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Hazeel Rises

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This is a novel I wrote a long time ago (so forgive if it's not really good) and, as it is about Runescape, I thought I'd post my story on here. This story is rather unique because, firstly, it has no chapters. I originally did not intend it like that, it was just the way it turned out upon writing. I probably will add chapters when I have the time. Secondly, the story revolves around several different perspectives, despite the main character, John, being told from the first person, and there may be some time discrepencies. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this novel. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Note: The story is complete, you may now post!

Note: The vastly superior sequel, Demonic Flames, has at last been completed! Here's the QFC: 49-50-137-62963627

11-Feb-2011 02:36:21 - Last edited on 22-Jul-2011 23:03:26 by Hazeel Rises

Hazeel Rises

Posts: 4,066 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Hidden Shadows by Hazeel Rises

My name is John Horacio and this is my story. It wasn’t as if I had been totally unfamiliar with danger before the events of the day. I had traveled more in the last year then most men would in their lifetime. I had prowess with the blade that even the hardiest guard would envy. But nothing could have prepared me for what I was soon to experience. I had always been the nomadic type, ever since I left my father, the Duke of Lumbridge, five years ago. For a man of nobility, I certainly did not let it on.

For several years, after encountering a young man named Stephen Gostavo, whom I instantly befriended, we had been traveling, adventuring around the Kingdoms of Asgarnia and Misthalin. I couldn’t stand the normal life, being pinned down in a household. The recently established Rimmington Housing Portals had finally attracted me and I purchased a lot in the Peasant Division, a pathetic little house I never attended or resided in. My brother, as well as Stephen, had residences there as well.

Of course, we all envied the Rich Division. In the housing portals, we were a sort of a community in dreary Rimmington and the few noblemen wealthy enough to own property in the Rich portals were often admired. But no amount of wealth compared to that of Mac Edgerton’s. Possibly the richest man in the world, save the monarchs, Mac was a legend amongst us, famed for having house parties once every few years. There were often parties in the portals, where friends gathered for a beer in the households, but Mac never opened up his doors.

In fact, nobody except those prestigious enough to become invited to his infrequent parties knew of his appearance. Mac’s mansion was supposedly the greatest in the world, filled with luxuries and the signs of a true hero. There were rumors that Mac had ancient relics and treasures in his halls, as well as sources of income that kept the man rich even into his 50s.

11-Feb-2011 02:37:55 - Last edited on 17-Feb-2011 01:22:42 by Hazeel Rises

Hazeel Rises

Posts: 4,066 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Mac had a monopoly over Asgarnia, the one to approach for any mining products, food surplus, or supplies. It was a tedious day when the events intertwining us took place. It had been a long time since I had traveled and had spent much time at Stephen’s house, which was a little more impressive than mine. Today was the day of a get-together between friends and family. I felt excitement heighten within me as I seated myself in a mahogany chair at Stephen’s dining table. I was a young man of about twenty, with dark wavy brown hair, pale unblemished skin, and a well-built complexion. My clothes weren’t exactly pristine and even for the party, all I wore were rather ragged jeans and a forest green shirt.

Stephen was seated directly in front of me, a natural smirk spread across his face, holding a goblet in his hand. He was a magnificent friend and an incredible warrior, whose prowess in swordplay rivaled mine. Stephen had brown hair similar to mine, save a little lighter and in a bowl cut fashion. He had been a lifelong friend, the two of us embarking on more adventures then I could count.

Beside me was my brother, Mike. He was two years younger, just barely a man, with shaggy black hair that nearly fell to his shoulder. He was a very enthusiastic and sometimes rash man, whose arrogance had caused problems on our adventures more than once. Mike was an adept warrior as well, although he craved to learn the ancient arts of magic.

Beside Stephen was a nervous-looking man, approximately my age. He was another friend of ours, Cameron Demil. He had rather spiky auburn hair and pointed brown eyes. Lying limply at his side was a small maul constructed of granite, which the man carried with him everywhere. Although everyone present at the table held a weapon in their sheath, Cameron never resorted to a mere blade and instead kept a maul alongside his crossbow, for he was also an excellent archer.

11-Feb-2011 02:38:02 - Last edited on 17-Feb-2011 01:26:10 by Hazeel Rises

Hazeel Rises

Posts: 4,066 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Cameron was a rather anxious person, not as thrilled by the prospect of danger as the rest of us. Several years of adventure had made him wary.

“Ah… Where’s Clare?” Stephen murmured absentmindedly, drumming his fingers on the smooth oak table. Where was the girl? Clare was Stephen’s sister, younger by two years and quite a determined young woman, who had accompanied us on a few adventures adamantly. “Well, she’ll be here shortly,” Stephen sighed, reaching a conclusion. “Let us eat our appetizers!” A young maid in outfit hurried into the room with a tray of biscuits. She set it on the table. Stephen nodded and the maid departed quickly. I grasped a crunchy biscuit and took a large bite. Just as Mike reached to grab a biscuit of his own, there was a whoosh, signifying the portal below in action.

“That must be the last guest,” Stephen stated.

“I hope so. I really want to eat the meat,” Mike muttered. There was constant tapping as a pair of feet rushed up the wooden steps. A girl, wheezing, burst into the room.

“What is it?” Cameron gasped, standing up instantly.

“Mac! He’s invited us to his house!” yelped the girl. Stephen’s sister…Clare was a tall pretty woman, with short light brown hair. She wore a skirt coated in dust from many years of wear.

“What?” Stephen yowled.

“The Mac?” I said in disbelief.

“Yes! He says to bring armor, pets, and food!” the girl panted. I instantly rushed out of the house without farewell. I leaped through the portal and smiled as I was teleported into the small town of Rimmington. I did*’t care of my apparent haste. Mac…inviting commoners like us to one of his legendary parties? I then entered my own house. I rushed past small plants into a nice parlor with a crackling clay fireplace. Two mahogany chairs stood on a brown rug. I ran past a bookshelf into the kitchen, where I had a square table, a stone sink, and many shelves. I woke my orange kitten from his slumber on the mat.

11-Feb-2011 02:38:08 - Last edited on 17-Feb-2011 01:31:50 by Hazeel Rises

Hazeel Rises

Posts: 4,066 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

He mewled happily and leapt on my shoulder.

“Joe!” I shouted. From a door appeared a lazy, bearded man with long shaggy hair. He was my ‘servant’, although he performed such a poor job, I could hardly call him such.

“What is it, master?” Joe drawled.

“Hurry! Fetch my armor and my pack from the bank!” I ordered curtly and Joe sighed with exasperation before departing. Despite his laziness, Joe returned with relative speed, dropping my pristine armor with a clang on the floor. I frowned, dismissed the servant, and quickly slid into my steel chainmail. After years of wearing the clanking chains, the weight was minimal. My blade was tucked in my belt and I decided not to bother with platelegs. That would be too informal. I was curious why Mac had requested to bring armor. Perhaps dueling?

I shrugged before departing from the portal back into the chilly air of Rimmington. For a summer day, it was a rather cold morning, with a blanket of grey clouds obscuring the sky. Rimmington was a very small little village, consisting of nothing but a few stone houses around a well. There were a few wheat fields nearby and a large abandoned warehouse to the north. The majority of Rimmington’s population resided in the housing portals. I continued along the cobblestone path to the shimmering portal set a few feet from the buildings on the dew-strewn grass. Mac’s lot was clearly open to visitors and when I requested his residence, the portal shuddered and I stepped through.

I emerged into a very crowded garden, filled with the clamor of the invited. The house itself was as magnificent as myth had told of it. A tremendous stone building, at least two floors high, constructed of glimmering white stone similar to that customary of buildings in Falador, Capitol of Asgarnia. The mansion was decorated intricately even on the exterior, designs carved into the stone. Even the shutters around the large windows were beautiful.

11-Feb-2011 02:38:16 - Last edited on 17-Feb-2011 02:11:23 by Hazeel Rises

Hazeel Rises

Posts: 4,066 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

A large set of double doors signified the entrance where everyone milled around by the garden. I located my friends near the back of the crowd, which consisted of mainly young excited peasants. My kitten mewled as he padded after me, gazing around curiously.

“Quite a nice place,” Mike yawned.

“Certainly. Even the garden’s more expensive then my entire property,” I noted and I was correct. In the center of the stretch of grass was a large heap of a rock with a small crawlspace. It was the entrance to Mac’s dungeon. None of us dared to go in there. I gasped in awe at a glittering blue tree nearby. It was a magic tree, huge and pretty. Magic trees were nearly impossible to get! More magic, yew, and willow trees surrounded the garden, giving us plenty of shade. We trudged through the wet fronds and reeds surrounding a small pool to examine tall, exotic plants.

“Mac is opening the doors!” Cameron yelled, still clutching his maul.

“Put that down!* chuckled Stephen. The tremendous crowd cheered as the great doors opened.

“Settle down,” a gruff voice commanded. The crowd made way so everybody could see Mac. He was about fifty and very impressive. He wore long, gold-and red robes with a blue cape on his back. He had smooth black hair and a short mustache, with a few wispy grey hairs to signify age.

“You may enter,” he said quietly, certainly contributing a sense of drama.

“He seems…interesting,” I shrugged to my friends as the crowd entered the parlor. The man certainly did*’t appear friendly, almost grudging. The parlor was small but homey. Everything was perfect, not even a speck of dust was on the magnificent red mahogany chairs that surrounded the fireplace. The fireplace was stupendous. It was bright white marble and smithed into perfect shape. A beautiful fire crackled inside, warming the nice room. Stephen stepped on the red opulent rug, with many black symbols on it.

“Hmm…nice,” he whispered.

11-Feb-2011 02:38:23 - Last edited on 17-Feb-2011 02:47:19 by Hazeel Rises

Hazeel Rises

Posts: 4,066 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Get off the rug!” hissed Mac. Stephen stepped back. He bumped into Cameron.

“Ah!” he yelped, twirling his maul around, which smacked Mike in the face. Blood poured from his nose as he knocked me down. I tripped Clare and she screeched, slapping a man accidentally. Chaos ensued as everyone argued. Mac scowled and clapped loudly. Everyone fell silent.

“There are too many people. We’ll have to do the tour in groups. First group…you girl, by the bookshelf, the two brown-hairs in the back, long-black hair with the huge sword, and…spiky-hair with the maul!” Mac drawled. After deciphering the odd calls, Stephen, Mike, Cameron, Clare, and I all strode forward. All of us contained in a sizable group…Perfect. The other partygoers groaned.

“Wait outside, I do not want you defiling my parlor,” Mat said through gritted teeth and slowly, the people grudgingly stepped back into the garden.

“Aren’t we going?” Clare whispered.

“I hope so,” I said.

“Be patient,” Mac spat and led the group across the parlor to a black-and-red opulent curtain hung over a window, which had great views of the hills outside. Mac paid no attention to it and ruffled through mahogany bookcase.

“You probably won’t be interested in any of these,” Mac mumbled.

“Probably not,* Mike said bravely.

“Shut up!” Mac hissed.

*He’s not exactly friendly, is he?” I murmured to my brother. We exited the parlor into the kitchen.

*Sit down,” Mac practically ordered us. This was a man used to getting his way. I shrugged and sat down in front of a large, square, teak kitchen table. Stephen sat beside me, disgruntled.

“Alathazdrar!” roared Mac.

“Whoa!” Stephen gasped as a rather short demon entered the room. I had never seen a demon, although I knew they were ferocious beasts. He was blood red, with curved horns and slits for eyes.

11-Feb-2011 02:38:31 - Last edited on 17-Feb-2011 02:50:04 by Hazeel Rises

Hazeel Rises

Posts: 4,066 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

He was oddly dressed in a suit and tuxedo, and looked a bit uncomfortable. Seeing such a fearsome beast in a butler’s outfit was almost amusing. A demon butler…

“Alathazdrar. What do you have for us?” Mac inquired.

“Curry and cider,” the demon rasped, his voice a snarl.

“Serve some for our guests,” Mac demanded. The demon nodded and walked over to a large Chef’s Delight Barrel. The demon poured six cups and handed them to the guests. Mac drank his Delight in one large gulp, warily watching his guests. Cameron leaned over to me.

“I think he’s up to something. Let’s go,” he whispered. I took a sip of Delight, then said, “We’ll be fine. We have nothing to worry about!” What was Cameron fearing?

“Curry’s on,” the demon snarled, handing the six bowls of delicious curry.

“This looks good,” Mike grinned and licked his lips before digging in. I tasted some of my own curry and was startled to feel the pleasant taste overwhelm my palate. This was quite good, I thought, and continued eating. I looked around at the beautiful kitchen. There was a fancy, long, steel range, with some shark cooking at the moment. Nearby was a teak larder, filled with supplies. It towered high to the ceiling. I quickly glanced to the teak rack that held many golden supplies. It looked wonderful. I just remembered my cat and sighed in relief when I felt him purr by my leg.

“Put your cat in the red basket,” Mac said strictly. I nodded, picked up my orange kitten, and set him down in a great red basket. He mewed happily, interacting with Mike’s grey kitten, Stephen’s Dalmatian, Cameron’s terrier, and Clare’s black cat. I returned to the seat, noticing a fancy sink. After a delicious snack, Mac led us on. We entered a dining room with superb opulent tables and gold-gilded benches. But Mac took no notice of it as he passed a beautiful curtain and led us into the next room.

11-Feb-2011 02:38:38 - Last edited on 17-Feb-2011 02:51:33 by Hazeel Rises

Hazeel Rises

Posts: 4,066 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

It was a workshop, and unlike Stephen’s, it was neat, clean, and smelled great, unlike the overwhelming linger of wood chippings in most workshops. A bench with lathe stood in the center of the room. A banner easel stood below a sweeping red banner on the wall that had Mac’s family crest. An armor stand lay at a corner in the room, where some armors was waiting to be repaired. Cracks ran through pure dragon stone. Glass tool storages lay on the walls, filled with odd tools. An amazing crafting table, filled with supplies, stood at the back, a wooden clockwork cat on it.

“This is where I make things. But we have more pressing matters,” Mac yawned and led the six out of the workshop. Maybe Cameron was right. Mac seemed in a hurry to end the tour, but he was the one who had invited them. Why? I sighed as we exited the house into fresh air. We were in another garden, but this was even more impressive. A posh fountain, round, stone and glimmering in the sunlight, stood in the center. It was surrounded by roses, bluebells, and other pretty flowers that lay in patches around the garden.

“Wait a second. Mac doesn’t seem to be the person that enjoys crafting, planting, farming, or woodworking. It looks like other people did this,” Cameron whispered. I nodded in agreement. A tall box hedge ran high above us, perfectly trimmed. It seemed that the demon butler was only a cook, so who would’ve trimmed the hedges?

“Have you ever noticed that Mac is gone all the time, but it seems he put in a lot of effort to make this place clean and neat?” I asked my brother.

“Yeah. Maybe something IS up,” he thought with a lethargic shrug. We passed a marble wall that protected the outside of the garden back inside. We were in a cozy bedroom where Mac supposedly slept. A large, gold-gilded four-poster bed lay in the center, the blankets neatly made. A golden-gilded dresser stood in a corner, polished to shimmer in the night.

11-Feb-2011 02:38:45 - Last edited on 17-Feb-2011 02:54:03 by Hazeel Rises

Hazeel Rises

Posts: 4,066 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

A gold grandfather clock ticked slowly near the door. We passed a fancy white wardrobe and left the bedroom into the last room of the first floor: the skill hall. A marble spiral staircase stood in the center of the room, leading to the top floor. Along the walls were sets of gold armor, which I recognized from the event, called Castle Wars nearby. Mac must have been a real good fighter if he earned the gold armor…

“This man is rich,” Stephen said in awe as we looked around. A set of rune armor, amongst the most precious, stood by the staircase. To acquire that would have meant having to mine and smith for ages.

“I can’t imagine Mac as a miner,” murmured Stephen and I agreed with him. Something fishy was going on.

“Ew,” I grunted when I nearly bumped into the stuffed head of a Black Dragon. If Mac could’ve have beaten a dragon, he must’ve been very strong! On the wall at the back was a mounted fishing trophy, showing a caught shark, huge and dangerous. Yet again, I couldn’t imagine Mac fishing. He seemed to be such a stiff person he would never go to a lively place like Catherby and relax and fish. The four elemental runes stood encased in glass in a table at a corner in the room. I peered at the water rune before moving on. We scaled the marble steps into the quest hall. A Cape of Legends, long, white, sleek, mounted on the wall was our first sight as we entered.

“A Cape? Amazing…,” Stephen’s sister praised. Mac grinned. There was a beautiful portrait of the King and Queen of the faraway island of Miscellenia and beside that, a landscape of the dark swampy land of Morytania and the Elven land of Isafdar beside it. A black, dark sword was mounted beside a door. I recognized it as the demonic sword known as Darklight. On the other side of a room was a large map so old and faint, I couldn’t read it.

“I think we should go,” Cameron announced.

“Nonsense. We haven’t finished the tour,” Mac said slyly as we moved onward.

11-Feb-2011 02:38:52 - Last edited on 17-Feb-2011 02:55:17 by Hazeel Rises

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