RuneScape Forum Archive | Fall From Grace

Jul

2020

Serene End

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He began to climb down the ladder, foot by foot as he went. His hands grabbing the wooden ladder, slowly sinking back down into that world he thought he'd never have to see again. His place of wallowing loneliness, a world where its population was just one. The utopia that was as thin as the paper in which Telvern surrounded himself around every single minute of his days, dwelling in a thick darkness.

But something had gone horribly wrong in this cloud nine, as though Armageddon had begun in earnest. Telvern's feet stepped down upon the stone floor of his basement wonderland, turning around to look at all of his papers, of all his research. But the moment he turned to look at it, his breath gasped, his face wholly disheartened.

The Loyal Knights had come down here, set fire to everything. All of those books, all of those notes and bits of paper all along the walls, they had all burned away. Telvern then darted forward, turning the corner and entering the entirety of his room. Alas, this scene repeated all over. Flames devoured the large, man-sized piles of books he had collected, and the table of which he held his most fruitful knowledge.

But there it laid on the floor, the one thing he sought after. The genius bolted for it, clinging to it like it was his lifeline. Because, in a sense, it truly was. It was his one and only dream, something he spent so many days nurturing and growing. Telvern clasped that rune tightly in his hands, pulling it up to his face. He looked all around him, seeing that there was nothing left... This was the first and last, the only one he'll ever have.

Memories began to surface in his head, but none of them were about the Resistance. No... they were of a time eons ago, at least it felt that way. His facial expression was a reaction to this, both overcome with fury and lament, mortified with himself. Clenching his precious Life Rune to his face, holding his head down.
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14-Aug-2014 16:21:03

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Was it karma? Some kind of twisted, distorted fate that meant to pay him back, to punish him for all of his horrible transgressions? The genius felt like it was watching his suffering as though his agony were some kind of spectacle, where it can laugh at his misery and dismay. He could only live with his melancholy, with his pain.

...Did he really want to pass up this one-time opportunity, this thing he swore to himself he would accomplish one day? All he wanted to do was go back to those days, the one and only time where he felt whole. It was a time where he felt his breath was a sign of him being alive, not just of him living. Where he felt like he had a pulse, where he could see life for its wonders instead of its horrors. He grew weary of just looking at grayscale pictures of what he wanted to see, he wanted to see it for himself, in full-view, in full color.

He shook his head, realizing that there was no choice to be made, it was already done for him. Yes, it felt as though the story moved on without his consent, without forewarning. It was like a careless, runaway pencil erasing all the good ideas and replacing it with a rushed, botched plotline that was like swiss cheese, completely filled with holes.

It was death by a thousand cuts, one thousand slow, torturous, debilitating, dreadful, agonizing thoughts. Doomed in the spotlight, fate watched him bleed out. Telvern clamped his teeth in ire, smashing his fist into the ground. "Damn it all! " he furiously bellowed. "Jeanne...!"

A moment or two later, Daevarro heard Telvern's footsteps from the hallway. He had moved over from the entrance into the western wing to more along the western wall, his attention being taken the moment he heard him. Telvern walked out from the hallway, his face and eyes without emotion.
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14-Aug-2014 16:26:25 - Last edited on 15-Aug-2014 00:23:23 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Daevarro, Shinon, Telvern's stallion -- in fact, anyone -- could see the shroud of total despair draped over the genius. He was hunched over, his right hand clenching onto something while his left hand held onto the wall. If it let go of the wall now, he'd never get up. He just sluggishly made his way there, battling his thoughts, the only thing he ever asked for.

Daevarro appeared worried about the genius, seeing the obvious pain he tried to hide. A battle between his memories and his conscience waged as he walked onward.

His conscience was a knight in impregnable steel armour, wielding a ten foot long sword and a shield that could protect it from anything. It was glorious, shimmering, and its power was absolute. But it was a tyrant with its power, condemning everything to death if it so much as conflicted with its interest.

His memories was just a normal man with no weapons or armour, only his hands for weapons and what it had left on it for armour. No matter how impossible, no matter how costly, no matter how hopeless, the man fought with all of its might. The man was struck with wound after wound, not being able to so much as harm the knight, but he was a resilient force and always got back up, albeit slower than the last time.

Close to Raphael's body, Telvern was getting. But the closer he was, the harder and louder his memories fought with his conscience. Right by Raphael now, Telvern had become. At the young leader's side, Telvern very sluggishly fell to his knees. He slowly dragged himself close enough to Raphael's side, being now right beside him.
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14-Aug-2014 16:29:44 - Last edited on 14-Aug-2014 16:30:38 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Grappled oh so tightly in his right hand was a rune, very subtly did it fill the air with the essence of life. It was the fabled Life Rune, one that Telvern spent a very long time creating. The genius then reached his hand into his pouch, pulling out two other runes. "Body..." he mumbled very quietly, placing the Body Rune in front of him, then placing another beside it. "Soul..."

One Life, one Body, and one Soul... they sat there abreast in front of Telvern. He pulled his hands over them, which immediately received a reaction to his hand's presence. His hand then became a sort of conduit, the runes together passing an almost electric-like power through his hand. A glowing orb began to form in the palm of his palm... The power of life...

So, indeed, all the spells he read were right... The rune combination was right on the money, right to the tee. The spell was successful, the glowing, humming ball of life in his hand. It was likened to that of a small sun, exceptionally bright and awe-inspiring. There was no turning back now, the runes from which this power was born had lost their symbols, shattering into rubble.

Telvern slammed the orb into Raphael's chest, swinging it as fast as he could. The miniature sun disappeared into Raphael's body, the life it emitted vanishing. The power rumbled through the young man's lifeless body, pulsating through him like his own heart. The very moment Telvern put the orb into Raphael's body, its effects had begun to take.

The process of his wounds healing on their own then was put in fast forward, going through all of the stages until it's finally patched, leaving only a scar in its place. The wound of his head from Gallows, gone. His broken bones being put back together by a master of puzzle games, making them out like they were never broken to begin with.
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14-Aug-2014 16:34:43

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Even that grotesque, grisly crevice across his throat began to mend, watching as his jugular vein grew back and partnered up with its other half. His muscles, trachea, and skin were repaired, closing the wound. It now only appeared as a large scar to show that it was ever there, to show that it even existed. Seeing this happen left everyone shocked, captivated in awe.

A minute passed before all of the wounds closed, Raphael now just looked as though he were merely asleep in a tub of bloody water. A minute doubled, then tripled, still no sign of life. Telvern waited patiently, knowing that the spell was successful. Daevarro walked over, standing over the two as he watched with hope.

It took about four minutes, but Daevarro and Telvern both could begin to hear Raphael's heart beat once more. The young leader then let out a loud, sharp gasp for air, shooting up off the wall. His eyes widened, seeing the world again, feeling his heart beating once again. He clenched onto his chest, coughing rapidly and sharply.

Daevarro's face turned with question, startled that it actually worked. He turned to Telvern, both shocked and elated to see the result of his spell. "How did you do that...?" the young, dark-robed man asked, unable to put a title on the cover of this book.

The fact that it did work made this bitter pill even harder to swallow to the genius, the infuriation grew stronger. Raphael's purple eyes turned to the desolated genius, seeing the black expression upon his face. "T-Telvern...?" the young leader managed to slip passed his coughing, which began to fizzle out. "What has happened? Where are... the Solasúians?"

"They left a short while ago," Daevarro answered, taking the question up for Telvern, who didn't even attempt to answer. "I came back here afterwards, and I found you here... dead."
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14-Aug-2014 16:38:11

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Raphael appeared shocked by the final word spoken by the dark-robed young man, turning his gaze to him. "W-wait..." Raphael uttered in his confusion. "I was... dead? But how did I—?" His voice paused, thinking for a moment. A lot of his memory was a blur right at this moment, and the last thing he remembered was a mere fragment, but he was able to make a lot out of it.

His left hand reached up, lightly holding onto his throat. He felt the rough, bumpy skin from the recently healed wound, feeling the scar. Feeling this brought back more shards, able to make out some of the image upon the stained glass window. His face lowered, his eyes half-closed. "Elena..." he mumbled.

His eyes then looked out to the sea, the sea of people he cared for and led. Raphael stopped, incredibly disturbed and horrified by what his vision was showing him. Now, this was something he didn't remember, he didn't remember it at all. He slowly rose up to his feet, stumbling slightly in weakness. He looked at every single face, the hundreds of bodies that laid upon the ground.

He stepped forward, not taking his eyes off of the crop of the dead. The thick of it stood up to his knees, bodies stacked up on top of each other. Their faces looked like they were silently screaming, writhing in pain, begging for their lives... The life and light in their eyes gone, leaving them soulless and hollow.

Blood splatter all along the floor, dressing every inch of the stone-brink walls. Raphael slowly walked into the center of the room, a blank circle in the heart of crucible of murder. He got a broad view of the toll of the battle, the massive spread of slaughter. From the bodies and severed limbs and heads, to the guts and entrails that sat by his feet, this didn't appear real or even possible to the young leader.
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14-Aug-2014 16:42:25

Jul

2020

Serene End

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In disbelief, a single thought then caused Raphael to suddenly burst out from the castle. His frightened, speechless expression well-founded, his mind ran with hundreds of thoughts. They were all gruesome and dreadful, causing angst to build up inside of him. It weighed his heart down, dropping it further and further into his stomach.

Raphael exited the castle, his eyes gazing up at the sky. The murderous message was easy to decipher just by the look of the sky, injected with smoke and embers. The bright orange atmosphere appeared all around him, smelling the smoke that infiltrated his lungs. He paused the moment he hit the halfway of the courtyard, seeing the banner of the Resistance lay broken in front of him.

He truly bothered him to see it in such a frail, lifeless state. Was this... was this what had happened? Was this... the end? He shrugged off his thoughts, part of him suspecting that this can't be happening. He darted through the courtyard, passing through the gates that were on fire.

But these gates did not lead to a tranquil, elated city as they should be... No, it led to a world of savagery, of inhumanity, of malice and pain. Every house he could see was ablaze, some partially, some entirely. Raphael began to race as fast as he could, beginning his search. He wanted to look through every street, every corner, and every house to look for survivors.

But every street he found, he found cause for worry. Puddles of blood that oozed in between the cobblestone, flowing just underneath the soles of his boots. He saw everything one could imagine the most terrible of night terrors, he smelt it, felt it. He saw the heads and limbs of several different people at random, laying quietly upon the ground.
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14-Aug-2014 16:46:31

Jul

2020

Serene End

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The faces of those heads appeared as though their breath was stolen, totally stunned and frightened. Their eyes curled up in the back of their heads, laying there in a crimson pool. Raphael's breath was on hyper-drive, his heart following just behind that. It ripped him on the inside, this concern, this fear. Sweat was worked up, hectically searching through the entire city for even just a single shred of life.

Any house that wasn't completely on fire, Raphael made sure to check. He frantically checked everywhere he could, even with fire hissing at him. He went into one house, the house was alive with flames. The Loyal Knights had pounded the door in, revealing before Raphael the horrors that awaited his arrival inside.

He stepped into this building, his purple eyes first taking notice of a family portrait. It was a painting of a mother, father, and their two little children. It was covered by blood, surrounded by a ring of fire, its happy, loving image slowly being erased. Everything that belong to them being chewed through, there was even a little teddy bear by Raphael's feet.

Raphael knelt down, seeing its red-washed brown fur. His eyes then scrolled up, slowly following a trail of blood that rolled down his way. Reflecting off of his irises fraught with fright, that family upon the portrait. The family was laid out, all four of them were viciously imparted with death. The parents tried to protect their children, an arm at least over both of them.

Stabbed or had their throat slashed, it mattered not. Their lives were robbed, that was clear. This kind, peaceful, joyful life they had was lost... Gone from this world were they, left to rot and disappear from existence. Raphael's heart had to endure yet another stab, unable to help them... Unable to do anything to bring them back, to save them.
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14-Aug-2014 16:49:52

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Their blank, lifeless eyes staring at Raphael, quietly their voices murmured, "help me." They spoke it to him over and over and over and over... Raphael tightly closed his eyes, bolting up off of his knees, and darting out of the burning house. He couldn't face it, their cries for help. That must have been their final thoughts, begging with tears in their eyes as they were slaughtered.

A black that was darker than all things in this world engulfed Raphael's mind as he scoured every inch of this city he loved so very much. But it was no different, no matter where he looked, whether it was a loved one protecting another, or a lover protecting another, every single burning building was filled with the same thing.

Death... Death stared him down wherever he looked, taunting him with its terrible providence. More and more situations that would eternally scorch Raphael's mind like the fire that ate away Lumbridge. He kept thinking that perhaps the next house will have someone alive, denying that this simply couldn't be happening. But the more houses he visited, the faster he ran, the more he would stumble, the more his breath would appear like a scared whimper.

The streets stretching longer and longer, blood appeared everywhere he looked, staining this city he swore to protect. He damned himself with every step... How the hell could he let this happen? He called himself a failure, a weakling, cursing himself with every thought. It was a nightmare that never ended, his constant running throughout the city, a purgatory that truly felt like it would last forever.

This mad world... No, this wasn't even a world anymore. This was... indescribable...
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14-Aug-2014 16:52:55

Jul

2020

Serene End

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He looked through the entire south of the city... He saw more death than he ever wanted to see, but his nightmare wasn't over. He got back to the front of the gatehouse, where his search began. He headed to the north section of the city, but it didn't take him long to find out where all of the villagers were. Right beside the entrance into the city, he found the highest flame in the city, feeding and incinerating... bodies.

Hundreds of people, the villagers and soldiers, appeared there before him. They were stacked like a hill, towering above Raphael's head. Standing pridefully in front of this bonfire of corpses was an adamas banner, it held up the majorelle blue banner of a winged lion... of Governanti. It was a round wall of grief, of pain, of burning flesh. They laid on top of each other, limp and stretched out.

The fire was a vampire, feeding off of their lives to fuel its own, becoming almost blood-red. All of their faces were blank, or completely charred away. But even when there burned away, their pain was still very present. Some were even alive when they were tossed into the fire, their mouths wide open, reaching their hand out for someone, anyone to save them, to alleviate their pain.

Anyone of any size was tossed into the fire, even children. Their young, little bodies blackened by the flaming embrace, some even cradled in the arms of an adult. How they must have truly suffered, had been screaming, begging, praying for a miracle. But nothing was delivered to them, giving them a horrific and merciless death, feeling their skin get eroded away. Standards, banners, anything related to the Resistance was too tossed into the fire.
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14-Aug-2014 16:56:58

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