RuneScape Forum Archive | Fall From Grace

Jul

2020

Serene End

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The candle's wax was a dark red, appearing in liquid form due to the heat of the candle chewing through it. It oozed down the candle's trunk, finding its place among the collection of crimson-colored wax that pooled around the feet of the candle. It appeared much like blood, surrounding the lifeless candle.

The noble's stomach couldn't help but sink, disconcert by this brought to him. His skin squirmed as though he laid in a tub of nightcrawlers, getting struck by a bolt of shivers. He rekindled his focus, ripping his eyes off of that candle and back to the door. With a somewhat self-assured twist, Momus pushed open the door and stepped out of the room.

With a simple gentle slam to confirm its closure, Lucia knew Momus was no longer in this room. Although she absolutely did not doubt her uncle's love, the queen knew that there was something else lying just below the surface of Momus' being. He hid something behind his lips, a secret agenda, a hidden motivation without a known intention.

Momus headed for that room, a room in which Balor found himself. Sitting comfortably at the cleared table in the center of the room, the crowned king patiently awaited his guest. His elbows pressed up against the rim of the table, his hands clenched together as though he were praying and up against the lower half of his face.

In front of him, an empty cup for tea, complete with its plate just beneath. There was another cup just in front of the empty chair across from him, presumably for Momus when he arrives. Outside of Balor's room, his Loyal Knights, standing guard over their king. At the sides of the door, spears carrying the banner of the Imperial Kingdom in hand.
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09-Oct-2014 01:08:10

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Down the hallway, Momus approached. His light blue eyes gazed upon the knights, knowing that he had to take them out. From down the hallway to right in front of the knight closest to him, Momus appeared in a blink of an eye. His gladius-like sword clenched in his hand, having stabbed the knight in a very precise matter. A blade to the heart, perhaps slicing through the aorta.

Momus' spare hand covered over the knight's mouth, silencing him as best he could. Blood bursting out the moment Momus pulled out his sword, the knight beside him surprised by this quick action. But he didn't even have time to make a move, Momus stabbing his gladius through the knight's throat. His sword cutting into his trachea, making him unable to shout. Quickly pulling his gladius out, he then made yet another stab, aiming for that exact same place as he stabbed the other knight.

The other knight hadn't even dropped to the floor yet, the flash speed of the noble so swift. Momus quickly laid them both down gently upon the ground, attempting to avoid causing unnecessary sound. His eyes down upon the men whom he murdered, their bodies moved just outside of the door. The bloody noble looked to himself, seeing that his himation was covered in the blood of his victims. Sheathing his adamas gladius for a moment, he quickly ripped the cloak off and revealed his chiton beneath.

He tossed it aside, putting his eyes back to the knights. The noble sighed, lamentful of the loss of two soldiers of the Imperial Kingdom. Pushing his remorseful feelings aside, Momus turned to his right. He saw Ulyssa, her hand clenching a kettle of tea. She simply bowed, unfazed by the murder of the knights before her. "Good day, sir," she greeted politely. "Don't worry about the mess. I will tend to it as soon as I'm done serving my lord."
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09-Oct-2014 01:10:59

Jul

2020

Serene End

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She then just walked passed him, even over the dead bodies, to get to the door. The door opened, revealing the slave Ulyssa, who closed the door behind her. Clenched in her left hand was a kettle of freshly made tea, one she proudly presented to her king. Though the smell of death outside was strong, Balor's sense of smell was impaired due to his injured, rendering him oblivious. "Here you are, my lord," she announced.

Balor's eyes flipped in that direction, seeing her with that kettle. He leaned back, his hands forced apart and off to their respective sides. "Ah," he said, his voice sounding contented, looking up at her now as she stood over him. "Quite the swift one, aren't you?"

"I aim only to please," she replied. "Would you like some, sire?"

"Please," Balor requested, causing the woman to tip the kettle over. The warm liquids of brown graciously flowed out, cascading into the cup with such perfection. Filled up to its brim, the warmth rolled off of the juices in a cloud. As the rain's fury continued, meeting no end, Balor was about to find himself indulged.

He stared down at it for a moment, knowing that the liquid couldn't possibly be poisoned as his Solasúian senses would tell him as much. A moment or two of allowing the liquid to cool down, Balor fastened his hand around the cup. Lifting it off of its rather decorated earth, Balor tipped the cup in towards his mouth. The juice gently flowed passed his lips, lying upon his tongue.

Quite delicious did the king find this tea, happy with his new slave. He gingerly placed his cup back down upon its plate, swallowing the liquid. At this moment, his ears heard knocking at the door. His sapphire blue eyes draw over to that place, appearing rather focused and intense. He knew who was behind that door, he knew what had to be done with this meeting... Or rather, this confrontation.
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09-Oct-2014 01:11:59

Jul

2020

Serene End

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"Enter," the king commanded, causing the door to curve open. Yes, indeed it was him behind the door. Momus walked into the room, closing the door behind his step. And he could immediately feel the shockwave of tension that swept across him, causing him to tread with even more caution. His field of vision shifted to his left, seeing an old friend laying upon the ground.

This caused Momus to immediately pause, knowing truly now the reason for his presence here upon this gloomy, rainy day. Medea's body laid in a pool of her own blood, bringing the noble to a place he did not wish to come. Yet, he saw that the path he walked was on the verge of its end. "Uncle," Balor's voice spoke, shattering Momus' ever-growing worry. "have a seat."

Momus' head slowly pulled back over to Balor, seeing his nephew's ireful eyes repeatedly lunging into his face as his hand was held out towards the empty chair. Momus very sluggishly walked over to the chair, causing Balor's hand to be brought down. Momus pulled out the chair, carefully sliding into it, his eyes not getting off Balor for even a single second.

Ulyssa began to pour tea into the cup in front of Momus, offering him some of the splendid liquid. The noble and the king, the uncle and the nephew, just stared at each other for the entirety of the time Ulyssa was pouring the drink into the cup. It was a harshly waged war, blades cutting deeply into their flesh.

The last drop splashed in, both Momus and Balor heard it like a siren calling for battle. Ulyssa placed the kettle down in between the two. "Leave us," the king ordered, breaking the silence, but his eyes locked in the strife. With a quick bow, she respectfully acknowledged Balor's order. She quickly excused herself from the room, opening and closing the door behind her.
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09-Oct-2014 01:12:45

Jul

2020

Serene End

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With Ulyssa having departed, Balor and Momus just continued to glare at each other. For just a moment more, the battle fought with the eyes went on. But this war was about to grow even more intense, becoming a brawl of words. "For the longest time, something always made me suspect you," Balor said angrily, shaking his head. "Always telling me to keep you at an arm's length, to keep you off to my side for whenever I needed you, to always keep you out of the plots and plans. I knew not why I felt like that, knew not what told me to feel that way... But now I know, I know very much why."

Balor sat up straight, his eyes beating down on Momus. "The question is," went on Balor. "where do I even begin with you?"

Momus lifted up the cup of tea of the plate, putting it up to his face. "Ask the simplest question," Momus swiftly suggested, then closing his eyes and taking a thoughtful sip for a moment. He placed the cup back down, looking back at Balor. ""Why did you do it?""

"Very well," Balor agreed. "Why have you betrayed us?"

"Simple," he replied. "My allegiance is with another... Someone better, someone greater."

"And who is that?"

"Palasair betun zen Las, Palaquilulami, Paladrágessa," Momus then spoke, yet another appearance of that unknown language in this world. Him even speaking in that language offended Balor deeply, his face almost ready to draw blood. ""My heart only to her, my loving mother, my precious queen.""

"...The fact that you would even speak in that disgusting tongue before me is a crime beyond words," the king stated, his voice filled beyond its banks with rancor. "but the fact that you would turn Lamian is a betrayal far beyond words."

Balor drew breath in, letting it out in a heavy sigh. "Why...?" he questioned. "You would be willing to betray everything for this "precious queen" of yours?"

"Yes, I would," The noble answered, maintaining his composure, his calm, even as the situation became more and more uneasy. "and I have."
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09-Oct-2014 01:14:04 - Last edited on 04-Nov-2014 14:11:16 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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The king jolted out of his chair, appearing hunched over, his hands planted against the table. Balor's eyes dug sharply upon Momus, his eyes filled with indignation. "Whatever happened to loyalty, uncle!?" he out cried in protest, slamming his palms into the table.

"I lost mine the moment you turned your back on yours," Momus asserted, his voice's calm simmering with furor. To this, Momus took yet another sip, closing his eyes and giving himself another moment to relax. Balor was taken back by Momus' reply, caught off-guard by his uncle's reply. He slowly fell back down in his seat, shocked.

The noble opened his eyes, placing the cup down. He saw the state he had left his brother's son in, his shield shattered by the surprise. "Oh, don't look so surprised," he advised, the click of the cup meeting the plate ringing out. "I've known about it for quite some time now, about how you "put a knife not to the king's back, but to his heart." You've betrayed and you've slain any and all who stood in the way of your goals, of your own petty self-glory. It mattered little who it was, just as long as you got it your way."

"...Yes," agreed Balor, grabbing Momus' attention. "I stabbed many in the back, killed them and cared not for the damage I would cause. Have I regrets? But of course, it is only natural. But not among those regrets is what I had to do to become king; it has been a boon for our—no, my people. I regret only that I am an ignorant fool, incapable of understanding the pain and suffering I have brought upon my sister for which I can only remedy with apologies and excuses."

"There were other ways of going about it," Momus declared. "Their lives were like mere coin to you, paying your way to the throne. You could have found an alternative method, but instead, you chose the easy way out."

"There were none," he responded. "And I have no reason to explain myself to you."
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09-Oct-2014 01:16:27

Jul

2020

Serene End

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"So then," said Momus, perhaps no longer wishing to talk to his nephew. "What is to become of me?"

Balor stood up to his feet, thinking long and hard for a moment. He swayed back and forth, fiddling around with thoughts. He was torn actually, he did not want to kill him truly. But he knew that this man was a traitor, a servant of Lamia, an enemy of both him and his sister. A minute went by, its pace very fast yet painfully slow. Had Balor came with what he wanted to do?

Balor's right hand reached over to the left side of his hip, pulling out Arbandor from its sheath. "Traitors deserve no mercy," believed Balor. "even if he is a father, a brother, a son, or an uncle for whom I love."

Momus had calmly taken a sip of his tea, his eyes closed as he listened to his nephew's judgment. Placing his cup down, Momus' eyes cracked open slightly. "In this instance, I must concur," the noble said. " You deserve no mercy."

Very swiftly, Momus stood up to his feet. On his way up, his hands grabbed onto the table. With all his might, the noble quickly flipped the table on top of the king. Both Balor and Momus' cup of tea spun in the air, falling behind Balor as the table came down upon him. Their liquid spilling out, washing over the floor.

Balor acted promptly to the table's motion, Arbandor finding a way through. With absolute ease, Balor's sword glided and sliced through the wooden table. The table was cleaved in a slightly diagonal slash, revealing to the black-haired king what laid behind it. It felt almost in slow-motion to Balor, his eyes peering through the slit path he carved through the wood.

But as his eyes gaze, he realized that Momus was no longer there. The two halves of the same table crashed onto the floor, the cups and kettle smashed into pieces. The noble had disappeared like shadow to the presence of light, vanished from sight. But Balor felt it, his Solasúian sense telling him of the pitfall in his future.
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09-Oct-2014 01:17:31

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Balor remained calm, standing tall and confident. He quickly scanned the room, looking at every nook and cranny he could see. But the king's incredibly sharp ears caught a sound, a so very faint footstep like an adamas sandal going into the floor slightly too heavily. Balor quickly spun around, preparing himself on the way.

His sapphire blue eyes darted forward now, seeing the noble coming at him with his gladius. The two stared down at each other intensely, waiting for Momus' feet to bring them to their battle. Ever so sluggishly did this moment move, both the king and noble preparing themselves for the fight. Ready now were they for their conflict, about to collide.

Their swords crashed against each other, the Arbandor versus Momus' adamas gladius. Balor swung his sword from left to right, aiming for all sorts of points in Momus' anatomy. The noble pulled the tip of his sword up to meet every single attack head-on, deflecting the blows. In one such attack, Balor swung downward, Momus' adamas gladius guarding upwards.

The noble then delivered a swift kick to the king's right side, his adamas sandal pounding against his ribs. Balor gripped his teeth, clenching onto that side for a moment. Momus attempted with all of his speed to make an attack, but Balor just baited him. Balor had ducked under of Momus' attack, predicting that he would go for a fatal blow with a high lunge.

Balor gored Momus, picking him slightly off of his feet, and began charging towards the wall with all of his speed. With all of his might, Balor smashed Momus into the wall. The noble's back thunderously slammed against the wall, causing it to crack and shake. He clenched his teeth, his hands tightened to cope with this pain. His back up against the wall, playing defense on would only hinder his efforts.
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09-Oct-2014 01:19:12 - Last edited on 04-Nov-2014 14:16:42 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Balor prepared his blade for a large and powerful swing, aiming for the noble's torso. But somehow, Balor's attack would merely go to waste, striking not flesh, but the air. Momus had escaped, so quickly was his motion that he seemed almost like a blur to even Balor. His uncle no longer in front of him, the king could only guess at where he'd be at now.

The pressure and distress of his senses grew, implying that the trouble was very close by. Balor very quickly twisted, his front now facing his left. He stepped slightly off to his right as he turned, his sapphire blue eyes looking downwards. And that's when he saw the danger his senses were telling him about, the light of his irises reflecting off of its adamas body.

Momus had lunged his adamas gladius onward, a lethal blow surely would have been dealt if not for Balor's quick movement. But the king would not leave unscathed, feeling at the edge of the sword draw out his blood. Balor's face tightened, his eyes blasting forward towards his treacherous uncle.

The back of the king's left hand then ferociously veered off to his left, aiming for the front of Momus' face. Balor's hand pounded heavily upon his uncle's face, causing the Lamian to clasp his face. Momus stepped off behind him, clenching his face that oozed with his blood. The king would then slash Arbandor diagonally, from his upper right to his lower left.

The tip of his blade tasted the crimson flavor of the uncle's flesh, carving a destructive path across his torso. Momus' chiton was ripped in half, becoming red. Momus' gripped teeth bare, an intense grimace as he clenched onto his newly found wound. Balor's right foot swiftly pushed forward, kicking Momus with such force that it sent the noble flying off of his feet.
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09-Oct-2014 01:21:02

Jul

2020

Serene End

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He was catapulted into the air, flung across like a bird. His cloth rattling in the air that soared by him, his eyes tightly closed. His body would crash down upon one half of that table that Balor sliced, his back splintering the wood and breaking it even more so. Once his back harshly hit the floor, the energy of the attack sent him to flip over to his front.

He would finally cease all motion, lying still and pained. Balor looked downwards, staring upon his injury. No doubt that it was a rather bad flesh injury, his blood staining his doublet. His left hand held onto his wound, his feet moving forward. Momus was slowly getting back up to his feet, but heavy assault of pain was brought to him.

The king's right foot fell forward, and then his left, making his way over to Momus. "Why, uncle?" questioned Balor to Momus. "Why are you so quick to betray?"

The charcoal black haired king gazed down Momus, his deep blue gaze gazed both harshly and remorsefully upon the uncle that he loved. "What is it all for?" asked the king once more, overlooking his uncle. "And was it worth it?"

"If you must ask, then you can never understand," Momus solemnly returned, his face hidden as he spoke. But then, he gained enough strength, getting up to his knees and gazing up at Balor. "Loyalty is not just some sceptre you wield, Balor. It is not a mechanism, a tool, a banner, nor even a patch on your sleeve. In our society, loyalty has been made to be a concept of obedience, of looking the other way, of servitude, of control... Loyalty is none of those things, none of them at all."

"Then enlighten me," said Balor. "What is loyalty?"
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09-Oct-2014 01:22:23

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