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Dantalian

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“It's a nightmare.” Everyone accept Alex turned to see Ece skipping back toward the group.

“Where have you been?” asked Usha.

“Exploring!” exclaimed Ece. Her ever cheerful face suddenly turned serious. “But it's not the time for stupid questions,” she said, “Nightmares are the most powerful of Sowen's creations. Taking one out is no easy task, and if there's a nightmare, you can bet your last gold piece he has shadow knights, bookkeepers and scout bats around.”

“Hold on, who's this Sowen and what are those other things you mentioned?” asked Linksoma.

“Sowen is Amethyst's true name,” said Ece in a voice that suggested she was answering a stupid question. When she noted the confused looks, she groaned loudly. “For the love of? What do they teach you in those stupid schools?! Amethyst is an Aeveternal witch... which is the equivalent of a god in certain situations. He's known for his insane convoluted plans, of which I'm sure this is one.

Anyway, the point is, Amethyst cannot be allowed to get his hands on the Monolith. Because if he does, there's no telling what he'll do, but I have a feeling it would involve ignoring a lot of a certain nature god's edicts.”

“You made it sound like he has an army,” said Linksoma, “How can we go against that?”

“None of you are too smart, thank the gods,” said Ece, getting some glares for her comments. “Because of that, the bookkeepers are likely to go after the cult of order before you. Good riddance to those old stiffs. As for the shadow knights, I'll hold them off long enough for you to get to the library.”

“Why the library?” this time it was Jen who asked.

“Because, you idiot mortal,” said Ece, “The library is where Amethyst is holed up! Just ask the twins, they sensed his magic emanating from there when Irfam burned his barrier.”

Jen looked to the twins for confirmation, and got nods from both. “Alright,” she said, “I'm in, I guess, what about everyone else?”

“Count us in,” the twins said together. "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."

06-Dec-2014 05:06:38

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“I hate sitting around,” said Linksoma, “Might as well come along on this insane mission.”

“And Alex?” said Jen, frowning when she saw him simply sitting on the ground staring at Chris' corpse. “I guess that's a no,* she sighed.

*Give us a moment,” said Hekate. Walking over to Alex, she slapped him across the face and said, *Listen, you idiot, if you want his death to be in vain, please, keep sitting there and crying like a baby. But, if you want his death to mean something, then get out there and try to stop this witch or whatever from getting his hands on the Monolith!”

“I should probably mention that if this is all Amethyst's plan, then he's to blame for Chris' death,” Ece said casually.

That seemed to do it for Alex, standing up, and grabbing his sword unsteadily in his left hand he simply said, “Let's go.” and walked out with a glazed look in his eye.

The rest of the group was about to leave when Mrs. Pautenaude woke up and decisively said, “I'm going as well.”

When met with questioning looks, she said, “The Monolith is the responsibility of me, and my people, I will not let some usurper take it away.”

“She would be useful,” commented Ece with a shrug.

“The more the merrier,” added Hekate, shrugging.

That seemed to prematurely end any discussion. Which in turn resulted in the small, ragged group running down the hall the nightmare had taken. "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."

06-Dec-2014 05:06:57

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Before long, the adventurers found out the nightmare had exited the ship via a hole in the wall which lead to a sheer drop off the side of the landship.

“So...” said Jen, “How do we get down from-” She was cut off as Ece shoved her out of the hole. For a split second, the girl was certain her life was over, and shut her eyes. After several seconds had passed without her slamming into the ground, she opened her eyes and found that she was gently gliding down toward the ground. Once she had recovered from her shock, she took advantage of the situation to get a good look at the area around the landship. Below her, a battle raged on; the Cult of Order, having already exhausted themselves against Irfam's familiars was hard pressed against their new opponents; knights who seemed to appear from the shadows, their armor enveloped in dark mists, and strange crystalline creatures consisting of a head on a long tube-like body with a single, glowing eye in the center of their foreheads. This latter seemed weaker, at least judging from how many of them the cult actually managed to take down. But even these were often able to take on multiple cultists at once.

Once aware of the battle, she looked for the nightmare- to her relief, there was only the one was the one that had taken the Monolith. It was currently slowly “swimming” toward a building that she suspected to be the library. A moment later she was standing on solid ground again, with the others arriving shortly behind her.

“It's almost there!” exclaimed Ece, “Run after it!” Despite her command, Ece did nothing to move herself.

*What about you?” Linksoma asked bluntly.

“The rules prevent me from entering his domain... but you can!” she said. “And I'll help with his little toys here." "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."

13-Dec-2014 01:49:25

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Before anyone could ask her HOW she would help, Ece raised her arms, opening a portal from which several large felines, all of which seemed to be made of multicolored flames, leapt forth, charging into battle against the knights and the crystalline creatures.

Jen stood, mouth agape for a while, then was roughly pulled along by Hekate.

“I know you have a lot of questions,” the other girl said, “The gods know I do too, but they'll need to wait... we need to deal with the guy who caused this mess first.*

Jen knew better than to object, managing a nod before she began running of her own will.

Thanks mostly to Ece's cats, they encountered little resistance on their way to the library, managing to reach it right after the nightmare had gone in. Jen stopped, wanting to ask if there was a plan, but, rather than wait, Alex charged right in, and, with an exasperated sigh, Jen followed... and found herself in a place that looked completely unlike what she had expected.

It was a library of sorts, but not the one she thought she had glimpsed from outside the building. Firstly, the library had no roof- or, if it did have a roof, it was such a faithful replica of the night sky that it was impossible to tell the difference.

The bookshelves of this library seemed to rise out of sight, and were swarmed by more of the crystalline creatures, who were taking out books and putting new ones in. The area around the bookshelves had what appeared to be canals, flowing with crystal clear water, and, to Jen's amazement, some of these canals seemed to be fed by waterfalls that cascaded from between the bookshelves. To top it all off, the floor was covered in amethyst tiles which sparkled under the apparent night sky. "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."

13-Dec-2014 01:49:47

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Once she had taken in the sight, Jen noticed the nightmare giving the Monolith to a young man seated in a throne. If the situation hadn't been more dire, Jen might've been tempted to comment on what a cliché look he had for a magic user; he wore a stereotypical black witch hat, a black cloak and deep purple clothes.

It seemed the young man had noticed him, since he motioned toward them and said, “Ah, guests! Had I been expecting you, I would've put on another kettle.” With a flick of the wrist, he conjured a china cup filled with hot tea, before raising it to his mouth and sipping it. “Still,” he said, “I welcome you to my humble abode. I am, as you likely guessed, Amethyst, also called the Marchen witch... it is a pleasure.”

Alex barely managed to contain his rage. “Are you the one responsible for this whole stupid quest?!” he demanded.

“Yes,” replied Amethyst, “In more ways than one...”

“Because of you, Chris is dead,” accused Alex.

The witch shrugged. “Unintentional,” he said, “But, it works toward my purpose that another died for such a foolish cause.”

Alex snapped at those words, charging forward and swinging at the witch awkwardly with his left hand. The witch ignored him, preferring to sip his tea- regardless, Alex's attack never landed, instead hitting a barrier and recoiling, sending him flying back into a bookshelf.

“Aeveternal...” said Amethyst, “The word means “without end” it is distinguished from “eternal* in that an aeveternal thing has a beginning, while an eternal thing spans without end both into the past and the future. Therefore, we who are called “aeveternal witches” are “witches without an end,” immortal witches, if you will. Like all true witches, we are more powerful in our territories, our houses, castles, and most of all, our microcosms... We are also called “divine witches” by some, because between our power and immortality, we can be said to be on the level of gods. "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."

13-Dec-2014 01:50:20

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Still, our power varies, if I were in your world, and there were no other restrictions, I would likely be strong enough to hold my own against some of the bigger gods, like Saradomin, Zamorak, or Armadyl. However, thanks to the edicts of Guthix, I would be forced to downgrade my power in order to act upon the world... here, though, in my microcosm, my “miniature universe” I am nearly on the level of an elder god. There is no way you could defeat me.”

“You wouldn't be so smug if we had the Monolith!” exclaimed Alex, trying to recover from being thrown into a bookshelf.

“Maybe not,* said Amethyst, *It seems to have just about finalized... thus, it may be something even I should fear.”

“Finalized...” repeated Hekate, “Amethyst, earlier you referred to the quest for the Monolith as a “foolish cause.” I don't think you referring to yourself simply getting the Monolith... judging from how easily you showed up and the fact that this is supposedly part of your “territory” you must'** been able to get it all along... and if not, at least long before we could... so why didn't you just take it?*

*Because it would've been useless at that point,” said Amethyst.

“Explain,” this time it was Jen who spoke. "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."

13-Dec-2014 01:50:46

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Magic on Gielinor works somewhat differently from how it does in many other worlds,” said Amethyst. “I could go into details, but I have a feeling that boy will attack me again when he can move, so, for the sake of brevity... my favored form of magic is a mix of what we call “Dream” and “Faith” magic. Dream magic allows the alteration of perception- in other words, illusions. Faith magic allows outcomes to come about when people believe in them and make sacrifices for them. The magic I use, “Marchen” magic, combines the two... essentially, it allows me to create anything, so long as I have a story about it... but whatever I create is essentially powerless... UNLESS people start believing in it. The more people that believe in what I have created, and the more they sacrifice for it, the closer it comes to being real. At a certain point, it becomes real for all intents and purposes.”

Jen swallowed, her eyes immediately staring at the Monolith. "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."

13-Dec-2014 01:51:07

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“That's correct,” said Amethyst, “The Monolith was one such creation of mine... as is this whole island- I believe the twins began to guess something was amiss shortly before you retrieved the Monolith? In a nutshell, I stumbled on this world much as many of the gods did. That is, I noticed an incredible amount of magical energy emanating from the surface, and, upon investigating, discovered the god wars. Ignoring the ideologies at play, the god wars were more or less actually fought over the elder artifacts, objects of immense power, left behind by your universe's creators. I decided to take advantage of that. It would be... difficult to steal an elder artifact, as it would essentially force me into the god wars. So, instead, I crafted the Monolith, an artificial elder artifact of the highest power, and an island to guard it. Then, I spread rumors of “an artifact of incredible power.” I made sure, of course, to keep this island far enough away from the mainland that no god could send his full army to investigate, or come snooping around himself. At the same time, I kept it close enough for them to send teams of elite soldiers. Given the number of elder artifacts here, I presumed, and was was correct in presuming, no one would think twice about hearing of another.

The gods sent troops... at first, this island was just an illusion. Should someone not see it, it would appear that people were just waiting on their ships, pacing around with their eyes glazed over. But, as they died in pursuit of the Monolith, it became more and more real, and soon the island was an actual place. Still, to produce something so powerful took a lot of time, and sadly, before my little project was complete, Guthix awoke and banished the gods. And, with everyone pretty terrified of Guthix at the time, no one thought about my island... besides, they were too busy rebuilding and repairing the damage of the god wars. "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."

13-Dec-2014 01:51:33

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

I had to wait quite some time before I could spread the rumors again. And even then, people who came after the Monolith were few and far between. But, the rumors stayed alive, and, when the new *great age of adventurers” started up, I started getting a steady stream again... eventually, it became clear that the Monolith was going to finalize as long as there was one more push... one more influx of adventurers to make it real. And so, I put my final plan in motion... which was really quite simple, I simply leaked information both about the Monolith, and about Alex. Knowing that if I played my cards right I could kill two birds with one stone; finalizing the Monolith and getting Alex into my territory for capture...” "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."

13-Dec-2014 01:53:01

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Capture me? Why?” asked Alex.

“Think about it,” replied Amethyst. *It's pretty obvious.”

“The Prantiqeth!” exclaimed Jen.

*What?” asked Alex.

“If the Monolith is a creation of Amethyst's,” said Linksoma, “And was created as recently as the god wars, then why would the Prantiqeth be guarding it? And why would their civilization be here?”

“But wait...” said Alex, “If that's the case then... but my mom is...”

“A construct,” finished Amethyst. “Ms. Pautenaude, if you would...”

Alex's mom, her eyes unfocused, replied monotonously, “Yes, master,” and walked over to Amethyst.

*Wait...” said Alex, his eyes widening, “If mom is a construct than I...”

“...are surprisingly not,* said the witch, “My constructs should be infertile, and yet, after your father wooed your mother, somehow, you were born. You are an anomaly, one that changed my original plans... bluntly, your mom was supposed to spread the rumor of the Monolith, and when the time came that I judged it to be ready, to travel with those who would claim it, then steal it at the opportune moment. Your existence changed that. Suddenly, it became important that I capture you as well.”

Alex was shaking, though whether in anger, fear, or just from a nervous breakdown, it was hard to say.

Apparently unconcerned, Amethyst continued. “I mentioned you were an anomaly, but I don't think I mentioned just how anomalous you are; even the gods you worship cannot create life ex nihilo. Some, namely, Guthix, Zaros, and Seren can significantly modify life, or, if the rumors are true, produce new life using components from living creatures. But to create life? Impossible. Even here, in my microcosm, where I am at the height of my power, I cannot create sentient life... I can produce similes such as your mother, but a being with it's own free will? That, I cannot do, at least not directly... "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."

31-Dec-2014 04:51:30

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