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Ooohhh, its the type!
The oldies will recognise this. For the youngun's, prepare to be entertained.
A Runescape hero: Ice Ranger
Prologue: The Mysteries of Glienor
Long have I researched into the doings of this land. Glienor is divided up into several kingdoms, the kingdom of Misthalin, the kingdom of Asgarnia and the kingdom of Kandarin. There is also several other places that don’t fall under these names, such as Morytania, Karamja, Crandor, the Feldip Hills, Ape Atoll, Entrana, Miscellania, Tirannwn, and perhaps the most feared, the land know as the Wilderness. These are the lands that dictate our lives, yet we are not even close to exploring the entire world. Our boundaries end at the oceans, and at the mountains that border some parts of the world. We did not even know that Miscellania existed, till brave sailors decided to sail beyond the common borders, and doing this has proved profitable for all involved, providing thousands of people with money, that which I have in abundance.
We are nowhere near discovering all that is in our world, yet we cannot even be certain what is happening in our own. Since the dawn of time, we have been faced with creatures, from the tiniest imp to the largest dragon, we have battled all of them. We have no knowledge about them, apart from where each type of creature is. There is no possible peace overture we can make, hatred runs deep in both sides. With my age, I now know that peace is impossible, we will always fear and hate monsters, and they will always hate us. It is a fact of life, one that I am saddened by. I was a perpetrator in this blood lust, which stops peace from being achieved.
We have little control over the world we live in. It is rugged and untamed, and seems to resist our every attempt to expand. People who have not my age, or experience, are surprised to see drastic changes seemingly occur overnight. Some come up with what they believe to be logical arguments, they believes that it is created by creatures, goblins most likely, and that they simply leave the entrance to last, entering by secret burrows that only they can find. These people could have been right, and I would be one of them, except I have knowledge they do not. Over the years, I have accumulated information, which has pointed to one source, one that I know exists. They are known as the council, and they have absolute power over this land. None know what they look like, or how the council was formed, but they do believe that occasionally they take people away, to be trained, and put on the council. None can verify these reports, yet it is still a common belief. Myself, I do believe these rumors. The people who join the council are a select few however, and there is little chance that most people will be selected…
Passage from the book called “Of Glienor”, written by Cam De Elit.
Chapter One: A Strange New World
It was dark, darker then the darkest night. It was a universe of eternal dark, and he waited. He was bound, bound by invisible chains that weighed him down in nothingness. He struggled, vainly, to escape, but he had no purpose, so he could not escape. He was entombed in darkness, but he was aware of where he was. His thoughts were scattered, nothing focused. He struggled dimly to catch his thoughts, without much success. When he was just about to stop the attempt, he succeeded. He knew his name, Ice Ranger. Then a thought strayed across his mind, one that had come unbidden and unlooked for. He knew he had been called. He forced himself to break the chains, leave the entombment, and with purpose, he forced his way free at last. Light flooded into his vision.
He was in a strange place, a room, with people, guides by their appearance. He walked up to one, and greeted him. He was given some basic advice, and was also given an axe and tinderbox. He thanked the guide, and went out the door, sunlight flashing into his eyes.
He saw an enclosure, a large man with a tattoo on his chest, and a strange red shield. He went up to the man, and greeted him. The large man looked Ice Ranger up and down, and smirked. He finally said, “Well. What have we here? This little rabbit must be lost.”
Ice Ranger looked shocked, but said nothing. “Well, what are you waiting for? Here is some basic equipment, now fight this rat”
Ice Ranger was given a bow, some arrows, a bronze long sword and a small wooden shield. A rat was released, and came straight for Ice Ranger. Ice Ranger backed up a few steps, and the combat instructor laughed. Ice Ranger grasped his bow, and drew an arrow, and fired, all in one motion. The arrow struck the rat in its hind leg, a crippling wound. It dragged itself forward, inch by inch. Ice Ranger heartened by this, fired another arrow, missing the rat completely. The rat was now upon him, so he discarded his bow and took out the bronze sword. He swung at the rat, a great overhand blow, but missed, shaving of part of its back. The rat bit him on the leg, and he cursed. He stabbed at the rat, and blinded it in one eye. It squealed, and bit at him again, causing blood to flow. He cursed, and chopped at its head, blinding it in the other eye, and cutting deeply into its brain. It shuddered and died. He picked up his arrow, and tried to pull his other arrow out of the rat’s hind leg. He struggled briefly, and pulled it out, minus the head. He cursed again, and threw it to the ground. He picked up his bow, and slung it over his shoulder. He went up to the instructor, and received a piece of meat, and a few dozen arrows for a valiant fight.
He stumbled down the pathway to the next building, eating the meat as he went. When he had finished it, he suddenly realized the pain in his leg was gone. He looked down, and saw his leg was almost completely healed. He walked on, entering another building with a stove, tables, a sink, and lots of chefs moving around, preparing things. He went up to one of them, and said hello. The chef said, “Looks like you have been fighting. You are still a bit wounded I can tell.”
Ice Ranger looked down at his leg, and saw one of the wounds wasn’t completely healed. Ice Ranger asked for some food to eat, and was given a raw piece of rat meat, and told to cook it on the stove. He put it on, and watched eagerly as it grew browner. Then a flame popped out of the stove, scorching the meat. He almost cried, it had been cooking so well till then. He took the meat to the chef, disappointment in his eyes. The chef laughed, and told him that happened regularly. Ice Ranger got another piece of meat, and he went back to the stove and attempted to cook it. This time, nothing untoward happened to the meat, and it was a lovely golden brown color. The chef congratulated Ice Ranger on cooking the meat correctly, and told him to continue into the next room. He almost groaned when he saw what was in it. Bankers. He went up to one of them, and asked if he had an account. He was told he did, and would he like to access it. He agreed, and was led to the vault that would hold his items when he deposited them. As the door opened, he was teleported inside. He put down his axe and his tinderbox, and he also deposited his rat meat, including the burnt one. He wanted to keep everything he got in this strange place. He left the vault, and went on back to the room with the bankers. He was told he could continue, so he left the room. He strode back out into the well-worn path, and continued his journey. He saw a gate ahead, and several men down by some water, fishermen by the looks of them. He walked up to one of them, and talked to one of them. He was told that fishing was a big business on the mainland, and a lot of money was to be made out of it. He was told that he should learn the basics of it, and was told to capture some shrimp. He was given a net to do this. Ice Ranger went down to the water, and cast out his net. He caught several shrimps, and would have continued if the fishermen hadn’t told him that he needed to move along. They also lit a fire for him so he could cook his fish. He accidentally dropped some shrimp in, but the rest cooked well. He left the fishermen, and went through the gate.
He walked into what felt like a furnace. It was very hot and desolate, the ground baked under the hot sun, which suddenly seemed to have grown in intensity. He was approached by a man in a dark cloak, and was asked if he liked to kill people. Ice Ranger replied with a no, and he was told he should stay out of the wilderness, a place in the far north, stretching for about five to six miles. He was then motioned to climb down a ladder, which he promptly did. He descended into an underground cave. There was a large furnace, an anvil and several tin and copper rocks. There was one man mining a copper rock, paying no attention to Ice Ranger. Ice Ranger went up to the man, and tapped him on the shoulder. The man jumped, and turned around to see Ice Ranger. He visibly relaxed, and said hello. He told Ice Ranger that mining and smithing was one of the most profitable enterprises on Glienor. He was given a pickaxe, and told to mine some tin and copper. He obeyed the instruction, getting around ten copper and tin. He was then told to put one tin and one copper into the furnace at a time, and to retrieve the bronze bars. He did this, and soon had ten bronze bars. He was then instructed to go to the anvil, and make ten bronze daggers. He did this, and found he knew how to make bronze medium helmets. He was fascinated at this new ability, and immediately got more tin and copper so he could make the helmets. He made several helmets, but was told that he had to continue. He went up another ladder, and soon made it to the surface. He continued along the path, putting on one of the helmets he had made. He soon reached another building, it was fairly large and had a large stain glass window. He recognized it as a church. He opened the wide doors, and entered. He was greeted by a young, enthusiastic monk, who told him all about the uses of praying, and about the several gods of the land. He then was led upstairs, where he crossed into another building, after a close examination of the church organ against a wall. When he passed through the doorway, everything shimmered, and he was on the ground floor. There was a pen with several chickens in it, and there were also several wizards in blue robes, walking around the benches and looking vague and thoughtful. Ice Ranger went up to one of them, and greeted him. He was asked if he wanted to have skills as a wizard, and Ice Ranger nodded his head in compliance. The wizard told him to cast air strike upon a chicken, then to come back for more instructions. Ice Ranger look baffled, he had no idea how to do magic. The wizard seeing his dilemma, asked what was wrong. Ice Ranger replied by telling him he had no idea on how to do magic. The wizard looked thoughtful, and then gave Ice Ranger several runes, different markings and colors on each. He taught Ice Ranger on how to use them to cast air strike. Ice Ranger turned, and went to the chicken pen. He focused the energy inside him into some of the runes in his pack, and released it, right at the chicken. The air appeared denser, as it moved towards the chicken. The chicken squawked, as the solid air smashed it to the ground, totally crushing its body, killing it instantly. Ice Ranger look surprised, the wizard had told him that it was unlikely that he would kill the chicken with only one strike. He went back to the wizard, and told him what had happened. Ice Ranger was given a few dozen runes, different markings and colors again, and told to continue on outside. Ice Ranger left the room, and strode back out into the sunlight.
Chapter Two: A Short Tussle.
He saw that the path before him led up to a little dock, upon which a rowboat was moored. There were men standing on the dock, obviously waiting for Ice Ranger. Ice Ranger went up to the men, and greeted them. He was asked if he wanted to stay on the island or go to the mainland. He was also told he could not return to this island once he had left. Ice Ranger said he wanted to go to the mainland, so he hopped into the boat, soon followed by the rowers, and was rowed to the mainland. He was dropped off in the kingdom of Misthalin, a land dominated by the cities of Lumbridge and Varrock. He got out of the boat, and walked up to the road. He drank in the sights. A huge castle dominated the view, with large cannons atop its battlements. He was snapped out of his sightseeing, when he heard the sounds of fighting. He saw large crowds watching two unarmored men fighting. One of them, a large bearded man, kicked his opponent in the groin. The other man fell, and was repeatedly kicked in the head. Ice Ranger shuddered, that looked very painful. He watched another pair, two axe men, battling it out. One wore some kind of red armored legs and red colored chain mail, while the other wore a suit of blue colored armor. The man in red armor seemed to be winning the fight, his opponent bleeding from several large gashes in his armor. The climax of the battle had been reached, the man in blue armor desperate to finish the fight off. The man in red armor however, seemed to be the opposite of his opponent, only slashing at his opponent, no overhead swings which would finish the fight sooner. The man in blue armor raised his axe, and swung at his opponent’s unarmored head. The man in red armor blocked it on his strange red shield, and replied with a great overhand blow, knocking his opponent to his knees. The man in blue armor knew the fight was over. He bowed his head and dropped his axe. His opponent had no intentions of stopping, and got firmer footing on the ground. He swung his axe in a crescent, striking through his opponent’s helm. Blood spurted out, and brains spilled out the large gash. Ice Ranger shuddered. The man pillaged the body, and then looked around for some more sport.
He saw Ice Ranger, looking on with horror. He walked up to Ice Ranger, a smirk on his face. He stood nose to nose with Ice Ranger, and said, “Bit squeamish after seeing the fight boy? You’ll never do well if that upset you.”
He then raised his axe, and put its edge to Ice Ranger bronze helmet. “Bronze? That stuff is weak.”
He emphasized this by dragging his axe up the side of it, peeling it like an apple. He also was slowly slashing Ice Ranger face. Ice Ranger would of pulled away, but the mans grip held him in place. He then heard the sound of a sword being taken out of its sheath. A large, curved sword appeared in front of the mans face. He withdrew his axe from Ice Ranger, and turned to this new threat. When he saw who it was, he sneered, and dropped Ice Ranger to the ground. “Well. Looks like Cam De Elit is back from Crandor. What happened, Lesser Demons too hard for you?”
Cam De Elit hardly looked fazed. He simply said, “I grew bored, Night Axe. You know that lesser demons are nothing to me.”
Night Axe spat on the ground in front of Cam De Elit. He finally said, “Well, let us see who is the better in a fight.”
Cam De Elit did not reply, but strapped on his full-faced helmet, complete with devil horns. He took out his shield, and strapped it to his left arm. His sword came up, he was prepared for anything. Night Axe growled something unintelligible, and swung his axe with all his might. Cam De Elit acted instantly, deflecting the blow with his shield. He then struck quickly, two slashes putting deep rends in Night Axe’s armor. Night Axe swung again, but his blow was met by Cam De Elit’s shield. Cam De Elit struck like a viper, stabbing deep into the chain mail of his enemy. Night Axe gasped, and looked at the sword stuck into his vitals. He mouthed a curse, and fell. Dead. Cam De Elit sheathed his sword, and went over to Ice Ranger. Cam De Elit asked if Ice Ranger was ok, and seemed happy when Ice Ranger said he was. Ice Ranger bent down, and searched Night Axe's body for loot. He found several hundred gold coins, several hundred bronze arrows, and an assortment of food, lobsters by their appearance. He took all the items, and looked up when he had finished. Cam De Elit was watching him, not concerned with what he was doing. Ice Ranger rose, and was suddenly flung to the ground. Night Axe was behind him, fury in his eyes. Ice Ranger started shaking, then began stuttering “How, is this possible? You were killed!”
Ice Ranger voice became more steady, his shaking receding. He tried to rise, but was kicked down again. Cam De Elit raised his scimitar to Night Axes’ throat. “Leave the boy!”
Cam De Elit’s voice was strong and sure, and brooked no nonsense. Night Axe snarled, and stalked off. Cam De Elit grimaced, and heaved Ice Ranger to his feet. He gave Ice Ranger some money, and told him to head for Draynor, and deposit the money and his items in the bank. Ice Ranger look perplexed, and Cam De Elit immediately knew what was wrong. He said, “It’s to the east, just past the jail in Draynor forest. It’s large, but just head east and stop for nothing. Here, take this sword, you may need it.”
Chapter Three: The Forest
Cam De Elit walked off to the west, heading for a gate, barely visible in the distance. He called out greetings to some men fishing, friends of long ago. He turned back, and gave a final wave to Ice Ranger. Cam De Elit walked over the bridge, and went up to the fisherman. They looked at him and sneered, which Cam De Elit was surprised at. They had worked for him, but when he no longer cared about profits he had disbanded all his operations. Still, they should not be acting like this towards him, he mused. He went up to one of them, and picked him up by the scruff of the neck. The man bellowed in anger, and struggled to break free. Cam De Elit shrugged, and tossed him into the river. The other fisherman dropped their rods in anger and surprise. They took out weapons and went for Cam De Elit. He just laughed, and defended each stroke with ease. He then struck forward and knocked another fisherman into the river. They then backed off, looking frightened.
Ice ranger stared after him, and grinned when he saw the men tossed into the river. He then turned and made his way through the crowd, ignoring several offers for a fight. He finally burst free, and the huge castle walls loomed up ahead of him. Its shining battlements held pennants, which fluttered in the soft breeze. Guards roamed the battlements bearing bows, scanning the horizon for anything unusual. Great cannons lined the walls in every direction, which were one of the main defenses of the castle. The rest of the castle was more impressive. It contained great smithies, large, well-stocked armories and grand halls. It was home to the duke of Lumbridge, who was known only as duke Horacio. The hundreds of other people who worked in the castle stayed either in the main city of Lumbridge or in the outlying areas just surrounding it. The guards who patrolled the castle and its walls stayed in the barracks located at the rear of the castle. Ice Ranger whistled at the sight of it, he thought to himself he had never seen a grander sight. As he tore his eyes away from the castle, he saw someone, wearing a shirt and pants, leaning against the wall of a shop. The man had a dagger, and was tossing it up and down, in a sort of game. Ice Ranger looked puzzled, until the man tossed the dagger at a passerby, which struck the man in the temple. Ice Ranger moved as fast and far away from him as he could, without arising suspicion, and stumbled into a general store.
People moved about, selling various items or buying them from the two shopkeepers. He saw one man with thousands of some kind of paper, with some drawings and words on it. He saw the vague shape of a star on them, with the words “Symbol of Saradomin” on it. The owner of the general store seemed to have large amounts of money, for he could afford to buy everything being offered. He looked in his pack, but could see nothing he didn’t need so he left the store. He immediately looked for the man against the wall, but could not see him. Ice Ranger breathed a sigh of relief. He looked to the forest, just outside the walls of Lumbridge. He took a deep breath, and drew out his bow. He looked down its curved length, and drew out some of his arrows, keeping them hanging from his belt. He made sure his sword was secure against his body, and set off. He had not even reached the cover of forest when he saw a Goblin, with flashing yellow teeth looming up ahead, its spear raised. He reacted without thinking, drawing an arrow and raised it to his bow. He raised the bow up, and drew back the string, all in one smooth motion. He aimed the bow, and released. The arrow sped from it, and struck the Goblin on its arm. It snarled, and charged with its spear lowered, murder in its eyes. Ice Ranger cried out, and hastily took out his shield and sword. He had only just got it into place when the Goblin reached him. He flung his shield in the way of its spear, and slashed at it with his sword. Its tip cut the Goblins face, slicing across one eye. It bellowed in pain, and stumbled backwards, attempting to escape. Ice Ranger swung down, and cut deep into its body, spilling its life on the ground. He stared at its body for what seemed hours to him, and searched it. Its armor was no good, and its spear had broken when it fell. He found several gold coins on its body, so he took those and buried the bones. He didn’t know why he did that, it was an impulse he mused. He had many impulses to do things, his fingers itched to cut down the trees, and then light them. He fought down the feeling, and moved into the forest.
It was dark in the forest, and the trees grew fairly close to each other, but not enough to impede movement through the forest. Ice Ranger walked along through the forest, watching everything. He saw how peaceful the forest was, and saw a unicorn slowly moving through the trees. It saw him, and pranced off. He suddenly heard a snorting growl, and was brought back to the present. He was face to face with a bear. He screamed, and swung his sword. It cut into the bears shoulder, splattering blood onto a nearby yew tree. Ice Ranger realized he had made a terrible mistake. He should never have attacked it. It reared up, and swung at him. It connected with his side, and he was slammed into a tree. It followed him, and swatted him again as he tried to rise. It attempted to slam into him again, but he rolled out of the way just in time. He was scared now, he would die to this creature, and his dreams would be unachieved. It reared up again, as a twanging noise was heard. Two arrows soared through the air and struck the bear, killing it. Ice Ranger lay on the ground, stunned beyond belief. Who had saved him? His question was answered when a man wearing some kind of black armor approached, the armor appeared to be made up of scales. The man went to the bear, and took out his arrows. The heads were made of some sort of light blue metal, the same as the armor he had seen on many people in Lumbridge. As the man drew out his last arrow, the shaft broke. With a curse, he tossed the arrow aside. He then turned to the man he had saved. He finally said, “I am Neglief.”
Ice Ranger looked at him, and said, “Thank you for saving me Neglief. I won’t forget it, you can be assured.”
Ice Ranger looked around and saw that they were alone. He shuddered; if Neglief hadn’t arrived he would be dead. He slowly raised himself to his feet, and looked around. Neglief was gone, disappeared into the dark forest. Ice Ranger looked around, and saw which way was east by the position of the sun.
Chapter Four: Draynor
It was afternoon, the sun beating down insistently still. He saw a building up ahead, and the trees broke soon after it. He had arrived at the jail. He once more saw people, they were battling the jail guards, and killing them, yet more guards appeared to fight the others. Ice Ranger looked away, he was on a journey to Draynor bank, not to dawdle outside a jail watching fights. He winced, his ribs still hurting. He ate the last of his cooked meat, which made him feel good as new. He continued on, walking past some willows near the bank. He smiled. He was almost there. Suddenly, a great pain enveloped him, and he fell to the ground moaning in agony. He looked up, and saw a something in a black cloak before him, hands about to cast another spell. The spell took life in his hands, and fired itself at Ice Ranger. Ice Ranger groaned and rolled, barely avoiding the spell. An arrow sped through the air, creating a whistling noise. It struck the wizard, and he collapsed to the ground, the arrow quivering in his chest. Bloody froth came out his mouth, and he collapsed. Dead. He had been saved three times in one day. He wondered who had saved him this time. He looked around, and saw Cam De Elit standing behind him with a bow in hand. Suddenly, Cam De Elit drew an arrow and fired in one quick movement. Ice Ranger watched the flight of the arrow, and saw it thud into the chest of another man. He heard Cam De Elit yell out “Run!”
Ice Ranger groaned and rose unsteadily to his feet, and limped towards the building in front of him.
He stumbled past a tree, and saw he was on a smooth road. He continued on, seeing the doors to the bank stood open and welcoming. He saw the sight of the bankers, and he sighed with relief. He was finally safe. He talked to the banker, and was teleported to his vault. He dropped all his equipment to the ground, leaving only his wooden shield, sword and bow and arrows on himself. He left the vault, and saw Cam De Elit standing outside the bank. Ice Ranger went up to him, and greeted him. Cam De Elit was wordless, and handed him a cooked lobster. He gulped it down, and all his aches and pains left him. He looked around in wonder. He had not cared about what Draynor looked like after he had been hit by that spell, and he noticed it for the first time. A strange man sat on a fence, with a large sack over his back, whistling an incomprehensible tune. Stacks of spinning plates and toy horse’s lay on the ground under him, under his diligent eye. Sunlight still poured down, and bathed the buildings with a warm glow. He noticed some houses to the north, and they seemed strangely devoid of people. The sound of axes striking wood could be heard, and the grunts and groans of the woodcutters went through the air. He breathed in, and smelt the wholesomeness of the air. He took in the sights, and drank it all in. He was at the only place he would ever consider home. Cam De Elit watched Ice Ranger with sadness, knowing full well what he was experiencing, as he had long ago. He had set such thoughts out of his head, long ago. Ice Ranger stopped taking in the scenery, and admired the outfit Cam De Elit was wearing. He had changed from his full suit of a reddish colored armor to a strange, glittery armor, colored entirely in a deep black. He carried a bow, its long slender arms were a burnished blue color, which had recently been waxed, making it literally shine in the bright sunlight. Its leather grip had recently been replaced, and was the same material of his armor. A quiver lay on his back and across his right leg, with arrows just visible from where Ice Ranger stood. Cam De Elit drew another arrow, and noted its tip was the reddish color he had seen on several people. He released, the arrow whizzed past him and Ice Ranger heard it strike flesh. Ice Ranger turned around in a flash, and saw another dark cloaked man had fallen. Cam De Elit grimaced, and walked over to the man. He took out his arrow, and plunged his hand into the black cloak. He rummaged around, and drew forth a purse that he threw to Ice Ranger. Ice Ranger opened it, and saw several gold. He gasped, it was almost double the amount of coins he had. He packed it away safely behind his belt, and thanked Cam De Elit profusely. Cam De Elit said nothing, but smiled.
Chapter Five: Goblin Hunting
Ice Ranger looked down at his new suit of steel armor. It fitted perfectly. He had spent months working so he could afford his armor, having to fish shrimp from the coast to make his money. His hands were well worn, and were the color of dark brown leather. His hand curled around the hilt of his sword, made of steel, and burnished till it glowed. He drew it, and moved the blade till it crossed his shield. He looked like something out of a tale, a knight in shining armor. He turned around, and saw someone approaching, Cam De Elit by the appearance. He smiled, and called out a greeting. Cam De Elit walked towards him, his chain mail jangling as he walked. Sunlight glinted off his red armor, which Ice Ranger now knew to be legendary dragon armor, the strongest metal in the land. Ice Ranger moved his sword, it seemed to glide through the air, making a slight whistling noise as it parted the air. Cam De Elit half-smiled, and said, “Ice Ranger, I see you have a new attire. It suits you better then the bronze armor you used to wear, and it is much lighter and stronger as well. So, after buying that, do you have any money left? Shrimp does not bring in much money, and steel is moderately expensive.”
Ice Ranger grunted, and shook his head. Cam De Elit grinned, and said, “Well I must be off, one of my friends needs me to get them past some dragons.”
With that, Cam De Elit teleported, his body shrunk to a fraction of its former size. Ice Ranger looked away and strode down the green grass, searching for some entertainment.
He walked for what seemed hours, idly cutting heads of weeds as he walked. He saw a small town up ahead. He frowned, he hadn’t seen this before. He broke into a jog, no easy task wearing a full suit of armor. As he got closer, he saw it was a dock. Suddenly he knew where he was, and he felt like kicking himself. It was Port Sarim, the best-known port in all of Glienor. Then he remembered. There were Goblins on the trail from Port Sarim to the quiet little town of Rimmington. He trotted around the buildings, and saw a thief leaning against a wall. Without thinking, Ice Ranger swung his sword into the thief, cleaving him in half. He stooped down, and searched the thief. He found several coins, and a gold medallion. Ice Ranger smiled, this would be worth a lot of money. He stepped over the corpse, and looked onto the trail before him. It was a narrow dirt path, lined with all kinds of trees, oak, maple, yew and birch, loomed over the path. Goblins moved about, fearlessly and recklessly, running past trees, and stabbing at people moving past. Some bore bows, and loosed arrow after arrow at people. Dead Goblins and people lined the path, some sprawled across the center, other thrown up against trees. Ice Ranger grimaced, and strode onto the path, swinging his sword in a low arc.
His sword swung in a low arc, as he struck a Goblin from behind. Ice Ranger took off his helmet, and wiped the sweat of his forehead. He had been fighting the Goblins for a good half hour, and he didn’t know how much more he could take. Goblins had battered at him from all sides, spears jabbing at his armor, their claws scratching at his visor. He looked down at his armor, and saw where spears had pierced his side. He ate some shrimp, and most of the bleeding stopped. Ice Ranger stood up, and looked at the path. Goblins were sprawled everywhere over the path, and even some had been flung into the trees with his fury. Ice Ranger nodded to himself, and turned, and ran into something.
Chapter Six: A Timely Rescue
Ice Ranger looked up, and saw a huge, bestial monster, fangs dripping with fresh blood. It had a vast body, crisscrossed with deep, bloody scars. Its brown body was akin to the shade of mud, and it had deep, bright flashes of red amongst the brown. It had a light sheen of blood, sweat and mud over its legs. He screamed, and swung his sword vainly, trying to pierce its tough, leathery hide. His blade struck the monster with great force, but to his dismay, it simply bounced off. The monster laughed, a crackling noise that sounded like the sound of steel scraping on steel, and lunged at him. Its claws slashed a deep and bloody gash across his chest. Ice Ranger moaned in pain, and rolled, narrowly escaping its brutish hands. He swung again, narrowly missing its large body. It laughed, and battered the sword out of his hands. Ice Ranger reached behind him and grasped for his bow. He finally got a hold of it, and swung it around. He fitted an arrow to the string, took quick aim and fired, the arrow sped from the shaft and buried itself in the monster’s chest. It looked down, and laughed again, snapping the arrow in half. Ice Ranger cursed, and tried to fit another arrow. The monster swiped at him, and broke the bow with one of its claws. Ice Ranger crawled backwards, yelling for help. The monster swiped at him again, tearing a great gash in his armor. Suddenly, Ice Ranger heard a thud. He saw a man standing on the pathway, behind the monster. He was wearing a leather vest, and had a yew longbow, and had an arrow with a green head notched and ready to fire. He wore a dagger at his side, its hilt embossed with gems. The monster turned, and lumbered towards the man. He released another arrow, which thudded into its face. It roared, and staggered forward. The man drew another arrow, and smoothly drew it back and fired, again striking the face. It now loomed alarmingly close, and the man drew forth his daggers, its green blade positively gleaming in the sun. He went into a crouch, and struck, his dagger darting into its leg. The monster bellowed in pain, and clutched its leg with one hand, and swung at the man with the other. He dodged back, and reached into his pack, and brought forth several runes, one of them marked with a skull and crossbones. Ice Ranger shivered, the rune reminded him of death. The man concentrated on them, and then raised his hand towards the monster. A great ball of fire erupted from his hand, and shot towards the monster. It smashed into the monster, setting it alight. It screamed, a hideous sound, as it collapsed to the ground. The earth shook as it fell, the flames moving from the monster to the dry leaves on the ground. It quickly made an inferno, with the demon in the middle. Its screaming would not stop, and Ice Ranger vainly tried to block the sound out. Shino watched impassively, as it slowly burnt to death. The screaming finally stopped, and the flames seemed to wink out. The charred body that was left crumbled under the breeze, and no sign of treasure was to be seen. Ice Ranger stared at Shino, who seemed unaware of this scrutiny. He put the runes back in his pack, and waited.
From a distance, Cam De Elit watched Ice Ranger struggle against the demon. He itched to help, but knew he could not. He watched Shino appear, and attack the demon. He scowled, he knew what Shino was up too, but again he had to remain the observer. As Shino fired the spell, and Cam De Elit’s eyes narrowed. It struck the demon, and seemed to cling to it. He finally knew what Shino was, a master magician. He also knew he had to hide that he had watched this, and had done nothing
Ice Ranger stood up, his knees still a bit wobbly. He walked over to the man, who was wiping something on his dagger. He looked up when Ice Ranger came closer, but said nothing. Ice Ranger sighed ruefully, and said, “Thank you, for saving my life. What is your name?”
The man looked at him, and finally said, “My name, is Shino. Remember it, you owe me for saving your life.”
With that, Shino jumped off the road and disappeared behind the trees. Ice Ranger couldn’t muster the strength to follow him, and could barely lift his sword out of the mud. I am no hero, he thought to himself. I am no hero yet.
Chapter Seven: Varrock
Ice Ranger walked beside Cam De Elit, talking about the monster that almost killed him. Cam De Elit looked thoughtful, and finally said, “That sounds like a lesser demon, but the coloring is wrong. I have never seen or heard of demons that color before. Not to mention the demons cannot leave sight of lava, save greater demons, but they are rare! Nor would they have managed to get to Port Sarim without attracting notice. Something is afoot, and I wish I knew what, I’m getting too old to traipse around the world trying to discover plots. That’s the job for young adventures!”
Cam De Elit looked slyly at Ice Ranger, and said in a cunning voice “That’s for adventurers, like you.”
Ice Ranger laughed, and said nothing, but looked a little wild around the eyes. Cam De Elit laughed at the look, and said he would meet Ice Ranger in Varrock. With that, he teleported, his body shrinking to a fraction of its former size. Ice Ranger sighed, he wondered if he would ever get his magic good enough to cast that spell.
Ice Ranger squinted, the sun a blinding glare, and looking down at his armor made it worse, his armor seemed to be brighter then the sun. He grimaced, Varrock was still far away according to his map. He moved his finger along the map till it reached Varrock, and put another finger where he was. He estimated the distance and groaned. It was still several kilometers away. He looked ahead, and could see the vague shape of a building. He broke out into a trot, and the building become clearer and clearer still. As he got closer, he saw other buildings, and the vague shape of people moving around. When he arrived at the building, he could see barbarians moving around, axes slung over their shoulders. People were heaving their picks over their shoulders, and then bringing them down in a violent manner, trying to excavate ore. He smiled, that could be a good business, but he was a fisherman now. One barbarian, who had long blonde hair, walked up to Ice Ranger, and said, “Want to fight?”
Ice Ranger shook his head, and tried to sidestep the man. The man got aggravated, and blocked his path. “Fight me, wimp!”
Ice Ranger shouted no, and drew his sword. The barbarian smiled viciously, and swung his axe. Ice Ranger managed to get his sword down in time, and struck a blow at the barbarian. The blade sliced through fur and skin, and blood oozed out. The barbarian grinned, and swung his axe again, smacking into Ice Ranger side. It felt as if someone had stuck a hot iron into his side, and twisted it. He screamed, and tasted blood and dirt in his mouth. He could vaguely make out the barbarians boots in front of his face. He groaned, and the barbarian laughed, and raised his axe high. Ice Ranger started blubbering, and the barbarian only laughed harder and swung down. Ice Ranger felt a terrible pain envelop in his back, then all over his body. Suddenly, everything went black. Then all the pain left him, and his vision returned. He was standing in Lumbridge, his wounds completely healed. He gaped, what had happened. A man walking past laughed, and said, “Is that the first time you have died? You can’t really die here, you are brought back to life by the decree of the council, who rule this land.”
With that, the man walked a few steps and teleported, his body shrinking to a minute size. Ice Ranger grinned, this opened many more opportunities. If he could not die, he could keep fighting monsters and not worry about dying. All he had concern with was the pain it would cause him. That was the only downside, he mused. He went into his pack and drew out a map. He saw where he was, and saw if he went north through the farms he would reach Varrock soon. He started north, going at a steady trot. He walked past people milking the cows, and others slaughtering them for their meat. He grinned, he wondered why he never thought of that. He looked to the right, and saw a desert hiding behind a great wall, constructed of gray bricks, which looked like the sky on a rainy day. A farmer rushed past him, carrying several pieces of bread and an egg. Ice Ranger stifled a laugh, when the farmer tripped over, splattering the egg everywhere. The farmer cursed, then saw Ice Ranger standing there trying not to laugh. His expression of embarrassment turned to rage. He got up, and ran full tilt at Ice Ranger. Ice Ranger barely had time to react, as the farmer’s sturdy body slammed into his. Ice Ranger went sprawling, splattering mud everywhere. Ice Ranger drew his sword, and swung it around in a dangerous arc. The farmer looked warily at the tip of the blade, and seemed to move backwards. Suddenly, Ice Ranger felt a blinding pain at the back of his head. He fell down into the mud again, but this time he rolled and jumped at the farmer. The farmer gasped, and barely dodged out of the way. Ice Ranger looked at what had hit him, and he saw a woman, dressed in farmer’s clothes, bearing a large club. He realized they must be married, or related He backed away slowly, not taking his eyes off them. The woman satisfied he was leaving, turned around and went back from where she had come from, dragging the man with her.
Ice Ranger wearily looked up, the sun beating down from overhead. He was sweating in his armor, but he didn’t dare take it off. He could be attacked at any time, and if that club had hit his head if it was unarmored, he would have been knocked out or killed. At least he must be near Varrock, he could vaguely make out the shape of a wall, with several buildings rising above it. He smiled, he was at his destination. He was at Varrock. He broke out into a faster run, and the buildings grew clearer and clearer. He could now make out the guards in their livery doing the rounds upon the stout walls. He squinted, and could make out the vague shape of a large crowd in the Varrock town center. They appeared to be many people trading, and hundreds of people walked among them buying.
Night Axe growled. He looked at the men around him, and he saw weakness. They were too weak to do what needed to be done. None of them had managed to kill his enemy, Cam De Elit. He fingered the handle of his axe, and though better of it. He grasped it, and glared at every assassin before him. He drew out his axe, and threw it down onto the table, its sharp curved edge sinking into the wood. The men jumped, men in their profession should not be so easily startled. He roared out that they were imbeciles, incapable of bringing down a single man. He wrenched the axe out, spraying splinters over the table and onto the floor. He growled one last warning, they had a week to bring down Cam De Elit or they would die. After that statement, the door burst open, and a man wearing furs and leather walked in. Night Axe smiled, this assassin must have done something worthwhile to be able to break into this meeting. The assassin walked up to Night Axe, and said, “I have done your bidding, the minor target, Ice Ranger, has been felled beneath my axe. My reward?”
Night Axe smiled, and reached for his purse.
Ice Ranger walked through the gate to Varrock, staring at the guards who glared balefully back at him. He shrugged his shoulders, as long as they didn’t interfere with him, he was fine, and moved onwards into the city. Ice Ranger saw a bank ahead, with people struggling to move in and out, and a small tussle broke out at the entrance, but was shortly ended by the guards coming over and breaking up the brawl with their fists. Ice Ranger walked past the bank, he did not need to bank anything. He reached the outside of the city center, and saw Cam De Elit in a heated discussion with another man. Cam De Elit said one last thing, and then saw Ice Ranger moving towards him. As Ice Ranger moved closer to Cam De Elit, he heard people shouting thing like “Selling rune two-hander’s for seventy-five thousand coins”,
“Selling enchanted diamond amulet for ten thousand coins”,
“Give me free stuff!”
Ice Ranger gaped, never had he seen such a sight in this land, it was grander then anything the natural world could show him. He then saw several people sneaking up behind one of the merchants, and cutting the purse and running off with it. The rogues, he mused, offset all the glamour. Cam De Elit pushed past a hawker trying to sell him some gold amulets, telling him he wasn’t interested. Ice Ranger jogged the remaining meters until he was face to face with Cam De Elit. Ice Ranger said, “I was attacked by a barbarian and he slaughtered me!”
Cam De Elit looked surprised, and said, “That is unlikely, you could easily take on a barbarian. How long did the fight last?”
Ice Ranger looked down at his feet, and said, “I only struck him once, and it only took him a few to knock me down to the ground.”
Cam De Elit looked puzzled, and finally said in a perplexed voice “What did he look like?”
Ice Ranger looked to be deep in thought, and said, “He had long blonde hair, and he wore gray furs and a dark leather vest.”
Cam De Elit looked angry. “That sounds like an assassin Night Axe has in his pay. You have his attention Ice Ranger, and you may regret it.”
Ice Ranger laughed aloud, and said, “I don’t fear him.”
Cam De Elit looked at him for a while, and said, “You should.”
Cam De Elit led Ice Ranger to a bank, on the west side of the city, while acting as a tour guide, giving Ice Ranger advice on where to go and where not to go in Varrock. He pointed out the slums, and said, “Don’t go there, unless you need to or are skilled enough that you don’t need to concern yourself over cutpurses and strong arms.”
Once they were inside the back, Cam De Elit instructed Ice Ranger to bank everything except his armor, weapon, and also told him to get some food. Once Ice Ranger was ready, he led him out of the bank and went north. The part of the city they went too was almost devoid of human life. There was a church, a museum and a guardhouse, but apart from that, was empty save for some shady characters lounging in the shadows. Cam De Elit showed Ice Ranger a manhole, and told him to open it. Once he had, it revealed a ladder, leading down into the dark. Cam De Elit motioned for him to go down, and followed behind at a reasonable distance. It was dirty and dank down the hole, and it appeared as if all the sewerage in Varrock went here. The water was a murky brown, with yellow stains billowing through the water and onto the stones that surrounded it. It smelt foul, as if someone had dumped several human bodies down a hole and left them there for a week, and never returned to remove them. Giant rats scuttled across the floor, several carcasses bringing attention to the fact that the water was surely poisonous. Several men labored down here, trying to cull the rats, yet despite their best efforts, they could simply not stop them. Several adventures had come down to help, even with the meager wages they got paid, yet even they could not stem the tide. Ice Ranger gingerly stepped past a rat, and growled a curse when it tried to bite his leg. He drew his sword, and swiped at the rat, knocking it into the water. There was barely a ripple as it went down, it sunk like a stone.
He strode further on, slicing at more rats as he passed, kicking their filthy remains out of his way. Suddenly, he could just make out a shape in front of him. It came closer, and he saw it was an even bigger rat then the ones he faced before. It lurched forward, and tried to bite his arm. Ice Ranger cursed, its fangs had pierced his armor and sunk deep into his arm. Ice Ranger felt as the tooth scraped against his bon, as it bore down harder. He swung his sword, and slit its head open. It reared, and Ice Ranger felt the fang snap off in his arm. He collapsed, and struggled to get some food out of his pack. He raised his quivering hand up to his mouth, and stuffed it full of shrimp. He gulped it down, and he felt the pain ease from his arm. He got up, and stepped over the carcass of the rat, it had been riddled with arrows while he had been eating. He looked up and saw several young archers trying to see if he was all right. He waved them off, after thanking them.
Cam De Elit looked behind him, and saw that Ice Ranger wasn’t with him. He turned back, and saw a shape loom out of the darkness, shrouded in its cloak. Cam De Elit drew his sword, and took out a torch, which he lit with a spell. The thing was covered in light, it was a human, wearing mage robes. Cam De Elit laughed, and turned away, which proved to be a fatal mistake. Once his back was turned, the man threw off his cloak that revealed his dull black armor, and a long, black, sword whose hilt was covered in bright sparkling gems. He softly drew it, and followed Cam De Elit further into the sewer.
Ice Ranger looked around for Cam De Elit, and saw him nowhere. He cursed, and decided to go further into the dungeon. He did not notice the man that dropped into the sewer and began to follow him, cloaked like the man that followed Cam De Elit. Ice Ranger squinted, trying to pierce the darkness with his eyes. He thought he heard noises behind him, but when he stopped and tried to see what was behind him, only darkness met his eyes. He saw a shape materialize in front of him, which had arms drooping out in front of it. When he got closer, he saw that it was a zombie. It looked at him, and murmured “Brainsss” to itself, and walked towards him. Ice Ranger panicked, he had never fought any foe like this before. He drew his sword, and held it before him, tip swaying in the dim light. The zombie walked on, ignoring everything else, focusing on Ice Ranger head, not even looking at his sword. Its feet crushed the old bones of adventures that had fallen in its lair, and it paid no heed to the broken fragments sticking in its foot. Ice Ranger looked about him, and with a bloodcurdling roar he charged at the monster, sword swinging. The tip of the sword slashed at the zombies face, leaving a deep gash under its eye. The zombies responded in kind, it rushed at Ice Ranger and brought its hands down on Ice Ranger helm. He fell to the ground, all his bones jarred at the impact. The zombie brought his hands down again, and knocked Ice Ranger across the ground. Ice Ranger groaned, this place was proving too hard for him. He brought another mouthful of food to his lips, and felt all the pain disappear again. He stood up, and raised his sword once more. The zombie ran at him, and Ice Ranger swung his sword at chest height, and cut deeply into its chest. That did not stop it, and only diving to the side did he escape it. He landed heavily on some old bones, which cut into his armor when part of a bone shattered. The zombie was relentless, its wounds were not slowing it down at all. Ice Ranger gaped at it, it couldn’t still be going after that, he thought to himself. As it ran at him again, Ice Ranger lowered his sword and charged back at it. Just before his sword ran through it, the zombie fell over, with arrows sticking out of its back. Ice Ranger looked up, to see the archers standing there, with bows in there hands. He thanked them, and brought their arrows over to them. They took the arrows with thanks, and went back into the dark. Ice Ranger went over to the zombie, and searched it. He found dozens upon dozens of coins on its body, which he took. He also found a small dagger, which the zombie had no doubt forgotten about. Once he was satisfied the zombie had nothing left of value, he went further on, searching for Cam De Elit.
Cam De Elit growled a curse at the darkness, how could he be lost! He had traversed this place hundreds of times. He spat back into the darkness, and when he heard the sound of water hitting metal he drew his sword and spun around, readying a fire spell to torch the person who had been following him. The man stepped forward, removing his helmet. When Cam De Elit saw his face, he cursed, and stepped forward, and threw the bolt of fire at the man. As it struck his armor, it seemed to intensify, spread out, and implode upon itself. The man was thrown back against the wall, and only by chance did his head not smack into the wall. Cam De Elit smirked, and said, “Not so good now, are you assassin!”
The assassin struggled to his feet, and said, “I will kill you, Cam De Elit. Your weakness is your overconfidence.”
Cam De Elit grinned, and said, “Do you know what your weakness is? Your inability to fight”
The assassin growled a curse, and sprung forward. Cam De Elit flicked the sword away and stabbed his own through the assassin’s vitals. As he did this, another man crept up behind him, and stabbed him in the base of the neck. Cam De Elit collapsed, pulling his sword out with his fall. He looked behind him, and saw another assassin, holding a poisoned Adamanite dagger. Cam De Elit cursed, and said, "Ill get you for this, Shino”
Shino laughed, and said, "Perhaps, Cam De Elit, perhaps.”
With that, Cam De Elit blacked out, and knew no more.
Ice Ranger tripped over a piece of rock, and fell into a pile of reeking bones. He struggled to his feet, he had fought no harder monsters, except for that demon, in this place. He struggled on, and saw ghosts hovering in the air. They were almost transparent, but were too solid for his liking. As he walked past one, it struck out at him, striking him a crushing blow. Ice Ranger screamed a curse, would this ever end! Where was Cam De Elit? He ran past the rest of the ghosts, who also tried to assault him. What he had learned quickly was this place was territorial. One type of monster wouldn’t go in a place where other monsters grouped. He wondered what awaited him in the next section of the sewer.
Cam De Elit woke up in Lumbridge, with the sun streaming into his eyes. He squinted, he had not done that for along time. He never died, never! Fury rose in him, he would hunt done those that had done it and kill them. He then heard mocking laughter, followed by the words “So, the mighty Cam De Elit has taken a tumble, he has died at long last! You are not invincible like you told us!”
It was Night Axe, wearing his suit of dragon armor again, this time with a breastplate over his chain mail. Cam De Elit scowled, and said, "Next time set your assassin’s on me without stealth, or better still, fight me yourself.”
Night Axe laughed, and said, "I think not. I have urgent business to attend too, so I must be going”
With that, Night Axe teleported, his body shrinking to a fraction of its former size. Cam De Elit spat where Night Axe had stood, and strode off towards Varrock.
Ice Ranger huddled in fear. He was ashamed of himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to move away. He had gone past the ghosts, past armed zombies, and past armed skeletons, but nothing prepared him for what had come next. Giants, covered in moss with green faces. They bore large staffs, and one had knocked him clear into the final resting place of the sewerage. He ran then, but could not find his way out. He now huddled against a wall, paranoid of all noises made. He heard a loud skittering noise close by, and he leapt to his feet, sword whisking out of its sheath. The noise came closer, and suddenly out of the shadows loomed a giant spider. Ice Ranger shook in fright, but stood ready. Suddenly, a bow twanged, and an arrow sped out of the darkness and struck the spider. It spun around, as another arrow was released. Ice Ranger watched the path the arrow took, as it spiraled down and struck the spider through the eye. It shuddered, and collapsed, dead. Ice Ranger looked to see who had saved him, and recognized Shino. As Shino pulled the arrows out of the spider, something struck him from behind and he fell. A man in a dark cloak came forward, bearing a pale black sword, whose long length glistened in the dim light. Ice Ranger watched warily, as the man came forward. Suddenly, the man struck, sword slicing through Ice Ranger neck before he could even react. The world went dark, as he fell.
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