RuneScape Forum Archive | ~A Dance With Death~

Mttimeo

Posts: 220 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Heads up: This short story is only three pages long.

Note from the Author: Honestly, before now, I have never let anyone read my writing. (So who better than complete strangers!)

But I have become sick of seeing everything zombify on my computer’s Microsoft Word. So I am mainly posting my work to receive feedback from an audience. I do love writing, and I hereby promise I will not go into depression if you criticize my writing.

If you notice a mistake, grammatical or whatever, it would be awesome if you informed me.

I realize I am only a beginner, and to deepen my skills I need advice or comments. But if you plan to criticize, please remain respectful and precise, or otherwise a mod will eat your post. =)

This is only a sample of my work, so enjoy!

Fan comments:

#1 Almost Lucky: "Great story! I was completely caught up into the story! Epic story indeed."

#2 Ghost 7-6: "Good plot, a few holes...Etc.,etc. You've got potential."

#3 Lambi81: "Very nice, it's hard to find a story that never makes you bored, at least once, but you did that. Very well done."

#4 Nytestryke24: "A very well written story that I hope to see more of!"

#5 SantaIzEpic: "Beautiful writing. I really got sucked into the story. Excellent probably the best writing I've seen on the forums."

#6 M O L 3: "Amazing story"

#7 Admirable Jo: “Very Nice! This is a well written story!”

#8 Chillable: "Excellent story. Keep it up!"

#9 Shawn 55: "Great Story, thumbs up!"

#10 Lilith De: "A very well written story. One that held my attention and breath. it was well thought out, even for a shorty"

#11 The Level: "This is great writing!"

#12 Pupppy 11: "Great story! Keep it up!"

#13 Simbahal: Nice story

#14

23-Nov-2010 00:51:53 - Last edited on 19-Aug-2013 19:45:01 by Mttimeo

Mttimeo

Posts: 220 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

A Dance With Death.
In the ancient times… long before Gielinor knew stability and peace, before magic could be controlled by rune essence, before even the Wilderness existed, Gielinor was still untamed and unbound by humans. Magic flowed freely into every fiber of the land as it willed, causing many aspects of the ancient life to become either monstrous or divine. Only the strongest could survive and harness the rich magic which so abundantly dwelled in Gielinor. While the first great cities and towns were established, so did man first discover the lust for conquering everything in his path, whether it was elf, dwarf, monster, or demon. This is where our legend begins, in the heart of a power struggle which would forevermore affect the history of Gielinor.

Nastasha’s heart throbbed faster as the horror conformed itself. They were here, and they wanted to kill her. The confirmation of fear caused her body to automatically stiffen as not to betray any emotions. Nastasha’s eyes narrowed as she slowly drew her jeweled sword. It was no surprise they had caught up to her; she had many enemies, all of whom likely wanted her dead. Now, after she and her husband had been tracked for weeks, their adversaries finally found them. Even from her secluded hiding place Nastasha could feel her enemies thirsting for blood, waiting for her to make the first move.
It was two hours after nightfall; the sun had long ago deserted the heavens, leaving the lonely moon in a starless sky. What little light the moon had to offer presented itself to Nastasha’s eyesight. But this lack of light made no difference to her vision. The dimness was like brilliant rays of sunlight to her sight. Nastasha’s eyes yet again flickered to the danger. There, on the forest edge, something moved. It floated like a shadow, cloaked in darkness. Only in that instant, Nastasha could identify the human-sized shaped form.

23-Nov-2010 00:56:08 - Last edited on 19-Mar-2011 18:19:38 by Mttimeo

Mttimeo

Posts: 220 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

She dared to breathe a small breath of relief, hoping her opponent’s strength would match their size. But few humans dared venture this far into this massive forest, and even fewer came so very close to the ancient Woods of Whisper. Whoever could get this far and still have a beating heart, was liable to have a sizable amount of strength and intelligence.

"One… Three… Seven… Nine!" Nastasha’s heart began drumming so loudly that she thought it might burst out of her chest. There were nine enemies? Had she counted accurately? She began gasping slightly, sweat slowly gathered in her palms. "I must move." Her instincts told her clearly. Nastasha twitched her head slightly to the left as an elf unexpectedly appeared alongside her.
“Jamin, if you prefer your wife not to have a heart attack, I suggest you refrain from sneaking up on her.” Nastasha whispered to the graceful figure who was couched next to her.
The other elf -Jamin, uttered a low chuckle, and then studied Nastasha with his piercing emerald colored eyes. Was the expression of fear so evidently plastered on her face? Nastasha took a calming breath and strained out the sweetest smile she could offer. Pathetically, it was all she could do to hide her emotions.
Jamin returned Nastasha’s smile with a brilliantly stunning grin of his own as he replied. “It is truly so shocking? Are there really so many?”
Nastasha let her shoulders sag in defeat as she gave a sigh. Nothing could fool Jamin; he simply had known her for too long. “I saw four,” She said with a flowing voice that sounded far more relaxed then she felt, “but I felt the presence of at least nine.”

23-Nov-2010 00:58:17 - Last edited on 16-Jul-2012 20:22:28 by Mttimeo

Mttimeo

Posts: 220 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Jamin turned away from Nastasha as he brushed back his long golden hair, displaying his elegant face of high cheekbones and a strong jaw line. “They will strike very soon Nastasha. This is where it ends. They have tracked us to long and have discovered far too much.” Jamin’s smile faded slightly as he spoke. “You must run. I will hold them off as you escape to the place of safety.”
Nastasha stiffened. “No, I will not leave you. Your life is more precious to me then the success of the mission.”
Jamin’s brilliant smile returned once again as he replied. “I know you’re too stubborn to do as I say…” He paused for a moment as he drew his sword at some unheard signal. “But we must protect more than the success of the mission. We must protect our child.”
Nastasha hesitated, briefly trying to study Jamins' body language before speaking. “The moment I felt our child, near two weeks ago, I knew it was possible our child could be the one of prophecy. Even though you have not expressed your thoughts, I know you believe the same.”
“Guthix forbid if it is so.” Jamin whispered quietly as his jaw flexed. “It is not only the possibility of the prophecy that worries me...” Jamin paused again as he fixed his eyes on his glimmering sword, “But also, the fact that your clan has been childless for the past two hundred years. Your clan will hunt us down in order claim their influence over our offspring.”
Nastasha nodded at his words. Prophecy or no prophecy, everyone could be a danger to the child, even Nastasha's own family. “Emperor Zenotis of the humans must not discover this secret. I fear our trackers may already know.”
Jamin gently pressed his gloved hand to Nastasha’s cheek; the touch was warm and comforting to her. Nastasha savored the moment as pleasant tingles raced up her spine.

23-Nov-2010 00:59:05 - Last edited on 19-Mar-2011 18:35:09 by Mttimeo

Mttimeo

Posts: 220 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“I will protect you as long as I live Nastasha. After we destroy the trackers you must go into hiding before the mission can be completed. But if this is the child of the prophecy, then we both know it is our fate to do according to the foretelling.”
Nastasha nodded halfheartedly. This prophecy possibility was bothering her more than necessary. The elders had said it would be another two hundred years before even a slight chance of fulfillment could occur. She brushed aside the thoughts on this matter and focused on her husband, her wonderful, adoring husband. Nastasha felt absolutely determined to stay at Jamin’s side. “But tonight we fight together.” She whispered to Jamin as she retightened the grip on her sword.
Jamin did not agree or disagree as he turned to face the menacing woods which hid their blood-thirsty enemies. “There is one behind those crates and two on the forest edge.” Jamin flinched… then sighed and closed his eyes in defeat. “Your translucent vision was always better than mine; those are all I can locate.”
Nastasha allowed herself a smug smirk as she focused concentrative energy on her eyesight to seek heat patterns of living beings. The world around Nastasha dulled in color. The trees and their leaves became gray and transparent. The ground beneath her feet formed to a tan color and also became translucent. Now everything that retained heat was visible to her, even the smallest worm. She began focusing more intently for larger heat sources. Eight red and yellow blotches appeared all around the deserted village and forest edge.
Two humans on the right were taking cover next to a hut. Three more were on the left. Then three were still on the edge of the forest taking cover behind trees. But where was the last? Maybe she had miscalculated. Nastasha chose not to dwell on it long as she and Jamin moved from their hiding spot, going in separate directions, silent as shadows.

23-Nov-2010 00:59:38 - Last edited on 19-Mar-2011 18:44:46 by Mttimeo

Mttimeo

Posts: 220 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Nastasha and Jamin's speed was too swift and soundless for the common eye to detect them. Within eight seconds two freshly bloodied men were lying at Nastasha’s feet.
Nastasha studied their lifeless bodies for a moment. Immediately, she identified the clan crest on their cloaks. Nastasha knew these beings well, they were known as the Royal Hand. Assassins, masters of silent stealth, usually trained in the twisted dark arts and magics. But why did these seem so weak? Nastasha had appeared behind them and took them with her sword before they even had made a sound. Perhaps the Emperor had underestimated Nastasha and Jamin’s strength. "What a pitiful mistake Zenotis." Nastasha thought, she almost felt insulted. Next, Nastasha targeted the three men positioned on the forest edge.
But Nastasha wavered for a moment, something wasn’t right. Her instincts were suturing, causing her movements to show hesitance. She rechecked the heat patterns of the enemies once again; they hadn’t moved. "Then why are my instincts bothering me?" Nastasha knew better then to ignore her subconscious, but she sped to the forests edge nonetheless. But this time with more care. Once arriving at the location, she discovered her partner already there, wiping his blade over three dead bodies. “Something’s not right.” She whispered to Jamin, “It was far too easy for the Royal Hand to go down that quickly.”
Jamin solemnly nodded as he peered from the forests edge, over to where the last three were hiding. “I feel the same. But they are not hallucinations created by the enemy. Of the next three, we capture one.”
At a quick nod from Jamin, they rushed from the forest toward the left. Nastasha was slightly faster than Jamin, so her sword found the nearest man. Her elegant blade thrust down through his back, without a sound the man slumped to the ground, lifeless. Jamin had just dispatched the other man as Nastasha grabbed the last one and spun the individual around to face her.

23-Nov-2010 01:00:07 - Last edited on 20-Jul-2011 02:11:04 by Mttimeo

Mttimeo

Posts: 220 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

One look at the human’s face, and Nastasha’s eyes went wide with disbelief at the sight.
The human girl was no more than sixteen years old; but her youth wasn’t what took Nastasha by surprise. It was the human’s features; the girl’s eyes were completely colorless and glazed over. Her face was chalky and pale like death.

The appalling reality confirmed itself as the girl’s body Nastasha held went limp like a puppet without strings. Nastasha had seen this type of twisted magic before. The enemy had used dark magics to put a small amount of essence into deceased bodies; this could allow a body to be controlled just like a doll. It also temporarily caused the corpse to create heat patterns. Nastasha hadn’t been expecting this powerful type of magic from mere humans, even the Royal Hand.
“They were only decoys!” Nastasha's voice hissed in anger as she released the body.
“Nastasha! Get back-!” Jamin had no time to finish speaking as the decoy suddenly and rapidly swelled to twice its size, and then exploded into red flames and white ashes.
Nastasha was thrown backward by the powerful explosion nearly ten feet. But she managed to land on her feet, positioned in a crouch. Blue flickering, like static electricity, swirled around Nastasha’s armor and body. Her powerful magical barrier had taken the brunt of the explosion. Nastasha’s face was lightly scorched, but she was still alive.
An ominous chuckle echoed into the night, chilling Nastasha’s nerves. Thirty feet away, a man dressed in a long black robe slowly arose from the ground, which rippled like water around the man’s form. It appeared as though he melted upward from the ground, like breaking free from a surface of water. The man continued chuckling as his steely grey eyes rose to view Nastasha and Jamin.
“You fell for it. I thought elves were smarter than this.” He said as his lips broke out into a twisted smile.

23-Nov-2010 01:01:03 - Last edited on 12-Nov-2011 18:22:52 by Mttimeo

Mttimeo

Posts: 220 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“You monster,” Nastasha rasped at him. “You murdered villagers and used them to hide your own heat patterns.”
The hooded man’s twisted smile turned into a devilish grin. “It is their blood on your hands!” He waggled a crooked finger in their direction. “You should have given up on this little merry chase sooner. The outcome is inevitable. Am I to doubt you will be coming quietly?”
Jamin’s face tightened into a mask of solemn anger. “Human, I will kill you personally. Your dark and twisted magic’s disgust me.”
The hooded man sneered, revealing yellow fanged teeth, “Human? No.. The man pulled back his thick hood to reveal his hairless scalp and gray-blue shriveled skin. “Formerly, yes. But those days have long been put behind me. Address me as Lord Donovan.”
“Donovan, is it?” The name sounded bitter coming from Jamin’s mouth. “I feel your thirst for blood and conquest.” Jamin then pointed his sword toward Donovan. “But tonight, all you will taste is your own blood.”

While the two exchanged threats, Nastasha immediately focused small amounts of energy into her eyes, searching for the other eight heat patterns. Yes, three more were rising from behind the hooded man. But then other five…
“Behind us!” Nastasha shouted as she twisted around and thrust her jeweled sword into the earth. Her sword began glowing bright blue as she channeled energy into it. “Flaming Burst.” She whispered to her sword. Nastasha was rewarded as the ground vibrated violently beneath her feet. She then withdrew her freshly bloodied sword from the earth.
One down, eight to go.
To her back, Jamin was unleashing mayhem upon the other four men. His sword flashed as sparks flew here and there. He moved with such an intense speed, forcing his opponents to make a tight square. Once Jamin had them so focused trying to predict his next move, he appeared a few feet away with a hand extended toward them. Jamin’s palm began radiating a bright red as energy built up in his hand.

23-Nov-2010 01:01:30 - Last edited on 19-Mar-2011 19:14:02 by Mttimeo

Mttimeo

Posts: 220 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

With a flick of his wrist, a stream of blazing fire erupted from his bright red hand, viciously lashing out at the four men.

Donovan and two others evaded the flame successfully, but the huge torrent of fire seemed directed at one of the men in particular. This man was truly unfortunate as the flame engulfed him... giving him no chance for escape, much less even for a scream. The unlucky man dropped to the ground, trying to roll out the flame. In an instant Jamin was upon him. Jamin’s sword whistled through the air as it sliced downward.
Two down, seven to go.
Satisfied that Jamin was doing well, Nastasha turned back to the would-be ambushers, she saw that only four had risen from the ground and were advancing, but hesitantly. Even Jamin’s opponents were now also becoming cautious; they slowly began joining together in creating a large circle around Nastasha and Jamin. When all seven came together, things would get tricky.
"Back to back would be the greatest strategic advantage at this point." This thought was no more than a flicker in Nastasha’s head as she took a defensive stand at Jamin’s back. Then seven murderous enemies began closing in around Nastasha and Jamin, their swords drawn and gleaming, eager for a kill.

23-Nov-2010 01:01:56 - Last edited on 20-Jul-2011 02:18:02 by Mttimeo

Mttimeo

Posts: 220 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

A single droplet of sweat dripped into Nastasha’s right eye. The sudden blur of salty liquid caused both of her eyes to lose focus on the sword which swung toward her. Despite the sudden blur of sight, years of hardened training caused Nastasha to instinctively par the danger with her own sword. For that brief moment, two warriors came dangerously close, separated only by blades of steel.
Nastasha’s challenger quickly side-stepped as Nastasha’s sword retaliated with a slicing lunge. As quick as the first strike, the opponent’s sword whistled toward Nastasha’s unprotected neck. Nastasha easily twisted and blocked the slicing danger. Their swords met again, and again. Clashing back and forth, both swords met and parted as though they were dancing.
From the corner of her eye, Nastasha identified another uninvited sword swinging toward her. But before it came hazardously close, Jamin parried it, following through with a swift kick into his enemy’s chest. A loud snap was heard as the enemy stumbled backward, cursing as he clutched his chest. Before Jamin could advance, another rival took the insured man’s place.
Once a safe distance away, the wounded man gasped as his eyes rolled backward and his face suddenly disoriented into a mask of pain. He began twitching, uncontrollably, as his ribs broke themselves back into place. His seizer-like shuddering only lasted for a few grisly moments. Then after a few deep breaths, his facial features became relaxed. He licked blood from his lips as he glared furiously at Jamin.
"So it’s confirmed, they all have inner healing spells." Nastasha quickly noted to herself as her lip curled with disgust.
As Jamin defended their left, another enemy jabbed toward Jamin’s back. Nastasha quickly dealt with her own opponent by sliding her sword across his side. Without breaking speed, she swerved her blade around to face the other attacker, cutting him off from reaching Jamin’s backside.

23-Nov-2010 01:02:54 - Last edited on 01-Jun-2011 03:09:11 by Mttimeo

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~A Dance With Death~