The Demon Portal
Prologue- Meeting at the Abyss
" This is inexcusable! All of my demons have been banished back into the abyss. The Jungle Demon on Ape Atoll, Delrith at the dark wizard's circle, the Black Demon in Gnome Stronghold, Chronozon in Edgeville, Even my elite three demons in Karamja. We must do something about this..." Koschei said, in a rather dignified voice.
" Uhh... Why don't we just all break free at once?" asked Chronozon, who wasn't exactly the brightest of demons.
" Because, we are all held in the abyss by a supernatural force, and few know how to counter it."
" I thought you knew how to counter it?" muttured Nezikchened, who actualy had a brain.
" But I do."
" Well? go on... I can't wait another moment to get out of this abyss," Nezikchened said, impatiently.
" I have just recieved an activated gem. With this gem i can talk to whomever i want," Koschei then punched a few buttons and a soft conversation could be heard, or at least half of it.
" Are you ready to carry out our plans?" There was a long pause, but finally Koschei said," Excellent. We are ready here at the abyss, just waiting on you to free us." Koschei then turned of his gem and announced," We shall be free! How I long for the fresh air, and the sweet taste of human blood." Immediatley after those words, all of the demons in the abyss, the weak imps who acted as servants to the other demons,the lesser demons, the greater demons, even the mighty demons who were sent on special missions began cheering, all in unison. Thus began the battle that would tear the world apart.
Chapter 1- A Disturbance in the Air
Rathol had a good perch at the White Castle. He was at the highest tower, at could see all of Falador, and even parts of neighboring villages. He felt as if he could touch the sky, and never fall. He felt as if he was sitting with the gods, looking down on the tiny ants that were actually people far below. Rathol also had a different sensation, that of containment. He could see the world growing underneath his very eyes, yet he had no way of exploring it. How he longed for adventure. But, he couldn't have any, and as far as he was concerned he never would. But, fate had a different ideas for him.
Although Rathol had no physical adventures, he sure did have some emtional adventures with his wife, Chaloko. This was his day's (or rather, his night's) main excitement. He couldn't wait to see his wife again, he just couldn't wait to get in the bed together with her. He couldn't wait to see her beauty, her elegant form, and her sophistacated speech, in addition to her wearing her dazzling clothing. She looked good in anything. Her formal dresses, her red long skirt, or her black dress,it just looked good on her. In Fact, all of the men in the city were jealous of Rathol, and the women were jealous of Chaloko.
He spent half of his time on duty watching the clock, which he could see rather nicely from his perch on the tower. One look at the clock and he leaped for joy. It was presicely five minutes until he could gon home, and by the time he got down to the courtyard it would be five minutes. Although technically he wasn't supposed to leave his post until his shift was over, instead of leaving the castle until his shift was over. Rathol began descending the great staircase of the castle, ornatley carved with lions, and an ancient elvish prophecy.
The prophecy speaks of a great battle, and the death of thousands upon thousands. But, according to the prophecy, a lone warrior defeated the rest of the evil army. Then, the lone soldier gives a remarkable victory speech, ending with these strong bold words,"... I did not survive the day's battles on my own, i had much help, not from our earthly powers, but frm the great god Saradomin of above!" Many cititzens believed that this prophecy was the only reason that the White Knights continued to protect the nearby monks from the evils of the land. Yet, there are some evils that even the White Knights can't solve.
Rathol was nearly halfway down the great staircase when the alarm bell started ringing. "What now?" Rathol muttered, but he muttered it a little bit too loud. His leader, Sir Amik Varze, heard him.
What are you doing over here? You're supposed to be at your post! Shift change at seven o' clock means 7' o clock- no sooner!" The Knight said, very sternly.
" But..." was all Rathol could get out before Sir Amik Varze continued his lecture.
" Had you been at your post, we would have been able to put a stop to this threat completely. But no... you just had to let them get a head start, so that they could get away and accomplish whatever mischeif they had planned on doing. Now, we must defend city from them before we lose control of that too! Hurry now, run along, we need more reinforcements at the southern gate."
When it seemed that the lecture was finally over, Rothal couldn't help but ask," Excuse me, But who is them?"
" It's not that hard to find out, just look out the window, theyre swarming all over the place." When Rothal did just this, all he saw was thousands upon thousands of figures , all dressed in black. He instantly knew the source- The Black Wiard's Tower.
" Great Saradomin! How could you fail us? What have we done to deserve this?" Rothal had practically given up hope.
" Cheer up lad, we'll think of someway to solve this problem. We always have. Why else is the city still standing?" and with that Sir Amik Varze sent Rothal on his way.
There was much excitement among the knights. They hadn't seen any sort of trouble in a long time. Which is why they were so unprepared for this attack. One soldier shouted out," Hey look! its a plague of someting, its eating the ground!"
But some other soldiers were smarter than to believe that," Thats not a blody plague its a swarm of about ten thousand dark wizards!" This threw all of the soldiers into a state of panic.
" But im too young to die!" one soldier moaned. The Dark Wizards came closer. Several of the young knights fainted. But not Rothal. He was too brave for that. Although even Rothal had to admit that he was worried. The Dark Wizards reached the southern gate. At the sights of this Rothal quickly scurried away, into a corner, hoping not to be found.
" What was that?" one dark wizard muttered.
" No! Go away! Go back to the evils of your tower! Great Saradomin do something about this!" thought Rothal. But iwas no use. the same dark wizard crept closer...and closer... and closer still until he was within inches of Rothal.
" Leave the slime alone. We have more important matters to attend to," snapped a wizard, who had three red marks, indicating his rank as a third admiral. Rothal watched in terror as the rest of the dark wizards marched past the southern gate of Falador. Finally, all of the dark wizards passed by and were never seen again. Not the day of the event, nor the day after. The White Knights were very troubled by this. Sir Amik Vaze himself began to fret. Yet, he refused to send out scouts to find out what was going on. He said that deploying troups weakens their home defense, which he said they needed should the wizards come back. But, Sir Amik Varze began to second guess himself. He tried not to show it, but all of the knights knew. It was easy for them to find out, as they were forced to spend night and day inside the castle.
The same pattern held for about a week. By that time the knights were restless, and fights were a common sight. Sir Amik Varze was about ready to research the matter, when a messenger arived from Varock.
" A great number of dark wizards has gathered at the stone circle. Several of them are guarding the others while they perform some ancient chant. Our forces have tried attacking but we can't break through. King Roald has requested your aid," the young messenger said in a slightly quavering voice.
Sir Amik Varze replied," We be glad to help, as long as we can find out more of what the dark wizards' plans. This does, however, create a problem of our own cities defence."
" Why don't you ask the imperial guard for help?" the young messenger replied.
" Ask them! You've got to be kidding, right?" Sir Amik Varze said, half laughing.
The messenger seemed confused as to why the Imperial Guard couldn't help, but he went along with it anyway," If you don't help us, the dark wizards will probably come after you next, when we are to dead to help you. King Roald begs of you, I beg of you. Will you not aid us in this war?" the messenger looked on the verge of tears, as it seemed that Misthalin was alone in the war.
" Misthalin has sent for aid, and asgarnia shall answer!" Sir Amik Varze cheered, and soon all of the White knights began cheering as well.
" Thank-you," the messenger replied, very relieved. The messenger scurried off to tell King Roald the good news.
Eager to find out what was going on, Sir Amik Varze gathered up his troops and they left for Varock. The citizens of Falador cheered as the White Knights walked by, proud of their protectors.
Or at least proud of most of them. After eights days of not seeing his wife, Rothal couldn't bear it any longer. When no one was looking, Rothal slipped out of the castle and over to his house. His wife greeted hom at the door. They sat down and talked for a while. After discussing some curretn events, they kissed each oyther good night and went to bed. The next morning was when Rothal realized that he was supposed to be with the rest of the White Knights, so he hurriedly left. Chaloko was rather distressed at seeing Rathol leave, although she knew that he had to.
Rathol gathered his armor and some provisions and ran out of Falador, trying to catch up to the group. He took a taxing journey up the northern road. It was on a hot day, and his armor made it even hotter. He passed by the monastery, but there was still no sign of the others. He continued on for what seemed like hours, when he finally caught up to them. They were already halfway on their journey, in Barbarian Village. It seemed that Sir Amik Varze was trying to get the suppport of the Barbarians in the upcoming war. As busy as Sir Amik Varze was, he still noticed Rathol joining the ranks of the White Knights, late.
" Where were you? you were suposed to be marching with the rest of us!" Sir Amik Varze said, rather sternly and with a rising anger.
" Im sorry... i lost track of time..." Rathol said, as he decided that it would be best to tell the truth.
" Well next time grab a clock" Sir Amik Varze said, practicaly rather impatiently.
Rathol knew that he wouldn't be able to get away without telling the truth, so he told Sir Amik Varze the truth, but all of the other White Knights and the Barbarians heard. Although the Barbarians didn't want to help out before, the leader, Gunthor, stepped forward and said," We weren't to eager to side with you before, but now that we know that you people know the wonders of procrastinating we shall join you," shortly after, all of the Barbarian men began cheering.
Quite confused, Sir Amik Varze just went along with the Barbarians, although it was rather quite surprising. Tired from their long journey, they decided to set camp for the night. That morning the Barbarian's were feeling a sleepy, and it took them awhile to wake up. By midday they were ready to go, and they set out. After about an hour's walk they arrived in Varock. King Roald greeted them," glad you could make it! We were beggining to lose hope. Come, this way," King Roald let them to the Southern Entrance to Varock. The entrance was heavily guarded by all of Misthalin's troops, and some townspeople were working on building a wall to further fortify their defences. Rothal stared in awe at their defences, but they realized that their defences had no hope against the Dark Wizard army. Through their defences, Rothal could make out a dark portal, darker than the darkest night. But, what he saw next made him faint. Staring at the portal, he saw a big red leg step out of the portal...
Chapter 2- The First Demons Unleashed
The Dark Wizards chant had beeen going on all day, but they were just now getting to the end of it. They spoke faster, and louder. The portal that had existed for all eternity at the center of of shrine had now become enlarged, so that demons could pass though it. This is presicely what the whole world had been dreading.
Rothal was shaking in his boots. He could see the demon emerging. Suddenly, the Dark Wizards cheered as a lesser demon emerged from the portal, along with two imps, who were assigned to serve the lesser demon. The lesser demon let out battle cry and then leaped out the now completed southern gate of Varock. All of the nearby military units tensed. The lesser demon began attacking the gate. The gate did not look that great in bits and pieces. With a mighty roar the lesser demon tore the gate into two. A look of sheer terror rose on the faces of all the soldiers as the demon picked up a Misthalin guard and tossed it several yards away. This created a panic, and all of the White Knights, Barbarians, and MIsthalin guards ran off, to hide behind a crate or whatever they could find. Sir Amik Varze was angrily shouting," Get back here you cowards!" But no one would.
It seemed that all hope was lost when a brave warrior stepped up and with his trusty dragon battle-ax and with a mighty swing nearly cracked the demon's skull. But the demon wouldn't go down easy. It's mighty claws tore at the young warrior's runite armor. But the mighty warrior withstood the heavy assualt and fought back. The demon was stronger than usual, as it was fresh from the abyss. The mighty warrior was having enough trouble with this demon when another Lesser Demon emerged from the portal.
By this time there were several onlookers, staring in awe at the battle. The demon that had just emerged decided to attack the mortified soldiers, as the mighty warrior had his hands full. The soldiers were about to run when Sir Amik Varze shouted," Stand your ground! Fight back!" But it was no use. the White Knights just couldn't hit the Lesser Demon. The warrior was having his own troubles with the first demon. He was taking damage, fast. But his father Guthix would not allow it to end that way. Guthix gave the warrior some extra stength. With that extra burst of strength the warrior fought like never before. In Seconds the Lesser Demon was dude, its blood gushing onto the ground. But there was still the matter of the other demon, which had successfully killed many of the White Knights. This demon seemed more powerful, as it had destroyed many lives. As the warrior was looking at this demon, he heard a loud roar behind him. Knowing that the battle at the gate was lost, he shouted," Retreat to the castle!"
" And who are you to command us?" Sir Amik Varze replied, boldly.
" I am Void. I am the great warrior that has slain the necromancer, I have battled with Lord Khazard day and night and i still live to tell of it," The warrior said, in his most dignified tone.
" Then welcome, Void. It seems that we will need your help battling these demons."
The two demons let out a mighty roar and began charging towards the city.
" Run!" Void said, already sprinting to the castle. The rest of the troops soon followed. The demons charged, crushing several citizens on their way. The church bells were ringing, and the merchants hurriedly finished their business and ran home. Void was the first one to reach the castle, and he dashed inside, up the stairs and to the first door on the left. This was where the only druid in Misthalin lived, Druid Voodoo. However, by sight, you could not tell that he was a druid, except his book and cape. He was however, distinctly a mage. With his lava staff and hs splitbark body, he appered rather fierce, but weak. But, you should never take something as it first seems.
" The demons are attacking! We need your help to stop them!"
" Demons? What demons?" Druid Voodoo replied.
" No time! Hurry!" Void shouted, a look of sheer terror on his face.
" Very well then," Druid Voodoo replied in a voice that was as calm as ever. The two brothers of guthix sprinted off, hoping that they weren't to late. Luckily, the demons got sidetracked attacking some merchants, which allowed more time hor our heroes to arrive. Druid Voodoo was shocked at what he saw.
" We must act quickly. We need more time," the druid said, a look of worry on his face.
" I know jus the thing. I shall need some runes for this spell," Druid Voodoo said, searching his pockets. When he realized that he didn't have his runes with him, he shouted in dismay," We're doomed, i don't have enough time to grab my runes!" At the sound of this the White Knights began to pray their silent prayers to Saradomin, asking for help at their time of need. It was then that Void stepped forward and said," Go my brother, grab your runes, I shall hold off the demons long enough for you to get them. Go!" Realizing what this meant,
Rothal said," Don't! You will surely die!"
" I am well aware of that fact," Void said, a grim look on his face. " It is an ill fate, but is my fate, and i must face it."
Rothal looked upset," No! I won't let you!" Rothal then stepped out to block Void from facing the demons, who were drawing ever closer. But Void simply pushed Rothal aside, and faced the demons. It was apparent that there was no hope for brave Void's battle. Just before the demon was about to finish Void off, Void shouted," Remember me always, and remember that I am the one who saved you."
" Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo," Rothal shouted in dismay.
Druid Voodoo, realizing what he had to do, dashed upstairs. He snatched his runes, and literally jumped down the stairs. He began muttering an ancient chant," Yam wuan ya ba didi Yam Wuan yam la lolo Bwan Shan la la lili..." This chant continued on for a long while, and the demons were at the entrance of the castle.Finally, Druid Voodoo finished his chant. All of a sudden, there was a mightyshaking of the earth and a howling of the wind. A mighty burst of energy leapt from Druid Voodoo, and it pushed all of the demons in the castle outside. Unfortunatley, another demon had arrived.
" This spell won't last forever, all we have is forty-eight hours. We must further fortify our defences and train our army to be strong enough to face the demons," The druid said in a very worried tone.
Chapter 3- One last Hope
The knights grew restless. They had lost all hope of survival. Even Druid Voodoo worried of their future. New demons appeared from the portal every day, and at the forty-fifth hour after Druid Voodoo's spell, there were a total of twenty demons on the other side of the barrier, and the city was no more. It was then that Sir Prysin stepped forward and said," It seems that now the gods have abondoned us in our time of need. But that is not so. They have answered my prayers, and remade the magical sword 'Silverlight' so that these demons may be banished from the realm. This sword may only be wielded by one person, all of the others will due just touching it."
Rothal stepped forward and said," It is I who is meant to wield that blade."
Sir prysin replied," You can try, but at your own risk."
Rothal stepped forward, and started for the blade. Remembering his life back home, he hesitated. But, realizingly what the future might due to his home, he started for the blade again. He grabbed the blade and began swinging it from side to side, practicing the legendary sword form of the White Knights. The troops cheered. But, the hour grew late. They had but ten minutes until the barrier wore off and the demons were free to enter the castle. Rothal boldy stepped onto the edge of the barrier. He waited... and waited...until finally the barrier flickered then shut-down.
The demons roared. Poor Rothal was scared to death. He started to back away, but he backed into a ranger's chest.
" Fear not, I am here to help you," the ranger replied as he knocked an arrow. WIth his new found strength Rothal charged, knocking a lesser demon down onto its back. He stabbed the demon in its chest, and the demon died. The ranger, later identified as Gleming, fired his mighty rune arrows at the demons from afar, and the demons easily fell.
Rothal continued to slay the foul demons, but at about his fifth one his sword broke. It shattered into thousands of pieces when Rothal hit the lessers chest with it. Rothal was stunned. The demons took this to their advantage and knocked Rothal off of his feet, ready to make the final blow. Seeing this, Gleming grabbed his dragon long sword and leaped into action. The demons ran away, frightened by Gleming and his might.
The troops cheered, but they say a big demon approaching from behind Gleming, a menacing look on his face.
Back in the abyss, Koschei pondered where to strike next. He considered al karid, as that would wipe out the entire east side of runescape. He also considered Falador, as it was undefended and closeby... Suddenly, a cheer erupted from all of the greater demons, as the portal grew to its second stage, which allowed even larger demons to pass through. Koschei realized that at this time he his crystal ball could pick up images from the other realm... Koschei strode over to the crystal ball and peered through it...all was according to plan... But Koschei was not taking any chances, he had waited too long for this to happen and he wasn't going to let it fail. He climbed down the staircase of hell, and arived at an ancient door. The door had been specially crafted so that only its maker could open it, thus, insuring top notch security to whatever lies inside. Koschei kept one simple thing in that room- a book. The book was ancient, even older than the door that protected it. Inside were all sorts of demonic spells...and Koschei knew exactly which one he needed...
Part 4- The Wrath of Koschei
Gleming whirled, as he sensed the demon coming from behind. But he was too late, the demon had already snatched Gleming's throat and tossed him onto the ground. It seemed as if all was lost.
Rothal was frightened. Overwhelmed by the demons, Rothal knew that there was only one way to survive. Quietly, he crawled out the back entrance to Varock castle, then raced down the street, past the magic store, to the evil temple of Zamorak. Rothal approached the altar, beginning to chant an ancient prayer, this one was of redemption. Halfway through the chant, a swirl of black and a tremendous wind arose. Rothal stodd in awe of the power. After a rather long period of time, a figure, dressed in black emerged from the center of the black swirl.
" You chant your prayers to the wrong god. I am the true god, I am Zaros! It is I who command the army of demons, not Zamorak. That coward would never start a war. He is merely my puppet, who does my bidding."
Amazed Rothal stammered," I...I... I am sorry for bowing to another, O great one."
" You amuse me, mortal. Pledge you allegiance to me and i can bring you great things."
Rothal began the pledge of loyalty, and ended it by cutting his arm wth the blade of Zaros. He was bound to him now.
Sir Amik Varze was dumbfounded as the demons turned around and made their way out of the city. What was going on? Why had they stoped their assualt? Surely they knew that they could have won... What were they doing. Suddenly, the reality dawned on him. They would be back, stronger than ever. His mind raced. Where was safe? Or were there any safe places left? No place came to mind. Desperate for ideas, he settled on Ardougne. He overlooked the nearby fight arena and the number of thieves in that town...
Sir Amik Varze approached Druid Voodoo. " Is there anyway that you can teleport all of us over to Ardougne?"
" Well..there is one way but-," Druid Voodoo started but was cut off by Sir Amik VArze
" What?"
" Forget it. I shouldn't have mentioned it," the druid mumbled
" Tell me! I need to know, else all of Runescape is at risk," the leader of the White Knights pleaded.
Druid Voodoo sighed," Very well then, but its not as easy as you may think. It is however, extremely fast. I cannot teleport you to Ardougne directly, but i can teleport you to the Pathways of Guthix. Once inside, there is no going back. Many trials await you, but time is at a standstill there."
Rothal stepped into the portal that Zaros has summoned. All was dark. He could hear a small voice in his head," Welcome, Rothal. You have entered the realm of demons, from which you shall command the armies to crush the world..." a deep voice bellowed. Rothal grinned. Finally he got the attention that he had always wanted, and finally he was important and powerful. Reading his mind, the voice continued," I, Koschei, am allowing you to command the elite demon squad. But first, you must become an all-powerful demon. You are the first to go through this proscess, as all the other demons were always this way. I shall send you on your way to undergo this transformation, which takes place at the pathways of Zaros." Suddenly a wind blew and a swirl of black dust arose, and swept Rothal off his feet, and carried him off into the distance. After seemed like hours, Rothal saw a faint light in the distance. " So this must be it," Rothal thought, unaware of the complexity of it. Soon the dust cloud halted, and dropped Rothal on a crimson platform, which extended as far as the eye could see. Looking around, Rothal saw different colored paths, each one a different color. In addition to the crimson path of Zaros, there was a green one, a white path, and a red path. Following the paths, Rothal saw a point in the distance where they all met. Rothal wondered what lurked at the meeting of the four paths. Suddenly, the ground beneath Rothal's feet shook violently and the center of gravity on the platforms seemed to rotate. Gaping, Rothal hardly realized that was about to fall off the edge of the platform. He hurried up the rotating path and, with some effort, managed to get to the top. By that time the platform had stopped rotating, and all was almost the same as it was before. The only difference was sounds coming from the green path, it seemed that Rothal was not alone on the Paths of the Gods.
Part 5- The Paths of the Gods
Druid Voodoo began chanting the ancient spell to open up the doorway to The Paths of the Gods. He was halfway through his spell when Sir Amik Varze confronted him," Gleming is in critical condition. He will die within minutes."
Druid Voodoo sighed. " Why do you distract me? All will be taken care of, but this must happen first." Quite embarrased, Sir Amik Varze stepped back and walked away. Rather annoyed, Druid Voodoo began his spell all over again. His voice started soft, but as the spell progressed he became louder, until he was shouting the end of it. By that time all the energy that was gathered on his staff from the spell was leaping to and fro, making Druid Voodoo flinch occasionaly. Druid Voodoo swung his staff and a bolt of green energy leapt from the staff to the ground. A doorway rose from the ground, coered with patches of grass and dirt.
" Here we are. Come along now, don't be shy," said the druid, looking over his shoulder to insure that no demon was nearby. Slowly, the troops trudged towards the doorway that would take them across the world. Druid Voodoo tapped the door with his staff and the door opened. The soldiers walked through the doorway, in awe of its magnificence. Druid Voodoo stayed behind to look for any stragglers, and sure enough, Gleming lay on the ground, hardly breathing.
" Don't give out on me now. I've just about got you to safety." There was no response. Druid Voodoo picked up Gleming and carried him to the doorway. The druid set Gleming down on the inside edge of the doorway, then turned to examine the battlefield. After a brief survey, the druid saw what he was after- Void's body. He picked that up and and carried it through the doorway, to find that the soldiers had vanished...
"What evil is responsible for this?" Druid Voodoo muttered in dismay. He set down Void's body, and began looking far out into the paths, trying to find any sign of life. He saw nothing, or so it seemed. He felt a prescence behind him, breathing on him. He turned around. Nobody was there, except Void and Gleming. Frightened, the druid set a quick pace, leaving Gleming and Void behind... he was nearly halfway to Ardougne when he was smoke rising from the East, the direction he had come from.
Rothal examined his surroudings. The path was crimson, and had ancient markings on it form a time long ago. Anxious to command his army of demons, he started down the path. The path stretched for miles, with no end in sight. After what seemed like hours, nothing unusual had happened, besides the trembling in his legs from the long walk. Rothal dragged on for about another hour, towards the end crawling on his hands and knees, tryin with all of his might to get to the end. Panting, Rothal realized that he wasn't any closer to the end than he was when he first started. Realizing that it would be a long journey, Rothal decided it would be best to get some rest. He lay down on the ground, and took his much needed break.
A few hours after Rothal began to sleep, an ancient beast approached, breathing loudly.The beast resembled a centaur, except its head was that of a lion. After a short sniff, the beast let out a mighty roar. This, of course, woke Rothal up with a start. Rothal was terrified. He wanted his promised power, but this beast was a powerful foe. Its dark, crimson eyes, were staring at him, making him doubt his own might. The beast picked up his claws, ready to pounce. Rothal tensed, ready for anything. The beast pounced, heading staright for Rothal. Rothal was so frightened that his mind shut down. That's when his natural instincts kicked in, and he side-stepped, letting the beast fly through the air, aiming at nothing. With a thud, the monster crashed onto the path. Seizing his oppurtunity, Rothal rushed in, and did a mighty palm strike on the beasts head. Soon the beast's breathing slowed and it was dead. Rothal grinned,
" So this is what my new powers can do...I think I'll like being a demon..." Studying the remains of the beast, Rothal found an ancient red collar, with some form of demonic writing. Rothal studied the letters, and was surprised to find that he could read it," He whoever wears the collar of Zaros shall have the power of Zaros." Grinning, Rothal slipped the collar over his neck... Sudden surges of power swept through Rothal's body. Rothal trembled. The power was too much for him, and he felt the life begin to fade out of his body. But in an instant, the trembling stopped, and the life returned, along with a mass of power.
That is when Lord Zaros emerged from a black cloudand told Rothal," I see you have found my collar. That will come in handy...You are making much progress here, but you have yet to take you demonic form and pass the test of demons..." His voice faded, and soon Zaros did as well. Now even more anxious than before, Rothal continued on his way down the path.
After a short period of walking, the scenery began to change. The once smooth path was now full of cracks, and random bricks jutted from the path. The sky, once bright blue, was now a deep, dark red. Soon a mighty wind arose, slowing Rothal's progress. Shortly after the wind was accompanied by lightning, striking in the distance at first, but drawing closer. Despite all of his new power, Rothal began to worry as the lightning came within ten feet of him. Rothal set a quick pace, as if trying to outrun the now fierce storm. But he slipped, falling down to the ground. The instant he hit the ground, a lighning bolt hit the ground to his right, making a huge crack down the middle of it. That segment of the path was now unstable, and the weight of the path, along with the added weight of Rothal, gave way to the forces of gravity, and they fell. Rothal plummeted down, down, to a seemingly endless pit, unsure of what was next.
Coming to his senses, he realized that he should try to get on top of the broken path, else it will crush him if there is a bottom. Digging his feet in, he strugglede to get to the top. But the broken path was to slick, and the continuing plummet made it all the more difficult. He was having enough trouble as it was, but soon the magnititude of gravity shifted, and Rothal lost his grip on the path. The broken path was now above him as before, waiting to crush him.
" Don't look down...Don't look down," Rothal repeated in his head, trying not to think about the plummet to his imminent death. But he did anyway, and was scared out of his mind when he realized that there was a bottom to this, and that he would be crushed. Again, his mind shut down, and his demonic instincts took over. A tail emerged from his rear, with a sharp point on the end. The tail shot upwards, towards the broken path, the point piercing the path, allowing Rothal to swing upwards. That is when the rest of his demonic form emerged, and he was able to climb onto the top of the broken path.
His new demonic form was nothing but sheer power. His body was a dark-goldish color, his mucles ripped. He also wore a form of dragon armor, covering his chest, legs, and wrists. He now also had a dragon spearhead attached to his tail. He had grown long, intimidating fangs, which had poison at the ends of it, along with his tail and claws. As a demon, he was immune to this deadly poison, capable of killing his enemies in a matter of seconds. His claws were long, and capable of impaling even the strongest of armors, ripping it into shreds in an instant. His giant wings were strong enough to create a hurricane, and blow away anyone who thought that they could challenge him. If that wasn't enough, he had an ancient firebreath, capable of building and destorying anything within an nstant.Rothal grinned,
" No one can defeat me now,"
" I would not be so sure of that. I am the true ultimate being...you are my underling. In addition, your powers that you have found are only temporary, and shall vanish when you leave this realm. Unless, of course, if you finish your trial," said a voice, which Rothal assumed to be Zaros. Anxious to show off his new might to the real world, Rothal pondered how to finish his task. He was supposed to pass a demonic test, but he had no idea what it was. Either way, he knew it would occur on the actual paths, not the dark abyss below it. With a mighty flap of his wings he ascended several feet, and continued until he was hovering above the paths. Looking from side to side, he noticed some humananoid figures on the green path, but they were too far away to make out who. Feeling ravenous, Rothal flew in their direction. As he neared the humanoid figures, he noticed a number of people in white shining armor, and recognized them to be the white knights. He also saw some brutal barbarians, and a few of the varock palace guards.
" Pathetic mortals, join me or suffer my wrath!" he shouted, not expecting anyone to side with him. "Very well then, you have chosen your own demise!" He said as he began viciously flapping his wings, causing huge bursts of gales, which knocked the soldiers off of their feet and off the platform. At that instant, Sir Amik Varze, who was among the knights realized that the demon was Rothal.
" But..But why?" he stammered
" Loser! You should have seen the oppurtunities for power...But no, your too concerned about bein the 'good guys' give me a break! Look at what power they gave me- now look at yourself, a weak fool," Rothal snickered, then unleashed his firebreath and soon all that reamined of Sir Amik Varze was a heap of ashes.
By this time, Rothal was pumped up, and wasn't satisifed with just killing his former captain. He wanted to kill those that thought they could kill him, those that had the knowledge of the past. There was one person who fit such a description- Druid Voodoo. But he was nowhere to be found. Rothal looked down the path one way, but there way nothing. When he looked the other way, however, he saw daylight- which means it was a portal to the outside. And there was only one person who could open up such portals, the very man he sought to destroy. With lightning speed, he propelled himself off of the ground and kept in motion with his mighty wings kept himself in flight at a steady, but fast speed. Within minutes he was at his destination, but there was no sign of the druid. Furious, Rothal killed the two people that were at his destination, and in an instant they were aflame. Rothal was about to continue his search for the druid, but he was stopped by Zaros,
"You have done well, you are now a full-fledged demon." Seeing that Rothal was still hungry in his search for the druid, Zaros added,
" Do not worry about the druid. His time will come soon enough. But now it is time for you to assume your position among the demons. A great wind came about, and a black cloud, and soon the two were gone.
Druid Voodoo panicked. The soldiers were missing and Void and Gleming were certainly dead. He was sure to be next. But there was no safe way out. Dare he go back, to where the evil is that killed Void and Gleming, or forward, to the force that killed the white knights?
It was a difficult choice, but remembering the demons back in Varock, the druid made his decision. Not to say that he wasn't scared, just a bit less scared knowing that the demons in Varock would be several leagues away by the time he was out of this place. With that one hope in his mind, he set off, deeper into The Paths of the Gods.
Chapter 6- Safety, At Last?
After days of walking, the druid finally found himself at the center of the paths, where each path branched off. There were three massive thrones, one green, one white, and one red. But strangely, not a soul was sitting on the thrones. This thought was very troubling indeed, but Druid Voodoo was to hurried to escape to give it much mind.
Digging through his pockets, he found his old, worn Guthix book. This was his ticket home. the druid opened it up, and knelt in front of the green throne. He began reading off the page, which caused a Guthix door to appear, slowly but steadily. With a loud clunk the door snapped into place, and the doors opened. Druid Voodoo walked through the door, to find himself besides Kaqemeex, at the Druid's circle. Kaqemeex busied himself directing the other druids, in a vain attempt to get a defense line.
" Excuse me..." Voodoo started, but was cut off by Kaqemeex,
" Well? What is it? I haven't got all day, make it snappy."
" Where to begin...well, the demons..."
" I already know about the demons, they invaded Varock, and are now headed for Falador. But the white knights are missing, so Falador is left unprotected. So soon they will be at Taverly, and we must prepare."
" So you don't know where the white knights are?"
" Why would i know that?"
" Oh dear," Druid Voodoo fretted.
" What?"
" I'm afraid that they...died on the Paths of the Gods."
" How did they get there? You know that those are outlawed, right?"
" To be honest, I led them there, in hopes of escape from Varock. But when I had my back turned, they were gone."
" Oh my...With no protection, we'll surely die."
" What of the Imperial Guard?"
" No good. If they come down here then they'll bring the trolls with them."
" Then perhaps...perhaps we shall make our stand elsewhere? In a place where our deaths will not be in vain?" Druid Voodoo offered.
Kaqemeex sighed," I suppose your right. But where do you propose that we go?"
" Ardougne," Voodoo replied," It's the only place left with a military."
" Ardougne?" Kaqemeex laughed," and how do you propose we get there!"
" I fail to see the humor in that," Voodoo stated, calmly," By Sea."
" And a boat? We don't even have a dock! The closest one is on the other side of the White Wolf Mountain!"
After a few moments of silence, Voodoo replied," We make a boat and push it off the shore. Theres wood nearby, skilled craftspeople in town, but the sails..."
" Yes, that will be a problem. Wait...I have an idea!"
" What?"
" It may seem crazy, but it should work...we shave our heads and use the hair for a sail..."
" What? Have you lost your mind?" Druid Voodoo shouted, trying hard not to laugh.
" Now jus think about it... What other choice do we have?"
" I supposed your right... I guess we better get to work!"
After a short meeting, all the jobs had been asigned and the druids set off for work. It was a peaceful day, well, for the most part at least. Indeed Guthix himself did seem to have blessed the morning, but in the afternoon, the sky grew dark, and a storm was brewing from the north. As one of the druids, believed to have been called Ilingar, was chopping down trees for wood for the boat, when she heard a mighty roar form the north. The birds who were once singing merrily had now flown away, for fear of the creature from the north. The figure of a troll emerged, and the young druid ran for her life...
She ran through the forest, all the way back to Taverly. The other druids, who were busying themselves with gathering supplies for their journey, were quite startled when they saw Ilingar running into the town.
" Trolls! Trolls! They're coming!" she screamed, horrendously.
" Oh my...We've no defense...we'll surely die here." Kaqemeex fretted.
" What if...what if we can last until morning?" Voodoo said, optimisticly.
" But we WON'T make it until morning." said Kaqemeex, concerned.
" Then..do you think we could set sail early?" Voodoo offered.
" And sink to the bottom of the ocean? We haven't even gotten the ribs of the boat on...and no sail either."
" And you have any better ideas?"
" Well actually...We could try hiding under the mountain until morning."
" What good will that do? The dwarves won't even let us in, and if they do then the trolls will search here anyway, you know how they like caves." Voodoo said, losing his patience.
" Jus trust me on this one, i think i can convince the dwarves to let us in, and i have an idea to keep the trolls out..."
So as quickly as possible, the druids of Taverly made their way for the entrance to the underground dwarf tunnel. There were multiple troll sightings, each one becoming more frequent as time went on. They were running out of time. Soon they ran into the thrower trolls, and thats when Kaqemeex shouted,
" Run! Scatter! Head for the pass! I will meet up with you later!"
The faithful druids did as they were told, and most of them made it to the Dwarf Pass safely. There were a few, however, who weren't so lucky. There was one, who was hit in the head with a boulder from the trolls, who, sadly, died. There were others who were nipped at their arms by smaller rocks, and a few who were by medium-sized rocks, but made it, if just barely.
Thankfully, the dwarves welcomed them with open arms. They hurried the druids inside, then went inside themselves. Druid Voodoo, being one of the last ones to leave, spotted Kaqemeex, several feet up the mountain, who appeared to be finallizing his plan. Suddenly, he gave a loud shout, and a harshe shaing began. It was an avalanche! Right before the avalanche engulfed him, Kaqemeex jumped, straight off the side of the mountain. Luckily for him, he landed in a tree, and quickly climbed down. He dashed straight for the pass, hoping that he wouldn't be crushed by the avalanche.
The tips of the avalanche were now falling off the mountain, just as Kaqemeex was nearing the pass. To make matters worse, the thrower trolls had designated the druid as their target, who was struggling enough with the avalanche. Kaqemeex simmoned every ounce of his strength, and managed, if barely, to safely reach the pass.
The druids were safe, or so it seemed, but now they were trapped beneath the avalanche.
Kaqemeex limped across the room, to the other druids, trying to get their attention.
" May I have your attention..." He began," we are now safe, at least for now. The trolls can't get here, but the demons with fire powers can easily melt the snow and reach us. In addition, the air will soon stale out and betray us. We must work quickly, and get out of here. But how is uncertain..."
" Perhaps," replied a dwarf," We could tunnel down to the aquafers below."
" What good will that do us?" Druid Voodoo asked.
" Don't you know? All aquafers lead to the great dwarven city."
" But how will we travel through the aquafer, without a boat?" asked Kaqemeex.
" That's the problem...we can't..."
Druid Voodoo sighed," Do you have any ideas that might actually work?"
The dwarf paled in embarasment," No."
" Then perhaps...perhaps we could kill the Ice Queen?" Druid Voodoo offered.
" And what good will that do?" Kaqemeex stammered.
" She controls the ice...her gloves create more...and when she dies, all the ice that she created disapears."
" That's nice to know, but im still not following."
" Simple- the dwarves mine a tunnel that connects us to the Ice Queen, and we kill the queen while the dwarves mine another tunnel to The Great Ocean. When the queen is dead, we take her gloves and open up the tunnel. We will be on the edge of the water, and we use the gloves to freeze a path across the ocean."
Kaqemeex sighed," It's one of the craziest ideas I've ever heard, but it's our only option. So, we must get to work! All dwarves mine and all druids train. We need to be out of here by midday tommorow, otherwise the demons will be able to follow our path."
Knowing how grim their chances were, the party set off to work. The druids sparred against each other, and every dwarf grabbed his rune pickaxe and set off to clear way a tunnel. But work was slow. They barely got a few feet in three hours. And sparring was slow for the druids. They didn't want to kill their friends, and got a minimal amount of experience.
Knowing that the dwarves needed help, and that training was useless, Kaqemeex ordered the druids to help mine the tunnel. The pace picked up a bit, but they were still behind schedule. Desperate, they decided to use explosives to speed things up. The dwarves had a good stock of dynamite sticks, as well as tinderboxes. The dwarves wedged a few sticks into the stone, lit the sticks, then ran. They had to be fast, otherwise they would get caught in the explosion. After a few rounds, they finally got the chill of the ice tunnels. They were finally done mining! But the air was getting stale, and they still had to defeat the Ice Queen...
The druids set out, through the ice tunnels. It was then that they realized how the tunnels had gotten their name. It was frigid, and covered in icicles. The druids shivered. Their white robes attracted little heat, and only added to the cold. They clumped together to save whatever warmth they had left, but it was no use. They were still to cold, some half-frozen, and others getting freeze-bites.
Indeed they were cold, and tired, and hungry, but they were not going to give up. They had come this far, too far to give up. The whole world was counting on them. They couldn't give up. Kaqemeex, seeing tthe obvious lack of spirit in the druids, said a few words of encouragemnt,
" Brothers, we have come so far, and we shall not go back. Remember what we fight for!For all that is just in the land, for all that is peaceful, for all that is righteous, for the balance of Guthix, we will fight!" Hearing this, the druids began cheering. They were now enthusiastic, but unfortunatley, they were too enthusiastic. The ice warriors heard the cheering, and they were determined not to let the druids get to their beloved queen.
With their spears, they began banging against the walls. They were going to collapse the tunnel! The druids scattered, some going forward and others going back. The tunnel collapsed. Luckily, no one died. But it was chaos. The druids who ran back told the dwarves, and the dwarves set to mining out the cave in.
The druids who ran forward, however, were in a much worse situation. The ice warriors were but a few feet ahead of them, and beyond them lay the queen. They knew that power alone could not win this battle. And if power couldn't win, they didn't know what could. But they were determined, and marched forward anyway. Druid Voodoo led the charge. He gripped his guthix staff tightly. This would come in handy. No ice warriros were to be found. It seemed that they were all guarding the queen. It was still frigid, but the druids were to fearful to even notice it. After a bit of walking, they could hear voices, in the harshest of languages. The voices grew louder and louder, until they were right at the queen's throne room. Druid Voodoo, thinking fast, whipped out his staff and began murmuring an ancient chant, the chant that could summon the Claws of Guthix. Soon a five claws were sen protruding from the ground. Druid Voodoo guided the claws to the ice queen, and then released the spell. The claws sunk underneath the ground, and with it, the ice queen.
At that point one of the younger druids asked," So is that? is she dead?"
" If only it were that easy," Druid Voodoo explained," All I have done is relocate her. She is now somewhere on The Paths of the Gods. Before I die, I must kill her, else the initial spell will be undone. Time will flow back to the moment before I released this spell, except I will be dead. And, everyone else will soon follow, with no defense against the queen. But for now, we have what we came here for, the Ice gloves. And since the queen is no longer in this realm, all of the ice is gone. Let's hope that the dwarves has cleared a path out of the mountain by now. If not, we're in deep trouble. The air is getting staler by the minute."
The druids, at that point, had one goal: to escape, alive. This meant that, by all means, they had to keep Druid Voodoo alive above all others. To keep him alive, he'd need to get out of here, and fast. They thought of running, but that would make Druid Voodoo tired, thus creating a dangerous situation. They decided to pick Druid Voodoo up and carry him while running.
They made excellent progress through the long, narrow tunnels, but the running and added heat staled the air. Druid Voodoo was beginning to pale. The druids pushed on, hoping that they could make it out of these wretched tunnels alive. But conditions did not improve. The air continued to thin. The druids had to drag themselves, and Voodoo's breathing was very slow. His body wasn't getting enough oxygen, it was only a matter of time before the world was doomed.
But Guthix had helped them thus far, and wasn't about to let it all end here. There was a loud bang, and fresh air poured into the caves. They were safe! The dwarves had finally gotten to the outside! While this was all good and happy, Druid Voodoo was still in a critical condition. His body was too weak from the lack of fresh air, and didn't have the energy to breathe in more. The druids prayed and prayed, hoping that Druid Voodoo would stay alive. They bent over him, looking for any signs. While at this time, the druids hadn't heard of mouth-to-mouth respiration, they still, after a fashion, performed it anyways. The druids that were bending over him, particularly close to his mouth, got the air moving through his body. Soon the color returned to his cheeks. At last, it seemed that their perils were over.
But if only it were so. They still had to get out of the mountain, to the safety of Ardougne, defeat the Ice Queen, and destroy all the demons that now threatened the world.
Chapter 7: If it is the Only Way
Rothal appeared back in the shadowy abyss, where he silently admiring his new demonic form. He flexed his muscles. They were bulging. He grinned; nobody could defeat him now. He was anxious to sread more chaos across the land. But he had to wait, and he was growing impatient. But he figured he should wait, if Lord Zaros could transform him into this then he could easily do the reverse. But there was still that impulse that made him want to just destroy all life.
After what seemed like ages, Lord Zaros finally appeared before him.
" You have done well, Rothal. I am pleased with your progress, and you decision to join us in our conquest. Now that you have taken your demonic form, we can begin the ceremonies," he said, then snapped his fingers. A pair of Greater Demons marched towards them, each holding two handles to a huge, ornate throne. They set it down to the side of Lord Zaros and Rothal then stood up, backs straight, as if in an attention pose. They waited until Zaros and Rothal sat down on their respective throne, then picked up the throne-carriage and marched towards what Rothal assumed to be the ceremony.
They passed by many unusual scenes, most lava pits and burnt gorund, but there were others. Human skeletons could be seen, most decayed, with dry blood, but there were more recents ones. Rothal saw a dead body, with most of the skin in place, but in some areas it appeared as if the flesh and the meat beneath it had been eaten away, and at the shoulder his bones could be seen! Rothal grinned. He could tell that he would enjoy his life as a demon.
Soon a loud chattering sound could be heard, and shortly after they emerged in a grand hallway. Zaros waved his hands, as if to signal for silence, and soon the loud chattering became the sounds of slow breathing. The throne-carriage advanced onto a large, circular platform, then stopped. The greater demons who were carrying it set it down, waited for Lord Zaros and Rothal to get off, then carried the throne away.
" Greetings, fellow demons. Today we have a new leader emerge. He is of immense power and strength, and knows much about the world of the evil humans. He was, at one point, a human himself. But he saw the error in his ways and joined us. His former name was Rothal, but from now on you shall adress him as 'General Rothark'. So yes, he is now a Demon-General, of the highest class, as a matter of fact. He is third to only me and second to Koschei. Now you might ask me, why should this outsider be granted so much power? But do not worry, I have led you this far, and I shall not lead you astray," Zaros announced, as he seemed to undo a spell that had never really been cast, and all of a sudden it seemed as if Rothal could be seen by the other demons. The demons stared in awe. Rothal snickered; already he was more powerful than most of the other demons.
" Now," Zaros began," For your squad assignments. I will now merge sections C and D, and split section S in half. The first half of section S shall follow General Rothark, along with sections C and D. sections A, B, and E will follow General Koschei. I shall command the last half of section S. I will allow you to disperse for now, but be ready to report to your new generals soon." The demons raced for the two main exits, some trampling others to get there first.
After the demons had left, Zaros led Rothark and Koschei to a remote area, deep in the abyss.
" Here are the plans for our takeover, we will branch off, Rothark, I want you to seize Falador and Taverly. Koschei, I want you to take over Al Karid, Lumbridge, and the nearby villages. Once the Western World is in our control, we will take over Camelot, Ardougne, and Yanille. After that the miserable humans dont have a chance." he snickered.
" But what about those few warriors who made a stand in Varock, but escaped?" asked Koschei.
" I have seen to it that all of those are dead." Rothark announced, proudly.
" Are you positive of this?" Koschei asked, doubting his new comrade.
" Well, there is one that is missing, but he is not a threat to us," Rothark said, reassuring himself.
" Very well then."
" Are there any other questions?" Zaros asked.
" Well," Rothark started, " What do with the towns once we have captured them?"
" Whatever you want," Zaros snickered.