This is the companion piece to my Runescape fan fiction The Sphere of Varrock. This story explains the origins of the Sphere of Varrock. It takes place approximately 500 years before The Sphere of Varrock. Please enjoy!
The Origin of the Sphere
He straightened his black ceremonial robe trimmed in gold meticulously. Once again, he took a look at himself in the mirror. His long black hair was neatly tied in a ponytail and his golden eyes sparkled. Females everywhere mourned the day he left the small group of bachelors for he had a very appreciable face. He had a slightly tanned complexion, no craters or blemishes and a strong jaw line and a medium-length nose, unlike the beaked noses of the day.
Today is his wedding to the beautiful Vicktania and he wanted everything to be absolutely perfect; nothing could be out of place, from the lowest vases of flowers to the guests themselves.
He'd been courting her for the past five years and had proposed to her during the summer of last year. It had been at the White Rose garden, Vicky's--Ruko's nickname for her--favorite place to be. Her love for the garden most likely stemmed from when she was younger and went to the gardens every week with her father. Her father asked to be buried there when he died from a stray arrow during the Goblin Massacre. Excited at Ruko's proposal, Vicktania had wept with happiness, screaming her answer.
The wedding must be flawless to impress my sweet, dear Vicktania, Ruko thought anxiously.
Ruko first met Vicky back when he was seven. They'd shared the same school and became inseparable. For him, it was love at first sight. She, however, had to plow through dozens of boyfriends until she realized Ruko was "the one."
Their first date, at the Green Tea restaurant, sealed the deal as they say. It had been out under a full moon and it loomed overhead like a guardian angel watching over the people below.
Ruko had pulled her chair out for her graciously, eliciting a beautiful smile out of Vicky. He'd ordered a meat sandwich for an appetizer, while she had a tomato salad. Out of all the meals he'd ever had or would, this would be the one he remembered until he died. She had kept twisting a strand of her golden locks, nervous about being with him. Later she told him she'd thought he was way too good for her, but he just laughed.
The night had ended with the greatest kiss he'd ever had.
A knock sounded upon his front door and leaving his room, he went to investigate. Upon opening the door, he was shocked to see his master standing before him looking as if he'd been chased by a pack of goblins. "Master Bardimous, what are you doing here?"
Panting and heaving, sweat pouring in buckets from his face, Bardimous tried to form a decent sentence. "I--I--I had…"
Ruko, smiling, placed a hand on his Master's shoulder. "Calm down and take a big breath, ok?"
Bardimous' chest rose as he inhaled violently. "I have finished the initial tests and am ready to fuse the crystal with the rune stone. It's a breakthrough!" Ruko's master broke out into a silly grin. Beginning to leave, he said, "You need to help me set the crystal in the mold so it can set properly, then we can add…"
Ruko shook his head and asked gelidly, "Did you forget that today was my wedding?"
Having been babbling the entire time, Ruko's question brought him to a stop. An awkward silence stretched on for a few seconds until Master Bardimous worked up the courage to say, "Uh, yes, I admit that I did forget that today was you and Vicky's wedding, but only because I've been so very busy with the testing of suitable rune stones to fuse with the crystal."
Ruko sighed inwardly. It was just like his master to forget the essentials. His master was an expert in anything vaguely related to rune stones, and that came with forgetting important dates. Once, he actually had forgotten his own wife's birthday and his, too. Ruko was Bardimous' assistant, there to remind him that he must eat and sleep.
"Master, it's okay," Ruko had to get used to it or he would go insane. "I know your work sometimes makes you scatterbrained and I understand. The work you are doing will benefit mankind for thousands of years to come, but today is my wedding. I don't have the time to just go galloping off with you; I need to prepare for the ceremony which, if my time is right, is in one hour."
Bardimous became frustrated and he began to plead. "Please, Ruko, I really need your help! It's like you said, this will benefit mankind for years to come!"
Ruko sighed deeply. His master was a very needy man and when all else failed, he resorted to begging and underhanded tactics.
"Fine! I'll go with you, but it had better not take forever!" Ruko said, exasperated.
Ruko's master worked out of his own house, though house would be an understatement--the correct term would be mansion. Bardimous was from a long line of mage nobles, dating back to the discovery of magic itself. Bardimous was the descendant of the first mage, an honor that naturally made him the best choice for court mage and scientist. That is also how he came to own the mansion.
Bardimous pushed open the front door, striding confidently past the foyer and down a corridor left of the foyer. Matching maroon carpet littered the floor and the wallpaper. Portraits of past mages, eyes hauntingly following them, were spaced evenly along the walls.
Creeped out as usual by the horrible and eerie paintings, Ruko picked up his pace. Soon they arrived at the basement door which lead to rickety stairs that hugged the walls descending below.
He threw a nervous glance at the stairs, as they wound around and around the walls. "Master, I really wish you would replace these old stairs," he voiced. "They're a haphazard!"
Bardimous scoffed, waving his hand around his head, showing his lack of concern. "Nonsense! These stairs have worked fine these past years and I won't spend money on buying stairs that I don't frequently use." He took the first step onto the stairs and, with a pace that would be suicide to copy, descended.
Ruko reluctantly followed suit.
After the first few seconds in pitch dark, Ruko's eyes slowly adjusted to the absence of light. The sound of their footsteps echoed loudly as they continued, sounding as if lions were roaring.
"Master, don't you think it's strange, that with all the magical abilities and wonders we've created, that we have yet to find a faster way down winding stairways?" inquired Ruko. If an easier way existed, he would have most assuredly taken it.
His master's pace lessened as the gears in his head began spinning. Scratching his beard in contemplation he muttered, "A quicker way to descend stairs? Note to self, design magical staircase…"
Bardimous had the most well stocked magical laboratory in the realm, known for its discovery of runes. The runes were still highly experimental since no one knew what they exactly did.
Ruko approached a workbench situated smack-dab in the middle of the lab. On it was a rune stone and a crystal. Bardimous had been testing the rune to see if he could bring out the full extent of its power by fusing it with a crystal of equal power.
Ruko's master stood in front of the workbench and took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the tremendous task ahead of him. He positioned his palms over the stone and crystal. The air crackled with energy as Bardimous initiated the fusing process.
Soon the two objects began shifting subtly toward each other. "You're doing it!" Ruko exclaimed happily. He hadn't really believed his master could do it, but he was glad to have been proven wrong.
However, something started to happen that was not the master's plan. The rune began glowing black as well as the crystal. Violently, they combined to form a magnificent and stunning black orb. When the two powers combined, the air took on a sudden chill and Ruko's hair stood on end.
"Master?" he asked worriedly. "What's happening?"
Before Bardimous could answer, the orb let loose a sudden clap of energy that reverberated along the room. The sudden explosion of energy pounded against Ruko's mind, causing pain to flare across his entire body. He mouth opened in a silent scream as he backpedaled, his back eventually finding the cold stone walls.
Damn it! What is this power I'm feeling? My--my vision is growing dark…getting harder…to breathe…
And that was the last thought Ruko ever thought. His lifeless body slumped against the wall and he fell.
I'm really sorry for the long delay, but my brother has been in the hospital for almost two weeks and I haven't had the time to work on this. Please review and voice your opinions of this one-shot detailing the birth of the Sphere if it is your megrim.