RuneScape Forum Archive | Fall From Grace

Jul

2020

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There were a few things upon these pages that Daevarro gazed at with vague familiarity, like a lost echo calling back to him. But those images were hidden under a vast web of fog, a mist that left it surrounded in mystery. Oh yes, popping up like the first flash of lightning in the calm before a storm, he began remembering bits and pieces as to why they were familiar.

His thoughts ran rampant, putting together what he had gathered with speed. He saw strange markings throughout his home, occasionally heard the rest of his family whisper strange and odd things, things he could never quite understand. Though he could have guessed at something that lurked below the surface of the family he knew, he was quite content never have known.

No more though, long had he been lied to, never given what he sought whenever he curiously asked. Now that all of the answers laid before him, Daevarro's eyes enthusiastically raced across the pages. Calvin could almost feel the vigor, the eager aura of the young man. The assassin popped one of his cool blue eyes open, looking at Daevarro who was valleys deep in his quest for answers.

He closed his eye back up, smirking and chuckling lightly to himself. He was joyful to see the young man strive, to seek out the truth that had long eluded him. The lazy man's chair continued to roll back and forth, his ears then catching the sound of a book being laid softly down upon the wooden table. "I don't understand..." declared the familiar voice of the young man beside him, causing Calvin to crack open his eyes once more. "Why wasn't I told any of this?"

"Been thinkin' 'bout dat," Calvin told the young man. "Think I could venture ta guess."

"And what's that?"

"Basically shady," the assassin then began to speak. "ta yer family, ya were an official, unofficial part-a 'em."

Daevarro's face reflected his confusion, unable to process what it was that the assassin was feeding him. "What do you mean?" he questioned
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20-Nov-2014 20:26:43

Jul

2020

Serene End

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"Well, think 'bout it like dis," said Calvin, quickly yanking himself up off of his chair for a moment, sweeping his feet off of the table and sitting up straight-up and properly in his chair. Calvin pulled his left hand out in front of him, his hand just above the surface of the table. He pulled his left index finger off slightly to its right, holding it as straight as he could as he moved it.

Suddenly sprung a small blade from his fingertip, a very flexible piece of metal. Daevarro jumped back a little, surprised to see a blade suddenly pop out out of nowhere. Calvin hauled his eyes down below, towed to the wooden surface. He then planted the blade upon his finger into the wood, his sharp touch ripping into its timber flesh.

He seemed to be drawing a shape of some kind, cutting into the wood like an artistic, inspired surgeon in the middle of an operation. Daevarro couldn't help but to be a little inquisitive, interested of what it was that Calvin was doing. He pried, watching as Calvin made up what looked like a circle.

The assassin then looked to Daevarro, tapping his finger against his drawing. "Ya family was like dis 'ere circle," the assassin explained to the dark robed young man, his bouncing finger spinning around the edges of the circle like it were a race car on a track. "They were well-guarded-a their secrets, an' if ya weren't 'n their circle, ya ain't gettin' anythin'... at all. Hell, ain't anybody 'ere who knows a thing 'bout 'em, not even the boss."

"So, I wasn't apart of this circle?"

Calvin shook his head. "Pretty much," he confirmed, but then the assassin laughed lightly and nervously. "Don't make much sense why ya were kept out, though. I mean, ya got the robes an' weaponry. It's like yer a member, but... not."

"Is that what you meant by me being an "official, unofficial" member?" Daevarro figured, only able to trade quick jabs with his opponent named truth.
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20-Nov-2014 20:27:57 - Last edited on 20-Nov-2014 20:28:37 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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"Yep," he confirmed. "My only guess is dat ya were left like dat on purpose, fer some reason..."

Calvin then sighed, loosening his fingers so that his finger-blade would retract. He then leaned back on his chair, throwing his hands behind his head. "Just take what I'm tellin' ya wit' a grain-a salt, shady," the assassin strongly advised. "I might not be right 'n any-a dis, 'cause I dunno what really went on 'n ya family. Just my guess."

Looking back at the perplexed young man, Calvin's eyes couldn't help but to look at Daevarro with a little more attention to detail than usual. His pale blue eyes then locked onto something strapped upon his back, hidden beneath his Inverness cape. It was the handle of what looked like a beautifully, artfully crafted katana. It was a possession that Daevarro carried with him like his heart, a priceless treasure he wouldn't trade even for the world.

A sorrowful push of air then flew out from the young man's lungs, his eyes gazing down at the table in front of him. He didn't know what to make of any of this, not sure how to absorb it. His mind tricked him with images of his past days, the days where he was free to smile, the days where he was happy with his sister and his family.

So much did he miss feeling unburdened, feeling at peace and joyful. But those days were long gone now, entangled in things like sorrow and pain that wrapped tightly around him like iron chains, slowly but surely working its way through his skin.

He reflected vaguely upon the day that he hid in the dark, listening to the distant echoes of battle. He remembered as he walked among the slaughtered, seeing his sister far off as she clenched a lethal wound. His sister's final words rung, and Anabel's departing words were similar to them.
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20-Nov-2014 20:29:46

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Should he abandon his quest to figure out the truth? Take the advice he had been told many times, to just forget about his family, to just move forward and stop looking back? But the more he thought about it, the more he thought, "Why exactly was my family attacked to begin with? What did they do to deserve the punishment of absolute death? Why did my family have to die, why did they steal my sister from me?"

...Just why?

Thinking about it, his face cringed up in a tight ball of fury, his sorrow and grief slowly transmogrified into indignation and rancor. Deeply nestled down in his heart did that malice quake, his hand clasping the pendant around his neck. He clenched onto it like he were holding on for dear life, it was one of the last remaining things of his sister left upon this cruel, unforgiving, kill-or-be-killed world.

But as his mind wandered down that ebony-stoned path, a vague flash of light engulfed the room. A deep green in nature, its source in the center of the room. This brief, dazzling illumination was hard-hitting, blinding any and all whose eyes just happened to be opened in this wrong time. The light passed away like the changing of the season, returning all sense of vision.

In the light's wake, all jolted their eyes towards the heart. They saw then a man standing there, his armoured boots shaped sharply as the talons of a bird of prey. They found themselves completely submerged underwater, digging into rock. Drinking the water with these feet like a bar buddy were the tattered edges of a long, verdant cloth.

Men and women dressed in black robes grew as aggressive and ireful as disturbed bees, swarming around him. Their eyes saw his armour, famed for its bird motif. They saw his unusual green, glowing eyes, and they knew instantly. It was Soter the Savior, envoy of the Elder Gods. Though his sudden appearance came as a shock to those of the Resistance, knowing the events that occurred back at their burning home.
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20-Nov-2014 20:30:38

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Balor had done something to the titan, stole his powers, proclaimed immortality. Yet somehow, here he was, standing alive and well, whole again despite suffering the loss of many limbs during the fight. A clamor of weapons drawn from their scabbards pulled into the air, sounding like a screeching melody.

Soter's eyes wandered over yonder, running up and over the hills of black cloth and steel before him. He stood unfazed, dauntless in this combative pocket, his posture like he felt unopposed, not even reaching for his sword. He went to take one step forward, his talon boots rising up out of the water, dripping wet. It crashed back down into the water, diving into the slender, diamond body in a heavy splash.

"Simmer down, folks," spoke a familiar voice, pushing his way through the feral black robes. Calvin and Daevarro appeared there before Soter, looking to his people. "Ain't no reason ta be greetin' our guest wit' such hostility."

Among those strifeful assassins were Kereske and Shakir, both them and all looked to the voice of reason. "But Kéz," spoke up Shakir. "this man is—!"

"—I know who he is," the lazy assassin informed Shakir and the rest, blasting through the fortress of his voice. His left hand then raised up to the height of his shoulder, holding it out towards Soter. "But look at 'im... Does he look like he's 'ere ta fight?"

"No, but..."

"So, why ya greetin' 'im like he is?" Calvin then asked, his voice speaking a fair question. "I know we ain't got a good history wit' the Elder Gods, but what does good ol' Soter 'ere 'ave ta do wit' dat?"

"Kéz is right," then spoke another voice, the merchant-turned-assassin Kereske. His shortsword retreating back into its leather home, nestled just underneath his coat. "Everyone, ease up and get back to what you were doing."
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20-Nov-2014 20:31:35

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Standing still, pondering for a moment the words spoke, the assassins looked back over to Soter. They would deduce on their own that Soter meant no harm in his coming here, the way he held his body gave that all away. Just as Kereske's blade, their swords and daggers cowered back into their scabbards.

They very cautiously turned their backs to the messenger, but their eyes were immovable. They were careful not to take their vision from him, watching him like a hawk, beating down angry heat like the desert sun. Walking back in reverse, the assassin returned to their activities, though the air was charged with tension.

Soter's lush green eyes found Calvin, who, in turn, looked back at him. "You've my thanks," the titan expressed his gratitude to the assassin.

"'Course," returned Calvin. "but ya better 'ave a good reason ta be 'ere."

"The Elder Gods have requested the appearance of Raphael Divus Barn," Soter explained. "I am here to retrieve him."

"Dat so?" replied the assassin, rubbing his chin. "Might I ask why?"

Not feeling that telling Calvin any of this would be productive, Soter's legs began to move. He stepped onward, brushing by Calvin, who gave the titan a dagger-like look. Soter's eyes scanned down ahead of him, he found what looked like a familiar person, albeit a broken version of that person. The titan walked on that way, his armoured boots heavy as they crashed upon the stone floor.

The red-haired archer Shinon leaned his back against the wall left of the entrance, adjacent to Raphael and Telvern who were at the right. His body rid of his old attire, dressed now in a long sleeved white shirt with a long collar and frills to its edges, a light gray sash around his waist with a little excess, dark gray slacks, and long, dark gray leather boots. He now wore his hair down, ridding himself of his old ponytail.
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20-Nov-2014 20:32:48 - Last edited on 24-Nov-2014 10:40:43 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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On top of his shirt was a dark gray leather coat of plates and two belts going across his torso, those belts had leather pauldrons attached to him. His coat of plates had a complex embroidery in it, around his abdomen was a circle with a dot in its center, the symbol of the Desert Assassins. Still tied loosely around his neck did he still wear that light brown cape, and still he wore that small silver chain that held that head of a steel arrow.

Shinon watched distrustfully as Soter walked to Raphael, keeping his fingers on his sword just in case. But he raised his eyebrow, remembering the last time he saw Soter was at Lumbridge. And that man was clearly dead, was just one among the hundreds of others butchered upon the night. "How the hell are you alive?" he asked.

Telvern, standing at Raphael's side, too watched as the messenger came this way. The genius couldn't help but to feel uneasy, this being the first time since he's seen Soter since... Well, since he killed Uriel, since he sullied his hands in the blood of a child. The moment still haunting Telvern, he needed to get his mind off of it.

His eyes peered, read through Soter's head, scanning his thoughts out of distrust. He pulled apart bits and pieces of his intent, and it really was to bring Raphael before the Elder Gods. Even so, the genius readied himself for the situation careful like walking on eggshells. But then, he saw as Soter, for some strange reason, stopped in place.

The messenger looked off-put by something, his head glancing away from Raphael. Much like Telvern felt an hour ago, Soter felt this unbearably frigid chill take control of his body, restraining him. Though, unlike Telvern who was afraid, Soter was put into alert, taking notice of this wrath that devoured the air.
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20-Nov-2014 20:33:13

Jul

2020

Serene End

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" She's here, " Telvern then heard the titan state to himself. Soter retracting his composure, trying to shake off the chill that slithered down his spine. The armoured body of the messenger then took flight once again, drawing closer and closer to Raphael and the genius. Within the next moment, Telvern and Soter stood just a few feet from each other, their eyes connecting like the clash of swords.

Raphael, just staring blankly upon the floor, had taken notice of those familiar talon-shaped boots stand in his view. Soter stood over him, his stern gaze peering down upon the silver-haired young man. But Raphael didn't desire to trade Soter the gesture, deprived of all energy to lift his head. "Raphael Divus Barn," Soter addressed the young man by his full name. "the Elder Gods wish to commune with you and your Resistance. I am here to retrieve you."

Shinon heard for the first time as Soter addressed Raphael by his full name... Barn... Raphael is a member of the Barn bloodline, the archer realized. "Wait," the archer said. "so him being a Barn is actually true?"

Soter just continued to stare down at the dangling, limp head of the young man, who still had yet made a move. The titan patiently waited for Raphael to speak, but he lacked the strength to even do that. Silence hung around for what seemed like an hour broken down into a minute, an extremely long minute. But still did the messenger wait, even though he knew that his words fell upon deaf ears.

Telvern kept his eyes on Soter, gaining air to speak. "This is a poor choice in timing for this," the genius believed. "I know not why the Elder Gods wish to have a word with him, but you can tell them that they should come here for themselves instead of sending their lapdog to play fetch for them."

Soter then looked to Telvern, his stern, rock-solid looking unfazed by Telvern's words. "That would be impossible," the messenger stated.
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20-Nov-2014 20:33:58

Jul

2020

Serene End

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The way that Soter looked at Telvern, it was so strange... It was far different than the last time Telvern and him met eye-to-eye, and that was when the genius had killed Uriel. It was as though the messenger had forgotten all about that day, or perhaps he was merely bottling up his anger in favor of servitude.

It had to be the latter, Telvern concluded. His mind flashed with the images of the look in Soter's eyes the moment the two looked at each other when Soter arrived before Raphael just a minute ago. Such ferocious hatred, such anger and wrath, almost mimicking the feeling that Telvern and him felt in the air.

This everlasting minute was a hard fought battle for a long sought after answer in Raphael's head, the hopeless, hollow phantom that he was. Soter had addressed him by the full name he never knew, and his second name was... "Divus." Divus... Divus ... His father, a man for whom Raphael greatly admired and aspired to be just like. How funny, Raphael thought, that all this time he had looked up to Divus like any son would to his father, only he did so without actually knowing it.

Raphael's head finally became animated, turning up and looking away off to his right. Soter saw the dead look in the young man's eyes, a look completely polar opposite to what he last saw in Raphael. "There's no point," said Raphael. "I'm done fighting."

"Why so quick to give up?" Soter asked.

"Because there's nothing left to give," the young man stolidly believed, quietly did his voice speak. "...It's over, it's all over. We've failed... I've failed. The Resistance is... no more."

"Was it not you who said that the Resistance is its people?" Soter replied. "Both those who are alive and those who have died?"

"...I was wrong," he admitted.
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20-Nov-2014 20:34:48

Jul

2020

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"Were you?" the titan quickly spoke back. "Even as you claim the Resistance lost, even as you've given up hope, there are still those who rise up beyond their ravaged homes and lives and hold hope in the cause, your beliefs and the beliefs of your lost comrades lingering forever in their hearts. Would you be willing to confront them as you are, tell them that you and they were wrong to believe? That your sacrifices, their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their loved ones, and the sacrifices of those who stand amongst you were in vain?"

Soter's gaze grew more intense as Raphael curled up in silence. "And what about those closest to you?" Soter went on. "The former leader of the Resistance Malik Poena, who entrusted you with the hopes and dreams of the entire human race. And your father Divus Nomos Barn, who helped give you life and shape you into a man earnest in his convictions of justice and equality. To what would you say to them, and how would their view of you change?"

Raphael's face lifted, looking up at the titan who attempted with great effort to break through to him. His eyes opened far larger than they've been in the days since the deaths of his friends, of his comrades whom he treated like family. His mind flashing with images of Malik and his father, remembering strongly all that they had imparted with him.

Soter's questioning of Raphael was very reminisce to Raphael's questioning of Lucia. It came crawling back to his head, repeating like he were caught in a furious circle-shaped rapid. "What the hell would he think of that, think of you!?" his voice came calling back, remembering the last time he stood before Lucia in that field of flowers.
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20-Nov-2014 20:35:21

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