Disclaimer; I own none of the Runescape characters, nor NPC's, they belong to Jagex incorporated.
Once, upon a great era of the medieval age, in a realm that proclaimed glory in it's highest, there was a land. A mythical place where victory brewed for only those who could prove themselves worthy to the ground of it's wonder. A dominion of the highest in the journey to become the highest. Runescape. Many dwell there, many fight there, but not all survive there. The challenge of the lands is a struggle for some, and only few know not of this. But for one man, this was not just a footnote to him. It was the reason for his name:
The Ultimate Warrior
Epsiode 1: Destiny
Destiny it was, it was only ever, a destiny. New to the land of Runescape, The Warrior had not chosen his name, but chosen his quest of life. From the moment he was born into existence, he had dreamed of becoming the elite. Nothing was known to him of Runescape, nothing he understood of the glorious world, nothing made sense, but still, the path was clear. He had never been considered worthy to precede his journey to Runescape in the realm of "Tutorial Island", people had mocked his dream, said that he would never even be a level 1. And, because he had never been to tutorial island, he was supposed never even to become a level 3. 1 person in particular, was the grave messenger of that note. He remembered the man's dying words:
"Warrior ... you will never carry out your name ... you have been cursed to never see the likes of level 3. Warrior, I'm so sorry." The Warrior had never heard another word from him, as the man's eyes had faltered into nothingness, and the life went from him. Soon, after the man had dissapeared, that too was the last he remembered, the only thing that had come to fire in his mind, that burned his soul, that tore the happiness from him, yet was stuck to him and could never leave him. Which was why, in the lone week that had passed since then, his clothes had always been formal black, the same thing he had wore to the funeral of the man, the funeral where only the very kind person, Father Aereck, and his Mother had attended. The burial had been in a peaceful autumn, where the glistening red leaves had dawned over orange and yellow, assorted leaves dangling from the nearly naked trees. A blooming rose, seeming almost desolate, stood in a tall glass, upon the stone beside the grave:
Here lies Emphasis321
2004-2007
The Shining Patriot of Runescape.
Below was, encrusted into the stone grave, a jewel of onyx, cut with only three faces and the head of one person on each, the man, the Warrior, and the warriors mother, a friend of the man the Warrior had told everyone else. The Man had been the first to tell the Warrior that his road could never be Runescape, that he could exist for no purpose, the sole person who had been brave enough to put these woeful words into speech. The Ultimate Warrior had been the best friend of that man, he had loved that man, but who that man really was, The Warrior wanted no man nor woman to find out.
"The road could be long, prevail you would, and you would succeed. But when a purpose you lack, no deed nor power will grant you one." That was a poem that the man had told The Warrior only once, the day before he had died, and The Warrior remembered how tears had welled up in his eyes at the one mention of that poem, just as they had at the close of the man's life. But then, his thoughts were distracted as he heard a voice?
"Hey, thuw, you ok?" Ownz-Runecraft was his only other friend beside his mother and the man. But he was the only person ever who had actually believed him. He knew what the Warrior had been told only a week ago, but he believed that "thuw" as he liked to call the warrior, would prevail in his journey. They were the best of friends, having only met a day ago, though, being a lonesome time at the bar when Ownz-Runecraft came along. The Warrior remembered it, crystal clear, like it had only happened a minute ago.
"Whoa, mate, you look rough. Everything alright?" Runecraft had said.
"My life's a wreck. I've known that ever since I was born, and it was proved last Tuesday." It wasn't long before the comforting smile and the symaphetic tone of Runecraft found thuw explaining everything to Runecraft, then about himself. Soon, they had got engaged in deep conversation, the cider thuw had been drinking had been taken away by the barman, though thuw had hardly had any. He dragged himself out of the memory, and took himself to his surroundings, a pretty, autumn forest which thuw couldn't help being reminded of the graveyard, yet overturned logs and colourful bushes were more dominant, with a leaf-strewn floor and no tombstones to be saddened by. It was a peaceful day, with a gentle breeze but no sun, it was hiding behind silver clouds. Ownz-Runecraft and thuw were sitting down on a log that was strangely out of place, deliberately cut down from a tree rather than lingering on a broken stalk.
"Huh?"
"Are you ok?" Runecraft repeated. Thuw didn't reply, so Runecraft changed the subject.
"Look, it doesn't matter what that Emphasis321 said, your name isn't a gimmick. I call you T-H-U-W for The Ultimate Warrior. The H is my way of saying "honed" because you're honed on your goal, and your the honed ultimate warrior. And also, it works better than T-U-W - but that's not the point."
"But I don't know what this life is all about. I'm the only guy who never visited Tutorial Island - I don't know about anything in this world."
"Yes. You are the only one in a massive population who does know." Runecraft smiled at him.
"You'll teach me? You'll really teach me about this world?" Thuw's eyes twinkled happily, like they hadn't done for long now.
"Of course. Not today, we'll wait for a day, but tommorow, I promise that I'll start teaching you everything I know." Runecraft got up off the log and started walking away. "I'll be here tommorow, meet me here."
"Bye for today." Thuw waited until Runecraft had gone, and then cleared his throat.
"Emphasis321; I'll prove you wrong, Father." The onyx jewel on Emphasis's grave was not a jewel of friendship. It was a family jewel. The dying words that had cast down on Thuw were his father's.