RuneScape Forum Archive | Fall From Grace

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2020

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Before the ravaged man realized, his hand pushed open the door into the dungeon. Down into the bowels of the dark, not taking a torch with him, Gallows plunged. Fathoms deep into the thick, conquering black, he was careless with his step. But he slowly began focused, knowing he had to do this. There was no ifs, ands, or buts about it, this was to prove he was still the Gallows all knew and feared.

Footsteps echoed through the quiet black, down far below the king. Gallows had traveled down several flights of stars, and now, he walked in darkness. Every sound he made roamed through the silence for centuries, ringing out all over the place. The prison cells all along the path he advanced down empty, but skeletons and rotting carcasses made up for its lack of living residence.

Though the rancid flow of air burned the very hairs of his nostrils, Gallows himself was unfazed. He had been down here enough to know exactly what he was to face, and how to deal with it. His glowing sky-blue eyes cleaving through the shadow like a blazing sword through jelly, piercing its trunk through its heart.

His face worn without expression, without feeling. Somber by the idea of killing this boy jammed into his skull, Gallows knew he had to do this. It was the one and only way, he was a man who prided himself of his loyalty, his integrity. Yet the two things were in opposition, forced to fight until one surely perished.

His way led straight to a child, him just laying on his bed. The boy's body was turned on his left, his dirtied face looking at the faulty sink. To keep himself occupied, he listened as the water droplets crashed into the hollow space and counted them. One, two, three... After a while, one-hundred, one-hundred-and-one, one-hundred-and-two... It just went on and on, an endless ladder that led nowhere.
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09-Oct-2014 00:39:04 - Last edited on 04-Nov-2014 13:55:26 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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BBut from a distance, the young boy Rolf could hear Gallows' steps crack as loud as thunder in this silence. Like his heartbeat in his head, pounding, pulsating, sounding off throughout this place. The sound of his armour flapping with his motion, his chainmail rattling. It grew stronger with every single one of Rolf's breaths, catching his attention.

Hope filled the boy's heart, yanking his restless head off of his pillow. His eyes draped with bags like curtains, his exhausted eyes shuffled off to his left. Finally finding himself in the light, the hardened general looked as though he were on the verge of the end, like a zombie wandering. He appeared like a silhouette, his back to the light but his front towards the cell.

The young boy's lips stretched upwards, his smiling face eagerly catapulted off of his bed. Gallows had brought life to his dead eyes, gave him light when he was left with darkness. "Mister Sergius!" he exclaimed, rushing up to the front. His deathly pale skinned hands grasped tightly around the bars, his cheeks smushed up against the cold steel.

Gallows turned towards the cell door, the keys to the door jingled like a Christmas melody. With a easy push and a twist, the scarred general unlocked the door. He pulled it open, making it let out a sharp screech that was painful to Gallows' ears. Once the prison door opened, Rolf wasted no opportunity, rushing over to the general.

He quickly threw himself around Gallows, wrapping his little arms around him. It was a tender embrace, Rolf closing his eyes and turning his head to the right. Gallows knew not how to respond, his left hand yanked up. Though reluctant at first, a stutter-like motion became certain. His left hand planted upon the top of the boy's head, a warm, gentle smile finding Gallows' face.

"You're back..." the boy said gleefully.
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09-Oct-2014 00:39:42 - Last edited on 04-Nov-2014 13:57:42 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Gallows shook his head. "...Yes, that's right," he confirmed softly to the boy, the weight of his task now truly coming down upon him in this moment. He let out a heavy sigh, looking down upon the little boy.

Rolf pulled off of Gallows, his head turned upwards and looked up at Gallows. But then it shuffled, frantically looking for something. "Where's big brother and sister?" he asked curiously and with worry. "I miss them... I wanna see them! Can I!? Pleeeeease?"

To some respect, Rolf could. But it would require an action so despicable that one would call it inhumane, possibly of a devil who knew not how to walk this earth. Gallows just looked down at the boy with half-closed eyes, his face heavy like dampened cloth. Thoughts far more darker and cruel than this rotting dungeon caressed his mind, clenching him by the chin.

Gallows had this look in his eyes, somber but dull as a blunt sword. The general just continued to blankly stare down at the boy, his body like a coin. One side resembled darkness, his right side being almost completely cloaked in black. The other side was light, his left side was in fire's light. His eyes pierced through the veil, shattering through the darkness.

Rolf grew more and more concerned with every passing second, Gallows simply giving the boy a haunting, soulless gaze in exchange of his request. "Mister Sergius," he named with question. "are you... not feeling good?"

What kind of monster he must have been to think of this, his eyes seeing now the boy's body upon the floor. It oozed with blood, rolling down to his boots. "Mister Sergius!" the boy shouted, but he still didn't get anything. Instead, Gallows' hand reached across his body. His hand fastened around the handle of his sword, quickly ripping it out of its sheath.

Rolf's eyes quickly flipped to the source of the sound, seeing the gleaming sword's body have the image of dancing flames reflect off of it. "...M-Mister Sergius?" the boy nervously stuttered.
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09-Oct-2014 00:41:18

Jul

2020

Serene End

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I am loyal to both my king and my kingdom, this is something I must do... It was a line Gallows repeated more times than he could even begin to count, his quivering hand causing his sword to rattle. Gallows whimpered painfully beneath his teeth, fighting himself to both kill the boy and for him to just walk away.

"Forgive me, little one," the general softly beseeched Rolf, gently closing his eyes. Gallows readied his sword, readied himself to accept the consequences of his actions. "...But this is something I must do."

A horrific action about to be made went on in the hell that was the Governanti kingdom, but ascending upwards led to another place. Neither heaven nor hell, darkened by the rain that continued to fall down. A familiar room that Gallows had just left, the room where the king carefully looked down upon his city -- a city as empty and hollow as the heart he once had.

He still stood in front of that same window, his mind a fog, his sense of direction non-existent. But even after the unbearable thought of his sister no longer being at his side weren't enough, now something else had turned up. Scorched in a blue flame, a heartrending cry for mercy murmured from him as he reached for a man he thought he knew.

But that person was gone, his stolid gaze watched down in silence as Balor suffered. But no more, turning his back upon the king who begged to be saved. That was the sense of betrayal Balor felt, and he knew that he had to correct it; to make wrong right. A simple knock popped at his door, breaking the silence of the room.

"Come," the king's voice then gave clearance to the one behind the door, thus causing it to swing open. Revealed behind its wooden lips was an elderly woman, Medea Ishvara to be exact. She and her servant Ulyssa stepped into the room, the secretary's sky blue gaze flipped to her left. She dug into Balor's doublet, carving a deep hole into his back.
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09-Oct-2014 00:41:51

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2020

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Ulyssa closed the door behind Medea, while the elderly woman proceeded forward. "My king," Medea named with a kind voice, standing now just behind him. Her torso leaned forward, bowing respectfully to Balor. "It is not often that I am called into your presence."

"It is not often that I think I need to call you," Balor replied, not turning to her. "You are quite capable of your position."

"You flatter me, sire," she returned. "Please, my lord, what is it that you might need this old lady for?"

"Momus Bres Barn," he began to speak to her, naming his uncle right from the gun. "how well are you acquainted with him?"

"Quite well, sire," she replied, then quickly lifting up her head. "Now that we've hit this topic, there has been something I've actually been meaning to inform you of in regards to Momus. That is, if you'll allow it, my lord."

Her reflection appeared on the glass surface of the window, though faint. He turned to that reflection, his sapphire blue eyes agaze, bolting at the secretary. "I'm listening," Balor responded, accepting the request to speak.

"I will be blunt," Medea told her king. "I suspect Momus as a turncoat."

"Evidence?"

"In the past several years, Momus has frequented the Bemused Buzzard," she explained. "As you know, that was the tavern that was linked to the Resistance. I followed him there once, overheard him talking to several hushed voices. They conspired, plotted nothing but devious, deplorable actions against your family and the entire city. Momus was their inside man, leaking information that helped better their attacks and assaults upon our cities."

"How intriguing," the king thought, pondering her words. "It is no wonder how the Resistance managed to become the large thorn-in-my-side as they were. And you say Momus was the one who helped them become this?"
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09-Oct-2014 00:42:30 - Last edited on 20-May-2015 18:44:02 by Serene End

Jul

2020

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"Without question, sire," Medea strongly affirmed, shaking her head.

"You know, it's rather hilarious," he said. "I've heard many things myself in regards to that subject. Care to lend me your ear for a moment? I simply cannot contain my laughter."

"Of course, sire,"

Balor snickered with amusement, turning his torso to his right. He looked back at the bowing secretary, who peered upon his face. "Heh, it's quite the joke," he informed her, laughing the whole way. "I was told that it was Momus and you that have been conspiring behind my back! You and Momus, both stabbing me in the back like that! Amusing, isn't it!?"

"A-absolutely, sire!" the secretary agreed, beginning to laugh in a fake, forced manner.

"You know what's really quite amusing?" Balor then asked, his laughter suddenly yielding to an earnest blast, his hand drawing Arbandor. "How you think me so blind and deaf that I cannot see nor hear when I am being deceived."

Medea's laughter halted quickly, her face reacting to her alert and panic. "Wha-whatever do you mean, my lord!?" she apprehensively asked. "I-I would never—!"

Balor's body turned around in full, his entire front now facing the old lady full of angst. His dark leather boots laid heavy upon the floor, the king on the move. "—You would never, what?" his voice bursting through the old lady's words, drawing closer to her. She began to step away as he stepped forward, playing a game of catch-up until the wall would be the ultimate decider of fate. "Come now, you know as well as I that being a seamstress of dishonesty is not your forte. Now, give me a reason not to still your deceptive tongue for eternity."
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09-Oct-2014 00:46:01

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Up against the wall, her terrified expression revealed her state of mind: a frantic search for an answer. Balor bearing down upon her, his jarring eyes drilling through her face like acid rain. Ulyssa darted over, stepping to Balor's side. "Please, Your Majesty," she pleaded. "Do not punish her, punish me! I forced her into deception, to work with the Resistance!"

Medea looked over to Ulyssa, her right index finger pointing at her. "Yes, yes," she swiftly agreed. "That's right! The Resistance threatened to kill me if I did not help them! Momus acted like their knife, putting it up to my throat 'less I complied! So, plea—!"

Was she just about to betray not only him, but the young woman who so desperately tried to save her? No, Balor couldn't take it anymore. The king put his blade to Medea's throat, very quickly slashing across it. Gliding through, severing all the major veins and arteries as effortless as swinging across air. Arbandor easily slashed her throat, Balor's apathetic eyes watched the blood drenched her dress.

The old lady clenched her throat, the blood rolled down her hand, her voice gurgling harshly under a pond of her own blood. She collapsed onto the floor, her consciousness fading into the black. Hollow eyes looked down upon Medea, watching as her final moments play out. Medea's servant quickly dropped to her knees, grabbing and shaking the secretary in a frenzy. "My lady!" she pitifully whimpered. "...Lady Medea!"

She began to cry over the fallen body of her owner, not like any other slave who would relish in their death. Balor closed his eyes, putting his sword up in front of him. His profound-blue eyes observed the secretary's blood drip down off of his blade's tongue, staining the floor below. "...What a mess," Balor sighed heavily.
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09-Oct-2014 00:47:04

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Hearing the young woman mourn over the death of Medea, Balor's eyes couldn't help but to cast a gaze upon her. He saw her over the secretary's still corpse, in tears and in pain. "I know not why you choose to lament," the king commented, sheathing his blade. "She intended to use your body to cushion the fall of her actions."

"...She took me away from there ," Ulyssa spoke in the midst of her cries, a quiet but deep sense of anger beneath.

"I see it has yet crossed your mind," Balor mentioned. "She had a husband, a human named Salath. And when Medea was caught conspiring against the Imperial Kingdom, she threw a claim that she was being forced by her husband into offering support or else she would die. Since she was a god and her husband was a human, Salath was killed as a result."

"She told me all of that,"

"Oh, did she?" Balor said, kneeling down beside Ulyssa. "Surely then she told you about how her claim was actually false, she truly was working with the Resistance. She allowed her husband to make the ultimate sacrifice, fearing death. Salath knew nothing of her crimes until the point where they came to light, where she willingly discarded him like he meant nothing to her."

Ulyssa froze at this moment, looking over at Balor with a flabbergasted expression. Balor clenched his hands together, looking to Medea's soulless face. "It makes one ponder for a moment..." Balor went on. "Maybe she only acquired him for that reason, just as she acquired you. Surely everyone would agree that a human could conspire against Imperial Kingdom, but dared never thought a fellow kinsman could as well."

Balor shook his head. "She cared not for you," he asserted calmly and quietly, looking to Ulyssa. "She found you, gave you sanctuary, fed you lies until you could taste nothing else, and made you loyal to her... All for the sole purpose of being her way out, of being her scapegoat."
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09-Oct-2014 00:52:15 - Last edited on 04-Apr-2016 19:41:09 by Serene End

Jul

2020

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It made sense, Ulyssa realized. So much hiding, so much sneaking around, so many strange people coming over. Just like that time before, when Raphael and Momus came for a visit. Though she knew nothing about Raphael, Ulyssa began putting the pieces together. Balor was able to see it on her face, her gaining ground upon the truth.

Balor stood up onto his feet, folding his hands together behind his back. "I ask you now," the king spoke to the human once more. "why do you cry over the death of a person who would not shed a tear for you?"

He knew he had gotten through to her, the look in her eyes and on her face told the whole tale. With a turn, Balor moved to his left and began walking towards the door. His hand clenched the doorknob, flicking his wrist and pulling it open to reveal the way. Loyal Knights stood at the sides, stoic and incapable of moving. But they do the moment their king popped his head out of the room, his eyes looking to them.

They stood tall and straight, placing their left hands on the right side of their chests. "My lord," they respectfully greeted, humbled by his presence.

"Bring to me Momus Barn," he ordered. "I need to have a word with him."

The knights shook their heads. "At once, sire," they acknowledged, doing as told. The knight at the left of the door began walking away, going now to find their king's uncle. Once the deed was done, Balor closed the door shut. He awaited now his guest, the confrontation between him and the man he suspected but never thought a traitor began brewing in his mind.

Elsewhere but not too far, Lucia sat alone in her room. Yes, that room where so many things had happened, where she had confessed her true feelings to Balor in regards to the Resistance and the humans. But such things were as distant as a lost echo, gone away into the nothing and everything of time.
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09-Oct-2014 00:53:02

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2020

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Unlike her brother's room, her room was well-lit, candlelights all around. But much like her brother, her eyes were glued to the outside. Her pale blue eyes upon the city she was born in, where she was raised. A city and country she was born to rule, a fate bound to her. But Lucia's mind would not budge, would not move an inch.

She didn't want to think, she couldn't make herself. She was done with all that built up sorrow, her eyes then turning down to her left shoulder. If she were done, why does she still wear his arm cloak? She couldn't let go of the past, even if she wanted to. She just breathed, casting her gaze to the outside world, an attempt to break free from the slavery that her mind snared her in.

And still, this rain would not break, would not falter. Like an army on the verge of victory, they fought and died all in the name of glory. Lucia kept on looking, like looking out there would give her an answer to a long forgotten question. The onyx-headed queen sighed, her right hand planted upon the glass clenched tightly.

There was then a thick chill in the air, the fire of each candle flickered and blow off in the direction of Lucia as though someone had quickly walked by them. Each candle that this bone-chilling wind passed burnt out, stolen of its flame. One by one, they fell, robbing Lucia's attention. The queen felt a pair of eyes draw like an arrow upon a bowstring, shooting into her back.

A presence of another person enveloped the room, a presence as black as the deepest darkness. But not just black, but red. Red like a violent fever, red like a blinding rage, red like the Hunter's Moon. Lucia was not alone anymore, she realized. She was found by a presence like a fog, a thick, dense fog. It was overwhelming, dark, ireful, resentful... Her eyes peeled off of the glass, looking now at what was behind her.
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09-Oct-2014 00:53:39

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