Yes, THIS is Chapter 1. And for those who are confused, never mind. Most of the gods will not feature too much.
Oh, and I won't be updating as fast now. I'm actually working on 2 or 3 stories, a couple of oneshots, and school. I just released Chapter 1 with the Prologue.
So, yeah, enjoy if possible.
Notes to all non-Runescape players: The Void Knights' Outpost is home to a minigame, where players kill Pests and try to destroy their portals. A Spinner is a monster within the minigame that heals the portals. However, the Summoning skill allows players to summon a friendly version of the Spinner, which can heal and teleport players to the Outpost.
PS. Sorry if this chapter is boring. There's no action scenes. Not yet anyway.
Things were not going well in Joe's life, and he knew it. The Asgarnian, despite living in the grand capital of Asgarnia, Falador, was, put simply, pretty poor. Nothing much had changed over the years. Actually, that was incorrect; things had gotten worse.
Joe sat himself on a crude wooden chair he had fashion for himself. Despite being a horrible carpenter, Joe still managed to fashion some crude furniture for his tiny house.
He had managed to buy the house, rotten wood, dented roof and all, for a cheap sum of a 1000 coins. The wooden cottage, barely able to contain a single person, stood out badly among the whitewashed stone and the double-storey buildings of Falador. To make matters worse, immediately next to the cottage was a moat, and after that was the grand castle of the White Knights, the current political party in charge of Asgarnia.
Despite Falador being the center of ore trading, with the Mining Guild and the Dwarf neighbors, Joe wasn't a miner or a smithy. He was a White Knight, a warrior of Saradomin.
In truth, Joe wasn't a proper White Knight. He was hired by the White Knights for surveillance work. Despite only claiming hostility against the Kinshra, the Black Knights, servants of Zamorak, and perhaps the Imperial Guards, Joe was sent to spy on the Void Knights, followers of Guthix. It seemed that the White Knights are deeply suspicious of anyone without allegiance to Saradomin.
And so, everyday Joe dons his Void Knight robes and mace travels to the Void Knights' outpost, near Marim, city of the apes. Although Joe had not gained enough trust from the head Void Knight to be allowed to their base of operations, he was working on it.
Despite his – in Joe's eyes – important work, Joe barely received enough pay to support himself. With prices of nearly everything increasing nowadays, things just got worse. And although Joe would very much like to do so, he could not quit. The White Knights would have his throat and claim him a warrior of the Kinshra. So much for holiness. In politics and war, there's no right or wrong. Joe had learnt it the hard way.
Joe finished his usual cup of coffee, before quickly changing into his Void Knight robes and grabbing his mace. As a new Void Knight, he wasn't trusted enough to be able to use their teleportation system. After all, the teleport would lead him directly to their base of operations. Instead, Joe pulled out a Summoning pouch, and let the magic within the pouch do its work.
Immediately, a Spinner, the monster healer of Pest Control, appeared in front of him, and the pouch in his hands disappeared. Joe then pulled out a blue scroll, placing it on the Spinner's forehead.
Joe saw his hands fade away; and suddenly he was surrounded by red. The walls around him were a shade of crimson, moving, living. It only lasted for a second or two before Joe was back on his feet, in the middle of an extremely small island. There were quite a few stalls around, whether its archery, runes or ration packs. Three boats were scattered around the south, connected by wooden bridges. The Void Knights' Outpost.
Joe shook his head. He never did get used to teleportation. Probably why he had chosen to be a mêléer instead of a mage.
"Good day, Joe." A Void Knight who had teleported beside him waved.
"Icarus! Good to see you!" Joe smiled at the Void Knight. Icarus was from the Kinshra, the Black Knights. Despite working as a spy on the Void Knights, he kept an Unholy Symbol, a sign of allegiance to Zamorak, hanging around his neck, among the folds of his Void Knight robe's collar. Not many people noticed it, but Joe did. Another sign of evidence was a Black throwing knife he occasionally used. Although people usually associate the flying, blurred throwing knife to some crow or even a spell. Of course, Icarus only used that throwing knife for assassinations, where he could be sure none of the Void Knights were around. Joe noticed all this, but he decided not to report him to the Void Knights. He was a spy himself. Joe would risk being out found himself if he reported a spy.
Joe looked around, sighing. This was stupid. All he did was train adventurers who helped kill the monsters threatening to disrupt the balance of the world. Without any assignments, he could not prove himself to be trusted enough to enter their base of operations. Without entrance, Joe had no information on the doings of the Void Knights, nothing to present to his superiors, and therefore less pay.
As Joe stood, back straight, at attention, at his post, ready to train any adventurers in the art of mêlée fighting, with or without a weapon, a squire ran up to him, panting.
"Sir Joseph Anderson! Letter for you! From the High Council of Guthix!" The squire managed out, before sitting himself on a nearby chair.
Joe was startled. A letter? The High Council of Guthix was in charge of running the Void Knights outfit, as well as a few other Guthixian organizations. The High Council consisted of certain gnomes of the Tree Stronghold, and the druids of Taverly. All claimed to have had some form of contact with Guthix before.
Joe gulped. Was being a spy so serious a crime that the High Council had to settle it? He hoped not.
The squire must have seen the look of dismay on his face. "Don't worry, the High Council said something about promotion, and your name. At least, that's what I heard."
Joe's face lit up immediately. If it was indeed promotion, he could spy on the Guthixian organizations easily. There would be quite a good chance he would get a pay rise.
Joe nearly ripped open the envelope. Nearly. Instead, he breathed in deeply and proceeded to break the seal of the letter, pulling out a scented piece of pretty high quality paper.
Oh Saradomin, please make this true…Joe thought to himself, although he rarely believed in the triune gods. Despite the active and known effects of Prayer and God-based Magic, he never really believed in Saradomin.
Joe unfolded the letter, slowly. When the paper was fully unfolded he only saw the following:
Proceed to the Grand Tree immediately. The Spirit Trees are at your disposal, as are the Gnome Gliders.
"What the hell?" Joe whispered softly to himself. The Spirit Trees of the Tree Gnomes were notorious for being extremely racist, only serving the Tree Gnomes. They could teleport creatures to each other. As far as he knew, four Spirit Trees have been planted. One in Varrock's Grand Exchange, which ironically is a human place of trade, one behind the Khazard Stronghold, the Tree Gnome's sworn enemies, one in the Tree Gnome Village, a maze-like outpost, and the last one in the Grand Tree, home of the Tree Gnomes.
"I also have instructions to pass you this package." The squire offered Joe a small parcel, the size of a book. Joe took the package, opening it to reveal a Varrock Teleport Tablet. How thoughtful. The High Council must have known he failed his Modern Magic courses, and as such didn't really know how to cast a teleport, relying on teleport items and walking.
Joe thanked the squire, breaking the tablet. Joe felt a small tinge of nausea, and the world around him became blood-red walls, disgusting-looking walls that swirled about, throbbing, beating. This lasted for a second before the familiar view of the great fountain, the archery shop, the mage shop, the palace of King Roald became solid around him. Varrock, arguably the richest human city in the world, and the grand capital of Misthalin.
Joe walked to the north and west, to what was known as the greatest marketplace ever known, and proudly human-made. The Grand Exchange. Nearly any item, be it weaponry, armor, runes, ores, wood, even antiques, can be found on sale. It was efficient. Bring your item, set a price, and leave. Once someone has bought the item, the cash will be delivered to the seller's bank account. One can even leave an order at the Grand Exchange, along with some coins, and the item will be sent to ones bank account.
However, Joe wasn't here today to check on his, truth to tell, slightly overpriced Runite Armor set that hadn't sold for six months. He walked, steadily, to the Spirit Tree, kindly face on its trunk, rooted at a corner of the Grand Exchange.
"Greetings, wise tree." Joe smiled. He hoped the one in Varrock was kinder to humans. After all, it was younger and probably more open to ideas than the one at the Grand Tree and the Tree Gnome Village. A quarrel with a racist Spirit Tree was not exactly what he had planned for the day.
"What do you want, human?" The Spirit Tree glared back, wooden hands dug deep into two openings on the bark of the tree. Joe took them for pockets.
"Erm…Just a small teleport. I need to get to the Grand Tree. Please." Joe was using a seldom-used tone now. He rarely begged people. Usually stubborn people ended up injured. Or worse.
"And why would I? Human filth will be human filth even if they claim to follow Guthix." The Tree smirked.
"Listen." Joe was back to his usual method of speaking to hostiles. "I have here a letter from the High Council of Guthix. High Council. 'The Spirit Trees are at your disposal.'. I think I am entitled to use your teleportation abiliies."
"Whatever. I'm not part of the High Council. They can't make me, and much less you, crazy human."
"I don't think so." Joe replied, brandishing an Inferno Adze. The hatchet portion of it shone in the noon sunlight.
"You wouldn't dare. I'm a Spirit Tree. A protected species." The Spirit Tree folded his arms.
"Hey, I'm a crazy human." This time it was Joe who smirked.
"You're nuts. You understand the consequences of burning me?"
"Then teleport me before I do something everyone will regret."
The Spirit Tree sighed.
"Fine. Lay your hands on my bark."
"Thank you." Joe smiled, placing both of his palms on the rough bark of the Tree.
Once again, Joe faded away, and this time he was right in front of the Grand Tree. There was a smaller Spirit Tree next to Joe.
The Spirit Tree gasped.
"What human can enter the Gnome lands? Who let you teleport here?"
Joe ignored the Tree, walking straight up to a door cut in the Grand Tree.
The Grand Tree is a complex stronghold, made entirely out of a single tree, its namesake. It is said that the Grand Tree is what provides Gnomes with their magical abilities, and if once chopped down all Gnomes around the world will lose their magic, but Joe had no wish to experiment on them.
Right at the ground storey of the Grand Tree was the throne room. In it was King Narnode Shareen, robes splendid as ever. Luckily, the King was friendly to humans, so there wasn't a need to beg or threaten his way through.
"Greetings, King Narnode." Joe kneeled on one leg, bowing his head. "I come by the recommendation of the High Council of Guthix."
King Narnode nodded thoughtfully. "The High Council. Follow me."
The King stood up from his throne, smiling.
"And there's no need to be so formal. As fellow Guthixians, we are friends."
Joe looked up. He stood up too, brushing his kneecap.
"Thank you, King Narnode."
The King reached for a trapdoor next to his throne, opening it to reveal pitch blackness. He beckoned at Joe to follow, before climbing down himself. Joe shrugged, following the King.
The moment his feet touched earth, a torch lit up, revealing a round table underground. Joe looked at the faces, and he gasped.
King Narnode had seated himself at the table, signifying his membership in the High Council. There was Dareo, Hazelmere, every important Gnome Joe knew. There were humans, too. A Void Knight. Some druids and seers. Even an Imcando Dwarf.
The Void Knight smiled at Joe. "Take a seat. I believe a good friend of yours will be coming soon. I will then brief you two."
Joe frowned. Good friend? He didn't remember having a social life. Being a White Knight spy took everything from him.
As if on cue, the trapdoor opened again, and this time King Bolren of the Tree Gnome Village outpost entered. Behind him was another Void Knight. His face was familiar.
The familiar face grinned.
"Joe!"
Joe remembered, and grinned too.
"Hey there, Icarus!"
Beneath the grin, Joe was deep in thought. If a Black Knight spy had been brought here, there was a chance that both of them had been found out. This wasn't too good.
"Take a seat, both of you." The Void Knight at the table said.
Both Icarus and Joe sat, Icarus seemingly excited at the prospect of being in a meeting with the High Council. Perhaps he was maltreated and needed information to get a pay rise too.
Suddenly, the Void Knight spoke again.
"Would the other members of the High Council please take your leave. I require to be with my junior Knights alone. Thank you."
Without a word, the other members left through the trapdoor, one at a time. Soon, only three of them were left.
"Okay, I'll just get straight to the point." The Void Knight started.
"I don't know if you guys have heard of me. I'm Sir Vereor, a Captain of the Void Knights and a senior member of the High Council of Guthix. I know both of you, so there's no need to introduce yourselves."
Let's hope he doesn't know enough, Joe thought to himself.
"Let me ask you people a question first." Sir Vereor closed in, speaking almost in a whisper. "Have you heard of the Symbol of Balance?"
Our confused faces must have shown, for Sir Vereor continued.
"The Symbol of Balance is a powerful artifact, left behind by Guthix when he left the world of the mortals with the other gods. How powerful, you might ask. Enough to effectively destroy or cure the world."
Joe raised an eyebrow. Sir Vereor simply continued.
"This Symbol of Balance, once activated, will be able to control any matter it has contact with. Control. Matter. This ability can kill millions, or save them.
"This is why, to maintain true balance in the world, Guthix's divine will that the world will be equal, We have searched for, successfully, and split apart, the Symbol of Balance into exactly nine pieces. There is a tenth piece, its string, which is hidden here in the Grand Tree, for the artifact is a strung amulet in the shape of a teardrop, the sign of Guthix.
"Now, to the main point. Each piece is guarded by Void Knights in different locations around the world. Recently, two groups have been killed. By whom, we do not know. However, the pieces are still safe. A few Knights have survived and protected the pieces.
"I will send you two, each to the two locations to protect the pieces until we have found the intruders. You will have a team at your disposal, fellow Void Knights.
"Sir Joseph Anderson, you shall lead a team of six other Void Knights to protect the piece at Falador. Sir Icarus Ignavus, you shall lead your team to protect the Canifis piece. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!" Both Knights saluted simultaneously.
Throughout this, Joe's mind was still racing.
If I can secure a piece, the White Knights will have a lot more power. I will just need to contact my superiors, and they can kill my Void Knight team. We might even be able to intercept and obtain the Canifis piece. And I have information, enough to probably get some sweet cash.
Joe looked to the ceiling, and managed a small smile. His life was about to get better.
Alright, that's it. I'm actually going for a 4-day CCA chalet from 18th to 21st, so I can't work on the next chapter until then.
And, if you find this story too complicated, do read up on Runescape lore. Here's a webpage to help…
http:// runescape. wikia. com/ wiki/ RuneScape_Wiki
Remove the spaces.
