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SotD3: Rise of the Alliance

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Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Kelta grinned. She was small and broad, with stark with hair and a captivating smile. “And I have killed twenty-one. So don’t speak to me of women being lesser than men, Talon. Seems like the women do the men’s work better than the men! And tonight, you men will probably all go to the tavern, get drunk, and boast of your kills. Bah! Disgusting creatures, the lot of you!” She drew her daggers from their sheaths at her side and waved them at Talon, as if contemplating whether or not to stab him. Finally she drew a sharp breath and stomped back to the battle. Kyra shook her head in amazement and followed.

***

Guthix raised his hands and muttered a quick spell, igniting a blast that shot out in a ten foot radius around him. Zarosian soldiers were thrown back, and many did*’t get up. Guthix smiled grimly. But his smile faded as he turned, spying the one man he truly wanted dead. Zaros stood outside of the burned-out shell of the bank, his hands held high. The air swirled around him, thick with debris. He appeared to be creating some sort of tornado.

Exile broke free of the fighting and sprinted towards the evil god, hoping to slip in a knife while Zaros was distracted. At the last second, the wind whipping his long hair forward into his eyes, he dropped low and slid under the twister. At the eye of the gathering storm, he and Zaros were alone. The god’s eyes snapped open.

“Oh, hello, Exile,” he sneered. “Nice of you to join me.” Exile stared dumbly, surprised Zaros had noticed him. Then he was lifted up off the ground by an invisible force and tossed into the whirling air. He spun around and around, a mere leaf in the wind. A long splinter of wood slammed into his side and he went limp.

03-Jul-2011 16:48:10 - Last edited on 03-Jul-2011 16:48:35 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Guthix gritted his teeth and raced forward, hoping he could save Exile from whatever Zaros planned next. But then the god waved his hands toward the nearby water and the entire mass soared toward it, then crashed into it with a splash. Waves caused by the impact washed over the shore nearly up to the bank. Guthix saw Exile go under and ran toward the water, slightly activating teleportation powers to get there sooner. In a second he was in the water, diving under to search for Exile. He found his friend’s body and grabbed him. Then he sped back to the bank, where he laid him out. His body was already bruising from the beating it had taken in Zaros’ spell.

“Why go to the trouble to save that one?”

Guthix whirled, finding Zaros standing over him, cackling with laughter.

“You should have let him die. He’s a near useless fighter, knives are hopeless against blades and arrows. Not to mention he gave me this…” he twirled the Staff between his hands with glee.

“He’s my friend.”

“Goodness, brother, you’re starting to sound like Saradomin. All friendship and loyalty. Why waste your time? And speaking of time, I’ve got to get going. I’ve some other matters to attend to. It’s busy, running a campaign to conquer the world, you know?”

Guthix saw the bubble of teleportation appear around Zaros and heaved to his feet, catching his brother’s arm just as he was jolted into space. The world spread out like a map before him, offering choices of where to go. Zaros had already chosen, however, and they were suspended for a mere second before they were spinning off again.

When they landed, Zaros glared irritably at his brother. “If you wanted to come, you could have asked.”

03-Jul-2011 16:48:25

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Guthix ignored him and looked around. “Why Lumbridge?” he asked. They had arrived in the Duke’s town, just outside of the great castle. For now, the town slept, with just a few guards patrolling on the ramparts. Some had noticed the arrival of the pair and watched with interested. Others slept at their posts, their halberds lain across their laps.

“You say quality can beat quantity, brother,” Zaros giggled. “But you’ll never beat the numbers I have.” He tapped the Staff on the ground. “S’vera, havacera, a’shamar!” Suddenly Guthix and his brother were surrounded by thousands of Zarosian soldiers. They set upon the city like they had in Draynor, armed with torches they began to set everything alight.

Guthix growled low in his throat and muttered a quick spell, teleporting himself to Varrock. Saradomin was there, giving a speech to his army much like Guthix had outside of the White Stag in Falador. The order god looked up, surprised to see his brother.

“Zaros…” he gasped. “Draynor, Lumbridge… You’ve got to go!”

Saradomin cursed. “Your help is needed!” he cried to his soldiers, and then teleported them all, Guthix included, to Lumbridge. As his soldiers began to battle, he turned to his brother. “How can he do this? I mean, we are four gods against one! We have the Zamorakians, the Armadylists, and mine and your followers! Where can he get such numbers? He can’t have that many followers!”

Guthix frowned. He had been wondering this too. Suddenly, he grabbed Saradomin’s arm. “Come,” he ordered. He dragged him to a spot near the walls, where there was a small heap of dead Zarosians. “Look…” he whispered. “He only needs a few men.” He kicked over a few of the bodies and pulled back their hoods.

Saradomin stared. Two of the men had identical faces. Three more were of a different face. “They’re the same…He’s copying them! Multiplying his men!”

03-Jul-2011 16:49:00

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Probably some other trick of the Staff. It was made too powerful…It doesn’t matter how many men he gets, he can always make more,” Guthix said tiredly.

Saradomin paced, biting his lip in thought. “Guthix…” he began. His brother looked up. “We need Zamorak.”

“No.”

“We need his help! That’s the only way we can defeat Zaros!”

“We locked him in the dungeon, Saradomin. We left him bleeding, badly injured. He can’t die because he’s a god, he’s just in eternal pain. You think he’ll help us? No! He’ll join the chaos that Zaros is creating. Then we’ll just lose the Zamorakians. Because of my foolish idea, we’re going to have to fight them sooner or later. Word’s getting out…We have a much better chance if they don’t give themselves over to Zaros and his wicked cloning.”

“We have to try! It’s a risk we have to take, it’s the only way!” Saradomin insisted.

“Saradomin, you know he’s not going to help us.*

*What about –“

“No. He won’t help either. It’s not his place, you know that.”

“But wouldn’t it be worth it to ask, Guthix? We need to do something!”

“Saradomin, he’s not going to help. Leave be.”

Saradomin threw up his hands in frustration. “So, what now? We just let the people fall to Zaros? Oh, you probably like that! Too many people in the world, it’s not balanced! This’ll even it out some, I bet!”

Guthix grabbed his brother’s shoulders and shook him. “You know that’s not true! I want Zaros stopped as much as you do. But we have to think smart. Zamorak is not the answer! We can beat Zaros without him.”

“You’re wrong. I know you’re wrong. We have no other options, Guthix. But fine, you want to let the world fall to pieces, be my guest. I’m going to DO something.” He wrenched free and stormed off into the battle, very much needing to spill blood right then.

End of Chapter

03-Jul-2011 16:49:13

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Chapter 5


Lance was drowning in a white fog. Each droplet of the cloud around him was a stinging needle of pain and they stabbed him mercilessly. He was terrified. Desperately, he prayed it was only some foul nightmare and tried to open his eyes, return to reality, but he could not. His eyelids felt weighed down, like they were held shut. Agony bit into his arm and he screamed, but he heard no sound.

Suddenly his eyes snapped open, and he was confronted by a dark haired woman standing over him, holding a knife soaked in blood. Instinct caused him to reach for her and shove her away, but he only saw his left arm lift. Someone was yelling. It was a moment before he realized it was himself, and he abruptly shut his mouth. His vision was blurred, hazy, the white fog creeping in at the edges of his eyes. He could still feel the needles, too, jabbing into every part of his body. He resisted the urge to scream again.

“What happened?” demanded a familiar voice. Lance couldn’t quite place it. A man with red-gold hair moved from the shadows. “Milaeta, he should still be asleep!”

“The pain was too great, Armadeel,” she murmured. *I doubt anyone can sleep through losing an arm, even a magic-induced sleep.”

Lance’s eyes widened. They were talking about him! Losing an arm? Everything came rushing back at that moment, and his heart sank. The amputation. Fighting back the tears that threatened to sting his eyes, he turned his head. Milaeta was there before he could get a good look, firmly shielding his eyes and twisting his head back towards the ceiling.

“No!* she admonished. “You cannot see yet!”

She continued talking, explaining what had happened, perhaps, but all the words slurred together. The white fog crept closer until it enveloped him completely, and then he heard nothing at all.

06-Jul-2011 02:25:54

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

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

Milaeta eyed the blood stump of Lance’s arm, severed where it joined the shoulder. The limb itself lay a few inches away, already the stench of decaying flesh heightening in the air. Separating it had been easy – the bone was already mostly cracked through, and what had healed was soft and mushy from the infection. Blood poured freely from the opened arteries and veins to stain the cot.

“Give a cloth!” Armadyl jumped at her command, swallowing back the bile in his throat. Even gods were queasy at the sight of so much blood. He tossed Milaeta a rag that seemed much too small to stop the bleeding. However, Milaeta was a witch, and if anyone could cauterize the wound, she could. She pressed the small brown cloth to the stump and muttered a few words. When she pulled the scrap away, it was soaked with blood, but no more came out.

“Bandages.”

Armadyl handed her the long, previously cut strips of cloth. She wound them nimbly around the stump. Then she lifted the severed arm and trotted out of the house. There was a crash, far off in the woods where she threw it. When she returned, she faced Armadyl with a frown. “There is little I can do to ease the pain, Armadeel. I’m sorry.” She stepped closer to him, lifting his chin and with her hands. Her violet eyes captured his and she read him like a book. “I can see this hurts you, too. You care deeply.”

“Look at all he has sacrificed for me,” the god whispered. “And this is how I repay him? By having his arm cut off?”

“It had to be done. It was that or death. Repay him by defeating your brother, Armadeel. Win this war. Make his efforts worthwile.”

“There is no way I can ever repay any of them for all they have suffered. No way to give them back all they have lost.” Armadyl sighed, moving to sit beside Lance on the bed. He lay one hand across his friend’s chest, feeling the rapid beating of his chest.

06-Jul-2011 02:26:28

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“They have their lives…” Milaeta offered.

Armadyl barked a bitter laugh. “Their lives,” he mocked. “And what good are their lives any more? Look at Krystal! Who wants to live as a werewolf? Or Lance! He fell in love, lost the girl, and then his arm! Krystal fell in love too. I watched them all, watched what my oh-so-clever dungeon did to them.”

“And yet they do not blame you,” mused Milaeta. The witch’s mind worked quickly. She had to get Armadyl out of this state. “And look at Lance now. He cares deeply for Krystal. They care deeply for each other.”

“So they will be two cripples finding solace in each other, is that what you forsee?”

“Armadeel, you must not blame yourself. How many times have I told you this eve?” In two swift steps, she stood before him again. Her slap rang out loudly in the tiny room.

“What was that for?” he squawked.

“You may be a god, but you cannot control events! Not even Penzalos can.” She waved her hands hopelessly in the air. “We have had this conversation this eve, Armadeel! When will you listen?”

“I wonder what he thinks of all this…” he sighed.

Milaeta suddenly sprang out of the room. “No time for wondering, I think!” Armadyl leapt forward to follow her. He found her huddled over a bowl of water, staring intently. He saw nothing, but obviously she did.

“Battle in Draynor…” she mused. Then she leaned forward, her pointed nose nearly into the clear liquid.

“What?” How he wished he could see into her scrying bowl! “I have to go!”

An iron grip on his arm stopped him in mid-turn. “You are going nowhere, Armadeel!” she ordered. Her eyes were still locked into the vision only she could see. “Guthix is handling it quite well, considering the numbers. You want to repay Lance and Krystal. At least be here when they wake up.”

06-Jul-2011 02:26:54

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
She did not know of the attack on Lumbridge; had she, she would have ushered Armadyl out without a second thought. But that had not come to pass yet. She only knew of the battle through a witch in Draynor who had contacted her, and she had no such fellows in Lumbridge.

Armadyl sighed. “Why are you always right, woman?” he growled with a half-smile.

Milaeta laughed, correctly reading this as his return to his normal state. “That’s why you keep me around, good Armadeel. Now, sit. Krystal and Lance will wake soon.”

***

The battle in Lumbridge was not going well. Steel shrieked through the air to create screams as Saradomin’s army was slaughtered. The few buildings that had not burned all the way to the ground were now smoldering, the smoke so thick it blotted out the stars overhead. A stench hung in the air, thicker than any cloud of smoke. It was the stench of death, of blood spilled and charred flesh.

Guthix blasted a pair of Zarosians with matching faces, sending them flying into the sky. Suddenly clear of foes, he surveyed the battlefield. There were three separate skirmishes in action – one in the fortress, one in the town, and one by the bridge and burned-out forge. Saradomin’s legions of adventurers were holding the bridge, but the town was gone and there was little doubt they were losing the fortress. Guthix was a killing machine, but no matter how many he slaughtered, there were always more.

Guthix trotted toward the fortress, searching for either of his brothers. He saw Saradomin in the center of the gray, a sword made of the light he encompassed swinging in his hands. Using his own magic to fight his way through, Guthix reached his brother.

“Saradomin!” he cried. His voice was barely audible above the racket.

Saradomin turned and was rewarded with a slash across his shoulder. The blade he held flashed red and took on the form of a gigantic axe and he spun a full circle, Zarosians falling like trees to his hatchet. “What, Guthix?” he roared.

06-Jul-2011 02:27:20

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Guthix ducked as Saradomin whirled again, then grabbed his brother and dragged him away. He needed his full attention. “We have to do something! We can’t win here!”

“Do what I’m doing, and we can,” snarled his brother. The god was still sore from their previous argument and in no mood to chat. Adrenaline pumped in his veins and Guthix had to push him back as an oblivious Zarosian soldier raced by, screaming.

“No. There’s too many. Zaros is here somewhere, hiding like the bloody coward he is. I think he keeps cloning them. We might have a chance in Draynor.”

“You want to retreat?” asked Saradomin incredulously.

“We don’t have a choice.” As Saradomin opened his mouth to protest, Guthix held up a hand. “Losing a battle doesn’t mean losing the war. We might have to give some ground, but we’ll get it back.”

“Oh, it’s balanced.” The tone was mocking. “But what happens in the meantime? People will die! I’m not giving up!”

“Some sacrifices must be made. Saradomin, we have to retreat to Draynor. We can** save Lumbridge.”

Saradomin leaned against the castle wall and crossed his arms, thinking. The sooner the battle was over, the sooner he could… “Fine.” He straightened and shook his head. “I’ll call a retreat.”

***

The retreat happened quickly, if not quite smoothly. Saradomin’s small army raced back through the forest towards Draynor. The Zarosians followed a short way, but thankfully Zaros was man enough to adhere to the rules of war and let them escape. In the chaos, Guthix lost sight of his brother.

06-Jul-2011 02:28:05

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