Hello, hello, hello, what's happenin' readers?
...and here we have chapter 12! I hope you enjoy it. Some important announcements at the bottom.
Disclaimer: I do not own Jagex, RuneScape, or any of the RuneScape characters. All I own is the plot of this fanfiction and some of the characters in the story. I am not making a financial profit from this story.
Chapter 12: Entrana
"So what do you know about this person who wants to meet us?" I asked; I was feeling slightly nonplussed, to say the least. Osrie1 and Amy11 both shrugged.
"All I know from this letter that was posted to me is that an old friend of ours wants to meet us on this monk island called Entrana," Osrie1 muttered, brandishing a piece of damp paper in my face. I turned my head and I stared thoughtfully out to the sea.
We were on a relatively small wooden boat that would take us to a reclusive island called Entrana, an island inhabited by monks. The boat was currently being driven by monks, kind, religious people that accepted us onto the boat with open arms. They wore either brown robes or white robes of fine silk and they wore metal Saradomin symbols around their necks. The only thing that annoyed me was the ridiculous policies of Entrana. The three of us (Osrie1, Amy11 and I) had been forced to remove our weapons before boarding the ship. Our weapons were currently nestled safe in our respective houses, but I still felt very bare without the comforting glow of the hilt of Silverlight reassuring me from my belt.
Osrie1 had received a very vague letter in the mail earlier from a person who called themselves 'an old friend'. It was unnerving, to say the least, and the fact that we weren't allowed to take weapons onto Entrana unnerved me even more. Perhaps it was paranoid of me to think so, but what if we were being lured into a trap of sorts? Still, the possibility of meeting an old friend was an exciting one, so I was more than eager to take the risk.
I'd heard a few different things about Entrana from different people. People had previous told me that Entrana was a beautiful place that I should definitely visit, while others had described the island and its inhabitants as boring and bland. I wasn't sure what the truth was, but I was going to find out soon enough.
I reflected briefly upon the events of the past week or so. There had been a period of celebration because the Demon Clan, for the most part, had been disbanded. The Silver Wasp and the Black Fly were still at large, but they were in a position of weakness at the moment. The Pink Butterfly was now under questioning. I wasn't aware of the techniques they were using to extract information from her, but they clearly weren't working because they were none the wiser about the Demon Clan's secrets.
We eventually arrived at the small docks of Entrana. We were greeted by three smiling monks, who ushered us from the boat and thanked us for our visit. I smiled politely back at them. It was a good start; that much was for certain.
I took in the sight of Entrana itself. Entrana was a relatively small island, but it was most definitely the most beautiful island I'd set eyes upon so far. The island was covered by lush green grass that spread out in all directions. Buildings, both large and small, dotted the island, some made from sturdy stone, others made from wood, and one gigantic building in the middle of the island made from brilliant marble. This place was clearly a religious place because of the churches, the clothes worn by the monks, and the general aura of peace that emanated from the island itself. Monks also dotted the island doing a variety of things, from meditating to chatting to farming. The far side of the island was craggy, with no buildings on it and nobody on it, apart from a monk in brown robes guarding a tunnel entrance and an oddly-coloured large bird standing on a craggy cliff.
"Welcome to Entrana!" a nearby monk boomed, taking me by surprise. "My name is Mazion, and I take care of our valued sandpit. This island is known as one of the holiest places in RuneScape in its entirety. Some even say that Saradomin himself set foot on this island once, many moons ago. This is why we ask that you don't bring weapons onto this island; we like to think that weapons of combat could affect the flow of peace on Entrana.
"As you may have noticed, Entrana is now inhabited by us monks, and we like to think that the peace the island brings us is helpful when it comes to studying, crafting and meditating. That building there is the grand cathedral of Entrana." He pointed in the direction of the large marble building. "The High Priest, our leader and a respected figure among Saradomin followers and monks across RuneScape, owns it. We like the craft of glass-blowing here, because the results are beautiful and it helps us focus our thoughts. Guests here are a rarity, so don't hesitate to approach any of us if there is anything we can do to make your visit a more comfortable one." I thanked Mazion, and left the docks, heading in the direction of the cathedral.
"This old friend of ours, did he specify when and where he wanted to meet us?" I asked Osrie1. Osrie1 shook his head in reply, reading over the letter once again.
"Not really," Osrie1 admitted. "However, he did say that he'd be here by mid-afternoon, and this island doesn't seem like a very popular tourist location, so we can assume that when he does arrive, we will know. In the meantime, we should probably do some exploring. We'll meet up afterwards in the cathedral, when our apparent friend arrives." I nodded in agreement, deciding to take a look at the great cathedral.
I nervously approached the large oak doors of the cathedral, and, almost as if they knew I was standing there, they swung open, granting me entry. I stepped inside, and the quiet that lingered over the island only seemed to deepen when inside. The first thing I noticed was the sheer size of the cathedral. I conceded that I could probably fling a stone across the cathedral and the stone would fail to reach the other side. Rows upon rows of polished oak chairs surrounded me, and a bookshelf filled with holy books, prayer books and scrolls towered above me on one side of the cathedral, putting the shelves in most libraries to shame.
The stained-glass windows surrounding me depicted iconic scenes in history, both the history of Saradomin and the history of Entrana itself. They lit the cathedral with a relaxing multi-coloured glow. The altar stood on the far side, surrounded by stone steps and guarded by golden statues. Two sets of stairs stood to my sides, leading to a balcony of even more chairs. A smaller set of stairs led to what I assumed to be another floor above the main body of the cathedral.
There were only two other people inside the cathedral, apart from myself. A monk sat nearby, reading and paying no attention to me. Another dark-skinned monk clad in brown robes stood by the altar, murmuring what I assumed to be prayers. I could tell that this man was the High Priest, for a multitude of reasons. For one, his holy symbol was considerably larger and glowed with a gleam unlike anything I'd ever seen before. He let off an aura of intelligence I could feel halfway across the large room. He wore a headband, and he seemed older than the other monks. He turned around, and gave me a polite wave, before returning to his prayers. I left the cathedral, feeling amazed.
I was dazed by the sheer beauty of the cathedral. It was truly one of the most beautiful buildings I'd ever had the fortune to see. It occurred to me that, very shortly afterwards, I would be meeting an old friend of mine in there. I both look forward to it and dreaded it. Could we really trust this person?
I approached the sandpit, feeling almost lost. I knew exactly where I was, but the sheer, overwhelming sense of tranquillity was something that I wasn't used to, something that confused me to no end. It was muddling me slightly; in a time of awful strife, how could such a place exist? I now understood and appreciated why the monks held the island with such high regard. It truly was a holy place.
I entered the glass-maker's shop, staring with wonder at all of the beautiful and glorious glass models that stood, shelved, all around me. The monk behind the counter shot me a polite smile. I smiled back, and left the shop. I saw Mazion the monk sitting down nearby, overlooking the sandpit. He stood up upon seeing me, grinning.
"I suppose you're here to learn a little bit about glass-blowing," he grinned. "I can do that. Glass-blowing is a fairly simple art when you become accustomed to it, but before you can go any further you need a glass-blowing pipe. You can buy one inside for 20gp." I entered the shop, handed the attendant 20gp, and took a glass-blowing pipe from a nearby crate. I exited the shop again, staring at Mazion expectantly. "To make molten glass, we need two things: seaweed and sand. Here, take this bucket." He offered me a bucket, which I accepted curiously. "Now fill that bucket with sand from the sandpit." I obliged, feeling slightly baffled. "Good. Now follow me." He walked in the direction of the sea and I followed him, feeling more bewildered than ever. He stood on the shoreline, bent down, and scooped up a large handful of seaweed. It then clicked; the island was ideal for making glass because of the large amount of seaweed one could assume would wash up regularly on the shores.
Mazion walked in a different direction and I followed him reluctantly. He walked into a building with a towering furnace taking up three-quarters of the room. A small open fire stood nearby, and Mazion reduced the seaweed to ash in the fire. "It's called soda ash," he told me. "Molten glass can only be made with soda ash as opposed to the raw seaweed itself." I nodded furiously, communicating my understanding clearly to him. He then poured the soda ash into the bucket of sand and mixed it together with his hand. He poured the contents of the bucket into the large ladle nearby and poked it into the furnace cautiously. After what seemed to be minutes upon minutes of poking, he withdrew the ladle, revealing the contents to me.
A white-hot mixture filled the ladle. "Pour that gently yet quickly into your pipe," he instructed. "Do not wait too long, or the glass will set and it will be a nightmare for us to remove the glass from the ladle." I nodded, took the ladle off him, and poured the glass into the pipe, making an effort not to let any drip out on the other side and making even more of an effort to refrain from letting it drip onto my hand. Once all of the glass was in the pipe, I stared at Mazion, awaiting further instruction. "Now blow into it," he commanded. "Be careful. Use the power of your blow to shape the glass as you desire. You cannot expect it to form a paticularly ornamental shape; you won't get anything much beyond spherical at your experience level and using only your glass-blowing pipe." I blew carefully into the pipe, trying not to burn my lips on the sweltering heat of the pipe itself. A bubble of molten glass appeared on the other side. I blew slowly and carefully, trying my utmost not to make a mistake. I blew until the glass was in a decent shape, then I ceased and let the glass cool. When it was reasonably cooled, I pulled it from the pipe, and I held a glass orb in my hand. Mazion nodded with approval.
"Here, take this," he said, offering me an oddly-shaped tool that looked like a knife without any sharp edges. "In future, when you are glass-blowing, use this to shape the glass as you are doing so without burning yourself. It's not the most professional tool; that much is true. Better ones are available, and you cannot hope to create a masterpiece with that. If you want to cut the still-soft glass to create shapes and whatnot, use this." He handed me an actual knife that looked like it had been designed for the purpose of cutting glass. "You're now ready to do some glass-blowing of your own." Mazion returned to his post by the sandpit, shooting me a polite grin as he did so.
As I blew some glass (trying and failing to create anything more than an orb, a fishbowl or a warped shape), something occurred to me. Glass-blowing was a repetitive craft that required utmost concentration and I found it a very relaxing activity that put me under no particular strain. It was one of the many things that made the monks peaceful people. It was probably excellent for their meditation, as the time it took to blow the glass probably allowed the monks to think and muse, perhaps over things that they were studying. I would love to live in a place like this, I thought, sighing inwardly. Osrie1 ran frantically towards me, tearing my train of thought off course.
"Dude!" he yelled. "Our friend has arrived! I won't spoil the surprise for you. Just follow me." I obliged, putting away my tools and glass and following him, excitement sparking up within my stomach. We ran into the cathedral and we ran up the stairs leading to the above balcony. I saw two people sitting nearby. I recognised one of these people straight away as Amy11, but it took me a second to recognise the second person. When I eventually did, my jaw fell open.
Sitting there was Aaron.
Aaron had changed, that much was for certain. He was still rather tall and his skin was still naturally tanned, but his facial features had distorted slightly. His face now seemed wilder, more powerful, and more… wolf-like. Go figure, I thought to myself, feeling slightly amused. His shoulders had broadened slightly and additional muscle that I didn't remember him having previously rippled under his skin. I noticed a lack of blade-on-a-chain weapon he usually had attached to his waist, but then I remembered Entrana's no-weapon policy. He walked towards me and pulled me into a crushing manly embrace. I embraced him back, almost feeling tears welling up in my eyes at seeing what most definitely an old friend.
"How are you, my friend?" I asked. "It's been years. How goes your werewolf training?" I clearly remembered the time when Aaron had to leave us; we'd just discovered that he was a werewolf after he transformed and killed Mort the vampire lord and Cedric the traitorous white knight commander.
"I am well, Mainiac97," Aaron replied, smiling. "I would have written a letter that was less vague if it weren't for my awful habit of wanting to keep the element of surprise. As a matter of fact, I am more than well, for I have completed my training in Catherby with my clan. I have now regained complete control of my transformations, although I have no idea why I lost control over my transformations in the first place." I scowled bitterly and I described to him the vision I had, all those years ago, when Master Samuel explained how he'd been trying to kill me. One of his evil attempts on my life involved playing with the transformation patterns of Aaron, in the hope that Aaron would kill me in his werewolf form. Despite the bitter tones in my voice, though, I couldn't help but express glee at Aaron's news.
"I suspected as much," Aaron growled. "Well, at least the vermin is dead now. That reminds me… I would ask you how you are, but I already know how you are. I must congratulate you on your victories, both recent and not-so-recent. You should be hailed a hero for slaying Master Samuel, and I must offer you congratulations for killing Count Draynor, killing Madrey1, finding the missing half of the Shield of Arrav, and succeeding to acquire some more legendary Bluerite swords for Sir Amik Varze." I thanked Aaron.
Our conversation continued on a very casual level. Aaron shared with us some interesting and/or amusing stories involving his training. It was a tough process that involved mental strength trials (including pain and combat trials), being locked up for copious amounts of time, and lessons on techniques on how to restrain oneself during the transformation process. We discussed with him some of our recent adventures, the TzHaar caves, our victory over the Demon Clan, and our fears involving Fiend. Aaron nodded seriously.
"Listen, guys," he said slowly. "I have a proposition for you. Catherby is a nice place, and there is plenty to see beyond Catherby. I'd also like to introduce you to my clan. So, I was wondering… do you want to accompany me to Catherby? Do you want to go questing again?" I turned to Osrie1 and Amy11, who both looked slightly taken aback but rather happy nevertheless. I discussed it briefly with them. Were we prepared to leave behind Port Sarim and travel RuneScape again? Did we have a responsibility to the people we wouldn't be seeing again for a while? After some discussion, we turned to Aaron again, and we nodded. Those few nods signified something bigger; those few nods signified the start of something new.
Looking overjoyed, Aaron began discussing times and dates for us leaving, and we eventually decided we would wait a week before meeting up outside the gates of Taverley to begin our travels. A week would give us some time to prepare, and Seer's Village was a stones-throw away from Catherby, giving us access to our houses. I was anxious yet excited. The prospect of exploring and questing as I did years ago filled me to the brim with anticipation.
Osrie1, Aaron and Amy11 left the building, still chatting contently. I hung behind, still musing about what had just happened. I eventually decided to leave, but just as I was about to leave the cathedral a hand grabbed my shoulder. I turned around and I saw the High Priest staring at me. His eyes were rolling madly, and he seemed to be frothing slightly at the mouth. "Mainiac97," he croaked. "All may seem well, but danger lurks around every corner. Problems arise from the deep. A man inspired by gods, a fiend of a man, claims the black, bejewelled throne of the long-gone master. The darkness approaches, never-stopping, never-ceasing. A dazzling end I see, but I see it faintly. The shadows of the past return to haunt you; almost-forgotten friends reappear and old enemies fall to the grave. But they do not stop here. Beware the man of brown and green, heed the words of wise men, and finally… there is something on your back!"
I felt it again. That awful feeling, the feeling that I hoped I would never feel again. The heavy weight on my back… the terrible shuffling of an object I could not see… the incessant clicking… there was something on my back. I struggled with my senses for a good while before the sensations faded. I realised that my eyes had been screwed shut the whole time. I opened them slowly, only to notice that the High Priest was gone, and standing in his place was Ilookgood99, who seemed sombre.
"Mainiac97," he whispered. "It has been a while since we last met. The last time I saw you, I warned that everything was not over. The prophecy and predictions of the High Priest are meaningful; truly, the shadows of the past are back to haunt you. Remember that when you set out on your quest. Expect to see shadows of things that have already happened. My appearance today should be proof enough that the old evils that you thought were dead were only lurking and hiding. Fiend has arrived, the forces are regrouping, and the time I have been waiting so long for is nearing." With a puff of smoke, Ilookgood99 vanished, leaving me lost and confused, with an excess of food for thought.
As I walked down to the docks to meet Amy11, Osrie1 and Aaron, I considered what had just happened. I knew that danger was lurking, not only because the High Priest told me, but because I'd seen enough old enemies and old friends to know that ancient blood was stirring. The appearance of Madrey1… the speech of King David… the appearance of Fiend… they all meant something. Darkness was certainly approaching, and I didn't have a clue how I could combat it.
That concludes a rather curious chapter 12! My question to you is, what are your thoughts on Aaron's return and the quest our protagonists are about to set out on? What are your thoughts on the Priest's prediction? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Just a note also to say that I've written a one-shot describing an adventure of Aaron after the end of the first story but before this chapter, put into the one-shot story titled to 'The Adventure Through RuneScape: The One-Shots.'
I organise my stories into sections named 'arcs', meaning a series of chapters that go under a certain titles, quite similar to the way TV shows are organised into seasons. This chapter marks the end of the first arc of 'The Adventure Through RuneScape 2: Darkness Approaches'! The first arc was aptly named 'Shadows of the Past.' This chapter marks the beginning of the second arc, 'Bloodthirsty.' The name of the arc itself should give you some decent food for thought!
I am now officially beginning a character competition! If you want to see a character of yours feature in this story or if you have any character ideas bubbling in the back of your head, this is a competition for you! You can submit to me character entries via review/PM, I will select my three favourites and they will feature in the story. When considering who to feature in my story, I will consider: description, personality, how interesting the character is, character history, originality,whether the submitter already has a character/characters in the story, and also what the character could add to the story. I look forward to seeing the entries. The competition has now finished. Thanks to the four that submitted great entries!
Next time... "We'll never get out of here," Amy11 sobbed, shivering slightly.
Until next time, toodles!