RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Chapter 22
<><>
“Our cities began to burn as the Dark One asserted his influence on the World. It was then that we had turned to Mokosh to save us.

Little did we know of the betrayal that would come to pass at The Gate.”

~Skarjil Datashade Glyph [Lore]: Damnation of Mokosh II
<>
“A’right, that’s another area secured!” an Ordinator screamed.

Erevin was watching the work from his perch on a nearby building. So far, the Ordinators and citizens who’ve survived the initial outbreak had seemed to be working together rather coherently- well, as coherently as a bunch of tired and irritable shades could be- and the results were uplifting, to say the least.

They had already established a foothold in the area known as The Den, which was no easy task thanks to the wandering Hounds and gang members who saw the chance to strike back at the guards who were known to interfere with their illicit business. But a swift reprisal from Erevin was all it took to get them to realize it was in their best interests to work together, and he made it all too clear that he couldn’t arrest what he couldn’t find in the aftermath, which was an offer the gangs couldn’t help but take.

The pseudo-vampire had jumped to the ground, and landed in front of a civilian armed with a farmer’s scythe, which startled the poor soul for a brief moment. Erevin ignored the shade, and walked towards a group of Ordinators who were busy clearing rubble from the streets.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

05-Feb-2011 03:47:00 - Last edited on 05-Feb-2011 03:47:30 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

One of the guards had caught sight of him, and saluted at his approach. “We’re making good progress in this area, sir! I estimate that we should be done here within the hour.”

“That’s good,” Erevin said. “But unimportant in comparison to the bigger picture. We might be winning this area, but how many others are being overrun as we speak?”

“Well,” the guard said. “We’ve received word from a Black Guard detachment saying that the Market District has been secured too. And another missive from the Temple District is saying that they’re not encountering any of the creatures at all either.”

“That strikes me as odd,” Erevin said. “Any word from the living quarters?”

“Not yet,” the guard replied. “But if we’re lucky, then maybe they cleared the area out too. We can hope, can’t we?”

“Hey, what’s that?!” a nearby woman cried. Erevin looked over, and followed her outstretched finger to the night sky. He saw massive winged shadows pass by overhead, and one of them seemed to have glowing red eyes.

"That’s…odd,” he said.

“Wait,” the guard said. “The forms…look familiar. Almost like a dragon, but not quite.”

“My best guess would be wyverns,” Erevin said. “Maybe even a cabal of Jabberwockies.”

The winged forms passed overhead again, and this time Erevin caught sight of a figure dropping off from one of them in midair. Another soon followed from a different shadow, and he swore under his breath as they began to slow their descent.

“Alright, who’s the swiftest runner here?” Erevin asked.

An Ordinator stepped forward. “I might not be the fastest,” he said. “But my imp can be pretty quick when he wants to be.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

05-Feb-2011 03:48:07 - Last edited on 05-Feb-2011 03:49:06 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Erevin raised an eyebrow. “You keep an imp?” he asked.

“It’s to remind me of my sister,” he answered. “She was into magic before she passed away from corpse rot a few years back, and her parting gift was an imp she kept around.”

“Sooo…is it here with you?”

The Ordinator nodded, and stepped to the side to reveal a little red imp standing behind him. The small demon’s wings looked to be a bit small for an imp, but other than that it looked just like any other little red imp that mages and skilled hunters were known to keep around from time to time.

“You want somethin’?” it squeaked.

Erevin walked over to the imp, and went down on his knees so he could be sure the little thing was paying attention.

“How fast can you run?” he asked.

“Fast enough ta’ get away from those big t’ings,” it replied.

“Good,” Erevin said. “Now listen carefully.” He relayed his message in a precise manner, and asked the imp to repeat it, which it did. When the spymaster was satisfied that he could count on the little creature, he sent it on its way to the Ordinator commanders in the other districts before jumping to his feet and addressing the guard that owned it.

“You’re coming with me,” he said. He pointed to a few more guards, and continued, “You four, too. We’re going to see just what those falling things were, and why the hell wyverns are flying over the city when they have no reason to be. Be alert, because I’m expecting hostilities.”

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

05-Feb-2011 03:50:32 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:12:11 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Lorkaj watched from his nearby perch as Erevin and his group raced down the city street s towards their objective. The Vampyre let a small chuckle slip before he caught himself. It was all too easy, he thought. Not only did he manage to slip past the palace guards earlier in the day thanks to them being stretched thin while fighting the wolf creatures, but he also managed to find his own prize and track it without even being noticed.

And hell, even the odd creatures wandering around the city weren’t such a distraction either, because they seemed reluctant to attack him at all when they stumbled across his person at different points of the day. Maybe they knew what he was or who he worked for? He doubted the thought, but at the same time he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe the beings were smart enough to recognize a creature of magic as being one of their own in a way.

Without a second thought, Lorkaj leapt from his perch, and transformed into his wolf form as he hit the ground running. A lone Ordinator caught a glimpse of him and let out a cry as the Vampyre sped past him, but by the time the guard patrol had gained the sense to look for a lone wolf, he was long gone and making good speed towards the Temple District.

It was time to end this little hunt once and for all, he decided. Lord Drakan couldn’t be kept waiting any longer.

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

05-Feb-2011 03:50:52

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

V felt something hit him as he fell ever closer to the city below. His vision flipped as he tumbled in the air, and he saw a black form streak towards him, preceded by the sound of flapping wings and a hiss. He tried twisting out of the way, but he couldn’t control his body, and as a result he felt his attacker hit him once more.

This time he caught a glimpse of pale skin, and as his vision straightened, he saw Arial grappling with a large pair of bat-like wings. The pair turned to the side, and it was then that V saw the Vampyre which owned them. The winged humanoid had a feral look on its face, and he saw the beginning of demonic horns growing on its forehead. The creature didn't seem to notice him at all, but when V heard the sound of flapping wings approaching him, it was then he had realized the reason why: it was traveling with a group. A very large one at that, if the sheer intensity of the flapping sounds were any indication of their numbers.

V began concentrating, and felt a tiny spark of the undead magic that his kind possessed flicker at his mental prodding. He managed to cultivate the spark into a small flame, and lashed out with a simple invocation he was taught by a dark mage many years ago.

He flung out his hands, and small sparks of orange electricity jumped from his fingertips and onto an approaching Vampyre. The creature tried to turn out of the way upon seeing the incoming attack, but it couldn’t outrun pure magic, and was soon convulsing as it fell to the ground in a stunned state.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

05-Feb-2011 03:51:34 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:12:51 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Another Vampyre had hit him from the other side, throwing him higher into the air as a result. V twisted in the air, and barked a word of unholy power, which caused the approaching Vampyre’s wings to collapse in on its body with a crack. The falling creature had surprised the one which was engaged in combat with Arial, and it too had begun to fall out of the sky as the general tore himself free of its grasp.

V attempted to right himself in the air as yet another Vampyre had began streaking towards him. The creature’s hiss rang through the air loudly as it came at him with an outstretched spear. V waited as the creature approached him at its rapid speed, and when it was close enough, the undead man had grabbed the spear and held on tightly.

The Vampyre had tried shaking V loose as its allies had caught sight of them grappling with each other, but to no avail. Vampiric strength was almost nothing compared to the strength his own kind possessed, and soon enough the creature had began sinking closer and closer to the city below thanks to the sheer effort of juggling a passenger and the simple task of flying in the first place.

V caught sight of what appeared to be a stable rooftop as he began getting closer to the ground, and kicked against his opponent’s gut, causing it to give a small growl in protest as he propelled himself off of the creature. It turned out he had judged the distance correctly, but that didn't help him in landing ever so gracefully…which in essence could be described as a rolling motion coupled with the occasional jump caused by a small object that just happened to be in the way.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

05-Feb-2011 03:51:53 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:13:17 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

V adjusted his feathered hat as he collected himself and took stock of his surroundings. He saw the Vampyres struggling to handle the rest of his friends and their wyvern mounts, but they were obviously close to losing thanks to the fiery breath of the wyverns burning their numbers to a crisp pretty quickly.

He also saw buildings with strange symbols marked above their arched doorways, and the streets seemed to be relatively maintained and clean despite the fact that there were bodies of Ordinators and Doomhounds alike littering the walkways below his current position. He noticed that some of the street torches were lit as well, indicating that someone had probably secured the area earlier, and was possibly still around at that.

There was also the silhouette of a really large building in the distance, which V thought might have been the Imperial Palace. He could see a faint glow coming from somewhere close to it as well as some muffled sounds, but other than that he couldn’t be sure about what was happening over there.

“Hey, that was some good moves you pulled there,” he heard Joran scream from above. Looking up, he saw that the white-haired shade was falling to the ground slowly, and he realized it must have been because he was surrounded by a purple glow.

Further up was the rest of his group, who were also surrounded by purple auras as well. They were all slowly falling to the ground, and one by one they landed on the rooftop V was standing on at that very moment. Lukil was the last to arrive, and he saw the shade’s yellow eyes begin to fade back to normal as he released his mental command on the Psionic energy he employed to bring them all down to that point.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

05-Feb-2011 03:52:26

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Ah, just great,” Arial said. “Of all places we had to land in, we landed in the Temple District.”

“What’s so bad about that?” V asked.

“See that large building in the distance?” He asked, pointing to the silhouette V noticed earlier. When the undead man nodded, Arial said, “That’s the palace. That’s where we need to be, and right now the Temple District is sort of far away from it.”

“Just how far are we talking about?” V asked.

Arial shrugged. “Normally it would take about an hour or so to get there if there’s not much foot traffic. But if there are those Hounds running around, who knows. And that’s not counting the fact that there might be Ordinators out here who might want to arrest us because of the whole rebellion thing.”

“Alright, now that does sound bad,” V admitted. “Isn’t there a shortcut or something we can use?”

“What about the Temple of Mokosh?” Lukil asked. “I’ve heard that there’s an underground tunnel that runs straight to the palace courtyard.”

“How do we know it’s real, though?” Joran asked.

“We don’t,” Lukil said. “But really, even if it’s fake, the temple is still on the way to the Market District anyway. So it’s not like we’ll have to travel out of the way or anything.”

“As much as I hate to say it, I think that sounds reasonable,” V said.

“Yeah, me too,” Grim agreed. “Besides, there’s sorta somethin’ I wanna see there anyway. I figger at this point it would be a good idea just in case I don’ get that chance later.”

Arial sighed. “Alright, let’s do it then,” he said. “But I’m telling you guys: if this is a waste of time, don’t blame me if we end up missing any chances to keep things from getting out of control.”

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

05-Feb-2011 03:53:36 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:14:04 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Yeah, I think we just lost control of this area big time now!" Uthalion screamed to a nearby Ordinator. The guard only grunted in pain as a Hound sank its teeth into his armor, causing it to fracture under the sheer force of the bite. The unfortunate soul had died within seconds of the attack, causing Uthalion force his gaze away and onto more immediate threats, one which was a guard-turned-Hound that still wore some of the golden armor of the royal soldiers.

Uthalion slashed at the creature’s unarmored thighs as he darted past it, and the Hound let out a small yelp as it fell to the ground while trying to dodge the attack. The creature met its own demise at the hands of some surviving Ordinators who had seen the chance to thin enemy ranks, so Uthalion then turned to attack a Hound that was rushing towards him. The speedy creature feinted to the left, and it was only by pure luck that Uthalion had danced out of the way of the attack just in time to avoid being slashed in two.

The sounds of sword meeting natural skeleton filled his ears as the Hound rammed its horned skull into his midsection, driving him to the ground with a snarl. He heard the faint cries of his allies as the creature shoved its face into his vision, dripping saliva everywhere as it tried snapping its jaws onto his head. Uthalion tried to bring his daggers to bear, but the Hound was the stronger of the two in their current position. Deciding to make one final gamble to save his life, Uthalion summoned all of the strength he had at that point in time.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

05-Feb-2011 03:54:02 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:14:35 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

He felt the fear of death, the fury of seeing his best friend turning into one of the creatures, and the rage of Ukrosha’s current situation. He knew he wasn’t entirely responsible for the mess- he felt that maybe if he didn't start the whole thing, somebody else would have gone in his place- but that didn't stop him from feeling that it was at least partially his duty to survive long enough to end the whole mess.

With a scream of rage, Uthalion kicked the creature. A small blade had emerged from the toe of his boots, and it caused the Hound to snap its eyes wide open as it realized where it had been hit. Uthalion felt a shift in the creature’s weight, and had pushed it off of him as it began to curl up in a ball and whimper.

“Damn,” he muttered to himself. “I can’t believe that actually worked.”

“Heh, I almost feel sorry for the guy,” he heard a low, rumbling voice replied from his side. He turned around and saw the Minotaur, though the bull-man was in bad shape from the looks of things. Cuts and scrapes ran along his exposed arms, and he was missing patches of fur in areas closer to his chest. Even his armor looked to be in bad shape, because it had various dents and chips that he did*’t see there before.

“To be honest I had no clue it was even a guy,” Uthalion answered.

“S’alright,” the Minotaur snorted. “Way I see things, might as well get your shots in while you still can. Looks like we’ll be overrun in the next hour at this rate.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

05-Feb-2011 03:54:22 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:15:15 by A Mad Hatter

Forums

^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^