Chapter 8: Armageddon

Kaeryd executed a slashing uppercut with his scimitar. The hobgoblin gave a pained roar and crumpled to the ground. He dodged a stab at his back, spun around and slit the orange-skinned goblin's throat.

A tribe of savage hobgoblins had attacked the ship and crew as soon as they reached the shore of Crandor.

Kaeryd caught sight of a long metal spear rushing through the air straight at a nearby crewman. He reacted quickly and threw his treasured weapon at the flying blade. The scimitar pierced the spear easily and it broke in to two, landing blade down on the charred and scorched ground. After Kaeryd retrieved his curved blade, he ran back to the boat. The battle had ended.

"Well that was a pleasant welcome," Hale said sarcastically.

"Well this place is a pleasant resort, you know," countered Jasmine, equally sarcastic, as she looked at her surroundings. Only charred dirt and smoke that blocked out the guiding sun met her eyes. Everything about the island sent chills down Jasmine's spine.

Captain Renarr of the Intrepid stepped over a goblin carcass and sauntered over to Kaeryd.

"I assume my crew and I will just wait here then?" Renarr asked the young boy.

"You assume right," Kaeryd answered him. Kaeryd gave a gesture telling everyone to follow him.

As Kaeryd and the others walked toward the volcano of Crandor, Renarr stood on his ship stroking his beard as always and wondered if these young warriors would return alive.

"Sense anything?" Enterran asked his friend.

"Not yet," Kaeryd replied. He and Jasmine were searching for any magic. If Zarin were here, then he would have left a trace of some kind of spell.

"Stop," Jasmine commanded in her strict and familiar tone.

"What is it?" Hale asked.

"I sense something…" Jasmine told everyone, "Here."

Jasmine placed a hand an empty square on the side of the volcano.

"Are you saying he's in the volcano?" Eclipse asked her incredulous.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Jasmine answered him confidently.

Kaeryd stepped next to Jasmine and placed his hand on the volcano as well. Nothing flet wrong at first but the longer Kaeryd held his hand still, the more he sensed a familiar presence. Without warning, Kaeryd's hand began to heat up. The heat intensified and made Kaeryd draw back.

"What's wrong?" Tysan asked Kaeryd when he saw him flinch.

"Um, nothing," Kaeryd told him.

Tysan seemed skeptical but dropped the subject.

Kaeryd grimaced as he looked at his hand. It was scarlet red and had a few blisters on it. The pain was identical to the pain inflicted on him by The Chaos Reaver.

Etherian.

Etherian was with Zarin. Great, Kaeryd thought.

"Okay, so how do we get in?" Zac inquired.

"The same way Zarin did," Jasmine answered with a smirk. Jasmine sheathed her staff on her back and put her hands side by side, thumbs touching. As she parted them, a slit in the volcano did as well until there was a pathway tall enough for even Dysann to get in. After the spell was finished, Jasmine gave a satisfied nod and proudly entered.

"A-are you sure that's safe? Because I-" Hale was pushed forward by Eclipse.

"Hey, no need to push," Hale said defensively and brushed himself off as if there was dirt on him.

Tysan smiled and shook his head.

After the whole party was inside, Jasmine turned and sealed the doorway.

Kaeryd took the lead again and hurried everyone along, anxious to find Etherian.

Kaeryd and company followed the faint magical path for about fifteen more minutes before they reached a large opening. Then they heard voices. Distant voices…and too hard to hear even though it sounded like screaming and yelling. Kaeryd signaled everyone to stop.

"Jas, do you have any-"

"Way ahead of you, Kaer," Jasmine smiled as she took out two mind runes from her pouch. She handed one to Kaeryd. The two muttered a small incantation and at once their hearing sense doubled. Their friends' every shift and stir could be detected. The volcanoes' internal rumbles echoed like bass drums in their ears. With a great deal of focus, Kaeryd and Jasmine pinpointed the voices behind layers of stone. Slowly, they cleared and clarified into those of Zarin and his daughter Rayne. The former guild listened intently through Sifias' mental link.

"You failed?" Zarin screamed at Rayne.

"But father, there were too many of them!" Rayne pleaded near the rocky ground.

"That's no excuse! You failed your mission and that's that!" Zarin shouted at his daughter.

Rayne was silent. In the awkward tension, the guild could almost see the sweat run down her face.

"You will be punished. But not now. I'm awaiting visitors," Zarin spat coldly.

Rayne remained silent for another few seconds. Zarin's boots turned and started to walk away from the wall behind which the guild eavesdropped. Suddenly, Rayne acquired the courage to speak once more.

"Father?"

"What is it?"

"The boy. He said that you were going to destroy the world. Is that true?" Rayne squeaked at her so-called father, as if the question had come unwillingly.

"Of course not," Zarin's booming voice retorted immediately, "Didn't I tell you they would try to lie about me? Just for doubting me you will be even more severely punished!" Zarin shouted. Even the guild members winced at the insane king's tone. A cape could be heard whirling around as Zarin left, leaving Rayne alone to shift uncomfortably on the ill-fitting ground.

Kaeryd glanced at Jasmine, a grimace on his face.

"Wow, what a caring father," Kaeryd muttered under his breath.

"Well what now?" Auranus whispered from behind Kaeryd.

"We make our grand entrance."

One by one the ex-guild members filed in the incommodious cavern. Zarin sat upon a velvet and gold throne in the back of the room.

"Well, well, would you look who we have here," Zarin stood and smiled madly.

"Who is he talking to…?" Hale whispered out of the corner of his mouth to Dysann.

"Insane people usually talk to themselves," Dysann laughed uneasily.

"Right, right," Hale smiled, but kept his gaze warily on the king.

"We're going to stop you," Kaeryd threatened, his voice reverberating off the cavern's walls.

"Are you? I don't think so. You're too late, you fools. The talisman is fully charged and ready to be used. I thought you would want to be here as I destroy everything," Zarin taunted with a maniacal smirk. Zarin then looked up fondly at a glowing talisman floating in the air. The same talisman that he took from the Vault of the Ancients. Kaeryd just now noticed the shimmering metal rod.

Two hours. It's all you need.

Sifias? What are you talking about?

Then the answer clicked in his head.

It'll buy you two hours…I trust you can defeat them in that time?

Sifias, there has to be another way.

"Death! Death to all who oppose me!" Zarin raised his hands into the air.

There isn't. You know that.

No…

Goodbye, Kaeryd. The fate of Runescape rests in your guild's hands.

Sifias!

Zarin was still ranting madly.

Kaeryd felt like someone had tackled him. A splitting headache ripped his mind from forehead to neck and a horrid screech filled his ears.

"Huh? What's wrong with you?" Zarin shouted at Kaeryd.

Kaeryd clapped his hands to his ears and suddenly his eyes glowed red. A small silvery light shot from his mouth up to the talisman. Kaeryd reverted back to his normal self with a jolt and fell to the ground, gasping for breath. The glistening light whizzed around the talisman.

"What is that?" Zarin asked to no one in particular.

Kaeryd looked up with saddened eyes.

"Is that-?" Jasmine started.

Kaeryd nodded.

The light stopped suddenly and glowed brightly. The beacon of light charged at the talisman. In a blink of an eye it was gone. The talisman radiated luminously and emitted a flash of light, blinding everyone in the room. Kaeryd shaded his eyes with his arm. When the incandescence subsided, Zarin was the first to speak.

"What…happened? Tell me!" Zarin demanded as if talking to someone else completely.

"He did it," Kaeryd smiled to himself.

"Who did what?" Zarin demanded.

"Sifias was able to destroy some of the talisman's power. We have two hours to finish this," Kaeryd told his friends.

"Two hours? Not a problem," Hale commented.

"This is it Zarin. You lose," Jasmine tantalized.

The group approached Zarin in a semi circle as they unsheathed their myriad of weapons.

"You think you can defeat me?" Zarin laughed psychopathically, though a hint of some kind of doubt twitched at the edge of his too wide eyes.

"Uh…yeah," Hale ridiculed, "In the likely case that your deranged and fatuous mind hasn't noticed yet, you're kinda outnumbered."

"Fool! Etherian! Come!" Zarin laughed.

Etherian.

Kaeryd was right…Etherian was here. Kaeryd heard footsteps approaching. Behind Zarin's throne, there was a tunnel. Slowly, a dark figure emerged from the passage.

"Why hello, Kaeryd," Etherian greeted him calmly.

Kaeryd gritted his teeth, holding back the urge to charge full-force at Etherian.

"I'm sure you all remember Etherian," Zarin introduced his equally insane, though outwardly more subdued, partner.

Everyone stood silent yet ready.

"No? Well then I have another unfamiliar guest for you," Zarin jeered giddily.

Zarin raised his staff and rotated it in a circular pattern.

"Elvarg! Legendary Dragon of Crandor! Come and heed my command!" Zarin ordered.

At once, an emerald green behemoth materialized into the cavern, in the center of the cave, which suddenly seemed incredibly too small.

"Oh, crud," Enterran muttered.

"Well, uh, that's nothing we can't handle…right guys?" Hale asked nervously.

"Um, s-sure…" Tysan stuttered, obviously petrified.

"Ha! Feel my unfathomable power!" Zarin shouted, voice booming. Zarin raised his staff and pointed at Kaeryd. Without incantation, a bolt of lightning rushed out toward Kaeryd's chest. Coming from nowhere, Jasmine leaped in front of Kaeryd and formed an energy shield with her staff. The lightning reflected off the shield, heading straight for Etherian. Etherian's eyes widen and he sidestepped in the nick of time.

"Watch it," Etherian growled.

Zarin cursed and threw another bolt at Jasmine. This time Jasmine countered with one of her own spells. Instantly absorbing a few runes, Jasmine shot a lightning strike from the palm of her hand. The bolts of magic met, forming a magical deadlock, which hovered, crackling, above their heads before zapping out of existence.

"Impressive, but not good enough," Zarin taunted.

"I wish I could say the same to you, but you suck," Jasmine retorted.

Zarin snarled angrily.

"Enough talk, we've wasted too much time talking," Kaeryd said and charged at Etherian.

"We'll take care of the dragon!" Hale yelled after Kaeryd.

So there it began. Jasmine versus Zarin, Kaeryd against Etherian, and the remaining former guild members against the malachite dragon. The battle to decide the fate of Runescape was under way.

Kaeryd swiftly ducked a slash from Etherian's Chaos Reaver. Kaeryd then tried to knee Etherian, but Etherian, seeing the familiar move coming, dodged easily, somersaulting over the boy.

"You're still so predictable," Etherian laughed.

Kaeryd said nothing only attacking fierce at Etherian's head. Etherian leaned back from the callous attack. He kicked Kaeryd as he rotated, causing the young warrior to fall backward, hitting the earth with air-wrenching thump. Gradually, he struggled upright, already exhausted. Sweat ran freely down his face. He glared at Etherian. Unfortunately, Etherian gazed back calm, having not even broken a sweat.

"Okay, I suggest we move in slowly. One of us can distract it while another goes in behind the dragon and slashes its vital spots. Auranus can take out its eyes with arrows and-" Eclipse stopped in mid-sentence.

"Screw that plan," Hale said impatiently and charged forward, with his gargantuan sword outstretched.

"Wait! Shoot, Hale! Guys, back him up!" Sonic commanded.

Dysann, Enterran, Tysan, Zac, Sonic, and Aghamand charged forward, weapons gripped in front of them. Auranus stayed behind, and drew his bow. Taking careful aim, he let the arrow fly, catching flame as it soared straight into the Elvarg's roaring mouth.

Jasmine hurled a speeding ice shard at Zarin. Zarin blocked by conjuring a flame column from nowhere. Jasmine absorbed a handful of wind runes and started to blast Zarin repeatedly with razor-sharp gales of wind. He drilled his staff into the ground and held his position. Jasmine shot the wind waves at Zarin while, little by little, she drew closer to the evil mage.

Etherian charged. Kaeryd's heart beat fast. He doubted he could beat Etherian by himself. Frantically, however, he ducked the slash to his head and kicked some dirt into Etherian's eyes. Etherian growled, raising a hand from his weapon to brush the dirt out.

Etherian had let his guard down, Kaeryd then realized, seeing he could finish the fight. He lunged forward, both scimitars out in front of him. Etherian, eyes still closed, jumped over the lunge and landed behind Kaeryd. Kaeryd spun, and slashed left-handed, followed rapidly by his other scimitar. Etherian blocked the first one and then ducked the second. Etherian was now almost level to the ground and quickly swipe-kicked Kaeryd. Kaeryd tripped and hit the ground with a thud, prone to the rocky ground. Etherian regained his ground and stabbed down with his weapon. Kaeryd, panic running through his mind, rolled to the side. That's when he saw her. Rayne. She was sitting on a ledge high up in the cavern.

Elvarg bellowed ferociously.

"Damn, that's loud," Hale griped to himself. Hale, who was standing in front of Elvarg's scaly leg, thrust his sword forward stabbing into fleshy muscle. Not even a dragon's resistant skin could defend against Hale's enormous sword. Hale smirked, glad that his attack had done the job, as Elvarg limped forward, warding the others back with roaring flames.

Eclipse covered himself with his shield and gradually inched forward. Hale, meanwhile, was still crouched by the monstrosity's impaired leg. He hoisted himself onto it and climbed up the leg until he was on the dragon's back.

Zarin could only defend against Jasmine's ferocious attacks. She's coming closer, he thought. Jasmine kept firing windblasts one after another. Zarin finally countered with a rising motion with his hand. The ground shook and a small plate of earth jutted up, making a shield in front of Zarin. Without hesitating a second, Jasmine quickly absorbed five water runes. A stream of water jetted from her palm toward the rock that Zarin used to protect himself. The boulder quickly eroded away under the blast's violent force, but no Zarin stood behind it. At that moment, Zarin appeared behind Jasmine holding his staff to her head. Jasmine had sensed his presence before he even materialized behind her and instantly upended the back of her staff into Zarin's face.

Kaeryd shot Rayne a questioning look. Rayne crouched on the ledge, staring intently at Etherian. Kaeryd, abruptly remembering the battle raging, got back up and looked around for Etherian.

"Behind you," Etherian whispered savagely, finally revealing some insanity from his tone. He brought down his sword on Kaeryd's head. Kaeryd turned quickly and blocked the sword with his offhand weapon. Kaeryd slashed with his other weapon and Etherian expertly blocked with his plated gauntlet forming a standstill between the two elite fighters.

A struggle of pure strength raged. Then Kaeryd head-butted Etherian in the nose. Blood spurted out of the man's nose, but he did not recoil and held the deadlock. Kaeryd, seeing that Etherian would not retreat, kneed him in the groin. Etherian groaned horrifically but still did not fall back. Blood pouring in streams down his face, he began to grin maniacally.

Etherian gripped his weapon harder and it erupted into flames. Heat started to transfer into Kaeryd's weapon, just like their previous battle. Kaeryd was ready for this though. He broke the deadlock with Etherian's arm and dropped that scimitar, turning sideways. While still holding the other weapon in contact with the man's gauntlet, Kaeryd reached in his cloak with his unoccupied hand, grasping some water runes. Absorbing them into his palm, Kaeryd then took up his scimitar again. He felt no heat.

Etherian growled noisily and pushed Kaeryd roughly. The boy cringed back. Etherian's eyes were bloodshot.

Suddenly, the former Guild Master slashed vertically at Kaeryd's skull, weapon blurred. Kaeryd managed to shunt the sword away with a scimitar and kicked Etherian's chest, hearing the man's breath get knocked from his lungs. Kaeryd followed his kick with a fireball to Etherian's exposed face. Etherian screeched in agony, his face now scarred and smoking like that of a scorched zombie's.

Kaeryd jumped into the air and dived forward, hacking at Etherian. Etherian, angrier than ever before, only gray eyes glittering with insane hate, absorbed some runes Kaeryd did not recognize and swung his hand at Kaeryd. Kaeryd abruptly stopped in midair and his whole body went rigid. Etherian started to squeeze the air, as if trying to rip out Kaeryd's heart. The boy warrior felt excruciating pain in his feet. Etherian laughed maniacally, completely losing it. His pupils shrunk to pinpoints.

The pain that struck Kaeryd's legs crawled agonizingly to his heart. Kaeryd started to yell in pain. Then, unexpectedly, it stopped. He fell to the ground, desperately gripping his chest. Regaining a bit of composure, Kaeryd propped himself up and limped over to Etherian's body, which was lying on the ground. When Kaeryd got close enough, he saw a dagger protruding from Etherian's neck. Kaeryd almost threw up at the sight of his once-friend.

But who saved him? Kaeryd suddenly remembered Rayne. Spinning around, he gazed up to the ledge where Rayne had been. Yet the girl was nowhere to be found.

Meanhile, Eclipse slashed at Elvarg's lunging head. Elvarg barely flinched and went in for another snapping attack. Eclipse blocked with his shield once again. A crack then reached his ears. He'd been dreading that sound. The dragon did not wait and pounced again. Eclipse blocked. Another cracking noise. Auranus shot another arrow at Elvarg. This time he hit the dragon's neck. The dragon started to roar again. Loudly.

"You just had to do that, didn't you?" Hale yelled angrily. Hale was still clinging to Elvarg's back. He started to bound up Elvarg's spine. In a matter of seconds, Hale had reached its head. The dragon now noticed the small-looking warrior and tried desperately to shake him off. But Hale was holding on to one of the green dragon's spikes that jutted out of his back.

"Aghamand! Hold him still!" Hale yelled.

"Give me a sec!" Aghamand shouted back impatiently.

The dragon clawed at Aghamand. Zac, seeing this, quickly drew one of his knives out of his pocket and threw it as hard and with impeccable aim. The knife ran straight through the base of Elvarg's claw, incapacitating it. The dragon let out another massive howl. Aghamand focused and then thrust his hands up. At the same time he did that, thorny roots burst from the lifeless ground and wrapped themselves around the dragon, pulling it to the ground.

"Let's see you roar after this," Hale said with a malicious grin. Hale stabbed his giant sword into the dragon's head straight through the skull. Hale then leaped down from the dragon's scaly back, with his gigantic blade still wedged into the dragon's scaly flesh. Blood splattered everywhere, as Hale split the dragon in half. The dragon died instantly, it's body falling to the already rumbling ground.

"This is it Zarin…" Jasmine said with her staff pointed at his chest.

"You've failed," Kaeryd finished her sentence as he joined his fellow rune-wielder.

"No…" Zarin growled.

Everyone gathered around Zarin. They had all encircled him and trapped the insane wizard in the center. Zarin was stood in pain from Jasmine's beatings and spells.

"I might have failed to cleanse the world of all its inhabitants, but I can still cleanse it of you!" Zarin screamed.

"I'd like to see you try," Enterran retorted.

"This volcano…it…it…will blow up and…destroy…all…" Zarin struggled to speak, jaw barely working. Jasmine then silenced the pathetic excuse for a king with a flat fireball to the face.

"He was bluffing," Hale hoped.

Then, ironically, the cavern shook and the ceiling started to collapse, slates of it shattering on the ground.

"Oh yeah, he was bluffing," Kaeryd mocked Hale.

"Crap, we better get out of here," said Tysan, stating the obvious.

"Go!" Eclipse ordered. They needed no urging. Everyone dashed toward the way they had entered, but fell short of escaping right outside of the entrance as lava, fire and flaming boulders flew at them from the volcano.

"Holy…" Hale started, glancing over his shoulder.

Jasmine quickly grabbed some runes and formed an encompassing shield around the group. The debris collided with her magical shield. Jasmine cringed as they fell on her but did not let go of the shield. Jasmine was determined to save her friends.

"Jas!" Kaeryd called to her.

"Go! I'll hold off the fire!" Jasmine yelled.

"No! You'll die!" Kaeryd warned.

Jasmine shot him a strict look. Kaeryd shook his head fiercely at the girl. He would not lose another friend from this ordeal. Kaeryd curtly commanded the others to go ahead, then sprinted towards Jasmine to aid her, though a part of his mind knew he would die as well.

"Idiot!" Jasmine yelled. The young mage extended her shield to her backside, blocking her friend from reaching her.

"Jaaaasmiiine!" Kaeryd yelled frenziedly, fists pounding on the invisible barrier. Jasmine's hair had begun to rise with the residue of rune power running through her. She was going to overdo it! Kaeryd quickly thrust a hand into his cloak pockets, searching for runes. None were left. Damn it! The boy cursed.

Looking back up at his powerful friend, Kaeryd just had a split second to see the girl gesture rapidly in his direction before an abnormally gigantic wind blasted him square in the chest. Kaeryd was flung backwards with hurricane force. Way backwards. Kaeryd was pitched impossibly all the way back to the Intrepid. The others were already barely on board. Captain Renarr was starting off, already ordering to set sail away from the wretched island.

"No! Jasmine's back there!" Kaeryd yelled at the man.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot risk my crew," Renarr told him without making eye contact.

Kaeryd spun around toward Crandor. Falling ash had clouded the entire island. Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked even the ocean, causing the ship to quake, almost capsizing.

Kaeryd slammed his fists into the ship railing. Hard. The warrior slumped to the saddened deck.

He had lost another cherished friend.