacker.

He should have known. Rah walked towards him, holding a crystal bow.

"Why, Rah?" Daren coughed.

"Two things. One, I want to be Champion. And two, not on the same team, right?"

"You're going to regret that," Daren growled, standing up. He drew his dragon long sword and held his shield steady. Rah's red eyes glowed, and he pulled out another, slightly longer dragon long sword. In his other hand he held a crossbow with six shots.

The two circled each other like gunslingers, waiting for the other to make a move. Rah obliged. He shot two bolts in quick succession at Daren, who raised his shield to deflect. Then Daren jumped onto a spear and swung around on it, smashing Rah in the face with an armored kick. Rah swung down with his long sword, but Daren deflected. The two began a fierce battle, but neither could get a hit.

25-Jul-2007 13:53:26 - Last edited on 15-Apr-2008 15:51:42 by [#9PE5KKJ52]

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A Tale of Four Champions