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Crystal Smee

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“Did you think to surprise me?” Zaros drawled. “You know, I could just shoot a great blast of fire down this tower and kill you all. But that would be too easy. I want to see what you can do, so I’ll give you a chance to try and beat me one at a time. Maybe after you lose a few times you’ll get the idea.”

Exile had caught Katherine when she fell. Now he carefully lay her on the steps and hopped onto the wall, facing Zaros defiantly. He had absolutely no idea what to do – his air of confidence was entirely fake. Zaros grinned, as though he knew this.

“You look familiar.” His brow furrowed in mocking thought, but his grin remained, giving him a fitting evil look. “Ah, now I remember,” he said after a moment’s pause. “You’re the one who gave me the Staff.”

He knew he had hit Exile’s weak spot then, by the crumpled expression on the assassin’s face. He still couldn’t stop blaming himself, as displayed by the conversation on the way to the wall. But he gathered his strength and did*’t take the bait. His mouth remained firmly shut, jaw clenched.

Instead of retaliating verbally, he flicked his wrist. Zaros watched the knife go spiraling by a good span from his head. He turned to follow it and see it clatter across the stones. He spun back with a sneer on his lips and a biting comment on his tongue. A second flash of silver whipped toward his face. He pressed himself flat on the stones just in time, but found it aflame.

Exile spun for a fraction of a second. Katherine stood behind him, though looking decidedly pale. Whsst! Another firebolt zipped toward Zaros. The god moved faster than anything Exile had ever seen. He knew he could easily exhaust his stash of knives trying to hit him, and never cut through anything but air. Zaros danced back on his feet again. Now there was a mutual pause as each party watched the other, trying to guess who would strike first.

03-Jul-2011 02:17:33

Crystal Smee

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“No fair,” whined Zaros, but he was laughing. “I said one at a time.”

“If you don’t play fair, why should we?” Glevea asked bluntly, climbing through the trapdoor.

“I recall a few tricks some two weeks ago,” added Larvald with a snarl behind her. “Don’t be a hypocrite.” Krystal hopped out with nothing to say, merely pulling back her lips in a wolf-like growl. Zaros eyed them with a co(c)cky smile.

“A half-mad werewolfess, a cripple, an assassin, a mage, and a swordswoman. This is the best my brothers can find to send against me? I’m terrified,” he giggled. “Anyway, I’m evil. Hell, I’m the god of evil. I’m supposed to play dirty. But you…you’re…good.” He hissed the word hurriedly, then shivered afterward like it scared him. Then he spit contemptuously over the edge of the wall.

None of them bothered to reply. Exile flipped another knife forward, at the same time that Glevea darted forward with Krystal. Between the two of them they had four swords, and knew how to use them. Zaros was like a phantom, dodging and parrying. Larvald stepped forward to add the force of his warhammer.

Suddenly, the god rose up into the air. The ground shook from the force of his leap. He flipped through the air a hundred feet above. Halfway through roll, he reached out with the staff. A dozen bolts of fire shot from the orb toward the adventurers. The five dove out of the way. Zaros was suddenly on his feet once more on the ramparts. He giggled as the adventurers picked themselves up. Glevea nursed a small burn where one of the blasts had seared the side of her leg. Larvald’s ribs ached terribly. He couldn’t even stand straight. His one arm was clutching at his abdomen and his warhammer lay discarded on the flagstones.
“I’m sorry,” he wheezed. “I just – I can’t…” Glevea touched his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she murmured.

“How much longer – till…” he whispered.

*I don’t know,” she admitted. “Should be soon. Just hang on, we’ll get you out of here.”

03-Jul-2011 02:18:06

Crystal Smee

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“One down,* cackled Zaros triumphantly. Katherine raised her staff. A great ball of crackling electricity appeared above her. When she pointed the staff at Zaros, it whizzed toward him. There was a sickening crunch as it hit him. He had attempted to dodge, but it followed his every moment. He was encased inside, yelling in pain.

Krystal peered over the edge, seeing the other gods on the ground. They were conversing hurriedly. At the roars of Zaros, Armadyl glanced up and gave them a huge thumbs-up.

Suddenly the ball of electricity exploded in hundreds of tiny shards. They flew in every direction. Then when the god crooked his finger, they zoomed toward Katherine. Hundreds of tiny electric darts speared her body and she fell limp. Zaros stood completely unscathed. He smiled. Krystal and Glevea moved forward, attacking again. Glevea found herself flung backwards by the end of the Staff. Her head clicked on the stones and everything went black. Larvald rushed to her side with a cry.

“Two left,” he mused. “This is fun.” Krystal managed to hold him off for a while, moving almost as fast as the god. Exile stepped back, gripping the handle of the dragon-glass dagger. It was clear glass, with a swirling red inside. His sweaty fingers clenched as he waited for just the right moment.

He made a throwing motion with his arm and the blade was released. It whirled end-over-end toward the god. And then Krystal dove away from the Staff swinging toward her, straight into the path of the knife. It sliced into her shoulder and she screamed, slamming into the stones.

She rolled slowly to face Exile. Zaros stepped back, a small smile on his face. Krystal’s golden eyes were clouded. “Krystal, oh my –“ Exile gasped.

“S-Seth?” she rasped. “I can’t believe..it’s – it’s you!” Exile faltered in his sprint toward her, skidding to a halt.

“What?” he blurted.

03-Jul-2011 02:18:25

Crystal Smee

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“Seth!” her eyes went to the hilt that protruded from her shoulder. “I’m sorry…” her voice was growing weaker. “I know – what I did to you…” tears slid from her yellow eyes. “But I never – expected – you would…Oh, gods, Seth I’m sorry! I guess…you have revenge now.*

*Krystal?” asked Exile softly.

“I’ll see you in the other world, Seth. Now we can be together again,” she whispered. She was looking past Exile, to a point upon the stones. Then her eyes fluttered shut.

“Krystal?” he repeated, though this time it was a yell.

“I suggest you pull the knife out,” snickered Zaros. Exile rushed toward her and put both hands on the hilt. With a deep breath, he wrenched it free. Krystal moaned. He lifted her and stood slowly. He looked at Zaros tentatively, who made no move to stop him. Then he began to hurry toward the steps.

Zaros laughed. “Oh, not so fast, Exile. I let you pull that knife out, but I’m not through with you yet.” He raised the Staff to attack, only before he could he was suddenly thrown off the ramparts. He slammed furiously into the ground before he could break his fall with magic. Armadyl, Saradomin, and Guthix appeared where he had stood.

“What took you so long?” demanded Exile.

“It’s not that simple,” said Guthix ominously. Then he turned, and Zaros stood behind him. Whatever injuries he received in his fall had vanished.

“Go!” roared Armadyl. A bolt of fire whizzed toward him, but he threw up a shield just in time and deflected it. The flames sprayed in every direction. Exile ran with Krystal down the steps and deposited her at the bottom. Then he ran back up for Katherine. Larvald had begun to hobble down, still clutching his torso.

Saradomin vanished suddenly, appearing on the other side of Zaros. He raised his hands and a blast of electricity flashed toward the god of evil. Zaros ducked, and Guthix barely had time to dive out of the way. The Staff lashed out, catching Guthix in his fall, and sending him flying over the edge of the wall.

03-Jul-2011 02:18:39

Crystal Smee

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Armadyl exchanged a look with Saradomin. There was a high-pitched hiss as each sent his own blast of light-energy toward Zaros. As expected, the god flattened himself to the ground. The beams met in mid-air and exploded in a blinding flash of light. Armadyl and Saradomin had thrown up shields of magic and were unharmed. Zaros lay in a heap on the ground.

Armadyl grinned, reaching for the Staff. When his hand touched it, however, he let back a yell. The tips of his fingers that had touched the wood were seared black. Zaros opened his eyes and smiled weakly. “You don’t win that easily,” he snarled. Then he vanished with a pop.

“How is she?* Exiles’s voice was soft and gentle.

Lance looked up from the bedside. His face was haggard. His right arm was in a heavy sling and covered in bandages from wrist to shoulder. Dark circles were evident beneath his eyes. “Not any better,” he said after a moment’s silence. “The wound is okay…it’s the poison, I think.” His voice was a snarl directed at the assassin. He blamed him for Krystal’s position.

“But we gave her an anti-poison,” Exile protested.

“I’ve been doing some research. Heaven has some great libraries, you know. Anyway, it has something to do with her were-wolf side – it rejects the anti-poison,” Armadyl explained, appearing behind Exile. “We’d need a special were-wolf anti-poison.”

“And soon,” Lance rasped.

“I know of a witch in Mort Myre that can heal her,” Armadyl offered. Lance nodded weakly. “Have the hallucinations gone away?”

“No. She’s only woken once, and she thought I was Seth.”

“Who is Seth?” asked Exile, frowning. “She thought I was Seth after…I threw the knife.”

03-Jul-2011 02:19:03

Crystal Smee

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“When she was in the competition five years ago,” Lance explained, “Seth was another competitor. They traveled together in the dungeon, and she fell in love with him. They were fighting some sort of monster, she threw a knife while Seth fought with his sword, they moved and the knife hit Seth instead of the monster. It was just like what you did, apparently. He fell into a door, which triggered a spike pit trap. He fell in. He thought she threw it on purpose and died before she could explain. The guilt…it’s been hard on her.”

Exile leaned against the doorpost with a sigh. “That…that explains a lot.”

Lance shrugged and turned to Armadyl. “Can we get her to Mort Myre?”

“Sure. I can teleport you to Varrock. You’ll have to walk from there. My powers are limited without the Staff,” he apologized. This they knew, but he felt the need to explain every time that he couldn’t work wonders.

Lance sagged in his chair. “Thank you.” He turned back to Krystal, laying a hand over her stomach. Armadyl vanished down the corridor of the castle. Exile stood in the doorway for a moment, watching Lance. Finally, he turned and left as well.

“So we’ll all travel to Canifis, to heal Krystal, and then…” Armadyl trailed off. He did*’t know what would happen next.

“We need to find a way to fight Zaros,” prompted Guthix. This was obvious, but nobody knew beyond that.

“We need an army,” mused Glevea. “Better than levies. They’re useless. We need trained soldiers.”

“Well, there’s the Varrock Guard,” Exile offered. “And the Falador Guard, and the Order of White Knights, and the Paladin’s Order in Ardounge. Except they’re mostly gone, now*But Saradomin, surely you can command the White Knights? The others, well, they should follow us. I mean, they don’t want Zaros in power, do they?”

“What about…? No** Larvald hung his head. Glevea prodded his good arm.

“What?” she pressed.

*Nothing.”

03-Jul-2011 02:19:27

Crystal Smee

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“No, it wasn’t nothing,” she snapped. “What was it? We’ll take any ideas right now, come on.” She glared expectantly at him. The red-headed Fremmenik sighed.

“Just…what if…what if there are more people like us?* Silence. Lance frowned. Armadyl furrowed his brow, trying to understand. Finally, Katherine spoke.

“What do you mean?”

“People who aren’t soldiers, but just adventuring fighters. Like most of us were. Armadyl says we’re some of the best fighters, and we can’t be the only ones out there. Not just the thirteen that Dramen brought for his ‘contest’. There have to be more people like us.”

Saradomin narrowed his eyes. “You’re right…” he mused. “We need a way to contact them.”

“Some sort of notice?” guessed Exile.

“Yes. But we don’t have much time…” Guthix chewed his lip thoughtfully. “How about this. Armadyl, you take Krystal to Canifis. Saradomin, the others and I will write up a notice, and then we’ll go to the different cities and spread the word. We’ll find people.”

Saradomin smiled as he latched onto the idea. “Look at all your injuries. You’re walking proof of Zaros’ treachery. A fake contest to make you do his dirty work? That’s just foul. Your companions, your lovers have died in that dungeon. Tell the stories! Tell what you saw, what happened! Go to taverns, town squares, wherever. The people will come to you, I’m sure of it!” he exclaimed passionately.

Armadyl nodded. “Agreed, then. I will take Krystal. You all, get to work.” He smiled briefly, jade eyes twinkling, then swept out of the room.

End of Chapter

03-Jul-2011 02:19:45

Crystal Smee

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Chapter 2

Armadyl stood in the center of Varrock, eyeing the calm city. In his arms he carried the limp body of Krystal, her shoulder heavily bound. Beside him was Lance, his arm still in the sling. Lance had begged to come along, wanting to be sure Krystal was okay. Armadyl had agreed because Lance’s arm hadn’t been healing well, and he wished for his witch doctor to take a look.

Armadyl eyed the city, slightly miffed that none recognized him. He knew that he blended with other people, looking much like them, but he had had this body for thousands of years -–it was the face in all the texts, all drawings, tapestries, and pictures depicting him. But the masses of people just flowed around him. Merchants set up their stalls in the main square and shouted about their wares. A few adventurers strolled through the crowds, swaggering in their armor and swords. Lance nudged Armadyl.

*Do we want to recruit some of those people?” he asked.

“No,* said Armadyl. “Larvald and Glevea are coming here soon. We have other matters to attend to.” He then swept off. Lance hurried at his heels. They exited the center of the city and headed down East Way, which led to the east gate of the city. Varrock was divided into four rough quadrants by four main roads, each leading to a gate.

The two guards on duty at the east gate nodded as Armadyl and Lance left, eyeing Krystal’s body with raised eyebrows. But Armadyl was leaving the city, so it was none of their business. Now on the open cobblestone road, Lance moved to the god’s side.

“Armadyl…” he began slowly. Armadyl turned his head slightly. “It was the like the people…” he stopped, trying to find the right words. Finally he blurted, “Do they even know about Zaros?”

03-Jul-2011 16:38:15

Crystal Smee

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Armadyl was silent for a moment before replying. “I believe they do. The people of Varrock go about their daily business because there is nothing else for them to do. When people are scared…they try to ignore the source of their fear. Keeping themselves busy will take their minds off it. But did you see the companies of soldiers drilling?” He paused, and pointed north. “Listen.”

Lance listened. After a second, his ears caught a faint, “One! Two! Swords at the ready…Draw! Forward!” It was the bass yell of a drill sergeant.

“You see?” said Armadyl. “The guard is readying themselves. Not that it will do much good.”

***

A few hours later, Armadyl and Lance had passed through the magical barrier into Morytania. Now they plodded down the road. The swamp heightened around them, the cobblestones spaced apart with broad, floppy mushrooms and tall weeds in between. Each time Lance put his booted feet down, he felt the stones sink for a moment into the mushy ground before bobbing back up. Beyond the path, there was a few feet of mushy swamp ground, then the trees began. Many grew diagonally, with long mosses and growths hanging from them. Their tall, arching roots poked out of the murky pools of water. A thick fog hung in the air, making it impossible to see beyond the first few lines of trees. The fog seemed to carry a stench, pungent and rotting.
“Are we getting close?” sighed Lance. The smell gagged him and made him feel weak and light-headed. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Not being able to see made him tense and restless.

“Yes.” Armadyl pointed ahead. It seemed that the fog parted for the town of Canifis.

“She lives in Canifis somewhere?” Lance questioned.

03-Jul-2011 16:38:39

Crystal Smee

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“Unfortunately, no. Milaeta’s a bit farther into the woods,* explained the god. Canifis consisted of a few battling werewolves and a few run-down buildings. They were propped up on stilts to keep them from sinking into the mushy ground, but unfortunately sometimes the stakes sunk too, making the houses lopsided. The extreme humidity sunk into the wood and rotted it. Bugs scuttled through the walls of every home and every bed.

People looked oddly at the two outsiders, but more at the burden one of them carried. Most of the Canifis inhabitants were werewolves, a few were normal. But they all knew how to spot a werewolf when they saw one. They backed away to let Armadyl and Lance pass. One burly wolf jumped in front of them, however. His clothes were ripped, his body entirely covered in fur.

“Who’re ‘oo?” he garbled. His voice was thick and throaty, and he seemed to have trouble pronouncing words. His tongue flashed out and licked his snout. “An’ why ‘oo ‘ringin’ a were’olf in ‘ere?” Golden eyes that seemed to burn with fire glared at the two. His claws were extended and covered in blood from a previous battle. He was tense, and ready to strike if he did*’t like the answer.

“We’re here to see Milaeta,” stated Armadyl with a sigh.

“D’crazy?” he half-barked, half-howled a laugh. The other werewolves watching this odd scene did the same.

“Yes, that one. Krystal’s sick.”

“’Sck? Well, ‘e better no stay ‘ere afferwards.”

“Hadn’t planned on it,” muttered Lance, shivering as the yellow eyes of the wolf jumped to him.

“’Ood. ‘Ave fun wi’ d’crazy,” the wolf jumbled, and it loped off. Lance and Armadyl hurried on. The path led out between the bank and the bar, into the woods.

***

Larvald stood on the table, while Glevea sat with a sheet of parchment before her. A large crowd gathered, eyeing the strange sight of the bandaged man, waving his one good arm wildly in the air.

03-Jul-2011 16:38:58 - Last edited on 03-Jul-2011 16:39:15 by Crystal Smee

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