RuneScape Forum Archive | Echoes of the Gods

Chuk

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\_v<>v_/ Echoes of the Gods \*v<>v_/
.- .- .- .- .- .- Part One -. -. -. -. -. -.
\_v<>v_/` Silence Fractured `\_v<>v_/

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by Chuk

For Sir Lamentar.
Requiescat in pace.

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!- + -! Prologue !- + -! Crucible !- + -!
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It began more quietly than a whisper. Like a half imagined vision, it swept gently across calm ocean waters and beneath starry skies, nothing more than the breath of a god. But it could not remain silent forever. While the night inched towards dawn, the wind built its strength and furor, racing for some distant shore. By the time it reached its target, an island deep in the southern seas, it was as fierce a storm as any but the oldest inhabitants could remember.

The squall hurtled ashore, whipping waves taller than two story buildings against the coast. It snapped trees and launched hailstones the size of apples. Their perches ripped away, gulls flapped arduously, but in vain; the wind tossed them backwards, end over end. Only animals that had buried themselves in the deepest burrows escaped the wind's swirling tendrils. At the shore, nothing could contain its power, but pressing inland it found opposition.

Squat stone housed withstood the buffeting, their stone walls built to weather any tempest. For a time, the storm toyed with the buildings, blasting gust after gust against their walls. But its true target lay farther on, and so it passed with little damage to the houses. It leveled everything else, leaving a swathe of destruction to mark its path.

14-May-2010 00:04:32 - Last edited on 20-Jun-2013 08:57:44 by Chuk

Chuk

Posts: 14,177 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Such was its fury and speed that the storm covered the full length of the island and found its destination on the eastern coast before the first gray of morning lit the sky. And the forbidding black clouds it carried on its shoulders ensured that its target would see no dawn for hours to come. Derlo, the single great city on Relnor, had tall, broad walls of impenetrable stone, but they meant nothing to the wind, which vaulted their towering heights and flew into a rampage worthy of legendary monsters. It coursed wide avenues and swirled through the smallest alleyways, searching for a victim for its destructive inclinations.

Garbage bins rattled across stone and shutters flew from their hinges, but nothing else quailed beneath the squall until it reached the ghetto. There, its destructive appetite was more than sated. Poorly thatched roofs tore from their houses; the hailstones shattered windows; and doors fled their frames. With the flood of debris in its grip, the monster barraged structures too strong for air alone, and soon whole houses fell to its fury. Only when it left the ghetto nearly razed did the wind finally subside, leaving rubble on the ground and black, glowering clouds in the sky.

Covered by the ferocious weather, a horde of black ships arrived unnoticed and dropped anchor in Derlo's harbor. They unfurled gray banners emblazoned with a black, flaming claw and began to discharge smaller landing craft. Strong arms rowed to shore, and the boats spewed forth their cargo: hundreds of heavily armored soldiers and demonkin. When the entire horde assembled, a garish orange flare blasted into the darkened heavens.

14-May-2010 00:04:33 - Last edited on 20-Jun-2013 08:49:10 by Chuk

Chuk

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Answers rose from every ship in the harbor; a dragon climbed from every frigate, trailing a column of fire into the sky. As the first behemoth crossed overhead, the dread host on the docks roared, raised their weapons and charged into the streets. The dragons shot ahead, converging around a castle at the center of Derlo. Their leader, a beast whose tail matched the castle's greatest spire in girth, opened its gaping maw with a deafening growl. A raging ball of fire followed and exploded against the castle ramparts. The other dragons followed the example, dousing the castle in flames.

- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- -

A young boy woke to the echo of an explosion. He blinked open his eyes only to be blinded by an orange flare outside his window, and then deafened by another explosion that shook the stone walls of his bedroom and rained dust from the ceiling. Another flash made the glass of the window bubble and warp before his eyes. The entire castle seemed to shiver.

"Mommmaaaaa!"

His ear-piercing cry split the night, drowning out even the roars of dragons. Seconds later, almost as if her child's cry was magic, his mother threw open the door, silhouetted by the flickering torchlight in the hall beyond. The boy hardly had time to recognize her presence before she crossed the room, pulled him from his bed and hugged him to her chest.

"It's okay, Aletayr. It's okay. Mommy's here. It's okay."

Comforted by his mother's warm embrace, Aletayr's tears slowed, then stopped. When his last sniffles had faded to silence, his mother set him on his feet and knelt to look him in the eye, arms stretched to hold his shoulders.

"Some bad things have come tonight," she said. "Daddy's going to try to make it better, but we need to hide, okay? Can you be quiet for mommy? Can you be strong like Dad and not cry or make noise?"

Aletayr stared at her through unblinking eyes and nodded solemnly. His mother ruffled his hair and braved a smile.

14-May-2010 00:07:43 - Last edited on 20-Jun-2013 08:49:19 by Chuk

Chuk

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"That's my boy. I knew you could do it."

At that moment another blast rocked the castle tower. Aletayr whimpered and fell against his mother's chest, his worried hands wrapping knots in his mother's clothing. A new tear rolled down his cheek, and a low wail rose in his throat, muffled as he tried to hold it back.

"Shh," his mother whispered, wrapping her arms around him again. "Shhh."

When the echoes faded and fresh dust had settled to the floor, his mother gently pushed him back to arm's length. Looking into his fear stricken face, she spoke again.

"Aletayr, I need you to do something else for me, okay? Can you please get your favorite blanket for me? And then go wait by the door?"

She waited until at last he nodded, another tear sliding down his face.

"There's a good boy. I'll be right there, I promise, okay. I love you, sweetie."

She ruffled his hair again, then gave him a small nudge to start him towards the bed. As soon as he had taken two steps, she rose and nearly ran across the room to Aletayr's dresser and tore it open. She grabbed a small pack from the floor and began tossing in clothes, and a few of her son's most precious items. In seconds she had finished, her frenzied pace betraying her terror.

Aletayr had hardly reached the door, when his mother bustled up behind him. He heard her take a deep breath and saw her close her eyes, heard her murmur 'so fragile,' but did not understand, and just stared at her, eyes wide. A moment later she was back to normal, and she nudged him into the hall. He turned as she pulled the door shut behind them, but just before it closed, Aletayr caught a glimpse of something standing atop his dresser.

"No momma! Wait!"

He dashed headlong into the room, his young body just small enough to fit through the space between the door and the wall. His blanket flew from his shoulders, forgotten.

14-May-2010 00:07:44 - Last edited on 20-Jun-2013 08:49:30 by Chuk

Chuk

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"Aletayr, no! Stop!" His mother's reaching hand fell just short of his arm, grabbing only the trailing blanket.

The door slammed shut behind Aletayr, but he hardly noticed. He reached his dresser and stretched on tip-toe for a small toy horse crafted from glass. Unable to see exactly where it was, his hand ran across the dresser's surface. Once, his fingers brushed it, but that only sent it skittering out of reach once more. He heard his mother start to open the door, but he did not look behind him, too focused on his task. His fingers had just closed on one of the horse's legs when the room exploded.

Orange flashed across the window, brighter and hotter than any previous blasts. For a second, the glass seemed to soften and warp. Then it shattered under the dragon's fury. Scorching, molten shards blasted into Aletayr's room like a thousand fiery knives.

Aletayr shrieked as the shockwave tossed him against the wall. The toy horse flew from his hand, lost in the chaos as he lifted his arms to cover his face. Two slivers of glass buried themselves in his back, and a larger piece clipped his ear and then sliced across his cheek, trailing searing cuts. He screamed again, and heard his mother's answer cry.

"Aletayr!"

Her voice was muffled, and Aletayr realized the door had slammed shut in the blast. Clutching his bleeding face, tears streaming down his face, he wobbled to his feet. His door flew open, and before it bounced off the wall, he found himself in his mother's arms.

"Thank Saradomin you're alright," she breathed. At that moment, her arm slipped lower on his back, across one of the slivers embedded in his skin.

"Aaaoowwwwww!"

"Aletayr! What's wrong?" Then, noticing his hand, she pulled it away from his cheek, saw the cut across his face and ear. She gasped. "Oh Aletayr, I'm so sorry! Come here, let me look."

14-May-2010 00:07:45 - Last edited on 20-Jun-2013 08:49:52 by Chuk

Chuk

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Gently clasping his other hand in hers, his mother led him into the hallway. Bright torches stretched its length, warming the cold stone walls, and their flickering light almost comforting. Away from the door, Aletayr's mother once more pulled his hand away from his face and knelt down to examine the cut. Pulling her sleeve over her hand, she carefully wiped away the blood. Aletayr groaned once, and fresh tears leaked from his eyes, but trusting his mother, he stayed silent. After a moment she spoke.

"There, that's better. It's not so bad, right? Is that the only one?"

Aletayr shook his head, tears still dripping down his face. He wiped one cheek. "My back, too," he sobbed.

His mother turned him slightly, pulled up his tunic. He could not see her reaction, but he heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Oh, my child."

She tried to wipe the blood away, but she brushed one of the glass shards and Aletayr screamed. "It hurts," he whimpered.

"I know it does," his mother said, and she hugged him, taking special care to avoid his wounds. "These need a doctor, okay, honey? He can make you feel better, so we need to go quickly, okay? No, here, let me carry you."

Starting to feel weak in the knees, Aletayr allowed his mother to lift him into her arms. A fresh wave of fire erupted in his back, but he clenched his eyes against it, covered the rising scream in a small whimper. Once he settled comfortably against his mother's chest, the pain abated. His mother wrapped him in the blanket and set off down the hall, away from his room.

"Momma, wait!"

"No, Aletayr. We need to get you down to the doctor," she said without stopping.

"No! My horse!"

"We'll get it later, okay? After you're feeling better."

"No, now! I need him now, before the doctor!"

"I'll come back for it later, okay? Your owwies are just going to hurt more if you don't see the doctor."

14-May-2010 00:07:46 - Last edited on 20-Jun-2013 08:56:07 by Chuk

Chuk

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"No!" Aletayr said, and began to flail his legs.

"No, Aletayr, stop it! You're making it worse, Aletayr. Stop!" She tried to grab his legs and hold them, but with only one arm, her efforts were unsuccessful.

"I want my horse now!"

"Okay, okay, shhh… Stop kicking, and we'll go get it, okay?"

But Aletayr only stopped kicking after she turned around. Moments later, they stepped back into Aletayr's room. The dresser had been reduced to a pile of splintered boards. The sheets were singed strips of linen clinging to the bed, and his clothes had caught and torn on glass and the dresser boards. Broken toys and glass littered the floor. His mother took three steps into the room, glass crunching beneath each one.

"I don't see it," she said. "I'm sorry, Aletayr, but it's probably broken. We need to get you to the doctor now, and I'll get you a new--"

Aletayr cut her off. "It's right here."

He pointed to the wall, even though his mother could not see. There, its tail stuck in the crevice between stone blocks of the wall, was the toy horse, whole and undamaged. His mother turned around, but still looking at the floor, failed to see it.

"Where?"

Aletayr turned his head and pointed. The effort caused new knives to slice his back, and he broke out in sobs, but kept pointing. Following her son's arm, his mother's eyes widened in shock. She shifted Aletayr's weight to one arm, and reached out with the other to pull the horse free. It came loose easily, and she gave it to her son. He smiled, grabbed it and clutched the precious toy to his chest.

"Now we can go see the doctor," he said, and set his head on his mother's shoulder.

- -- - -- - -- -

14-May-2010 00:07:47 - Last edited on 20-Jun-2013 08:55:51 by Chuk

Chuk

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Aletayr woke for the second time that night. This time, it was a bit less disruptive, and he blinked several times, adjusting to the bright lamp light in the infirmary. His mother was sitting in a chair by the head of his bed, and the pain of his wounds had faded to a point where he could almost ignore them. His mother, who seemed to be reading, had not noticed that he was awake.

"Momma?"

"Oh, Aletayr," she said, slightly surprised. "You're awake. The healer said it could be a couple more hours. How do you feel, sweetie?"

After marking her place, she stood up and leaned over Aletayr. She ran a gentle finger over the bandaged cut on his cheek. "Did that hurt?"

"No, not really. Just a little, but not very bad."

"Good! The healer thought you'd feel better when you woke up."

Aletayr nodded and rubbed his eyes. "I'm still tired."

His mother smiled slightly. "Of course you are, sweetie. It's very late, and you've had an awful night. The healer needs us to move, though, now that you're awake. You can sleep in my room, okay?"

Aletayr nodded and raised his arms to be carried. His mother sighed, but with a smile on her face, and picked him up, cradling his young body against her bosom. She pushed aside the curtains surrounding the ward and stepped into the recover wing of the infirmary. The room was nearly empty. Only a handful of soldiers lay on vacant beds; all were unconscious. Aletayr had almost fallen asleep on his mother's shoulder. They approached a door at the end of the room, and hearing faint screams and groans from beyond, Aletayr lifted his head for a moment.

14-May-2010 00:30:53 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 06:31:41 by Chuk

Chuk

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His mother opened the door into triage, and the cries of wounded soldiers was suddenly overpowering. Aletayr covered his ears and buried his face against his mother's shoulder, not daring to look. Her gasp was enough to stifle any curiosity. Only a few moments later they were free from the bedlam, and Aletayr looked up to his mother's face; he found her wiping tears from her eyes.

"Those poor men…" she murmured, reinforcing Aletayr's decision not to look. Even his young mind understood that it wanted to avoid anything that made his mother cry. She patted his head as if he was the one in need of comfort, then started up the stairs to the rest of the castle.

Half-way up, a cry interrupted their progress. "Ellya! What happened? Are you alright? Aletayr?"

Hearing the voice of his father, Aletayr lifted his head once more, turning to regard the figure at the top of the stairs. He grinned.

"He's fine, now, just tired," his mother said.

"Thank Domi," the father sighed, running his hand across his forehead and into his hair. "One of the servants saw you going to the infirmary with Aletayr…"

He trailed off, tension seeping from his limbs, and he sank onto the top step before continuing, "She had me so worried, made it sound like Aletayr was dying. Gods, I felt sick with fear."

"No, nothing that bad," Ellya said, climbing the stairs towards her husband. "Aletayr got a few cuts and scrapes, but nothing our surgeon couldn't fix up. And our Aletayr's feeling better now, isn't he?";

She smiled fondly as she set her son down the step. Aletayr nodded once and leaned against his father's side. The man tried to force a smile as he put his arm around his son, but it could not reach his eyes. Those were weary and mired in sorrow. Finally, gently ruffling Aletayr's hair, he turned to his wife.

"So he's ready to travel, then?"

14-May-2010 00:30:54 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 06:54:14 by Chuk

Chuk

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His weary words hung in silence for a moment before Ellya could respond.

"No," she whispered. The blood drained from her face. "No, Erafae, you can't be asking that."

Though too young to understand the implications of the conversation, Aletayr recognized the tone of his mother's voice, the quivering fear and anguish. He opened his eyes and raised his head to look into her face. She had turned, focusing on his father, her gray eyes pleading. Erafae stared at his hands, twisting the ring on his third finger, unable to meet her gaze.

"We can't hold," he admitted finally. "We're trying, but it won't last. They're too many, too strong."

He paused, sighed and finally looked into Ellya's face, meeting her eyes.

"We never thought it'd come, but we planned for this day anyway, Ellya. I need you to take Aletayr. I already sent servants to ready the boat."

"No, please," Ellya's voice broke. Her eyes flooded and a lonely tear trickled down her cheek. "Don't leave, don't do this to us, Erafae."

"I'm sorry." He blinked rapidly, forcing back tears of his own.

"You don't need to stay. There's no reason you can't come with us." Ellya grabbed her husband's hand in both of hers. "Please."

"You know I can't, Ellya. I have to stay, I have to be here with the soldiers. They need me to lead, even at the end."

"And their need is above mine, above your child's? Don't abandon us, Erafae, don't make him grow up without his father."

Aletayr's father turned away, burying his face in his hands. Aletayr grabbed him around the chest, clinging tightly. Though still unable to grasp the full sense of his mother's fear, Aletayr understood that his father seemed to be leaving, and he knew he did not want to let him go.

"Gods, Ellya, don't make this any harder. Please," he begged, "Don't fight me."

14-May-2010 00:30:55 - Last edited on 21-Jun-2013 06:55:25 by Chuk

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Echoes of the Gods