Coach S

As I stood outside of Fred's Farm gazing at the three or four black sheep that remained in the pen, I couldn't help but notice their sardonic stares. "What were they thinking?" I pondered. I knew I wasn't thinking rationally, but I couldn't help myself. I was fully aware of how poorly I had performed. Thank goodness I had Jeremy jano and Ricker1 to bail me out. Otherwise, we may never have finished Coachlaing's most recent mission. While I already had proven to myself that I could shear one of those belittling balls of fur, it wasn't enough to satisfy my need to prove my whole existence in this world. One thing is for certain. I wasn't about to let a few black sheep get the best of me.

I needed a new quest, so traveling south seemed to be the best plan at the moment. When I arrived back at Lumbridge Castle, I reminisced about how proud I was in helping the cook derive the ingredients he needed to make the cakes for the royal party. That is when I knew I needed something more dangerous. Perhaps a quest a legendary Greek hero like Theseus would nod his head in approval of would present itself. "Ah, the graveyard!" I exclaimed. There would be no better place for an aspiring hero to search for shady personalities than the Lumbridge graveyard.

As I neared my chosen destination, I could not help but grin, for a gray-haired man with a look of desperation was pacing around the various tombstones. I hesitated for a moment and wondered if my best course of action was to talk to this strange man. After all, maybe I wasn't ready for something like this. It hadn't even been 24 hours since I struggled finding my way into a sheep pen. Despite being alone now, I once again recalled how annoyed I was back at the farm, and accelerated my pace toward the gray-haired man.

"Hello! Who are you?' I questioned the man, despite harboring more feelings of regret even before I gave him a chance to reply.

"I've been expecting you. I am Xenia, and I see that your future is that of a great hero," she exclaimed. I couldn't help but feel foolish, thinking she was a man. In my defense, the gray hair threw me off a bit.

"Can I assist you?" I queried.

"I hope so," she responded, "considering a trio of Zamorakian cultists has kidnapped IIona, a young girl only looking to learn magic at the Wizard's Tower. Please tell me that you will assist my endeavors to save her from certain doom."

Before considering this quest, I had so many questions. Who is this IIona? What are Zamorakian cultists? How am I going to benefit from all of this? However, Xenia convinced me that time was running short, and I am a sucker for rescuing a damsel in distress. Who knew that reading all of those fairy tales growing up would influence my actions someday? After my humiliating experiences the day before, I was gaining confidence that my redemption was near.

Within minutes of entering the catacombs entrance, we witnessed the three kidnappers rudely escorting IIona further into the depths of this dungeon. The ring leader appeared to be this thug named Reese who ordered a hesitant third wheel named Kayle to stand guard. While Kayle was having second guesses about their plan, Reese reminded him of the blood pact they shared. Kayle agreed to stay as the other two (Reese with a magical staff-wielding woman named Caitlin) trekked ahead with the helpless IIona.

I asked Xenia about the blood pact, but all I got was that it was something followers do to swear their loyalty to someone seemingly more powerful. It seemed like a waste of time to me, so I rushed forward to confront Kayle. Nothing offends me more than a group of cowards terrorizing a helpless victim.

Immediately after we enter this extended hallway, Kayle uses his sling to critically hurt Xenia.

"I am too hurt to continue." she labored. "You must work alone now to defeat these cultists. If you get hurt too badly, return to me and I shall help heal you."

Xenia getting hurt seemed all too convenient. Was this a trap? I had a difficult decision to make. I am not one to back down from a challenge, but something in my gut was warning me that I was getting into something bigger than I can handle…alone that is!