RuneScape Forum Archive | Fall From Grace

Jul

2020

Serene End

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"Master Malik once taught me, "Impossibility is for those without the courage to challenge it"," Raphael told Telvern, quoting his master. "You're probably right, uniting this world like that is unrealistic, you might even call it stupid. But it's only considered so because it's never been done before, so naturally everyone's going to assume it can't be done. That's why I'm going to prove them wrong."

"...You've come a long way from that boy I met in a basement," the genius commented, subtly proud. "And this is why I want to believe in you, Raphael. Despite my own words, part of me yearns to conquer the unconquerable, to believe in make-believe. It doesn't make logical, or frankly, any sense, yet this endearing desire exists. Perhaps it was this very reason which made Lord Divus pursue this goal himself, a part of him yearning to believe in the impossible, even despite knowing it was simply unattainable. To come even remotely close to that world, remotely close to fulfilling my promise to Jeanne... I must cling to you."

Hearing as Telvern's voice finally came to rest, Raphael stood there, peering blankly into the fire. He had a long road of thought ahead of him, stretching for miles and miles beyond his feet. His eyes unable to see its end, spanning past the horizon, but he must venture forth. Yet this road was treacherous, with many stumbles and perils along the way. However, Raphael was fearless, boldly treading upon uncharted ground.

His uncle had probably never told anyone such deep, personal information before, in fact, Raphael knew he hadn't. He had so long bottled that up inside of himself, left himself as a great mystery. How damaging such experiences surely must have been, breaking a man far beyond repair. The young man became a pendulum of sorts, an indecisive scale which constantly swayed between sides.
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23-Aug-2016 18:15:56

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Looking up at Raphael from below, Telvern noted Raphael's sudden silence, but his strong thought echoed throughout the threshold as though the world had suddenly become an empty space. Time slipped away, the night's bitterly frozen grip took hold of everything. A chill like absolute zero had settled in, making even the air hypothermic.

Under a spotlight hotter than the sun, the all-seeing sun, Telvern braced himself for Raphael's judgment. He had long prepared himself for such, most especially if he rejected him. It wouldn't shock Telvern even the slightest, for he had long rejected himself. But for now, Telvern calmly awaited Raphael's word, casting his eyes into the fire in his solemn, stoic silence.

Within Raphael's mind, he traveled down this path of thought, reaching the end of the road. Yet there was a single quandary left, his road was not a single road, but two. A division like a quake of the earth beneath his feet, a road cleaved in two. This intimidating fork stared at him jarringly without a sign, without any guidance as to their individual destinations.

There was only one way to know where they headed, so Raphael made his choice. Without further delay, he stepped further into the unknown, knowing not what would become of him afterwards...

Raphael reemerged, still binding his eyes onto the fire. In a surprising act, Raphael chose to toss aside his stance, choosing to sit down adjacent to his uncle. Such a simple gesture immediately stole Telvern's eyes, took away all of his breath. Having long believed and accepted that he would be rejected, scorned forever... Was this the start of the healing?

They stood locked away in this frozen hell overnight, their very bones the cold, iron bars of their cells. Though the fire did bite back at the frostbitten air, it was a champion that simply could not compete against this titan. Seconds ticked by like hours as the two sat there in silence, waiting impatiently until they grew tired enough for sleep.
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23-Aug-2016 18:16:59

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Far beyond this snow-white wasteland traveled a carriage guarded by soldiers and drawn by human leg, their feet placed firmly into an old cobblestone road, deprived of many of its bricks. Caught between mountains on both their right and left, the carriage moved slow and steady. This lonely path was enshrouded in a rather unusual, but eerily mysterious fog, yet their ears could make out the squeaking of bats in the distance.

These soldiers were clearly Solasúian, their stern, undeterred eyes giving off a deep, vibrant blue glow. This handful walked beside this carriage, wearing old iron armour which covered only their most vital parts. They appeared to be sellswords, paid to protect some cargo. But this cargo wasn't just some ordinary cargo, it was Queen Lucia Barn herself.

Yes, those mercenaries merely hid behind a disguise, a facade. They were, in fact, Loyal Knights who'd stripped themselves of the armour of their pride, all for the sake of their duty, their queen. Hidden inside the carriage was she, the ebony-haired, sky-eyed queen herself. Deprived of both her crown and her traditional royal dress, she took up a more middle-class sort of attire.

Lucia sat there, curled up in a ball, stuck between two large crates which contained supplies and the armour of the Loyal Knights just outside. In front of Lucia was her sworn guard, the proud, noble knight Achernar. Unlike his brothers and sisters out there, he was still adorned with the black, ornamental metal suit of a Loyal Knight.

The carriage went on and on, rumbling heavily due to the road's jagged, uneven nature. Lucia and Achernar felt themselves in a constant earthquake from within the carriage, the rattling of chainmail and swishing of liquid among the many noises which pushed into their ears. Void of his helmet, Achernar gazed upon his queen, noting her crumbling posture, her crestfallen expression.

"Is everything well, my queen?" the knight asked, his voice kind and concerned.
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23-Aug-2016 18:17:27

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Hearing his voice approach her, Lucia faced him and answered his question with a nod of her head. Though Achernar knew her reply was riddled with falsehood, for in fact, nothing was well about her. Her thoughts so plainly written upon her face, screaming with worry over her sibling, the center-most piece in her life.

"...So, where are we going, exactly?" Lucia suddenly came out, perhaps trying to distract herself from these dark thoughts, these encumbering woes.

"A former place of worship to the god Saradomin," Achernar informed his queen upon her request. "It serves as a sort of border defense between the Imperial Kingdom and a continent referred to as 'Morytania'."

""Morytania"?" the ebony-haired queen quoted with a sense of curiosity.

"I take it that this is the first you've heard of it, my queen?" the knight asked his queen.

"Yes," she answered. "Tell me, what is Morytania like?"

"Words would service it none, my queen," Achernar responded. "I'd rather its mysteries be revealed to you with your very own eyes."

Seemingly at the convenience of the conversation, the carriage halted in its motion just moments after Achernar's final breath. The knight rose up from the top of a crate, taking his hand to his right gauntlet. Achernar shed part of his black armoured skin, quickly yet calmly removing his right gauntlet. Then, in a polite, gentlemanly manner, he bowed, extending his now bare hand out to his queen.

Lucia smiled so gently, taking his hand into hers. She rose up from between the crates, standing tall and strong beside her knight. The two then began walking toward the back of the carriage, able to get a glimpse of the outside through the swaying cloth.
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23-Aug-2016 18:18:05

Jul

2020

Serene End

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An ancient, desolated temple laid atop the cliffside, shrouded in a thick, ominous presence. It was a tall, righteous building, covered in religious carvings all throughout its walls, most having etched out. Its once beautiful stained windows had all been smashed in, revealing the temple's wrecked innards to all, though most had been replaced with boards of wood. The temple's stone body was so beaten and battered, yet despite wooden boards making some rather jury-rig repairs, it was truly a divine miracle that it still stood.

Having stepped out of the carriage, Lucia could now get a full scope of the religious site which seethed with abundant, mystifying details. She simply stood in awe, absorbing every piece of this rather unique site to behold. Her eyes were alight indeed with this intriguing puzzle afore her, her mind alive and buzzing as though a busy marketplace trading food for thought.

"Come, my queen, I wish to show you something," Achernar then informed his queen, prompting her to peel her eyes from that temple and follow right behind him.

The noble knight Achernar walked on forward with his queen in tow, heading towards some large, formerly glorious set of stairs, its stone decrepit and beginning to bear vegetation. They began to climb up these stairs, yet Achernar noted something change in the air. He had already taken a few steps up, yet something seemed to send the knight to a halt: the state of his queen.

She stood there halfway up the first step, her head turned to her right, her pale blue eyes gazing upon the human slaves in their forced service. Despite their overwhelming exhaustion, the agony which ran rampant all throughout their legs, they were made to carry the cargo out from the carriage and into the temple. Some of the numbers dropped like flies, their bodies bled dry from all of their labours.
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23-Aug-2016 18:18:51

Jul

2020

Serene End

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And as necessary, because of their lack of production, they received punishment, kicked and screamed at until they were forced to continue out of fear of further 'discipline'. Such was the reality, the all too cruel reality, a reality which ached the black-haired queen so very much. So forlorn of any and all comfort, of any and all kindness and mercy, Lucia's rejection of this was well-found by Achernar just by merely gazing upon her.

"My queen," the noble knight named, careful not to abruptly wake her from these feelings.

Realizing that she had left her knight without word, the queen quickly turned around to face him. "Oh, forgive me," she pleaded to him. "I was a little lost in thought."

"You've no need to apologize, my queen," he quickly dismissed her apology.

Putting these thoughts in the back of her head, Lucia followed behind her knight. "So, where are you taking me precisely?" Lucia asked her knight.

Hearing the queen attempt to spoil it prematurely, Achernar smiled very lightly. "You'll see," the knight handed out a vague response.

At the top of the stairs, the two turned off to their left, finding a tall tower before them. But unlikely the rest of the temple, this tower was in significantly better condition. But much like the main temple, there were multiple wooden boards placed in certain spots, making some very makeshift repairs as necessary.

In front of this tower was a tall, unusual metal construction, one with a thick stacking of wood inside of it. Lucia's eyes crawled up this giant, metallic structure, analyzing every single bit of its details. It was a bonfire of sorts, an emergency signal for those in Governanti in case something truly inconceivable occurred this way.
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23-Aug-2016 18:19:36

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Regardless, the queen returned to this secret which Achernar wished to reveal to her. She returned her focus upon the tower, standing before two soldiers at the door. They stood tall and strong at their posts, protecting this door and this tower. However, upon their queen's appearance, they opened the way without word, without question.

Achernar bowed his head, holding his hand towards the door. "After you, my queen," he politely told her, prompting a smile upon her face.

Upon his courtesy, the ebony-haired queen stepped into the tower first, and he followed just after her. Both she and her knight entered the tower, entering a room well lit by way of lanterns with small sunflies inside. All along the walls leading upwards was a towering spiral staircase, one which Achernar proceeded towards.

His queen followed just behind him like his shadow, quite interested as to where this was heading. Although for the normal man, climbing up such long way seemed like torture. Yet for Lucia, the climb was refreshing, much rather this than battle. It dragged on and on without end, but the end was coming, reaching a ladder which led up to a trapdoor.

They both headed up that ladder, pushing open that trapdoor which funneled a brilliant light into the darkness. They both came out from the bright darkness, finding themselves at the top of the colossal tower. Two archers stood atop there, a small bell stationed to alert the knights below if required. Those two stood straight and tall, saluting their queen's presence.

The moment she stood tall enough, Lucia appeared frankly stunned, amazing by this utterly remarkable, surreal sight. Torn from her dreams like the page of a picture book, this tower was all-gazing, a place she could spend the rest of her days. All around her was the world, and with her eyes, she could see far more than her mind ever thought possible.
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23-Aug-2016 18:20:09

Jul

2020

Serene End

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With eagerness, she dashed off to the space behind her, gazing now upon the city she left behind. Her home, her responsibility, Governanti reflecting off of her pale blue eyes. Her face said it all upon seeing her home, her ecstasy vanished, the malady of homesickness and a deep concern over her brother wore her down greatly.

"My queen," the kind, noble voice of her knight Achernar addressed her, attempting to ease her agony. "This is what I wished to show you."

Hearing this suggestion be made to her, the obsidian-headed queen faced away from her pain, her angst. She moved onward toward her knight, drawing closer to the eastern half of the tower. She drew closer, and inch by inch did an image become more lucid. Her pale blue eyes lit with surprise and wonder, all of her breath torn from her lungs in one breathtaking second.

A whole another world stretched on and on before her, separated by a long, wide river. This world as markedly green as a peacock's feathers washed over her eyes, a strange, yet simply astonishing land populated by tall vegetation and large ponds of bubbling water. Bittersweet memories flourished here in her mind, her heart returning to those wondrous days at Lumbridge.

"This place..." she mumbled, crossbred between trouble and wonder.

"Shares simlarities to the land at Lumbridge's south, doesn't it?" the noble knight Achernar completed his queen's sentence for her, much to her surprise. "I believe the humans refer to this type of wetland as a "swamp"."

Joltingly, Lucia quicky turned her head towards Achernar, having heard this unexpected reply. She found him there, staring off into the distance beyond with her. "...You know of it?" she asked him, bearing a subtle hint of hope.
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23-Aug-2016 18:20:47 - Last edited on 23-Aug-2016 18:21:08 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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"Lumbridge was my home when I was but a young lad," Achernar revealed. "Despite my mother's wishes, I oftentimes played out in the swamps. It was so otherworldly and unique, I found myself believing that it was part of another world which had fallen from the sky and crash-landed upon our own."

"I certainly wouldn't judge if you still thought that way," Lucia replied to her knight. "I couldn't quite believe it myself when I first gazed upon it. No, I still can't believe it..."

Lucia's voice went cold, these thoughts of Lumbridge appearing upon her with striking clarity as though a dazzling flash of lightning at night. Her knight Achernar noted the air around her suddenly go black, yet still did his eye not draw. His gaze stretched out over the horizon which appeared bit by bit like the pieces of a puzzle falling into place, revealing the eerie complexity of this new world, this Morytania.

"My queen," Achernar then named. "Please pardon my indiscretion, but I've a question for you."

His words like bait which lured her out from these tainted thoughts, turning toward her knight. "...What is it?" she asked, curiously concerned.

"You care about them, don't you?" he asked cryptically, though its message was registered perfectly to her. "You've repeatedly claimed that your status among the Resistance ranks was that of a prisoner made to fight, that you, in fact, despise the humans. Yet the way you speak of Lumbridge, the way you gazed upon those human slaves implies otherwise."

The clouds beginning to tear asunder, allowing the evening sun to peek through. Its burnt orange light shined upon them, illuminating the mystery, the unknown. The two became increasingly soaked in the fading sunlight, yet silence was the true conqueror of this atmosphere. Agonized, the queen turned her head away from her knight.
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23-Aug-2016 18:21:55

Jul

2020

Serene End

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This truth coming out, Lucia felt exposed like she were this land and Achernar were this sun. She put on quite a show, quite the facade, yet it was transparent, weak. He dug through the disguise like the parting of clouds, revealing the truth.

Yet he instantly regretted his actions, bowing his head to his queen. "Please forgive my impropriety, my queen," he pleaded sincerely, lamentful. "I shall accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate for my careless tongue."

Lucia looked over at him, gazing down upon his lowered head, daring not to look upon the queen he wronged. He waited so patiently for her word, so bitter with himself. "You shall do no such thing," his queen bestowed mercy, shaking her head.

The knight looked up at his queen, finding her pale blue eyes adrift like a piece of driftwood lost to the sea. "...My queen?" he named, concerned.

"You're right, Achernar," she confirmed. "I fought alongside those of the Lumbridge Resistance, not as a prisoner, but as a comrade... because I believe in the equality of all kind."

"Then why are you here, my queen?" he asked. "If you feel so strongly about this, you should be commanding the next uprising, not commanding the next force to oppress it."

"It's not my place," she answered, monotone. "My place is here as Queen of the Imperial Kingdom."

"Well, is His Majesty aware of your true feelings?" Achernar questioned, which the queen would reply with a defeated nod. "Perhaps you might sway his mind, convince him of your beliefs."

"I've tried to no avail," Lucia responded wearily. "It's all because of that day... And now, in the shadow of our uncle's betrayal, he's become completely closed off, from human and godkind."
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23-Aug-2016 18:22:33

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