RuneScape Forum Archive | ~/\Crippled Hope/\~

Silver Snake

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Chapter 1
The sun shone brightly in Varrock too, with similar temperatures. Except in the crowded city it was much worse. The rancid smell of decaying sewage floated through the disgusting city air, which mixed with the smell of sweat and rotten food to create a horribly sickening combination. Most people stayed inside, afraid of the heat and smell, content to slowly bake away in their houses.
Such was not the case for Logan. He walked through the streets quickly, holding his breath, careful not to breathe too deeply, for fear of sewage contamination. He was tall for his age, with dark hair and slightly tanned skin. His eyes were a deep blue, almost hypnotising to look at. His mouth was reasonably small, with the edge of his lips pointing down in a discontented fashion.
He walked down the main road for a few minutes, before turning into a large pub. It was mostly deserted, for it was hours before the rush hour. A short, red faced man warmly greeted him.
“Logan! How are you?” said the bartender cheerily.
“Good thanks John.” he replied half-heartedly.
“Good to hear. I’ll get you a cloth now.” he said, exiting the room.

17-May-2008 07:55:09 - Last edited on 23-May-2008 06:05:27 by Silver Snake

Silver Snake

Posts: 21,393 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

He reappeared a few seconds later with a damp cloth, which he threw at Logan. He caught it casually and started wiping a near table, which was covered in dried puke. He moaned quietly to himself. Drunken people had no respect for those who had to clean up after them; this person had made no attempt whatsoever so miss the table, let alone clean it up.
The rest of the afternoon ticked away uneventfully. By the time Logan had finished cleaning all the tables, a few tables had already been filled and John was busy serving drinks. The usual customers were present, their faces either laughing, or set in a cold, depressed expression. A steady trickle of customers filed through the bar door, filling up the seats steadily. Michael, the assistant bartender appeared at around six to deal with the evening rush. The bar was soon a bustling assembly of people, ages ranging from pre-teens drinking root beer to old men with canes. The bar was in its peak hour, with almost a hundred customers, so it wasn’t exactly silent.

17-May-2008 07:55:10 - Last edited on 15-Jun-2008 20:49:02 by Silver Snake

Silver Snake

Posts: 21,393 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Until the bar door burst open. Everyone stopped and stared at the new arrival, although they did not know why; the bar door had opened hundreds of times that day. But as soon as the people’s eyes looked at the man’s head, they realised why they had been compelled to look. Although his face was reasonably normal, his eyes were a dark and intelligent, eyes that had seen more then he should’ve. His hat explained it. A green crown.
“Good evening gentlemen,” he said, in a calm, smooth voice.
The bar was still absolutely silent, everyone staring at the man in disbelief.
“I suppose you’re wondering why I would visit a bunch of worthless slobs such as yourselves.” he said flatly. “Okay, I figure none of you are stupid enough to speak while I do, so shut your mouths and listen. You people are lazy. You sit around all day doing practically nothing. I bet none of you even know how to fight.”
Logan briefly considered challenging the statement, as he had trained by himself for years, but he decided against it. The adventurer might see him as a threat.
“This is why I am here. Spread the word. You are a worthless bunch of fools. Prepare yourselves.” he finished.
The crowd stayed silent. They couldn’t quite comprehend the man’s words, even the most sober of them. Logan did*’t either, but he was intent on finding it out.
“What do you mean?” he said, the bar*s attention turning to him.
“You’ll see.* the man said, before exiting the bar.

17-May-2008 07:55:23 - Last edited on 23-May-2008 06:05:46 by Silver Snake

Silver Snake

Posts: 21,393 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Chapter 2.
“I can’t believe it!” the newly appointed Duke roared. “This man can waltz through our defences, kill my father and steal my family’s most prized artefact!”
“We’ve had reports from Varrok that he has spoken to the locals, no doubt arousing trouble” the major of Draynor said.
A meeting had been arranged following the raid. There were twelve of the most prominent figures from around Lumbridge sitting at a table, barely listening as the Duke ranted continuously. It was another scorching day, which did*’t help the concentration levels of the men and women at the table.
“These pesky adventurers must be taken care of!” the Duke shouted, showing no signs of calming down. “I suggest we destroy them!”
“It’s not that simple,” a desert man said slowly. “these adventurers are extremely skilled fighters. We’d have to arouse a huge army to defeat them.”
“Then that is what we’ll do!” the Duke concluded. Nobody dared speak. They knew he had reached a decision.

17-May-2008 07:56:32 - Last edited on 30-Jun-2008 07:15:16 by Silver Snake

Silver Snake

Posts: 21,393 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Logan awoke sweating, his sheets tangled around him. The words the adventurer had spoken haunted him, which was strange, as they weren’t particularly troubling to him when the man said them. He sighed and pulled off his sheets. It very early morning, but it wasn’t cold. He walked to his window and stared out into the massive city. Houses stretched out as far as the eye could see, all at least three stories high. The sun peeked from behind the horizon, almost as though having second thoughts about rising. Logan couldn’t blame it, as that was how he usually felt.
But this day was different. He felt restless, as though he had to do something. All his life he had been a nobody. His talents were never recognised, he was hopeless around girls and he had never really had any close friends. Logan had accepted this long ago though; who’d want to be around ‘the orphan boy’. He wasn’t teased when he was young, but he was generally ignored.
Logan had come to accept that a long time ago. Whenever he felt sad, he would just climb onto the roof of the house he lived in and would stare off into the horizon, wondering what was out there.

17-May-2008 07:56:47 - Last edited on 25-May-2008 05:23:55 by Silver Snake

Silver Snake

Posts: 21,393 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

He realized it seemed childish, but he did*’t care. Who would care? Nobody who knew him would ever speak to him for more than a minute. Except for John, but he could barely be counted because he never STOPPED talking. He sat perfectly still and watched the sunrise. A slight breeze picked up, unusually cold for the middle of summer.
Logan shivered involuntarily and climbed back into his two-room flat.
He looked around his room, realizing for the first time how pathetic it was. He had thought he was doing well for a sixteen year-old, but when he stared at the space he lived in, he saw nothing of value. The bed was cheap, second hand and too small. He never cooked, because he was always working at dinner time, so the gas stove was useless to him. The walls, once white, were now fading to brown, the paint slowly peeling off. The carpet was the worst part. Logan never felt the need to clean it, so it reeked and was now a dark brown. It had once matched the walls.
The bathroom wasn’t exactly flash either. A cheap toilet, a tiny basin and an old metal bathtub were the only objects in the room. It basically reflected on his life; a miserable failure.
He finally came to a conclusion. Whatever the cost, he was going to get out of this dump.

17-May-2008 07:57:16 - Last edited on 25-May-2008 05:24:09 by Silver Snake

Silver Snake

Posts: 21,393 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Chapter 3
Logan tried to get back to sleep, but to no avail. He rolled out of bed after a few hours, onto the stained carpet. He lay there for a few minutes, listening to his own thoughts. He slowly got up and walked out the door. He climbed down the stairs slowly, anticipation gripping his stomach. He was finally going to do something!
He walked out into the street, which was unusually busy for a Saturday morning. Logan paid no attention to this however, as he was intent of finding an exciting opportunity. He had no idea what he was going to do. He wandered through the street aimlessly, hoping that something exciting would happen to him. He was starting to doubt himself. What was he thinking? Just as he was about to give up, he heard a man calling.
“Defend you city! Become a hero! Travel throughout Gielinor! Join the army!” he called.
Most of the passing townsfolk simply ignored him, but Logan saw this as a perfect opportunity. He approached the man and spoke.
“How do I sign up?”
“Simply sign these forms.” the man said automatically, before adding, “say, you’re a bit young, aren’t you?”
“I’m sixteen!” he protested.
“Sixteen eh?” the man scratched his bearded chin. “Normally that’d be too young, but since we’re on strict orders to try and recruit more, I’ll let you in.”

17-May-2008 07:57:32 - Last edited on 15-Jun-2008 20:49:39 by Silver Snake

Silver Snake

Posts: 21,393 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Logan’s heart pounded with excitement. This was it! He was finally going to get out of Varrok and do something! He tried not to let his joy show.
“What does it pay?” he asked, trying to sound professional.
“Fivety coins per day, sixty if you work hard. You can also earn promotions which will earn you more money with less work.” the man said happily. Clearly he was getting paid per person he signed up. He obviously assumed that he had already got Logan.
Logan had to admit, it was good pay. His old job only earned him five coins per hour, so he never got more than thirty per day. Fivety coins would be welcome money.
“Okay, where do I sign?” he said.
“Here,” he said, holding out a pen and paper.
Logan signed after a moments hesitation.
“Congratulations!” the man exclaimed. “You are now a member of the Varrock army!”
Logan grinned. His dreams were finally coming true. And to think he was about to give up! His head was spinning at the excitement of it all.
“When do I start?” he asked.
“You will attend a training session on Monday.” he replied.
“Where is it?”
“For security reasons we cannot tell you. Meet us here at 6 am sharp and we will take you there. Bring lunch, and have a big breakfast. We’re gonna work the hell out of you.”
Logan jerked awake from his semiconscious day-dream. It sounded like he had a tough day ahead of him! He turned to express his concern to the guard, but he ignored him.
“Look, you can’t join the army without training. Now run along now, I’ll see you at 6.”
Logan gulped and turned away.

17-May-2008 07:58:15 - Last edited on 15-Jun-2008 20:50:34 by Silver Snake

Silver Snake

Posts: 21,393 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Chapter 4
Logan woke with a start, thinking he’d overslept. He looked at his clock and sighed in relief. The hands were together. 5:25. He rolled out of bed and lay on the floor, excited. Although he was sad to leave the bar, the excitement of adventure outweighed that sorrow. After he was dressed, he had some cold porridge, more then he would normally have; for he knew there was a tough day ahead.
After making some sandwiches out of stale bread and some left-over lamb, he gathered his belongings and put them in a pack. As he went into the bathroom to gather his things, he stared at his own reflection in the polished steel mirror.
His bright green eyes shone with excitement. His brown hair, which reached halfway down his neck, was matted and unbrushed. His nose was slightly long, and his cheekbones high. Although he did*’t know it, he was a rather fetching 16 year old.
He bounced down the stairs at 5:50, walking briskly to ensure he wasn’t late. He was one of the only people out at this time of day, so the streets of Varrok seemed unnaturally quiet. Logan groaned; it wasn’t cold. That was sure to mean another scorching day ahead, and he had to train in it.

17-May-2008 07:58:23 - Last edited on 02-Jun-2008 03:05:16 by Silver Snake

Silver Snake

Posts: 21,393 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Within a few minutes he was in the city square, where a small crowd of young men had gathered. There were more then thirty, which surprised Logan. He hadn’t been expecting so many people.
It turned out he was one of the last there, because a middle aged man seized control and demanded silence. He wasn’t tall, but was well built, which indicated that he worked out a lot. He had a bushy moustache, which was hard to take seriously because it shook as he spoke.
“Okay ladies, let’s go!” he shouted.
He led them through the maze that was Varrok, darting through tiny streets and cramped alleyways. Logan was amazed that the man could memorize such a complicated path, which he guessed was exactly what they wanted. They couldn’t let the enemy find where they trained.
The man even cut through a few houses, but the occupants were obviously expecting them, for they left the doors open. Logan had never been this deep into the slums. The houses were practically falling apart. Boards covered the faces of the buildings, along with cracked windows. Rotten garbage and sewage lay in the alleyways. The stench was unbearable. Logan couldn’t believe people could live like this.
Then all of a sudden they were there. The houses cleared up slightly to reveal a training camp. Five meter high fences surrounded it, tipped with barbed wire. Guards armed with swords and bows stood by the gate and in watch towers located along the fence. It was obvious they did*’* want any unwanted visitors.
The man nodded to one of the guards, who nodded them through. Logan watched in awe. He was now officially recruited by the army! He could barely contain his excitement as he was led through the gate.

_____
Updates at various intervals throughout the thread, from page 7 onwards. Read on!

17-May-2008 07:58:49 - Last edited on 08-Dec-2011 04:25:58 by Silver Snake

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