RuneScape Forum Archive | SotD3: Rise of the Alliance

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The warrior and the god sat for a time in silence, both listening to the muffled singing that came from beyond the door. Finally, Lance moved forward and asked, “What is she doing?”
Armadyl smiled and rose. “There is no way to describe witchcraft. You must see it for yourself, come.”
“Won’t she be uncomfortable with us watching?”
“She won’t notice.” Armadyl winked and led Lance to the door, touching it slightly to swing it inward. Lance peered through the crack. Krystal lay on a small pallet, stretched out on her stomach with all bandages ripped away and clothing moved aside to expose the wound. Milaeta stood beside her, her back turned to the witnesses, swaying slightly as she held her arms up in the air, as though in prayer. Clutched in her hands were multiple leaves of some green plant, perhaps herbs of some sort. Hanging from the ceiling was what Lance had expected when he first entered the witch’s house; Jars filled with odd substances and contents, dried plants, even a rooster dangled, strung up by its feet.
Milaeta’s voice rang out clearly now without the door to block it. There were no words to this song, just an array of wild notes. It was a beautiful, harmonious sound, and Lance was entranced by it.
The room faded, and instead he was flying through the sky, sunlight pouring down upon him as he whipped past the clouds. Then he was in a rolling field, sprinting quickly through the high grass as the song quickened in the back of his mind. Then he was floating in a massive void, tiny white lights floating around in every direction. As he whirled past each, it gained in size and became a window. Though it seemed that here he had no body, no being, somehow he could see inside. They were a hundred places, a thousand different places he had never even seen. In awe, he tried to reach out, grab at one, to go there, but he couldn’t. They slipped through his grasp like smoke.

03-Jul-2011 16:43:30

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Armadyl nudged him, drawing him back to reality. Lance gasped as the void faded and suddenly he was back in the room. He was panting heavily. The god pulled him back and smiled. “Don’t let yourself get drawn in like that, you could get lost forever. Witchcraft isn’t something to mess around with.”
“Sorry,” Lance rasped, still out of breath. He knew Armadyl wasn’t angry with him though, as the god was still grinning. “I think I see why the people call her crazy. That’s some weird stuff…” Armadyl peeked back through the door.
“Take a look now,” he chuckled. Lance peered over his shoulder. Milaeta’s song had stopped. Now she was chanting in a minor, off-key note. It grated against his ears and scraped at him until he covered his ears with a wince. The witch had also changed stances, now one hand propped her up in the small of Krystal’s back. The other sprinkled a small dust across Krystal’s wound. The **** had mostly healed, leaving a large pink weal where it had been. The scarred area, however, had become swollen and sallow, almost bright yellow and near to bursting with some sort of pus.
Mil*eta used her lifted hand to then pick up a large knife. Lance tensed and grabbed Armadyl’s shoulder in an iron grasp. “What is she doing?” he demanded.
Armadyl wriggled free and shook his head. “Trust her,” he suggested. “She won’t hurt Krystal.”
“You don’t know that!” Lance cried out.
“Yes, I do,” Armadyl said firmly. “Milaeta has served me for over a thousand years. She is a devoted follower – of me - , and wouldn’t dream of doing harm to one of her patients. She has done me hundreds of favors. I grant her eternal life, and the only thing she asks in return is to help me, to serve me. So don’t worry, Lance. She is good, and she will help Krystal to the best of her ability.”

03-Jul-2011 16:44:00

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Lance slipped back to the door. His breath caught in his throat as the blade ripped through Krystal’s flesh, reopening the wound that Exile had given her. “Helping her?” Lance croaked, turning back to Armadyl.
Milaeta laid down the knife and turned to face the doorway, smiling broadly. “Worry not, young Lance,” she purred. Two swift steps carried her to the door, and she opened it all the way to let him inside. Then she turned to a small counter and lifted a vial, unplugging the stopper. She moved to the werewolf’s side once more and propped the vial beneath the wound. The pus swelled and oozed out into the vial. Lance watched with wide, curious eyes.
“You wish to know what I have done, why I have reopened the wound, yes?” Lance nodded slowly. Milaeta’s lips curled back in a smile again as she explained. “With my magic I manipulated the poison, brought it to a center point. I used the place where she had been wounded because the skin was already thin, so reopening it would do less harm then incising a new wound. Now, the poison flows out through the cut I have made. It will take a long time to drain, the thing about poison is that it grows inside the body, becomes more than it was originally. That is how it kills you, starting with a single drop, it will thrive until it consumes you.” Lance swallowed the bile in his throat at this awful description.
“The poison was in Krystal for a long time, so there is a lot. It will take a while to drain. In the mean time, Lance, let’s see that arm.” She grabbed him and sat him down forcefully on the cot beside Krystal.
Milaeta’s nimble fingers rapidly unraveled Lance’s bandages, and her upset chittering became more agitated as she saw the full extent of his wound with each wrapping she peeled away.

03-Jul-2011 16:44:41

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The demon Lance had fought weeks ago in the dungeon, trying to save Amy, had almost completely severed Lance’s arm at the shoulder. The wound was serious, slicing all the way through the bone and leaving it hanging by a few sinews in his armpit. But this, unfortunately, wasn’t all.
As Milaeta had said, the wound was infected. Light green pus leaked out of the wide ****. There was very little blood, which is why no one had thought to change Lance’s bandages more than a few times. The pus, however, wasn’t the worst. The flesh around the gap in his arm was swollen, and it had turned black. It extended a short ways both down his arm and across what remained of his shoulder.
“Hell…” gasped Armadyl when he saw. He stepped back and leaned heavily on the wall, holding his head in his hands.
Milaeta swallowed. “The wound is infected, badly. The pus * that is the infection. The black, that is where it has killed your flesh. Your flesh is dead…or dying.” As Armadyl began to speak, she whipped up one hand to halt him, knowing what he was going to say.
“No!* she snapped. “Armadeel, this is not your fault! This happened long before you tended to Lance, when he first received the wound and the bone was not set right, the wound not properly cared for in the dungeon. By the time you got to it, nothing short of your healing powers would save his arm, and that went with the Staff. And no, you will NOT blame yourself for that either!”
“So this is my fault?” rasped Lance.
“Did I say that? No!* Milaeta wagged a finger at him. “What were you supposed to do, clean the wound neatly one-handed, almost unconscious from pain? No! This, Lance, this could not be helped, not that I see. And now** she sighed, unable to tell him the bad news.
“Now what?” Lance pressed hoarsely.

03-Jul-2011 16:44:58

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Now*there is nothing we can do for your arm, Lance. The infection, that blackness will spread, until it consumes your arm and maybe the rest of your body. It is a poison, one I can remove like I did to Krystal. But it is too late to save your arm, Lance. It must be amputated.”
“Amputated?” he repeated. His head whipped around to face Armadyl. “You’re kidding, right? You’re not going to cut off my arm, are you? This is all a joke.” He laughed weakly.
Milaeta shook her head. “No, Lance, it is no joke. I can remove the poison, but your arm is useless. It will fall off on its own, which will be extremely painful, or I can remove it painlessly. My magic will place you in a deep sleep in which you will feel no pain.”
“No!* Lance cried. He jumped to his feet and rushed to the door, but Milaeta’s hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.
“Lance. It must be done. I’m sorry.”
“Armadyl, tell her she can’t do this!” he screeched. “She’ll listen to you! Don’t let her do this!”
Armadyl groaned. “Lance…” he sighed. “She’s right. Your arm, it’s gone.”
Milaeta pushed him back to the bed, forcing him to lay down. She laid a hand on his forehead and murmured to herself. Her fingers felt hot against Lance’s skin. He thrashed and wriggled, but he couldn’t escape. Then it all went black.
The witch straightened and listened carefully to the warriors steady breathing. “He’s asleep,” she announced. She moved away, to Krystal’s side, and checked the vial. Then she laid a hand on the girl’s back and closed her eyes. “The poison is gone. Armadeel, take her to my bedchamber. Gently.” Armadyl lifted Krystal’s body and exited the room. Then Milaeta laid Lance’s body carefully where Krystal’s had been.
“Remove the poison, then the arm and the dead flesh,” she explained to herself. “Yes, that is best.” Then, as she had with Krystal, she began to sing.

End of Chapter

03-Jul-2011 16:45:15

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Chapter 4

Exile paced back and forth in front of the inn. He couldn’t get the image of Katherine out of his head. Her body, torn to pieces…He shook his head.
“’ey! Where’s the girl?”
Exile turned and spied another addition to their army. The man was tall and wore long robes, and his wrists that jutted out and carried his staff were bony and thin. The hood was down, revealing an angular face with long greasy hair and blue eyes.
Exile couldn’t get the words out. He spluttered for a moment, then flopped down on a bench along the street and put his head in his hands.
“She okay?” Zarim asked.
“She’s…she’s…dead.” Exile choked on the last word and began to sob. “Zaros! I swear I’ll kill him!”
“Oh, jeez, mate, I’m so sorry…” Zarim sat beside him, unsure how to comfort his fellow.
“What’s going on?” This was Angela. She came with her crystal bow slung over her shoulder, a black cavalier’s hat perched atop her mane of white-blond hair.
“The girl – Zaros killed her. Angela, right? We need to get this army together, fast. Exile, mate, I see everyone else coming…you were gonna give some sort of speech, right?”
Exile nodded. “G-Guthix is coming. He’ll explain better what we need to do.”
Right on cue, Guthix appeared on the other side of Exile, sitting on the bench. “Exile…” he murmured, his voice low and soft. “I saw what Zaros did. I couldn’t get there in time, I swear I would have stopped him if I could.” His voice shook slightly.
“S’not your fault,” the young man sniffled. “But Zaros, he will pay. So let’s get this show on the road.” Ashamed of his weakness, he forced himself to be strong and rose. By now the other warriors had arrived in twos and threes. He looked across them, seeing men, women, mages, swordsmen, rangers. It was a diverse crowd, which was perfect.

03-Jul-2011 16:46:18

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Guthix rose beside him. “All of you have come here tonight because you want to help. You understand that Zaros must be stopped. He has taken the Staff of Armadyl, and with it he could conquer the world. None of us want that. He is evil, and his rule would be painful. Alone, we cannot stop him.”
“Hey!” Zarim called out. “I’ve read history books. The last time this happened, you other four gods joined together and locked him away. Why won’t that work this time?”
Guthix sighed. “Zamorak…he is still in the dungeon.”
“Let him out!” someone called. The speaker was a girl, with long red hair and emerald eyes. She carried a willow bow over her shoulder and a full quiver at her hip.
“We…we left him there. Now, there is little chance he would join us. I am sure Zaros would be willing to make him an offer.”
“You trapped him in the dungeon on purpose?” yelled Zarim. The man was obviously a follower of the chaos god, and now his face reddened in the moonlight. “Aw heck, this is crazy…” He stormed off. Exile chased after him, shaking his head. Some of the fiercest fighters would come from the Zamorakian contingent; he had suspected the fact that Zamorak had been left on purpose would cost them a number of warriors.
Guthix continued the speech. “Zaros plans to take control of our world. We all know that that would be a horrible world, under his fist and at his mercy. He must be stopped and the balance restored. In Varrock, an army with many more like you is being put together, and in Ardounge we have already been attack and more fighters have been gathered –“
He broke off as a man sprinted up. The man’* clothes were ripped and stained with dirt, his face was smeared with black ash, and his eyes were wide with fear.
“Help us!” he gasped, his voice hoarse. “Draynor – under attack – Zarosians!” he doubled over, panting and wheezing.

03-Jul-2011 16:46:31

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“This is your chance!” Guthix boomed. “The Zarosians outnumber us a hundred to one, likely even more, but you are the better fighters! You are experienced and battle-worn! Let us give meaning to the saying, ‘Quality over quantity.’ I will send you to Draynor. Go, go, and fight!” He raised his arms, reaching out with his powers to the great teleportation matrix of magic that crisscrossed Gielenor. He wove the magic around the gathered warriors, and with the final key word, teleported them to Draynor. Then he turned and reached for another magic.
“Zarim!”
The warrior turned as the god’s voice thundered across the city. As he spied Exile, hurrying after him, he realized that only he could hear this voice. It was searching for him, weeding him out off the maze of streets. Abruptly he crashed into Guthix. The god had appeared right in front of him, and he stumbled backwards.
“Zarim,” the god repeated, but more quietly now. Exile stepped up behind them and smiled at Guthix.
“What? I don’t wanna join your army, okay?” the warrior snapped. “Leave me alone, will ya?”
“I know that locking Zamorak in the dungeon was an injustice, especially since he helped the survivors find the Staff. He was only looking for his way out, but he gave them an escape and for that they are grateful. Otherwise, they could have passed by that door and never known they had come so close to being able to get out. Not having him on our side will also cost us dearly in this war, I think.
“Zarim, this is a great war. It is the world against Zaros; we are all on the same side. We have to be.”
“Zaros and Zamorak are a lot a like, you know. With Zaros having the Staff, isn’t that like two Zaros’? Isn’t it balanced right now? Two good guys, double the one bad guy. Not that I like not having Zamorak around, but…Why do we have to change anything?”

03-Jul-2011 16:46:49

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Hardly,” snorted Guthix. “Zaros and the Staff are more like a hundred Zaros’. And it is not balanced if he conquers all. And do you think that just because their interests are similar, Zaros will spare the Zamorakians when he wins? Zarim, it is Zaros and the Zarosians against everyone, not *good’ versus ‘evil’. We need every fighter we can get.”
Zarim mulled it over for a moment. Finally, he sighed. “You got a good way of speaking, Guthix, I’ll give you that. All right, I’m in. But once it’s over you better do something about Zamorak, you hear? Once word gets out you’ll have us fighting you too.”
Guthix nodded. “Fair enough. Come, Draynor needs us.” He took Zarim’s and Exile’s hands, then transported them all to Draynor.
***
Draynor was mostly in ruin by the time the army arrived. Buildings that had been set afire now lay smoldering in ruin. Bodies of dead citizens littered the ground. The place swarmed with Zarosians who killed freely. There were few to combat them, a few adventurers like those that formed the defending army that had been in the town upon the time of the attack.
One such girl was amidst the fighting long before help arrived. Muttering, she shook dark brown hair out of her eyes and slid to the ground, tripping the nearest Zarosian fighter. The soldiers were all dressed the same, scarlet tunics, black pants, steel chainmail, and scarlet cloaks. They wielded an odd assortment of weapons, mostly swords but the occasional scythe or spear. This mean wielded a long spear, which worked to her advantage. She dodged within its reach as he swung desperately and kicked him hard with one booted foot. He groaned and rolled sideways. She whipped out her dagger and sliced across the back of his neck, watching the blood spill from it.

03-Jul-2011 16:47:07 - Last edited on 03-Jul-2011 16:47:48 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Then, suddenly, the town was swarming with warriors. For a few moments it was pure slaughter, the coin reversed. Now the Zarosians fell like leaves in autumn as they were set upon by bloodthirsty soldiers. They were taken completely by surprise, and it was a long time before they could gather themselves and react.
She saw one warrior pouncing upon Zarosian after Zarosian, ripping them apart with quickly uttered spells and wooden staff alike. She saw a soldier coming up behind him, however, short rapier ready to slice through the man’s dragonhide armor. She threw herself forward, breaking between combatants to get a clear shot. Her miniature crystal bow was in her hands and loaded within seconds, and with no one between to block her aim, the shot ripped straight into the man’s armor. Steel chainmail was no equal to crystal arrows and the Zarosian fell.
The man whirled, spitting with fury. “What the hell was that for?” he shouted. She darted closer.
“What’s your problem? He was going to kill you!”
“I had it under control,” he sneered. “What’s a girl doing on the battlefield anyway?”
“What, you think girls can’t fight?” The nearest soldier had heard his comment and sidled over. They were at the edge of the fray, and no one disturbed their conversation.
“No, I don’t. They shouldn’t. Leave a man’s work to a man, I say!”
“If a woman can wield a blade, let her. We’re no lesser than you. Say, how many have you killed tonight? Oh, and I’m Kelta.”
“Kyra.” She shook her hand with a smile. “Me, well, I haven’t kept count. Maybe fifteen, sixteen?”
“And you? How many? And what’s your name?”
“Talon,” he spat, “and I think ten. Would be eleven if this little girl hadn’t gotten in my way.”

03-Jul-2011 16:47:28

Forums

SotD3: Rise of the Alliance