RuneScape Forum Archive | Clash of the Incarnations

[#5AGSIZET9]

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Artemis stopped. "Well what?" she snapped back, still not facing him. "I have nothing to say to you."

Daigan clenched his fist. "I'm sorry, Artemis."

"I already said not to apologize to me. Go make peace with the Maldens, and the world. Leave me out of it."

Daigan lowered his gaze, staring at the ground. Zharoun eyed him curiously.

"I still haven't given up on you."

Daigan raised his eyes back to Artemis when he heard her voice, and he saw her green eyes looking over her shoulder at him. His dark eyes met the green, and he had never felt as uplifted as then, seeing her face. Even though it was colder than before, the simple fact that she had looked at him was a freeing thought.

"You think like a child. You are obsessed with hating and lashing out. But I still haven't given up on you. Stick with Zharoun, and listen to him. Come back and find me one day, when you've grown up. And whatever you do, don't let yourself be controlled by that stupid burning heart or whatever he called it."

With that, Artemis began walking back toward the woods. Daigan stood there motionless, stilled by the weight of her words. He watched her disappear into the forest, and he kept looking until her vibrant red hair was out of sight.

The Sage patted Daigan on the shoulder. "We need to get going," Zharoun said. "Come. If we move quickly, we may make Varrock before nightfall."

Daigan nodded. Then, he broke eye contact with the woods, and he followed the Sage down the path to the east.

09-Apr-2010 00:54:20

[#5AGSIZET9]

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Chapter Three: The Dwarf Mage

The morning was as cool as any other morning, with a silent mist falling over the silent island. The northwestern seas were mysterious waters, and none were more peculiar than those surrounding the isle of the Moonclan. Here, the ethereal was very real, and dreams were as tangible as the dirt beneath their feet.

The city of the Moonclan looked as inviting as ever. The outer parts of the island were populated by murderous Suqahs, and they never resisted a chance to attack a passerby. Even so, anyone that lived outside the city walls were always prepared for them.

Therefore, the band that made its way across the old paths now was as safe as can be. There were four of them, and, even on this island, a stranger band was rarely seen. In front was a cloaked man, leading the way and using his lava battlestaff as a walking stick. He was cloaked from his neck to his feet in black, which stood out against his silver hair that ran over his shoulders. Though the old wizard, he kept his face clean, without a white beard. His eyes were green, and they had a very serene look. He progressed slowly, checking the ones behind him every so often.

Two people walked behind him. One was a short man, wearing the same cloak as the leader. He stood at about five feet tall, a very small person. He had a bit of dwarf blood in him, and this resulted in his short stature. The other figure was a slender woman of medium height. She too wore a dark cloak, but in her arms was a bundle of cloth. Inside the cloth was a small infant, even smaller than most human children. That was because this child had inherited his father’s genes. He was destined to become a dwarf mage like his father.

09-Apr-2010 00:54:44

[#5AGSIZET9]

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“We’re almost there now,* said the leader, pushing his way up the final hill toward the city walls. They were ascending to the city of the Moonclan, for the time had come to perform the ritual. The family lived on the northern sections of the island, far from civilization, but they were involved in the city many times. However, this time was a special occasion. Every child went through the ritual when he was eight months old, and now the time had come for the baby.

“Father,” the man said. “Do you think he will pass?* His voice betrayed the worry within his heart.

The old man looked back thoughtfully. “He is one of our family, Colrain. He will pass just as easily as you did.”

The woman smiled. She was one of the Moonclan from the city, and she had worried the same thing. Dwarf blood in a human was very uncommon, and it had made many uncomfortable with the family. The old man claimed that Colrain had been conceived on his own, virtually out of magic itself, but not many believed this story. Even so, the old man never complained. He seemed as happy as he had been since Kalda passed away.

The old man led them through the city gates, and they proceeded directly down the street to the temple. The time had come for young Abiel to be tested. The people watched the group as they progressed. Uncomfortable though they were about the dwarf-blood, they respected the old man with unwavering devotion. His study of magic yielded many results for the island, and his wisdom was beyond even the wisest of the natives. No one dared utter a word against him.

The group finally arrived at the temple, and the sage was already waiting on them. “Who asks of me this ritual?” he asked. The sage was old, but his face was covered by a special mask made of lightweight green and blue material. His blue eyes studied the people as he spoke.

09-Apr-2010 00:55:35

[#5AGSIZET9]

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“I, Kaisen,” the old man replied, “request the ritual, as does my son, Colrain. The ritual shall be performed on Abiel, a boy of eight months.”

“I see. And you seek what is hidden in his mind?”

“Please reveal his birthright to us, Wise One,” Colrain replied, bowing his head.

The sage nodded. “So shall it be. Place the boy on the altar, and it shall be done.”

Reila, Colrain’s wife, carefully placed Abiel on the altar. The boy started crying as he lay on the cold stone altar, but the sage waved his hand and whispered, “Be still,” and Abiel immediately fell asleep. The sage took some spices and herbs, mixed into incense, and lit it ablaze. The scent filled the air, and the sage placed his hand on the baby’s forehead.

“Show me the mind and soul of our son,” the sage whispered, and then he fell limply to the ground.

The sage awakened, and he was lying in the middle of a wide temple. The stone floor was warm, and it appeared like a pearl tile that covered the ground. The sage got to his feet and looked around. The temple had four stone pillars on each corner, and in the middle was a large statue. It was made of gold, and it glittered in the sunlight. With the exception of the four pillars, the rest of the temple walls were open to the outside, and the sage could see the vast, endless sky extending beyond the boundary of the temple. The sunlight bathed everything, and not a centimeter of the temple was plagued by a shadow.

“What a pure soul,* the sage remarked, looking at the golden statue. “It is very odd, even for a child.”

The sage walked slowly around the statue, seeing everything he could see inside the temple. Everything was so spotless, it was almost inhuman.

09-Apr-2010 00:57:22

YuBiusk Ink

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Riekan, in a story I'm writing I make a reference to the Cursed Dragon. I want to make sure it's okay with you, since I plan at some point to post it on the forums:
---
Outside the hut, a one-handed werewolf sat on a large barrel, playing the bagpipes. Next to him, a troll juggled a large variety of objects.
“Larion! Larions Hand!” Ezzben snapped. “Thought I told you not ta perferm ov'r 'ere!”
Larion sighed and nodded. “C'mon, Hand, let's—hang on, what in the Abyss is that?” He grabbed from Larions Hand a large egg. Yelping, he dropped it. “Yeesh! That thing is freezing! Where'd you get it?”
Larions Hand shrugged. “I find it on some monk guy here. He dead now.”
A young woman approached. “Hang on. My name's Andarra. That egg resembles something I misplaced. Could I have it?”
Larion shrugged. “Sure.” He tossed it to Andarra.
“Thank you,” she said. “By the way, do you know where I could charter a boat?”
“Alrigh', alrigh'!” the imp said, frustrated. “Clear off, the lot o' ya! Shoo! Shoo!”
“But--* the woman began.
“Look, I'll send somebody ta take ya wherever you like. But ya gotta go!”
The woman reluctantly turned and left.
---

19-Apr-2010 18:39:58 - Last edited on 19-Apr-2010 18:59:07 by YuBiusk Ink

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Thanks for making the reference! Yeah it looks fine to me!

19-Apr-2010 21:20:54

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Then, suddenly, the temple was rocked, and the sage fell to his knees. *What was…,” he began, but then the temple vanished from his sight. He was sitting alone on a small cloud floating over nothing but endless blue. He gazed around, but he was stranded. The temple was nowhere to be found.

The sage then looked further, and he was stunned by his vision. Another cloud floated a few hundred feet from his own, and a single figure stood on it. The sage could not see who it was or his face, but the mere presence of this stranger drove him to his knees again. Such power, the sage thought. “It must be some kind of god,” he said, feeling the air compress around him. “How blessed is this child by the gods?”

The unseen deity raised his hand, and suddenly the entire world collapsed around the Sage. The next thing he knew, he was back in the temple on the Lunar Isle, stumbling away from the sleeping child on the altar. Kaisen, Colrain, and Reila stared at him, alarmed by his panting and sweat.

“What did you see?* asked Kaisen.

The old sage, still shaken, recounted what he had seen. They were amazed by his report, and Kaisen said, “What do you make of it?”

“I cannot say,* the old man replied. “However, I can say for certain that this child is very special. The Moonclan would be proud to accept him as our own.*

Colrain and Reila rejoiced, and then they bowed to the sage. “Thank you,” they replied in unison. Reila joyfully picked up her son from the altar, holding him close.

The sage nodded, his eyes still wide from his encounter. Colrain and Reila turned to leave, but then they noticed that Kaisen was not moving. “You two go on ahead,” Kaisen said. “I will catch up.”

Colrain eyed him curiously, but then he led his wife out of the temple, leaving Kaisen and the sage alone to discuss Abiel’s mind.

---------------

19-Apr-2010 21:21:28

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Colrain and Reila exited the city by the east gate, preparing to cross the vast wasteland between the city and their home. They bounced along the trail as they went, overwhelmed by joy at what had happened. The sage examined all children of Moonclan members that had come from the outside, and only with his permission could the child become one of the Moonclan. Since Kaisen had come from across the sea, his family was still considered outsiders.

Reila looked with pride on the sleeping child she held. Abiel was now a member of the Moonclan. However, she felt a tinge of uneasiness in her heart at what the sage had seen. What was the significance of her son?

The couple traveled along the road, winding their way through the gray hills of the Lunar Isle. Then, they noticed a traveler walking toward them from down the path. The stranger was covered in a black cloak and a hood that obscured his face. He moved with power and purpose, and as soon as Colrain saw the stranger, he was suspicious. This traveler had an evil aura hovering around him. Colrain moved closer to Reila, walking slightly in front of her.

As they approached, the cloaked man stopped. Colrain continued, but he stopped Reila when he heard the man speak. “I was wondering when you would return,” the man said. “I had almost given up entirely.”

“You know me?” Colrain demanded, gripping his staff tightly.

“Only through rumors,” the stranger replied. “So, you are the dwarf-human hybrid I was told about.”

“Who is asking?”

“Someone that expects an answer.”

Colrain eyed the man, but he could discover nothing about him. The man’s body was covered entirely, and he was not ready to divulge any information to Colrain. “The name is Colrain,” he said. “Now what’s yours?”

The man chuckled. “I find your manner distasteful, hybrid. But I am called Casavar.”

“Distasteful? It is rude of a guest to speak in such a manner. Why have you come?”

19-Apr-2010 21:21:55

[#5AGSIZET9]

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"I need a subject for my research," the stranger said. "I need a hybrid. And it appears as though I am in luck."

"You want me?" said Colrain, holding his staff in front of his body. The stranger chuckled.

"So kind of you to volunteer, but I have found that children and infants work much better for my... field."

"Abiel!" exclaimed Colrain, and Reila turned away, holding the baby tightly to her chest. Flames leaped around Colrain, and his staff glowed with the influx of magic. "We will never give him to you!"

The man bowed his head. "Nor would I expect you to." And suddenly he vanished.

Colrain spun instinctively, and he saw the cloaked man reappear in a cloud of acrid smoke beside Reila. The man slipped a pitch-black hand out of his sleeve and reached for the baby. Colrain lowered his water battlestaff slightly and fired a shot of water. It barely slipped by Reila, and it collided with the attacker. It caught the man on the chest, and it sent him flying backwards down the path.

The man landed hard on the ground, but he quickly got back on his feet. Colrain rushed around his wife, guarding her from him. The man started to laugh. "I thought her body was shielding me!" he said. "That was an excellent angle."

Colrain looked back harshly. "Stay away from my wife and my son," he said, his water staff still raised.

The man's tone darkened. "My research will not be interrupted by someone like you," Casavar spat. "If you will not hand him over to me, I shall show you no mercy."

Casavar rolled back his long sleeve, and he revealed his arm to Colrain. The arm was long, slender, and jet-black. It had fiery red runes carved into it from the elbow down to the hand, and above the elbow, it was layered in coarse scales.

Colrain stiffened as he saw Casavar’s arm. “What is that?”

19-Apr-2010 21:22:32

[#5AGSIZET9]

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“A little acquisition I picked up in Freneskae,” Casavar replied with a smile. “It belonged to a Shadowscale, a powerful dragon-like creature found way down in the pit region.” Casavar clenched the fingers, forming a fist. “Let me show you what it does.”

Casavar opened his palm to Colrain, and revealed a red rune directly on the palm. Energy pulsed through the hand, and then the arm let loose a stream of fire directly at Colrain.

Colrain tensed. “Move, Reila!” he barked, and then he held out his staff. He tapped into his own magic, and he returned a stream of water. The two attacks met in midair, releasing a cloud of steam and heat across the battlefield. Colrain strained to see through the cloud, but suddenly he noticed a dark figure standing in it.

“I don’t really care for this,” Casavar said, annoyed.

Colrain looked, and he saw that the stranger had lowered his hood. As the cloud vanished entirely, Colrain saw the horrific man’s face. Casavar was bald, and his pale white skin was clean all around his head. However, his eyes were what drew Colrain’s gaze. The eyes looked as though they were made of glass. Both of Casavar’s eyes were crystalline, and each had a blood-red pupil hovering in the middle of the crystal, almost as though it wasn’t a solid pupil at all, but a field of color in nothingness.

“I can see that you have quite a bit of magic at your disposal,” Casavar said, pensive.

“What do you mean?” Colrain demanded.

Casavar pointed to his eyes. “These eyes are relics of another creature of Freneskae. It is called an Ectoprey, and it feeds on the ghosts that linger in the Necraeda region. For this reason, it has the ability to see magic and spirits. I can examine my subjects at will, and see everything present. Therefore, I can see that your magical energy reserves are vast indeed. Because of that, it would be better for me to end this now, rather than draw it out.”

19-Apr-2010 21:22:55

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