RuneScape Forum Archive | \\||~Nightmare~||//

Infinity A8

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~Chapter XIII~

Lily is standing outside the door, shaking madly and the fire in her hand beginning to flicker out of existence. I shut the door I had recently looked through, enabling anybody who happened to pass by to not have to look at the terrible scene inside.

Lily's flame flashes one last time and then goes out, plunging us into almost darkness. I hear her moan a terrified sound and quickly cup my hand around her mouth to silence her. I knew she would have screamed next.

"Shh..." I whisper and focus my hearing.

I remove my hand and put it to my ear, silently telling Lily to listen. There's a soft crunching noise coming from behind the door accompanied by deep breathing. I can't hear any sounds of the man we heard earlier which leads me to believe he's dead. Lily however, thinks otherwise.

She places her hand on the door and holds her sword up defensively should anything come and jump at her. I angrily motion for her to stop.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I whisper harshly. "We don't know what's in there or even if the person we're trying to save is still alive!"

"Exactly!" She murmurs back. "We've got to see if he's ok!"

"Lily don-!" I start, but I'm too late. She opens the door, only a fraction but still wide enough to see inside. Together, we put our eyes to the crack and peer through.

The most obvious feature of the room is a cloud of black fog, occupying the centre of the room, swirling around and around seemingly doing nothing. There's no sign of the person in danger. The floor around the fog is soaked with blood.

All of the windows around the room are closed but one on the right hand side is cracked and stained with fresh blood which now drips down towards the floor. I then notice horribly that there is a man's torso, ripped apart at the base of the window. There are no limbs or head attatched to it, merely blood and bones jutting out at random places.

11-Apr-2008 12:50:24 - Last edited on 18-Apr-2008 12:48:11 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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

Whatever foul creature had been here seemingly had a taste for human flesh. The torso is missing all it's skin and has a large hole in the abdomen. All of the internal organs that usually sat in it and provided the body with life had been pulled out and strewn around the room, some of them with chunks taken out. I noticed the heart in particular had been chewed on the most.

I step back, eyes wide and afraid, feeling as though I'm going to be sick. I manage to keep myself stable and turn my attention elsewhere before throwing up all over the floor. Poor Lily however loses it and falls down onto the floor unconscious. Her sword follows soon after and clangs on the ground.

I instantly go down to help her, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her whilst whispering for her to wake up. But then a terrible though strikes me. Lily's sword may have attracted the attention of the murderous creature!

I leave her and fearfully look back through the door.

The fog is still swirling as it was before. I can hear no sounds of any sort.

I sigh hopefully and return my attention back to Lily. She stirs, moans and then opens her eyes. She looks around confused for a second and then remembers what happened and opens her mouth to scream.

"Stop!" I hush before she does. "Scream all you want later, we have to get out of here!"

She stands, picking up her sword as she does. But after a few seconds her legs give way and she almost falls again, hitting the wall before the floor. She's breathing deeply, tears welling up in her eyes and small sobs escaping her throat between each gasp for breath.

I can feel that my eyes are also wet, threatening to spill forth bucket-loads of tears for the sights that I have seen. But I compold myself to stay strong. Lily gathers her bearings and stands again, still whimpering and afraid but otherwise alright.

We go to leave, turning quickly but quietly towards the stairs.

Then a sharp whistling sound fills the air.

11-Apr-2008 12:50:31 - Last edited on 17-Apr-2008 06:38:36 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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

"RUN!" I roar at Lily, feeling that stealth is no longer needed. I know very well what that sound means. Lily sprints towards the stairs, sword sheathed in her belt to ensure she doesn't impale herself as she flees. As she's down the stairs I turn and see what is after us.

The fog is moving. It has floated out of the room and now envelopes the whole corridor around the door. My heart stops as I notice within the black cloud I see two things, two things that will forever haunt my nightmares.

Eyes.

Two pure, pale green eyes, no pupil though with a distinct sense of malice around them. The sight of the two orbs freezes me to the spot be it through fear or an enchantment on them it does not matter but I find myself unable to move.

The fog continues moving, closer and closer down the corridor filling the walls with darkness. I can hear Lily screaming from downstairs for me to hurry up. But how can I when my legs won't move?

The fog is almost upon me and I begin to wonder how it can hurt me. From the way it's moving I can see that it isn't solid. So how is it slaughtering people, carving out their guts and feeding on their organs? I don't want to find out.

Lily is back up the stairs and sees me standing there, a look of absolute terror on my face. She notices the fog and the eyes it has and screams at me to move. When I don't, she tries to help me.

She runs up to me and waves her hands in front of my face, constantly screaming. Eventually, I snap out of my stupor and roar a reply back.

"I can move! LET'S GO! NOW!"

Lily doesn't need to be told twice as she bolts down the stairs, myself in tow. I take a glance back at the fog and notice it still pursues, gliding down the stairs and engulfing all that's behind it in darkness.

I kick open the front door of the Inn, Lily has her hand alight with another spell and we're out onto the streets.

I glance back before fleeing for safety. The fog stops.

There's a tremendous roar and the fog's eyes turn blood red.

11-Apr-2008 12:50:34 - Last edited on 17-Apr-2008 06:59:27 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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

Out of total fear, I slam the door shut behind me to deter myself from looking back again.

"Not that I would." I think.

Lily and I start running up the streets, towards the fountain, having absolutely nowhere to head just running for our lives. Suddenly I hear a crash behind me and then another inhuman roar. Despite telling myself constantly not to look back I spin, Lily halting her run to see what I was looking at.

The door of the inn has been smashed off it's hinges and is lying on the ground several metres in front of where it should be. Despite the light emitted from Lily's flame, we cannot see what has blown the door open.

Only the same constant black fog that has sat in Varrock these past few hours.

Then I hear growling. Deep, hungry growling followed up by the movement of something's feet. Lily and I immediately decide that it's time to move.

Forward we go, as fast as we've ever run in our lives. Years of adventuring out in the open had never prepared us for this. We'd spent our time solving problems for goblins or helping cooks with their meals. There was the occasional demon or dragon slay but they were rare.

This was something entirely different.

As we hit the fountain, the sound behind us increases in speed. Whatever is following us knows where we are.

"SPLIT UP! SPLIT UP AND RUN!!" I scream at Lily, bolting off to the right before giving her a chance to respond. Seconds later, I realise that this may have been a bad idea for two reasons.

Without Lily, I'm running blind. I have the magical potency of a duck and am not carrying any light sources. The other problem comes from the fact that Lily's light quite literally acts as a homing beacon. She sticks out like apple on an orange tree in this fog.

With or without light this is an extremely bad situation and there's only one way to get out of it.

Run.

11-Apr-2008 12:50:38 - Last edited on 18-Apr-2008 23:50:21 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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

~Chapter XIV~

I fear the monster may have gone after Lily. It's been several minutes of running and I have heard no sounds of anything following me. Still, I can't be certain, especially seeing as I won't be able to see it coming.

A black fog can, presumedly hide itself very well in a black fog.

Though there is no sense of immediate danger I do not slow down for peril that the creature may still be silently tracking me and not Lily, luring me into false security.

I suddenly notice a light shining not far off to my far right. Most likely a residential home. Could someone inside help me? It's worth a shot.

I start to run for the house before a dreaded sound rings out. A sharp whistling: The Fog is still following me. Hastily, I draw my scythe & sprint for the home. Momentarily, I'm outside of it, desperately feeling against the cold, stone wall of the house for a door. All I find is a window.

It'll have to do.

I take a step back, peer behind me only to find nothing but knowing the fog is drawing ever closer, murder as it's intent. I run towards the window, raising my scythe and bring it down on the wall as I jump towards the glass.

Shards of glass fly everywhere, some of it pierces my skin of my right arm and blood flows freely down onto the floor as I hit it. A startled family of three (Mother, Father and Daughter) had been in bed and awoken to me lying wounded and tired on the floor after having smashed through their window.

There is, however, no time for explanation.

"RUN! GET OUT OF HERE AND RUN!" I scream at them, getting to my feet and fleeing for the door. I hear the whistling grow louder and find by looking back The Fog has gotten in through the window.

I don't bother with the doorknob, I roar a cry of strength & kick the door with such force that it's knocked off it's hinges and swings uselessly open.

The confused family stop to inspect the strange fog seeping in through their window as I spring out the door. I know there is no more hope for them.

11-Apr-2008 12:50:40 - Last edited on 19-Apr-2008 00:05:58 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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

And sure enough, anguished cries bellow out from behind me as I continue my escape. But where to run to next? A though then comes to mind, what was happening to Lily?

I instantly run west, towards where she should have run all the while searching for a light source that may guide me.

Something howls fiercely behind me. I hear the stamping and then running of some monsters feet, obviously knowing what it is. I'm turning corners, hitting walls and other objects that inhabit the streets of Varrock, constantly slowing me down and filling me with the fear that The Fog will catch up with me.

Something hits me hard in the back and I stumble forward but keep enough momentum to stay running. I then feel that my back has been soaked with some substance and put my hand to it to investigate. After drawing my hand back I stop for a brief moment.

It's blood, all over where I was hit. But it couldn't be my blood, I wasn't hit hard enough to cause a wound this big. I look back behind me at the projectile thrown at me.

It's a human heart. Clawed at in some places but still easily identifiable. I swallow the bile that threatened to erupt from my stomach and focused on running again.

Then some instinct in me tells me to duck. Instead, I dive and manage to land over a small broken wall just in time to watch someone's decapitated head soar over me at high speeds.

I then realise that the creature is horrifyingly throwing the remains of it's victims at me to try and stop me! But what does it want with me!?

I get up, not wanting to find out and jump over another low wall and then another. I then run into a large object which I soon identify to be the wall that borders Varrock with the rest of the world. If I were to escape Varrock then I might get out!

I hear something, something being thrown. All in one quick movement, I draw my scythe, turn and slice the incoming object in half. A little girl's hand.

Another object is hurled at me and so I roll, trying to reach the gate.

11-Apr-2008 12:50:47 - Last edited on 19-Apr-2008 00:21:09 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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

I stumble to my feet, scythe held defensively in front of me in case of any other gruesome projectiles.

None come. Perhaps the creature has given up on me? I turn and find the gates out of Varrock standing before me, guarded only by the same thick fog that enveloped the town. I dash for it, wishing to get out as soon as possible...

...Only to be held back and unable to pass the barrier of fog. It seems as though the fog has an enchantment on it, disabling my ability to leave.

Now I see why The Fog wasn't throwing anything at me anymore. It knows I'm trapped. I could hear it's deep growling and then the slobbering of some large, beastly mouth. It's hungry, hungry for me who had eluded it multiple times, hungry for my flesh and bones.

I desperately search my surroundings for any means of escape, finding it on the stairs up onto the walls surrounding Varrock. I hurry up them, the loud stumbling of The Fog behind me.

In the midst of all this I suddenly realise I've been ignoring the fact that The Fog is moving about physically, throwing things at me, slobbering, howling and running. How in the hell is it doing this?

I stumble up the stairs, knocking open the door at the top and then bursting out into sunlight. The fog has not reached high enough to enshroud this point of Varrock. However, it is the only place. I stare in awe at the black ocean of ghostly waves, constantly swirling around the city covering everything in sight.

I then turn my attention to the north: The Palace. Thinking the palace the be safe as it is taller than the walls I now stand on I come to notice it is covered in a column of fog that twists it's way upwards and now constantly spirals completely removing the palace from sight.

The whistling returns, and I notice that the fog begins creeping it's way up through the stairs. With nowhere to run, the wall dead ending not far ahead of me I see only one option.

I jump, down back into the blackened city, falling unconcious as I land.

11-Apr-2008 12:50:47 - Last edited on 22-Apr-2008 09:27:59 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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

~Chapter XV~

I've a blazing headache and my right arm is numb with pain. It's been bandaged but still bleeds regardless. As thankful as I am, I'm not sure Xavier is much of a medic. He found me on the ground outside the Apothecary, shards of glass embedded in my arm and a self inflicted blow to the head.

After I jumped I'd had the misfortune to trip and smash my head on the ground fiercely. Xavier, who'd gone to look for us after checking our houses only to find us gone, had found me, carried me back to a safe place and applied a rough first aid.

"This is much more serious than I imagined." Xavier, his White Knight uniform equipped, save his helmet so he could flick and twirl his hair as much as his frustration and fear made him.

No, just frustration. There's no fear in Xavier at the moment.

"It slaughtered a whole inn full of people, a family of three and came close to ending my life countless times." I explain as I had before to Xavier, but this time add another sentence.

"Lily is still out there somewhere."

"Do you have any idea where?" Xavier asks, casting his gaze towards the ground and sighing before speaking.

"She should be around here, the west side of Varrock. We split up at the fountain."

"Could she have gone anywhere else?"

"Maybe the palace, though I saw her head west. I went east so she wasn't there and..." I wince at the memory, two pale green eyes glaring at me and then turning red, filling with absolute, inhuman hate.

"...South was not an option."

Xavier stands, both his white and dragon swords are strapped to his back in a cross shape. He doesn't wear his helmet often, he feels it obstructs his view and makes battle difficult.

I have my lonely, blood-stained scythe held in my right hand as I stand, no armour of any sort adorning my body.

"We'd best look for her, no telling what kind of danger she could be in." Xavier says, drawing his sword. He hands me a lantern, then lights it.

11-Apr-2008 12:50:48 - Last edited on 19-Apr-2008 12:26:29 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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

"Noah," Xavier says before we depart. "Whatever the cost, do not part company from me. 'United we stand, divided we fall.' "

That was a famous White Knight quote I'd seen pinned up in Xavier's room in Falador. His favourite, I recall.

We silently trudge through the backstreets, feeling the main street to be too exposed and most likely to cause attention. There may only be one of the creature as far as we know but it could strike at any moment from anywhere. We needed to be cautious.

Of course The Fog was easy to detect. It whistled, howled or stamped whenever it was nearby. Or was loudly munching on some poor bystanders intestines or something.

Xavier decides the best course of action to be to head to the palace. Lily's smart and would most likely seek shelter in the safest of places. As we walked, I whispered to Xavier about what I'd seen atop the city walls.

He was concerned, but not much more than before. The only troubling fact was that the entire palace was enshrouded and Xavier didn't seem too fazed by it. I however thought it was strange that the whole palace and the palace alone was covered.

As if it knew...

"Stop." Xavier commands, holding up his free hand. I do as he says and we quickly dart behind a broken wall. To our north is the West Bank. East of it is the fountain and then the palace.

So far, I cannot hear a thing but natural sounds: Xavier's deep breathing, my tired, quiet breaths and the sound of running water from the nearby fountain.

"I thought I heard something..." Xavier says after a minutes silence. He looks around wearily, I guide my lantern in the direction of his eyes, enabling him to see through the thick fog.

"There," Xavier points towards an object stowed away in the bushes next to the bank. It looks like a sack.

Or worse.

Suddenly it moves, a soft groaning following it's slow movement. It rolls over and my fears are realised.

11-Apr-2008 12:52:27 - Last edited on 19-Apr-2008 13:49:33 by Infinity A8

Infinity A8

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

It's a human, guts carved out and laying beside the barely alive body. Their hands come up sluggishly, and to my horror the person tries to cram their scattered organs back into their split abdomen.

They moan in pain, blood spilling forth unto their hands, their head then falling back, hands following limply. A foul stench fills the air, the stench of a corpse.

Xavier coughs quietly and covers his mouth and nose.

"It's not like it to leave a victim alive." I note. Xavier looks at me curiously.

"What?" He asks confused.

"The Fog. It normally just kills it's prey not mortally wound them and leave them to die. It..." I cough and start mumbling. "It fed on the people at the inn."

Xavier removes his hand and then his eyes dart left and right, my reflexes providing him with light from my lantern. His eyes meet with the corpse nearby again and then he growls with realisation.

"It's a trap, into the palace Noah! NOW!"

11-Apr-2008 12:52:28 - Last edited on 20-Apr-2008 09:17:50 by Infinity A8

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