forums.rs

Forums

The Empty Lord

Quick find code: 49-50-445-56488303

of 122
[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Update:
Well, the end is almost here! I have quite a bit of new material to post, and as of now it is getting very close to the finale. At some point between now and Wednesday, I will post what I have. Hopefully, I can get enough time before that to finish this off!
Thanks to those that have tolerated my slow pace and stuck with me to the end. :)
PS: I did add you, Toby, but you haven't been on when I got on. I don't go ingame all that much. Sorry!

16-Nov-2009 20:36:49 - Last edited on 16-Nov-2009 20:38:18 by [#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Chapter Thirteen: One Last Stand
Viggora turned away impassively, and he went back to the doorway. Once again he did not notice Ruari behind the suit of armor, who was frozen in shock at the suddenness of the Queen's death. Then, the resolve returned to his eyes. He was looking for an opening.
Zaros had forgotten he was there. He was too busy watching Viggora bring out the next victim. Zaros was hoping against all odds that it wasn't her, but he knew all along that Zamorak would save her for last.
Sure enough, when Viggora returned through the door, he brought with him Calina, bound with ropes.
"No!" Zaros yelled, glaring at Zamorak. "Leave her out of this!"
"It's your choice whether or not she has anything to fear," Zamorak replied coldly.
"Use your magic, Calina!" Zaros said quickly toward his daughter, but he could see that she was too scared to think clearly.
"Use your magic, and your father dies," Zamorak replied, and Zaros could tell by the look in his daughter's eyes that it was over.
Viggora brought Calina over and sat her where her mother had died moments before. She sat there quietly, staring imploringly at her powerless father. Zamorak stood over her, his blood-stained scimitar trained to strike.
"Now, Zaros," he whispered again. "You know what I want. Give it to me, or else."
It felt to Zaros like a century had elapsed since Esther had told him to refuse Zamorak's offer, at the price of her own life. Now, it was their daughter that was in danger's path. Their daughter, the one that Zaros would have traded his Empire to save.
"We both know you're going to do it," Zamorak continued. "You are a human; give in and the pain will go away."
"The pain will never go away," Zaros replied.

19-Nov-2009 00:10:00

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Just then, Ruari made his move. Everyone's attention was on Zaros, and Ruari sprinted across the balcony, weaving his way between the demons on his way to the center of the scene. The demons howled as he passed, but none could stop him. He made it all the way to where Zamorak, Viggora, and Calina stood near the throne. His sword drawn, Ruari struck at the unsuspecting General's neck. Without his magic, all Zamorak could do was turn and watch as a lowly human dealt his deathblow.
Ruari's blade made it to less than a foot away from Zamorak's neck, and then it collided with the blade that Viggora threw up in defense. Zamorak was safe, and Zaros's last hope as good as dead.
Zamorak smiled. "Good try, but you must realize that you're just a human."
Viggora pushed Ruari away from Zamorak, and then three demons rushed the bodyguard from behind. They stabbed their powerful claws into his body, leaving barely a square inch of his torso free of wounds. Death was very quick, but Ruari still managed to get off a few words before he died.
"I'm sorry...Lord Zaros," he muttered before his coughed up blood, and then he fell over limp, dying while still hanging in midair by the demon's claws.
"Eat him if you wish," Zamorak told the demons, and then he turned back to Zaros. "Well, your pathetic guardian bought you a little more time to think. What will it be?"
Zaros looked painfully into his daughter's eyes. Calina was crying, traumatized by the sudden execution of Ruari. His heart broke as he saw her pain.
"Time's up," Zamorak announced, and then he raised his hand to attack.
"Stop!" Zaros yelled, and Zamorak listened. "I'll do it."
Zamorak's eyes shone with victory. "Let's do it, then."
The demons released Zaros, but stayed very close to him, ready to strike should he try anything. Zaros stumbled over to his daughter, who looked up at him. She was confused.

19-Nov-2009 00:11:00

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Zaros hugged her on his way. "I know what I'm doing," he whispered to her. "Everything will be alright."
"I am in agreement," Zamorak replied. "Now do it, I've waited too long for this moment."
Zamorak tossed the Staff of Armadyl to Zaros. The Emperor caught it, and as he did so he realized what he was about to do. He shrugged it off.
Zamorak opened his arms wide, ready to accept the status of god. Zaros moved in to perform the ritual.
And he saw that Armadyl was standing between him and Zamorak.
Zaros was thrown by his sudden arrival. "Where did you...?"
"I'm not really here, Zaros," Armadyl replied softly. "I'm projecting myself through the Staff." He looked the fallen Emperor up and down. "I can't say that I'm happy with your growth."
Zaros scowled. "Stand aside. I have a job to do."
"As I said, I'm not really here. No one can see me but you. In fact, no one can even hear this conversation. So, if you really want to continue, you can end this. However, there is something that you should know first."
Zaros stopped, but he didn't look Armadyl in the eye. "You know as well as I do that he will not spare you or Calina after you give him the Mantle. You just want her death out of your control. And you're willing to sacrifice countless generations to his evil to achieve it."
Zaros growled, "Don't you understand? No, you don't. You've been a god for far too long, but I'm still a man! You wouldn't understand what it's like to lose a daughter, or even worse, to have her die because of you!"

19-Nov-2009 00:12:24

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
"You are selfish. Deep down you know what must be done. And I know that you have the right heart to withstand it and do what is right. Well, here it is then. The Staff has a Recall Spell built in. All you must do is crush it with your magic, and it will return to me. You can send it back to me and deny Zamorak the opportunity to terrorize future generations, or you can give him what he wants, and forget the consequences. It is your choice, Zaros. But please, don't be the Empty Lord he makes you out to be."
And, just like that, Armadyl was gone.
"What are you doing?" demanded Zamorak, annoyed. "I said to hurry and administer the Mantle!"
The conflict within Zaros had arisen again. He replayed his nightmare in his mind, where he watched Esther and Calina die at his own hand. Here it was, the moment where he would decide whether or not it would come true.
Calina was still silent. She looked up to her father, her eyes filled with...it looked something like...trust?
Then, it all came back to Zaros.
"Whatever goes for me goes for my daughter," Esther had said one of those days in the garden of the palace. "She's only five, but she is very strong and very smart. We are the strongest women in the Empire, aren't we?"
Zaros laughed. "You must be, to stand beside me."
Esther smiled, but Zaros could tell that she was serious. "We'll stand beside you through anything. We believe in you."
Calina's eyes told the story. The fear was still there, but Zaros could distinctly tell that his words had helped her. She was still standing beside him.
Zaros lowered the Staff. The pain tore at every inch of his body and soul, and the anger still boiled. However, he still managed to form a coherent response. "Never," he whispered. Then, he crushed the Staff in his hand. He felt it vanish into the void, the decision made.

19-Nov-2009 00:13:53

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Zamorak was stunned. His face burned with rage, and then he roared in frustration. "You! You think you can do this?" Zamorak punched out, and his fist connected with Zaros's jaw. The Emperor was thrown backwards, down onto the lower part of the balcony. The demons immediately converged on him, pinning him in place. They raised him up, forcing him to watch as Zamorak stood over Calina.
"This is your fault, you fool!" he bellowed, and then he swung the blade.
Zaros wanted to warn Calina, to tell her to use her magic, but nothing would come. He only watched in a hazy nightmare while Zamorak severed her tiny neck. Her two pieces fell to the stone floor, Zaros's last family member destroyed.
Zaros was ruined. His Palace was in flames behind him; demons and Mahjarrat ran through his cities, striking down anyone unlucky enough to cross their path. Zaros had watched as one by one, Azzanadra, Akthanakos, Sliske, and Spyridon met their fates, and no one loyal to him remained by his side. Then, the two he cared about most, Esther and Calina, were gone as well. One void after another had appeared in his world, and now nothing remained. All that was left was a well of hate and Zamorak before him.
And then, Zaros broke. The floodgates opened in his mind; the hatred that he burned with was released. Zaros lost complete control of his mind, he felt his limbs become numb, as though he was no more than a ghost watching his body move itself. When he spoke, he felt like it came from miles away.
"Curse you...Curse you!" he bellowed, his voice resounding powerfully around the chaotic city. "All of you!" Then, Zaros felt it. The power that he had searched for, that he had tried for so long to elicit, came pouring out. His Khanu magic reserve all but emptied itself, flowing out into the form of a powerful curse. He had no idea that he wielded the power to create this, but the curse was more fearsome than anything he had ever felt.

19-Nov-2009 00:14:25

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Then, it hit him. His magic had returned.
The boiling rage carried him; nothing crossed his mind besides the pure, uninhibited desire to tear Zamorak's limbs away one by one. Khanu would have been a good choice to fight with, but he instinctively went back to Phori.
Zaros released a wave of shadows to either side. The darkness enveloped the two demons that held him, killing them quickly. Zaros held out his hand, and his Sword that lay beside the throne flew up into his hand. He caught it in midair, and then he carved his way through the crowd of demons. Any monster that tried to stand between him and Zamorak was beheaded before it could defend itself. One, two, three, five, eight; they all fell before the enraged Zaros.
Finally, Zaros's way was clear. He launched himself at Zamorak, but his blade clashed with that of the General. Zamorak and Zaros remained there, hung in a single moment. The great Emperor and his betrayer, glaring into each other's eyes, both burning with anger and hatred toward the other. Brothers, bound by hatred.
Zamorak growled, "I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart. You--"
Zamorak never finished, because at that moment, Zaros reached out and grabbed Zamorak's sword, wrenching it free from his grasp and throwing it over the edge of the balcony. In one fluid motion, he swung his own sword, and fired a jagged shot of ice into Zamorak's abdomen. Zamorak pivoted and dodged, and then he tried to heave Zaros to the side, but he didn't have a good enough hold. Zaros did.
The Emperor swung his General upward with enormous strength, sending him flying parallel to the palace wall. Zaros made three quick cuts with his sword, and shadowy extensions of his blade followed Zamorak's path. Zamorak managed to spin, and he saw them coming. He struck back with a wave of fire. The flames collided with the shadows in midair, and the resulting explosion tore the outer layer of brick from the wall.

19-Nov-2009 00:15:06

[#5AGSIZET9]

[#5AGSIZET9]

Posts: 3,564 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Then, Zamorak noticed a shadow extending upward through the smoke. The made a move to block it, but it wasn't an attack. The shadow missed him, and then once it had passed by his position, it opened up to reveal that Zaros was within it. He was using the shadow like a cloak to protect him and carry him up here. Zaros wasn't waiting for Zamorak to get back to the ground: he wasn't thinking like he usually did in battle.
Zamorak threw up another defense, but it was too late. Zaros had struck with another shadow attack from point blank range. Zamorak was spared the wrath of the attack, but it sent him flying backward into the weakened palace wall. The bricks shattered with the impact, and Zamorak plunged through and into the throne room. He had barely rose back to his feet when another shadow blast hit him square on, throwing him thirty feet down the aisle. His back collided with Zaros's majestic throne, and he plopped down into the seat, his bones rattling.
Zaros came through the gaping hole in the wall in a shower of darkness. The shadow cloak flowing violently around him as he shot across the throne room toward the Mahjarrat sitting on his throne. He cleared the distance in no time at all, ready to make another cut at his foe. Then, Zamorak roared, "Enough!"
The throne and the entire dais burst into an inferno, flames leaping from every inch of ground. Zamorak sat safely in the middle of the blaze, and Zaros was thrown away from the throne. He returned upright, which wasn't so much getting to his feet as letting the cloak turn his head back up over the rest of his body.

19-Nov-2009 00:16:18

Quick find code: 49-50-445-56488303 Back to Top