RuneScape Forum Archive | Feel the Silence

Crystal Smee

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James, however, would treat her with more respect than that. She clearly loved Lucas, despite everything. He would have to respect that. Maybe Gray was right, and she would get over Lucas, if he was gone long enough. It was a terrible thing to hope for, but he was willing to wait.
Sighing, he collapsed onto a bench, his head in his hands. He hated to admit it to himself, but he’d deceived Justine as well. After all he’d said tonight, he owed her that truth. Maybe if they both came clean, they could start over. But how could he possibly tell her how she’d been betrayed by her father? He suspected she wouldn’t be surprised, but she’d hate him even more than she already did. She’d never want him if he told her Gray had tried to set them up. However, Gray had been right about one thing – she would have made a perfect match. And now he’d scared her away, and anything he said now would only make her run further.

16-Jul-2009 21:39:11

Chuk

Posts: 14,177 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

:O

:D

20 posts of adds! Awesome. I can't promise I'll be able to read them in the next week; I'm out of computer access range again here real soon, but I'll read as soon as I can. Glad to see you added, and feel free to leave me more to read when I do get around to it.

19-Jul-2009 22:41:06

Crystal Smee

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Haha, I'm working on it. I can actually write now. There will definitely be more in the next couple of weeks. =) Glad you enjoy it.

21-Jul-2009 16:21:18

Crystal Smee

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IV
Lucas woke with the first pale streaks of dawn across the sky. He’d slept uneasily, with troubled nightmares. The battle had raged on, and he was facing down an entire horde of Kandarins, and the rest of his army had deserted him. He was alone, trying to stand them down. Behind him was Justine, screaming for help, but he couldn’t defend her. He withstood the invaders as long as he could, but eventually his body crumpled beneath the blows. He was forced to watch from the ground as they charged her, and she disappeared underneath the swarm of bloodthirsty men.
He had awoken with a start, and found that sleep eluded him after that particular episode. So instead he rose and pulled his shirt back on, then wandered along the beach with his hands in his pockets. He walked toward the rising sun, into the gray light, tinged with red and yellow. The clouds were receding; today would be a clear, sunny day, and hot. Already, sweat had made his shirt cling to his back, and rivulets ran down behind his ears and the back of his neck. He wished he had a tent to retreat to in the heat of midday, but knew he had no such luck. He barely had any of the necessary gear left: no tent, only one blanket for his sleeping roll – although with the heat, he did*’t really need any more than that – and barely any of his own food. His armor was battered and dented, with multiple holes, and his sword was nicked and stained with blood. He had no helmet left, no guards for his legs, and only one shirt besides this one, which was grimy with dirt and dried blood. He had only the one pair of pants left. He wasn’t quite sure where it had all gone so quickly – some of it was so dirty or torn he had thrown them away, but others had just disappeared. The attack in the night a few days ago had caused most of his belongings, including his precious tent, to burn away.

26-Jul-2009 17:50:08

Crystal Smee

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He took internal stock as he walked along as well. There was the previous wound in his stomach, which was a dull ache, buried behind the general pain from lack of food. Before setting off on his walk he had sat in the predawn light, examining his scarred, battle-worn body, admiring the various cuts and scrapes along his legs and arms. None were serious, although a rather deep **** in his shoulder made it painful to move his left arm, but other than that, he was fine.
Now he waded out to mid-calf in the ocean and leaned over, trying to see his reflection, but the waves that foamed around him rejected that notion. Just as well, he thought wryly, his face was probably a mess. Splashing seawater on his face would hopefully remove some of the grime, but he still wished he could shave. The days-old stubble on his cheeks would be a beard before long, and it itched terribly.
He meandered further along the beach, taking in the sights. Most of the army still slept, although a few early risers were up cooking food and talking quietly to each other. They had camped west of the battle, where the wind would not carry the stench of the bodies to them. Most of the bodies had not been buried yet; supposedly they would be organized today to form mass pyres for the dead. A few had been dragged free of the carnage and given decent burials by their friends – Lucas could see the mounds that marked these graves higher up the hill.
The trenches remained mostly intact, although they were filled with the dead as well. Although they had won the beach in the end, it had been a costly battle for both sides. Lucas finally came to a halt in the water, staring at the wreckage of the ships. They were little more than burned out shells now, as the fires had destroyed them completely.

26-Jul-2009 17:50:55

Crystal Smee

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All along the beach, there were craters formed by the Kandarin fires, those made by the mages. It was a wonder they had been able to stop the mages. The magic terrified Lucas to no end – it could strike anywhere, at any time. If only Varrock had its own order of mages, but unfortunately, most of them studied in Kandarin.
He turned as movement caught his eye, and his body tightened defensively on instinct. Someone was climbing through the mess higher up the beach, overturning bodies as though looking for one in particular. He squinted and realized it was Gavin. Lucas bit his lip, debating a moment, then turned and jogged toward him. The sand kicked up in his face and clung to the wet ends of his pants, and he was thoroughly dirty by the time he reached the other man.
“Gavin,” he said in greeting.
The soldier only grunted in acknowledgement.
“Are you looking for Martin?” Gavin froze, but said nothing. “I can show you where he is,” Lucas offered shakily. There was a pause, then Gavin nodded wordlessly.
Lucas closed his eyes, remembering the battle in his mind, as Martin dove over him, taking the blow that should have taken Lucas’ life. They’d been close to a trench, and one of the boats had been to his right…He studied the remains, then strode determinedly toward a point on the beach. It had to be somewhere around here, yes, this was right. A crater had exploded near him a few moments later, that must be this one…
“Here,” he whispered, spotting the body. Gavin sprinted past him and knelt beside the body, his own shoulders quivering with grief.
“I have to bury him,” the man explained gruffly.
“Where are the others?”
“They want ‘im to burn,” Gavin snarled. “Think he don’t deserve a proper burial. They think – that he died for nothin’.”
Lucas bowed his head. How many times could he say he was sorry? It would never be enough. Instead, he said quietly, “I can help you, if you want.”

26-Jul-2009 17:51:30

Crystal Smee

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Gavin looked up at him with tear-stained eyes. “Yeah. That would help.”
Together they carried the body higher up the beach and back toward where Lucas had found Gavin before, where he had put a shovel he borrowed from the medic’s tent. They lay the body on the ground, and Lucas offered to dig first. While he began the deep hole, Gavin cleaned the body as best he could, wiping away the blood and dirt from the man’s face, arranging his clothes so the cuts that marred his body weren’t visible. Martin’s body was relatively clean, since the rain had already washed most of the grime away. Then Gavin went back and retrieved Martin’s sword, so that it could be buried with him.
When Gavin took over to finish the hole, Lucas sat beside the body, staring at the man’s face. When he had died, his eyes had been open in a look of shock and agony, but with his eyelids now closed, he looked remarkably peaceful. Gavin had folded his hands on his chest, with his sword in between them, and the entire image was very regal. Lucas thought it befitted a hero. When they were done, they lowered the body into the pit they had made, then stood and looked at him some more. Tears sprung to Lucas’ eyes, and he felt as though he should say something.
“Martin was a good man,” he stammered brokenly. “He was a good soldier. He died bravely, saving another man’s life.”
“Martin was my friend,” Gavin whispered. “He will be remembered for that. He will be remembered as a loving father, a loving husband, and above all, a friend. I loved him as if he were my brother.”
The tears ran freely down both of their cheeks. “He was a good man,” Lucas repeated. “His death will not have been in vain.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Gavin murmured. “Goodbye, Martin.” He bent and tossed a handful of earth down over the body. Lucas followed suit. Together they filled in the grave, and silently fastened a cross to stick in the dirt over it.

26-Jul-2009 17:52:31

Crystal Smee

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Lucas lifted the silver chain around his neck and looped it over the cross. “May Saradomin bless you, for you have lived honorably; may Guthix watch over your body, and protect it in this world, and may Zamorak give you strength, that you may live on in the afterlife,” he intoned softly, the formal prayer for burial. Gavin faced him and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” he said hoarsely. “I – I know you did*’t intend for this to happen.”
“It’s okay to be angry, Gavin. I understand. But I’ll make it worthwhile, I swear that to you. Just give me a chance.”
“I’ll try, Lucas. Thank you.” He nodded, then gazed longingly at the cross, and finally walked quickly away. Lucas closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Maybe now they could both move on.

Later, back in the camp, he sat on his meager blanket, organizing his few belongings into his pack, when he was approached by another young soldier. “Are you Lucas?” the man asked breathlessly as he jogged up.
Lucas jumped to his feet with a, “Yes, that’s me.”
“Come with me,” the young soldier said. As they set off briskly across the camp, he stuck out his hand and introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Derrick. I’m going on the Brimhaven job too.”
“Lucas – well, you knew that,” he added ruefully, grasping the offered hand. “Where are we going?”
“Our commander wants to meet with all of us. He sent me to find you.”
“Do you know anything about him?”
“His name is Jonah Barron, and he’s from Falador. The guy is tough, believe me. Hard as nails. He was head of my squad, you see. He’ll get the job done. He really knows what he’s doing, very focused, doesn’t take any messing around. We couldn’t even chat or anything in my squad, unless we were talking about what we had to do next.

26-Jul-2009 17:53:29

Crystal Smee

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"He doesn’t talk except to bark orders, so everything anybody knows is all on rumor. People say all kinds of crazy stuff about him, like that he doesn’t sleep, that he was trained in some kind of secret society, because he’s such a good fighter, that he grew up on the streets and was part of a gang, that he can’t be injured…”
“Wow,” Lucas murmured. “Sounds pretty incredible.”
Derrick grinned boyishly. “Just wait until you meet him. I’m telling you, he’s crazy.” He stopped, and gestured to a large command tent in front of them. “After you, Lucas.”
Inside, a group of soldiers stood silently, all staring at the ground or intensely studying their hands. Lucas saw Gavin there, frozen like a statue with his hands clasped behind his back. At the back of the tent, in front of everyone, there was a tall, older man with gray hair and bright blue eyes, pacing back and forth. He surmised that this must be the famed Jonah, and sized him up. He was dressed in a simple gray shirt and black pants, but had a sword riding on each hip, and there was the hilt of a knife protruding from the top of each boot. Muscles flexed easily beneath the loose shirt, and he moved with grace and confidence, his back straight, shoulders back, head up. He glanced at Lucas and Derrick as they entered.
“This is the last one, sir,” Derrick offered.
“Good. Let’s begin.” All the soldiers instantly gave Jonah their full attention. “My name is Jonah, and I will be your commander for this mission you will be completing. We are taking the Brimhaven colony. Now, we don’t have a lot of intelligence, this colony being as isolated as it is. We don’t know how many actual fighting men they have. It’s been used for lumber mostly, so most likely, they have a decent amount of men, but we don’t know how many are military.We’re going in blind. We must be prepared for the absolute worst. This won’t be easy, but it can be done. I expect that when I give an order, it is followed immediately and without question."

26-Jul-2009 17:54:23

Crystal Smee

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“Be ready to leave in two days. We march to Port Sarim – that will take about another two days. There will be a ship waiting for us, and we will sail for Karamja. This will take about two and a half weeks, give or take. We land on the eastern side, about midway down—“
“Why there, sir? Isn’t the colony on the other side, in the northwest corner?” someone blurted.
Jonah was silent, angrily staring down the speaker. “We don’* want to be seen,” he said firmly and slowly, as though speaking to a child. “This should be obvious! We don’t know where they have people watching, but they are probably expecting an attack. They will notice a ship sailing in. Therefore, as I was saying, we land on the eastern side, and trek toward the colony. When we’re close, we set up a defensible base, gather information, then launch our attack. Are there any other questions?” he inquired, in a tone that suggested that there had better not be. When the uncomfortable silence had dragged on for a few moments, he gestured to a man in the front row, who promptly faced the group. “This is my second in command. His name is Travis.”
Travis waved, and grinned broadly. He seemed to be everything Jonah was not: friendly, open, relaxed. “Travis may also field questions,” Jonah explained. “You will follow his orders as if they were mine. That will be all. Be here at dawn two days from now and be ready to go. Talk amongst yourselves.” He shrugged and strode out of the tent.
Derrick grinned at Lucas. *What do you think?”
Lucas’ eyes were wide. “He seems tough.”
“You see how he glared at that poor guy? Don’t ever question anything he says, he’ll embarrass you in front of everybody, just like that. He doesn’t like to waste any time, he just expects that everybody understands everything. If you don’t…just take his word for it. He really knows what he’s doing.”
Lucas nodded. “I can believe that.”

26-Jul-2009 17:55:08

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Feel the Silence