RuneScape Forum Archive | SotD2: The Cycle Breaks

Crystal Smee

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For a time the figure feebly struck back. Zyran slashed with his knives, feeling the hot, sticky blood welling on the victim's back. Finally it fell limp and crumpled to the floor. Panting, the three predators stood around it. Eta fumbled along the wall, finding a torch bracket. He drew flint from his pocket and lit the torch. He held it up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

Lying in a bloody heap on the floor of the dungeon was Zeldonfen.

End of Chapter

26-Jun-2011 21:02:49 - Last edited on 26-Jun-2011 21:19:39 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

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Chapter 5

The four stared in amazement. Eta stood there, torch dangling forgotten in his hands. Zyran was motionless, his one good eye roving the scene with obvious unease. Katherine was crouched at Exile's side, clutching his arm in surprise. Exile himself was raised on one elbow, jaw hanging open. The silence descended upon them like a heavy blanket, locking each with his or her own cynical thoughts. Finally, Katherine broke the deafening quiet.

"Gods..." she whispered.

"What have you done?" Eta spat at Zyran. His long brown hair hung in matted tangles and obscured his eyes. Beneath the man, they flashed angrily at his companion. Zyran blinked, then his jaw tightened.

"I did? It was you as much as me!" he growled in defense. "In fact, you did the most. I missed multiple times."

"Then what are all those slashes on his left?" snarled Eta. "I had his right, you his left. And Katherine, you did it too!"

Katherine released Exile and bounded to her feet. She gestured furiously toward his prone form. "I was defending Exile! He tripped over him!"

Eta spit on the ground. "What does it matter?" he said hopelessly. "He's just one more contestant out of the way. Why should we worry? It just makes us one step closer to winning this thing, and besides the fool wanted to save that idiot Phillip anyway!"

Zyran frowned. "Yes, true. The object of this contest is to be the last one surviving, isn't it? That means only one of US will make it. And I'm thinking of narrowing us down to three!" He glared pointedly at Eta, who clashed his blades together in a shower of sparks.

"Bring it on, ninja-boy," he hissed. His muscles rippled in his bare torso as he crept toward Zyran, his body in a fighting crouch. Zyran flipped his knives in his hands. Katherine hopped over Exile's body and jumped between them.

"No!" she snapped loudly at both of them.

26-Jun-2011 21:03:42 - Last edited on 26-Jun-2011 21:19:53 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

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When they just dodged around her and struck, Zyran barely pinking Eta's shoulder, she summoned a blast of wind that sent them both slamming into the wall. "Listen to me," she growled. "You two are idiots. Yes, maybe, just maybe, only one of us will make it out alive. But that's no reason to kill each other! We all killed Zeldonfen. It was every one of us. But there is a chance that if we all find a way out; none of us have to die. So can we work together, or do you two need to split up?"

Zyran lowered his knives and stared sheepishly at the ground. "Understood." Eta nodded reluctantly and sheathed his blades.

***

Dramen leaned back in the chair. A glowing crystal orb rested on the desk before him, misty fogs parting to reveal four figures. They strode along slowly through the dungeon corridor. One was wrapped in bandages.

Dramen chuckled. The snakes were a personal favorite of his. He steepled his fingers as his crimson eyes scanned the scene for a moment more. Then he allowed his eyes to flutter shut as he drifted into thought.

They had killed the man, yes. The rules stated that he was then supposed to kill them. All of them? Well, the injured one hadn't helped, and the girl had simply punched Zeldonfen. And besides, the dead man was the fellow who wanted to save Phillip, after all.

Here Dramen's mouth twisted in a sneer. Phillip was an arrogant, pompous fool, and Dramen was glad he was dead. The falling ceiling had been a nice little trick, another invention of his.

Now, what to do with the murderers? He opened his eyes and peered once more into the orb. The girl had her arm around the injured one; Dramen briefly remembered the man's name was Exile. He laughed cruelly.

She loved him, that much was obvious. He pushed them from his mind. The true offenders were the others. And they were arguing with each other, that was good.

26-Jun-2011 21:04:05 - Last edited on 26-Jun-2011 21:20:06 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

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Zyran and Eta, he thought they were called. Fighting...perhaps he should simply force them to kill each other. Find some way to build conflict, one murders, then the other gets caught in a trap for his offense.

That was good...how to make them kill each other, though? He threw open a drawer, finding the rolled up scroll that was the map of the dungeon. Here it was...yes, there they were.

The way they were going, they would either end up in the starting room again, which meant they would turn back and take the other turn, or take it first. That led to a locked door...what had he put in that room? He wracked his brains. Then his lips parted in a cruel, malicious smile. He had the key.

For a long time the four simply walked on in silence. Every once in a while Eta and Zyran would start arguing again, until finally Exile managed to quiet them down permanently.

"Look, you two. It's against the rules to kill another contestant, you know that!" he snapped, sick of the bickering. "So whoever's guilty of killing Zeldonfen will die, you can be sure of that. This fellow, this 'alchemist' seems like the type that won't hesitate to kill someone. We'll see soon enough who's guilty, so shut up, both of you."

Eta and Zyran instantly fell into a moody silence. Katherine patted Exile's arm. They moved slowly, as Exile had little energy.

For a few hours they traveled on until finally they reached a fork. One curved; almost doubling back the way they had come. The other led to a door at the end of a short corridor. Zyran jogged down the hall to the door and tugged it open. He stared for a moment, then shut it and trotted back to the others.

"That's the starting room," he explained simply and pointed. "So I guess we should go this way."

He led the procession down the curving tunnel. In one hand he clutched a torch he had snatched from a bracket. It took another hour, but finally they saw a door.

26-Jun-2011 21:04:44

Crystal Smee

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When Katherine and Exile caught up, Zyran was jiggling the door handle while Eta watched with a sneer.

"It's locked," he drawled absently as he picked at his dirty nails.

"I know," Zyran snapped. He produced a lockpick and began fumbling with the lock. Eta rolled his eyes; Katherine sighed. Finally the door creaked open and they stepped inside. Zyran drew the door shut behind them.

Almost instantly, the four heard a whipping noise; something moving rapidly through the air. Katherine noticed it first. Then all breath was cut off and patches of black flashed before her eyes. She groped at her neck and found it tightly encircled by a thick, leafy vine of some sort.

The vine curled and vanished into the blackness above. No ceiling was visible. Katherine scrabbled at the vine, clawed at it, yet it mercilessly continued to choke her.

Beside her, Exile and Eta were gr(c)appling with the same trap. Zyran, however, remained untouched.

Zyran stood back with a small grin, admiring the scene. Eta dangled slightly higher than the rest, pawing at the strangling vine. Katherine blinked.

"Zyran! Please! Help us!" she screamed. Exile hung only a few feet away, lacking the energy to combat his noose and simply hanging there, eyes shut, face reddening. Zyran was still for a moment longer, then he drew a knife and darted toward Exile. He leapt upward, slashing the vine away. He hacked at it a few times, finally cutting through. Exile slumped to the ground in a gasping heap.

Then Zyran moved on to Katherine, cutting her free. She dropped and tumbled across the stones, clutching at her throat. Then Zyran turned and moved toward the next door. "Zyran!" she called.

"You're welcome," he tossed back over his shoulder.

"Wait!" she shouted. He stopped and turned slowly on the balls of his feet.

"Yes?" he asked slowly.

"What about Eta?" she demanded. Zyran laughed and steepled his fingers, pausing to admire Eta's purpling face.

26-Jun-2011 21:05:15

Crystal Smee

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"I have a theory. You see, one has to wonder why I was free while Eta was trapped. Maybe it was mere coincidence, but I doubt it in a place like this. Here is my theory. Eta is meant to die. He killed Zeldonfen, and this is his punishment. So we leave him." Then he turned and trotted out. Katherine scrambled to her feet and staggered over to Eta, grabbing one of his knives. She reached Eta and sliced the confining vine. He crashed and slumped, then looked up at her.

"Thank you," he croaked. Then he hopped to his feet and drew his swords.

"What are you doing?" Katherine asked.

"Going to get Zyran," he hissed.

"You're going to kill him?" she asked incredulously.

"Nah, gonna have tea with him," Eta snarled sarcastically. "Of course I'm going to kill him, he DID leave me to die."

"Katherine," Exile rasped from the ground. He was in bad shape, and needed care. Katherine stared. She could save Exile, or she could save Zyran. What was she going to do?

She rushed to Exile's side, cradling his head. She glared at Eta. "Please, Eta, don't do it. You'll die for it! You can't kill another contestant, you know that!"

"I'll die to have him dead!" he shouted and sprinted out of the room.

***

Alyson bent over him, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Why, Radstrom, why?" she begged.

His eyes fluttered open beneath tangles of sweat-soaked red hair. "It's better this way," he rasped. "I must -- do something for Arvenous. I must be -- with him. And you -- I can see it in your eyes, you like Matthew -- a lot." He gulped for air. Alyson could hear it scraping through his windpipe. "I can tell. And he -- he told me that -- that you are beautiful." He swallowed. "You two, you -- belong together, I -- think. And I must -- be with -- Arvenous. It's better -- this way. It's better...Good -- luck, Alyson." One final breath rattled past Radstrom's lips, and his eyes slowly fell shut. Alyson struggled to fight back the tears.

26-Jun-2011 21:05:44 - Last edited on 26-Jun-2011 21:20:27 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

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Matthew's eyes shot open and he groaned. "Whaa---?" he mumbled, blinking slowly. Alyson patted his arm, reeling inside from Radstrom's actions. "What -- happened?"

"Radstrom. He took the poison -- from your body to his. He's dead," she sobbed.

"Why?" Matthew gasped.

"He said it was better this way. He said that he needed to do something for Arvenous, that he deserved to die because he could not honor Arvenous' death. He also said -- he said you and I belong together."

Matthew stretched out a quivering arm and grasped her hand. "I agree with him," he murmured, pulling her close. His lips gently brushed hers, but then she drew away.

"What -- did I -- I mean -- was that -- ?" he struggled to find the right words. Alyson shook her head, scrubbing at her eyes.

"No -- it was fine. I just -- not now," she gulped. Matthew nodded and slowly worked his way to his feet.

"We should continue," he conceded. He wobbled toward a nearby door and shoved it open, revealing a small, cramped room. Alyson followed, clutching his hand. She pulled the door shut behind them. Almost as (c) soon as it shut, a blinding flash of light blue light flared in the room, sending the two staggering into the wall. When it cleared and Alyson blinked away the blind spots, she could see five robed men standing before her.

***

Matthew and Alyson stared in shock. Alyson stumbled back against the wall. Matt rushed to catch her as she swooned.

"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice almost angry.

"I am Doros," said the first robed man.

"Sephir," acknowledged the second one.

"Narand," the third bowed his head as he spoke.

"Jerlos," the fourth introduced.

"And I am Casahvan," the fifth and final man smiled.

Matthew blinked. "That's not what I meant," he growled.

"But it is what you asked," countered Doros delicately.

26-Jun-2011 21:06:40 - Last edited on 26-Jun-2011 21:20:43 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

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The corners of his mouth twitched in a thin, almost victorious smile. His flowing silver hair reached nearly to his waist in a thick, tight braid. His eyes were gray and his face creased with lines of age and wisdom. He was the tallest of the five.

"Fine. I'll rephrase. Picky," he muttered under his breath.

Jerlos, with twinkling blue eyes and short sandy hair appeared the most youthful. "I heard that, Matthew." Matthew sputtered a curse.

"What are you?" he questioned finally.

Narand steepled his fingers, long and bony. Before he had stood in silence, twirling the ends of his glorious brown mustache. He smiled and closed his eyes. "That, I believe, is the question you wished us to answer in the first place, no? We are angels of Armadyl."

Matthew barked a laugh. Before he was kneeling; now he settled himself on the floor and gently laid Alyson beside him. "Bull----" he snorted.

Casahvan raised his thin gray eyebrows. "Artistic," he chuckled.

"Why should I believe you?" snapped Matthew, his temper becoming closing to cracking with each calm comment of the 'angels.'

"Perhaps you shouldn't," interjected Sephir. "It is your choice, really. But we have something to tell you. All that we ask is that you listen. Whether you believe, as I said, is your choice. But please, do not interrupt."

Here, Doros took up the explanation. "I will put it simply. This is not a contest. This is a trap, a configuration of Zaros. Well, Armadyl created the dungeon itself. This maze was made to hide and protect the Staff of Armadyl. The Staff is protected by strong magic and only an Armadylist can go near it. Zaros hungers for the staff. You see, he has filled this dungeon with monsters and traps, made it into a death trap. He calls it a contest, when really he searches for the one Armadylist that comes to stumble upon the staff."

26-Jun-2011 21:07:00

Crystal Smee

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"There is no way out of this dungeon but through the staff, you see," began Casahvan. "You cannot teleport and there is no exit. Zaros waits for an Armadylist to find the staff, take it, and from there he can capture them and take the staff. He takes loyal necromancers that wish for his return to power and has them play the rich alchemist looking for a use for his riches, who then end up starting a competition. The truth is, though, that not one 'competitor' has ever made it out, alive or dead. In fact, Zamorak is trapped in here at the moment."

"He couldn't simply ask for Armadylists, though." Here Sephir picks up the tale. "That would be suspicious. As it is, some look into the deaths. He always explains that none made it, that they were all killed. The necromancers have never been caught. It has gone on for centuries, a never-ending cycle. Zaros sometimes figures out which are Armadylists and attempts to protect them, but he has made his dungeon so dangerous he can't do it."

Matthew finally grew tired of listening. "So. Basically, I'm going to die? And what's this about Zamorak?"

"Well, with Zamorak," began Narand, "With the last 'competition,' only one Armadylist remained. Zaros had her under protection and Zamorak knew that if she died, Zaros would be forced to give up for a time once again. So," Narand paused, shuddering and grimacing, "he killed Ellya, in a very gruesome way. Then he realized that he couldn't get out. Not even a god can escape that magic. So now he resurrected her. Be on the lookout, he's not very happy and will take advantage of any opportunity."

"And about me dying?" he insisted.

26-Jun-2011 21:07:40

Crystal Smee

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Jerlos sighed. "Essentially, yes. The only way out is the staff. Your food will only last so long. Perhaps you will come to the staff. But I ask that when you do, think before you take it, if you can. Think that you could be giving Zaros his return to power. This is our mission, to warn them all, warn all your friends of their plight. If you come to the staff, and you have a choice between the staff and death -- well, we can only hope you will make the right decision." Then there was a flash of blinding light, and all five angels were gone.

The corridor seemed endless to Lance. They trod onward for hours. He was tired, but with the recent events, he wasn't sure it was safe to stop and rest. Finally, though, he had to call a halt. This hall appeared safe enough.

He flopped down in the corridor, digging through his pack for food. "I wonder what time of day it is," he thought aloud.

"Don't you miss the sun?" Amy sighed. She twirled one lock of auburn hair out of her eyes, watching Lance with a coy smile. He glanced at her as he felt her eyes and his gaze was caught. He simply couldn't look away. Finally, he tore himself away, looking awkwardly at his pack as he unwrapped the cheese he found.

"No, the sun's still right here," he whispered. Amy heard him and shifted closer.

"Oh?" she asked playfully. One of her hands grabbed his chin and swiveled it toward her. His cheeks flushed and she laughed softly. "Don't be embarra<c>ssed, Lance. I like you too, it's okay." Her voice was gentle, but it only humiliated him further. He knew this was the right time, though. He swallowed his pride and leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own. Amy pushed against him, shoving him into the wall as she squirmed onto his lap. They stayed like that for a time, embraced tightly, until Amy began fingering the laces of his shirt. He pulled away, placing his hands over hers with a soft reprimand.

26-Jun-2011 21:07:55

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SotD2: The Cycle Breaks