RuneScape Forum Archive | In Bad Company

Elitemage14

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---Update!---
As of 11:36 PM CST, July 10, 2012, I have begun working on the sequel to In Bad Company! It's been over five years since I first posted the original In Bad Company, but now the sequel is finally happening!
In Worse Company, coming soon. Details on page 58.

Welcome new readers and old fans alike to the new In Bad Company! Since the original was getting dangerously close to reaching the two thousand post limit, I am going to be rewriting and reposting the original In Bad Company on this thread one chapter at a time. I have greatly improved in my writing since writing the original several months ago, so many parts will be rewritten, extended, or removed. You can also expect longer fight scenes, and all over better description.
Total story posts: 106
If you read this story then please leave a comment.

If you get the chance, please check out my other story Balance of Power.
Balance of Power - 49-50-615-53754235

My Credentials
~^*Supreme Writer of The Writer's Pen~^~
~>^< Novelist of The Amethyst Library >^<~
-~<V>~- Master of The Champion's Quill -~<V>~-
^v^ Member Of The Yanillian Library ^v^
°l||l°Ãûthôr×ô×Wrïër§×ô×Vårrôk°l||l°
~!!@@$My Pencil Has Snapped From Overuse$@@!!~
_.-='Audacious of the Emerald Stylus'=-._
(¯`._)Mëmbër×Ïñ×Wrîêr×Õ×Rûñë§cåpë(¯`._)

09-Oct-2007 17:38:30 - Last edited on 11-Jul-2012 05:40:06 by Elitemage14

Elitemage14

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-- Poll --
Which title do you like best for the sequel to In Bad Company?
Total votes: 5
Corruptive Powers 1.5
Master of Puppets 1
Debt of Honor 3.5
Balance of Power
None of the above

09-Oct-2007 17:38:36 - Last edited on 31-Oct-2007 20:31:52 by Elitemage14

Elitemage14

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Chapter 1: A Shadow in the Dark
Darkness came over Falador as the sun began to set behind the horizon. The normally busy city was quieting down. People began to make their way towards their houses and the small businesses began to close. The road leading towards Falador was empty, except for one man in dark robes.
“We will begin closing the gate soon,” yelled the commander of the Faladorian Guard to his men guarding the southern gate.
"Hold on, I see someone coming," replied Mark, a private in Falador's army. His shoulders were slumped and he was impatiently tapping his foot, hoping the man would hurry up.
The person who Mark assumed to be a man was getting closer and was almost at the gate. The man’s real name was Garth, though very few people knew him by this. In Garth's line of work he had to keep his identity as hidden as possible. He was only a few yards away from the gate now. His black robes were covering up the uneven darkness of his black dragon hide, which he wore below his robes. Garth was within eyesight of the guards now. His facial features were blocked off by the hood he was wearing, but they could see the man was quite tall and had a very lean build as he walked by. Across his back was an excellently crafted long bow, made from the finest wood in the country. Garth did look a bit suspicious, but there were some very strange people in today's Runescape. Normally the situation would call for an interrogation, but Mark did not want to spend any extra time questioning the man. He wanted nothing more than to get down to the bar and relax over a nice cold pint of beer.
"Welcome to Falador," Mark said to the stranger. Garth turned and nodded at Mark, his hand tightly gripping the concealed dagger that he had hidden inside his robes the entire time. Mark had no idea how many lives his alcoholism would cost the city of Falador.

09-Oct-2007 17:38:36 - Last edited on 09-Oct-2007 20:25:39 by Elitemage14

Elitemage14

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Garth quickly glanced over all of the guards at Falador’s southern gate. This was not unusual at all, since most people did take extra time to look at authority. He counted at least two dozen guards at the southern gate and another dozen archers patrolling the wall. Escape over the southern side of the city would be next to impossible.
Garth took one more glance at the southern gate and started off down the road. He was in a bit of a hurry, but continued to walk at a normal pace anyway. As soon as he was out of the eyesight of the guards, he quickened his pace and slipped into a nearby alley. His best bet of escaping the city would no doubt be the eastern wall. It overlooked the dreary old town of Draynor, and the White Knights did not have any fear of being attacked from this direction.
Garth could already feel his heart rate increasing. It always did before a job. At forty-one years old, Garth never would have thought he would have been in the business this long. What was even more amazing is that he had been able to stay in such good shape after all these years. A lot of people did not even live to be past forty.

09-Oct-2007 17:38:37 - Last edited on 09-Oct-2007 18:38:42 by Elitemage14

Elitemage14

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Sticking to the shadows and back alleys, Garth soon found himself at the eastern wall. The wall was about thirty feet high. He could hear the chatter of guards from above, but he could not see how many there were. Around fifty feet from the wall stood a dilapidated Church of Saradomin, which looked to have been abandoned for years. From here the guards would easily be within bowshot.
“People and their religions,” Garth spat. He grabbed onto the church’s rusty iron drain, which ran from the roof all the way into the sewer. Garth pulled down on the drain, and was amazed to find it was still sturdy after years of being abandoned. Crossing his legs and putting one hand after the other, Garth quickly climbed on top of the church. From the looks of it, there were only four guards on top of this section of wall. One of them seemed to be napping, two of them were drinking on the job, and the other was the only one that really seemed to be paying any attention.
“This will be too easy,” Garth said with a smile.

09-Oct-2007 17:38:37 - Last edited on 09-Oct-2007 18:41:23 by Elitemage14

Elitemage14

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Garth slowly climbed down the drain pipe, making sure not to make any noise. As soon as he reached the ground he made his way through back alleys to the western side of town. He walked right past the park, but then decided that it was worth it to take a look. The park was always open, but it was getting dark and was almost completely empty. There were a few guards walking around the park on patrol and several more up on the wall. The eastern wall would still be his best bet.
Garth continued to make his way to the western side of town, making sure to draw as little attention to him as possible. He now had the general store in sight.
He walked into the Falador Bar and glanced around at the people in the room. All of them seemed to be your common run-of-the-mill drunks. Certainly no one in the bar was here to tail him.
Garth chose a seat by the window and gestured over one of the bar maids. She was a pretty young lady with blond hair and blue eyes. She was every man’s dream girl. After introducing herself as Cat, she took Garth’s drink order and was off. She hummed softly to herself and skipped over to get Garth’s drink.
“How could a bar maid possibly be so happy and full of energy?” he quietly asked himself. Garth quickly turned his attention away from Cat and to the general store.
He continued staring at the shop for a good twenty minutes, sipping on his beer the entire time. The last customer then opened the door and walked out. The man was twirling his brand new long sword in his hands and had a huge smile on his face. The general store was now empty, except for the shop owners.
“It’s show time,” Garth muttered to himself, slowly rising from his chair.

09-Oct-2007 17:38:37 - Last edited on 09-Oct-2007 19:32:43 by Elitemage14

Elitemage14

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Garth left the bar and started walking across the street to the general store, pausing at the door. He took a deep breath, and looked around to see if any one else was going to enter the shop. A few people were close by, but none of them looked like they had any interest in the store. He slowly turned the cold handle and entered the building.
“Hi, how can I help you?” the shop owner asked. The man probably was not much older then Garth, but had not been able to stand the test of time as well as he did. His hair was more gray than black, and he was starting to go bald at the top. Across the room the shop assistant stood, who was most likely his son. He was in his awkward teen years, and did not seem too happy that the dark clothed figure was in the room.
“I heard that you had a particular dagger in stock,” Garth replied. “One with a strange symbol etched into the hilt?”
“Why yes we do,” the shop keeper replied. “One of the merchants came and sold it to us two days ago. He seemed in a big hurry to get rid of it. It was all pretty strange. How did you know about the dagger, anyway?
“I heard it from a friend,” Garth lied. "Can I see the dagger?”
“I can't see why not,” the shop keeper replied. He then went behind his desk and pulled out a ancient looking dagger with a long, curved blade. The blade was several layers thick and made from a very rare white metal of unknown origins. It was one of the hardest metals in all of the world. The hilt of the weapon was as black as midnight and made of onyx. Etched into the onyx hilt was a strange looking eye, which now glowing a faint blue.

09-Oct-2007 17:38:38 - Last edited on 18-Oct-2007 22:10:04 by Elitemage14

Elitemage14

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"The All Seeing Eye,” Garth said in almost a trancelike state.
“What was that?” The shop keeper asked.
“I was just thinking out loud,” Garth replied. "How much for it?"
"I am afraid that I could not possibly sell it at this time. I still need to find out what kind of metal composes the blade and get a good estimate on the value. Not to mention the weapon has traces of magic."
“What a shame," Garth replied. Could I have a look at your other wares and see what other daggers you have in stock?”
“You sure can,” the shop keeper replied. He turned around and bent over to get a box from the shelf behind him.
Garth acted quickly. He drew a curved dagger with a smooth edge, specially designed for stealthy kills and easy penetration of the flesh. He reached out and grabbed the man by what hair he had left. The shop keeper let out a scream as Garth pulled the back of his head down to his desk. Garth then plunged the dagger into the hollow beside the man’s collar bone, instantly severing the carotid artery, the sub*lavian, and the jugular. The man gasped, jerked once, and then went still. The first thing to die were the man's eyes. Garth could see the light go out of them. Blood ran with an ugly speed from the wound. In an instant, the shop have become a mad house.
Garth let go of the dead body, and reached over to pick up the dagger. Finally, he had his weapon back.

09-Oct-2007 17:38:38 - Last edited on 31-Oct-2007 22:08:56 by Elitemage14

Elitemage14

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Garth switched his weapons and now had the enchanted dagger in his right hand. It felt good to have his old weapon back. So many people had lost their lives to its razor sharp edge. Garth stared down at the trembling teenager and began to move towards him with the ultimate power of judgment. He had the power to choose who lived and who died. That power felt good.
The teen now knew that the hooded figure had the intentions of killing him along with his father. He grabbed a sword hanging on the wall with his trembling hands. He charged at the murderer with an over head strike.
“Pitiful,” Garth muttered. He easily blocked the blow then stabbed his dagger into the boy's left side, rupturing his spleen. The teen let out a bloodcurdling scream and dropped to the floor in pain. Garth could not hear what the boy was saying, but it sounded like he was praying to Saradomin.
“God is not with you today,” Garth said. He pulled the teen’s head up, revealing his exposed neck. Garth quickly cut his throat, giving the teen a quick, painless death.
The job was now done, and it was time to get out of the city. Garth was about to leave before he turned his attention to the wooden ladder leading up to the rest of the shop. He supposed that it was possible that there was someone in the upper stories of the shop. Already he could hear people assembling outside, attracted by the screams. There was a chance that someone had seen him, but he simply did not have the time to deal with this issue. They could not have seen any of his facial features, and at most knew his height and build. A hooded figure with a lean but muscular build would not be telling much, even though at just over six feet he was a bit tall. The guards at the gate could easily tell the same thing, so it did not really matter.
Now the challenge was to get out of the city.

09-Oct-2007 17:38:39 - Last edited on 09-Oct-2007 20:28:09 by Elitemage14

Elitemage14

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Garth turned as the door to the general store burst open. Standing in the doorway was a massive man in runite armor. Across his chest was the insignia of the Champions' Guild, and he had his large spear pointed at Garth.
“Stop right there thief!” the man said with a booming voice.
“I am not a thief,” Garth replied defensively. He lowered his stance and adjusted the grip on his daggers. The warrior lunged at Garth with two swift jabs, but he countered and knocked his spear to the side. Garth lashed out at the man, but his reach was far too short. As he tried to move in closer, the warrior slashed at Garth with an upward swing. He parried the blow and followed up with a round-house kick to the chest. As the man landed against the wall, Garth pulled his arm back and stabbed his dagger right in between the man’s ribs, the weapon easily penetrating the thick armor and tearing through flesh and muscle. As the warrior doubled over in pain, he swung his second blade around and jammed the hilt into the back of the man’s skull.
The man lost the grip he had on his spear as he fell to the ground. He quickly tried to regain himself and move towards his fallen weapon. Garth pounced on the man like a lion and knocked the spear out of the man’s reach.
The warrior kept struggling to get up, but Garth slammed his head into the hard wooden floor each time. It did not take long for the constant blows to the head to stop the man's flailing. Garth then raised both of his daggers into the air and stabbed them deep into the man’s lower back, piercing both of his kidneys. The man tried to cry out, but his voice was frozen from the pain.
After taking a moment to admire his handiwork, Garth arose from the dying man.
“Everyone wants to be a hero these days,” he said as he sprinted out the door.

09-Oct-2007 17:38:39 - Last edited on 13-Oct-2007 19:05:49 by Elitemage14

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In Bad Company