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Dantalian

Dantalian

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A twig snapped a few meters away; it wasn’t loud, but the sound seemed like enough of a distraction to Skad; using all the strength his arm could muster, the warrior hurled one of his blades at the ent, and while Dentro dodged this blade, Skad surrounded himself with flame and charged.
As he thought, the ent took a bit of time recovering from the dodge, and even after he had done so, could not attack the living fireball launching toward him.
Just as he thought victory was his, Skad noticed a large grey object heading directly at him. It took him a moment to identify the object as a boulder, and in another moment, that very boulder smashed into Skad’s chest and knocked him back into a tree.
As he hit the tree, Skad heard a loud crack and felt a sharp pain race down his side. Immediately, his body tried to shut down; and Skad had to use every ounce of his willpower to keep himself conscious. He managed to do so, but before he could even stand, a large wooden fist entered his field of vision and struck his head with so much force that the tree behind Skad was reduced to splinters.
Doing his best to ignore the intense pounding in his head, and the fact that his vision was blurred, Skad flipped backwards, putting some distance between himself and the ent, but at the same time landing in a patch of brambles. Freeing himself from the brambles, Skad continued to move, making himself a harder target for Dentro, but hitting an assortment of trees and thorny plants in the process. Finally, after beating himself up on the jungle’s plant life for what seemed like hours, but in all likelihood was only a minute or two, Skad’s vision was refocused enough for him to make out his surroundings.
The first thing the warrior noted was that he hadn’t ever undone the flames which wrapped around him, and as a result, his running about blindly had set a large portion of the jungle ablaze. Dentro too had seemed to have noticed this. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

16-Jun-2010 03:25:29

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Ah,” said the ent, “I feel the pain of my brethren… how they wail in agony.”
“Even if I die,” Skad said confidently, “I doubt you will escape; this jungle will soon be consumed by a conflagration, and you too shall die in it.”
To Skad’s surprise, Dentro let out a sad laugh. “Ah,” said the ent, “But I knew I was to die from the beginning. Lord Guthix told me that I would not survive this journey, as such, if I can kill you, it will be enough for me.”
Skad exhaled sharply. It seemed the ent had planned this all along. With this thought his entire being filled with rage to a point where he couldn’t even think; and he charged toward the ent in reckless abandon.
Dentro blinked as Skad approached; the human’s body was even now darkening as if being charred by fire, and the orange lines on his skin, which had previously been faint now glowed like rivulets of magma. Still, a full frontal assault was foolishness against an ent, and with a quick movement, Dentro sent a punch to the reckless warrior. The punch connected, but rather than flying back, Skad seemed to just push through Dentro’s fist itself, shattering the ent’s wooden hand and arm as he did so. Dentro gasped in surprise, but did not have time to move again before Skad had plunged his remaining sword into Dentro’s body.
The moment the sword entered, flames exploded outward, igniting the ent, and killing him instantly. Unfortunately for Skad, the ent collapsed forward, smashing its full weight onto the warrior and pinning him to the ground. With this, Skad passed out, even as the jungle around him continued to burn.

“Gichoma, what is the meaning of this?”
The girl looked up and saw Fountona and Ventua standing at the entrance to their gathering hall.
“What are you talking about?” sighed Gichoma, “So the spiders failed, big deal, I’ll just throw something else at them and…”
“You really haven’t noticed?” asked Ventua. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

16-Jun-2010 03:28:00

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Noticed what?” replied Gichoma, “Look, even with my past failures, I’ve slowed down the intruders, it’s only a matter of time before they succumb.”
This time Fountona sighed. “It’s true you slowed down ONE GROUP of intruders,” he said.
“What do you mean?” questioned Gichoma, “Why say one group* unless…”
“Yes,” said Ventua, “While you were focused on that group, two others slipped by; one is already nearing the Caverns even as we speak!”
“What?!” questioned Gichoma, “How- never mind, I’ll head to the glade at once! They may have gotten this far, but Peinasmenos will destroy them immediately!”
“I wish I shared your confidence,” said Fountona, “Let me know if they make their way into my caverns. Should that happen, I will personally deliver them to death.”
Gichoma only nodded, too irritable to speak.

“Hm, this seems to be the way out,” commented Usha, observing how the trees and plant life had begun to thin out, “Only… something seems… out of place. There’s magic of some sort here.”
“You’re right,” agreed Aion, “In fact, it almost seems like magic has been infused into the land itself here.”
“The land itself?” asked Jen, “What does that mean?”
Before someone could answer, the sound of laughter filled the jungle, and a girl in her early teens with green hair appeared.
“Who are you?” asked Jen.
“I am Gichoma, you pathetic mortals!” replied the girl, “And I am here to see you die. Now...* seeing Aion, she trailed off. Then asked, “Mepho*! what are you doing here?”
“You’re mistaken,” said Aion, “My name is Aion, I am a construct created by Mephos.”
“Aion?” repeated Gichoma, “Then… are you one of the Dreaded Brothers? But… I thought there were only four? Still, all the other brothers’ names end in the same way…”
“What are you talking about?” asked Jen.
“It doesn’t matter to you,” replied Gichoma, “As you’ll soon be dead… that Aion fellow may prove difficult, but the rest of you are no match for me… wait a minute, there’s a mahjarret among you!” "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

16-Jun-2010 03:31:01

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“To notice me,” commented one of the Zarosians, “How impressive.” As he said this, his human form melted away, and was replaced by the form of a skeleton-like being in opulent robes. “I am Sliske,” he said, “Loyal servant to Lord Zaros; prepare to die, Prantiqeth.”
“As if,” laughed Gichoma, summoning up a number of sigla as she did so. The sigla surrounded Aion, Sliske, and Gichoma herself, before causing all three to vanish.

*The Abyss?” questioned Sliske as he looked around, “Prantiqeth, do you think you have an advantage here?”
“Maybe not,* admitted Gichoma, “But I don’t need to defeat you, I just need to keep you here until your group is no more.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” questioned Sliske.
“You think I was the only threat to your group?* asked Gichoma, “How foolish, but what can I expect from a mahjarret?”
“You little brat,” hissed Sliske, “I shall kill you myself!”
“Sliske, calm down,” said Aion, “We cannot afford rash moves against this opponent.”
“I know, I know,” said Sliske, “I won’t lose my cool over something like this.*

*What the heck just happened?” asked Jen.
“They’ve been teleported away it seems,” said Usha, “Apparently, that girl wanted them out of the way, but to go with them it’s almost like…” Usha’s eyes widened, “Everyone!” she shouted, “We’ve got to get out of here, now!*
*What, why?” asked one of the Zarosian soldiers. Yet, even as he asked, the ground opened under him and he fell into some sort of pit. Once he was out of sight, a scream could be heard coming from the pit.
“What was that?” asked one of the pirates.
“Look out!” warned Usha, as more pits opened in the ground, seemingly trying to capture the various members of the group.
“What’s going on?” asked Jen as she jumped aside from a pit opening under her.
“I just realized,” replied Usha, “We’re standing on a large plant that has been modified with magic.”
“To do what?” questioned Jen.
“Ever heard of venus flytraps, bladderworts or sundews?” asked Usha. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

16-Jun-2010 03:33:34

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“No,* replied Jen, “What are they?”
“Plants that get nutrients by eating animals, mostly insects, although some can eat rodents,” replied Usha, “I’m guessing this plant we're on has been magically modified to have some of those characteristics, only for larger prey, like humans.”
“Great, so we just need to dodge these pits until we find a way to kill this thing?” asked Jen.
“Maybe, but-” Usha was cut off as several vines emerged from the open pits and began grabbing for anyone within reach. Once they found their way onto a person, the vines wrapped around that person and pulled him or her into one of the pits.
While Usha was staring at this sight, horrified, something whizzed by her head. Turning, she saw one of Jen’s arrows had just shot through a vine that was sneaking up from behind, essentially saving Usha’s life. Looking back at Jen, Usha saw that the ranger was jumping from place to place, dodging vines and sending arrows through any that got close to any of their companions.
Apparently, the plant somehow noticed this, as several patches of thorns appeared on it, each oozing poison. Without warning, some of these thorns began to shoot at the remaining troops; whenever one hit, that soldier would collapse within a matter of seconds, killed by the poison secreted in the thorns. Among all the troops present, only Jen and Usha managed to survive; the former by narrowly dodging every thorn sent at her, and the latter by calling on Zaros to deflect the thorns launched at her.
“How much longer can this go on?” asked Jen, panting even as she did so. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

16-Jun-2010 03:35:40

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Usha did*’t respond, wondering to herself silently if there was even a chance for her and Jen to defeat this plant. To her relief and surprise, the thorns disappeared, and the vines retreated into the pits, which quickly closed. For a moment both girls thought the plant had given up; then Usha noticed a few pods rise out of the plant’s surface. Before she could even warn Jen, the pods began to shake, releasing a powder similar to pollen into the air. The moment the girls inhaled even a small amount of this pollen, they felt their bodies grow numb, and collapsed.
Once they were no longer moving, two of the pits opened up again, and a vine slithered out of each. Before the vines could reach their targets, however, a sound filled the air. As odd as it was to hear such a thing out in the midst of a jungle, Usha could swear it was a song, and strained herself to make out the lyrics:
“Ne predatis luces. Cantum sanctum nunc accipite; oro, canto, vobis; Fiat Lux!”
Within the Abyss, Aion, and Sliske paused, also hearing the song.
“What is that?” asked Gichoma, apparently also able to hear.
“This is… like a mahjarret hymn,” commented Sliske, “Only, this hymn is to ours as water is to fire. It sings of life and healing, not death and destruction.”
Aion did*’t speak; his eyes were glazed over and he seemed to be in some sort of trance. Then with a voice that sounded unlike his own, he continued the song, in perfect harmony with the first singer, “Spes, ne predatis, cantum lucum nunc accipite, dono amimam meam; Fiat Lux!”
As the song finished with the phrase, “Fiat Lux” Aion, Sliske, and Gichoma reappeared in the jungle. Usha and Jen were now standing, and staring at a newcomer; a girl with long white hair and golden eyes, garbed in silver and green robes.
“Who are you?” questioned Gichoma, “One of their companions?”
“My name is Monica,” replied the new girl, “I am not one of these people’s companions per se; but they were in need, so I lent them my song.” "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

16-Jun-2010 03:40:25

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“And why are you here?” asked Gichoma.
“Peace,” said the girl, “I felt called here by Agape, so I came to this place. I likewise feel a calling from deeper in this land, so I will continue.”
“You think I will let you?” questioned Gichoma.
“Where my Liege declares I should be, there I will go. If it is my Liege’s will, I shall arrive, and perform the task required of me to bring the world closer to the perfection it is meant for. This has always been the way of the thaumaturge,” replied the lady.
“Thaumaturge?!” questioned Gichoma, “Then, that song was a thaumaturgic hymn? But in order to do that, it would mean…”
“You now guard the Monolith in vain,” replied Monica, “Although… perhaps, you should turn your attention to more pressing matters; such as the fire growing in the midst of the jungle.”
“Fire?!” demanded Gichoma, before growing silent for a moment. When she spoke again, she was clearly distressed. “Yes,” she said, “There is a fire… I will go and deal with it. You five got lucky… even if the Monolith will soon be released… you will not find Fountona or his territory easy to cross!” Having said this, Gichoma vanished.
“Now what?” asked Jen, grateful to be alive.
“We head forward,” answered Monica, “Into the fire caverns.” With this she began walking, and the others followed.

“Liam?
The incubus slowly opened his eyes and found a young man with dark green hair and golden eyes standing over him. “You seem alright,” the young man said, “I was worried.”
“Ayumu?” asked Liam, “What happened?”
“You collapsed after finishing that song,” replied Ayumu.
“Song?” questioned Liam, “I don’t remember singing anything.”
“I thought that might be the case,” Ayumu commented, “You had a glazed look in your eyes while you sang… like you were a thousand miles away.” In a quieter voice he added, “And besides, that was a song that Mephos should know, but not you.”
“Did you say something, Ayumu?” asked Liam. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

16-Jun-2010 03:43:10

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Don’t worry about it,” Ayumu answered, “Instead, try to get some rest, I don’t want you working yourself into an early grave.”
“If you say so…” sighed Liam.
“I’ll check on you later,” said Ayumu, “But seriously, get some rest.”

As Ayumu walked out of Liam’s room, a familiar voice asked, “So, what happened here? Everyone seems on edge.”
Ayumu sneered and turned to find himself staring at a blonde man with red eyes, that he instantly recognized as Seth, the leader of the cult of light.
“We really should get our security improved if the leader of a rival cult is always getting into our base,” sighed Ayumu.
“Oh come on,” said Seth, “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Liam was singing today,” replied Ayumu.
“And that’s making everyone worried?” asked Seth.
“A thaumaturgic hymn,” said Ayumu.
At this Seth seemed taken aback. “But I thought Liam couldn’t use thaumaturgy.”
“Mephos could,” said Ayumu.
“But Mephos is for all practical purposes dead,” Seth pointed out.
“Yes,” agreed Ayumu, “But you know that a person needs a soul to use a thaumaturgic hymn, right? And that Aion can use any technique Mephos could, but of course, Aion lacks a soul, and the only one he could use would be Mephos’… or perhaps…”
“Liam’s,” finished Seth. “I don’t like this, if Aion can already tap into Liam’s power then Mephos’ rebirth may be closer than we had thought. If that is so…”
“You will do nothing,” said Ayumu, his eyes beginning to glow red.
Seth pointedly avoided eye contact, and asked, “So you want Mephos to return, then?”
“I want Liam to decide on his own,” replied Ayumu, “You of all people know that Mephos cannot be reborn while the Liam lives. If Mephos is to be reborn, it must be Liam’s decision, and his alone, anyone who tries to interfere with this will have to go against me.”
“Your loyalty is admirable,” commented Seth, “Is this what can be expected of those closest to Mephos?” "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

16-Jun-2010 03:46:57

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“My loyalty to Mephos and Liam is equal, no matter what,” replied Ayumu, “On an unrelated note, it seems you did*’t notice something.”
“Notice what?” questioned Seth.
“Have you forgotten how thaumaturgy works?” asked Ayumu, “If Aion managed to connect with Liam’s soul in order to perform a thaumaturgic hymn, you can bet HE had something to do with it.”
“He…” As Seth repeated this, a memory filled his head:

“I am giving you the task to keep Mephos safe while he attends to my business, you do understand what this entails?” The speaker was a figure clad in robes which were more brilliant than woven gold and studded with the finest diamonds he had ever seen. The fact that the figure sat on a throne that seemed to be made of diamonds with small suns in their centers did not make maintaining eye contact with the figure easy, nor did the colossal winged serpentine creatures which flew lazily around this throne.
“I understand my lord,” he replied.
“I do not think that is so,” said the person on the throne, “But no amount of explaining will make you understand…
Also, I suggest you only reveal your true name to a select few on Gielinor; most of the time, use the pseudonym you have chosen. Those you meet must only know you by that name; Seth.
But, that is enough delaying, set out at once.”

“Did I strike a nerve?” asked Ayumu when it was apparent that Seth was done thinking through his memories.
*Shut up!” shouted Seth, “I have nothing to do with my former lord any more!” And without waiting for a reply, Seth marched off.
“Really?” Ayumu asked nobody in particular, “Mephos, Kiti, Calin, and Seth; the children of darkness, chaos, order, and light all in one world, and the Emperor of the Inner Kingdom has nothing to do with one of them? You are fool Seth, but what was I expecting? An insect, no matter how dangerous, will still be a fool.
Seth, you should be grateful; for one such as Mephos to receive such an injury for saving an insect like you… how absurd.” "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

16-Jun-2010 03:51:10

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
I am exhausted from writing all that. I even considered leaving that last section out, since it is a bit confusing. Any questions, comments? "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

16-Jun-2010 03:52:07

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