This one was fun to write, so let's hope it's fun to read.

Chapter 6: The Council of Elders

Mark picked James up and put his arm around his shoulder. He slowly dragged him back towards the city, where everyone was returning. Everyone was walking, or even running, excitedly towards the gate, speaking with their friends. The amount of Faladorian casualties was surprisingly slim, although still too much, in James' mind.

"I think you owe me an explanation," said Mark as they made their way to the gate.

"For what?" Asked James, surprised.

"Who are you? You have green clothes of a druid, ones that look uncannily like Burthorpe garments. You also use the very weapons the Burthorpe army employs, in much the same exact style. You fight strong and well, and choose to honor every human life you take away. Not only that, you sound vaguely familiar, even though I'm fairly positive that I never met you before."

Since when was Mark so smart? Though James, but quickly remembered the problem at hand. What do I do? I don't know at all how to answer this. I need some help.

"Hey Mark, who's that?" James slowly turned his neck to see who the speaker was. Instantly, he recognized the twin brother of Mark, Merk. Merk jogged over, and James saw he only suffered minor wounds from the battle.

"I don't know," replied Mark. "I just asked him, although he seems familiar."

"Hmm." Merk went in front of them and looked straight at James. "How about you take the mask off?" Merk reached out to grab it but James quickly knocked his hand away.

"I'd…I'd rather keep the mask on, please."

"Suit yourself, what happened to you?"

"He got hit by a giant stone," said Mark. "Can you give me a hand?" Merk complied and grabbed James's other arm. Moving much faster, they made it to the gate, where they found Haddlin climbing down a ladder.

"What happened to him?" asked Haddlin, making his way over to the three boys. Haddlin looked completely unscathed from the battle. Mark was about to answer when Ussieus went over to them.

"Good job everyone. As for you Rikas," James mentally kicked himself, forgetting he already had a fake alias he could've told Mark. "I want you to come with me. You can come as well, Urantan's waiting."

"When did he get up? And how did he get ahead of us?" asked James.

"We retrieved him and brought him back to the castle. He's now quietly sipping tea in my room. Come."

"Right, I think I can walk, or for the most part," said James, who experimentally took a few small steps. It was painful, but he didn't want to look weak, so he began walking by himself anyway. After quickly looking at each other, unsure if they should let him go or not, Merk, Merk, and Haddlin followed after, staying close to James in case he fell.

Guards and soldiers who survived were going to all the safety buildings, giving the signal to open the doors. With a loud bang, James heard the door to the inn being opened. When the guard finally finished, the woman and children all ran out to see their family. Watching it gave James a moment of pride, knowing that he helped keep all these people safe, and the families together.

They made their way through the courtyard and back up to the tower. Sure enough, in Ussieus' room sat Urantan, sipping a hot cup of tea.

"Ah, good to see you all. Haddlin, Mark, and Merk." They looked confused, first at Urantan, then at James, wondering why he was ignoring him.

"We have some matters to discuss, like what to do next, which is very important. Please sit, drink some tea, you must be tired." Normally they would be scared of Urantan blowing up their tea cups, or something similar, but he was right, they were tired. Instead, they accepted the cups and began to drink deeply, sitting down on the fine mahogany chairs.

"Fancy a purple sweet? I must say, they are quite delicious. No one? Ah well, there are important matters to discuss. First off, you." Urantan pointed at James as he finished the statement. "It's hardly fair of you to keep these people in the dark. Shouldn't you remove your mask?"

James sat there, frozen. All eyes were on him. "Urantan, didn't we discuss this. You know I'm sensitive about these things."

"Are you a burn victim?" Asked Mark curiously.

"Not quite, but good guess. If I were in your position I would've guessed bad shaving. The first barber I went to when I needed a little trim was terrible, my face looked distorted for days," said Urantan, staring into space, reminiscing, no doubt, of his long past childhood. "No, not quite Mark. Now…Rikas, as you call yourself, I'd suggest you remove your mask. Although, I have been working on a spell to remove small items of clothing such as this, I don't have the right dosage of runes though. Although I would love a chance to test it on someone other than myself." To emphasize the point, Urantan bent over and began rummaging around a large pouch of his on the floor, containing numerous runestones.

"Th-that's okay. I can get it myself." You knew this was going to happen eventually, thought James. He let out a long sigh and brought his hand to the mask. After several moments of silence, his hand tightened, and he pulled on the mask, slipping it off with ease.

For a long moment, no one said anything. Finally, Mark took a few steps forward and leaned in close, to take a good look at James. Without warning, he punched him square in the cheek.

"I…I deserve that," murmured James, re-balancing himself. He looked at the floor, not saying a word. He was hardly fazed by the punch though, although everyone else seemed surprised, still not having recognized James for who he was. Urantan took another sip of his tea.

"What just happened?" asked Haddlin.

"Surely you recognize him?" replied Mark.

"Well, I admit the resemblance is… well… you don't know it's him."

"Oh come on!" yelled Mark. "Not only does he look and sound just like him, he uses Burthorpe weapons. Haddlin, you know it's him!"

"I agree. Haddlin, you can deny it all you want, why you wish too I don't know, but you are indeed looking at James Farmer. Now please, tell them your story, as you told it to me, but this time starting from when you first returned home, they may understand," stated Urantan, setting his now empty tea cup on the small table next to him.

James nodded, and began his story, starting with the letter he received. He didn't spare any details during the repercussions, wanting to let them know just how horrible they were to Sakir. He finished up quickly speaking of his training and his coming to Falador. When he finally ended the tale, everyone stared at him.

"I know that I shouldn't have converted anyway, but, as you can see, I'm completely with you now, and I'd like to help."

"James," began Haddlin, not quite knowing what to say. "We thought you were dead. Personally, I'm relieved just to see you sitting here, and as a friend. I'd be happy to accept you again, although it will take some getting used to."

"Quite. So, everyone's happy with each other, all friends?" Asked Urantan, no one said anything. "I'll assume that means yes. Now James, I'm assuming that you still wish to go through with this little group? Is it also safe to assume that these three will be joining you?"

"Sure, if they accept. The basic idea is that we would just be a small unit, once again, who fights Old Falador, and their remaining allies, themselves."

"I'm in. What about you?" asked Mark, looking at Merk. He nodded, and looked at Haddlin, who nodded in return.

"Ahh, very good!" said Urantan, clapping. "The reason being, we are employed. I was speaking to dear Ussieus about it moments before you arrived, in which he insisted on getting you. Naturally I accepted his offer; he will pay us a hefty sum of gold for fulfilling what he wants done."

"And what exactly does he want done?" questioned Haddlin.

"A good question, what exactly do you want done Ussieus?"

"Wait, you mean you accepted his contract before you even knew what we would be doing?" yelled James.

"Naturally, as long as it has to do with defeating Old Falador, you don't mind do you. Now, if we could let Ussieus speak, that would be very respectful."

"Right, of course," began Ussieus, feeling slightly out of place amongst them. "Since the wizards retreated, it's quite obvious to assume they returned home. As soon as Urantan, and young…James here, return to full health. I need you to scout out the place, tell us how many our left, and what they're working on."

"That doesn't sound so hard," said James, relieved. "As long as we stay out of sight, and we already know we are fairly good at that."

"Indeed. I've made arrangements so that you can sleep at the inn, no space left in the castle. I'd suggest you get some rest."

James nodded and yawned. Without waiting for anyone else, he left the room and headed for the inn. When he reached the city, he walked quickly, wanting some food and drink. He ordered ale and a small piece of chicken, and gave the bartender a few gold coins he received from the druids. As he sat down at the farthest table, someone approached him.

"Why hello there!" James looked up to see he was being greeted by the same man that was in the inn earlier, when he first arrived. The man sat himself down on the chair and took a swig of the drink in his hand. "I'm assuming you're James right? The druid one?"

"That would be me. Wait a second, how do you know me?"

"We rouges have ears in many places. In particular, maybe one at the bottom of Ussieus' room. Not really the point though, is it?" He stopped talking and took another gulp of his beer. James eyed him closely. He looked suspicious, although he no longer wore his feathered brown hat. He now had nothing on his head, giving James a good view of his eyes, which seemed to dart from side to side, watching for someone. His clothes looked impossibly odd and complicated, made of a black cloth and brown leather. At first glance one would think it was shoddily made, but after examining it closer, it seemed to fit the person very well.

"Is there something you wanted?"

"I came to tell you that the rouges, and a select few Burthorpian people, support your effort entirely. In particular, your eagerness to defeat Falador. Some of us hate them nearly as much as you. And, as a parting gift, I give you this." The man stood up and reached up his sleeve. He withdrew a leather pouch tied in a knot. He threw it on the table, and James slowly reached out and grabbed it. After much frustration, he got the knot off, and in the pouch sat a severed hand. The hand of a white knight. James looked up, but the man was gone. Disgusted, he left his food, as well as the hand, on the table, and instead got the key to his room. Not wanting to have to even think about what happened to him today, he immediately went to sleep.

He awoke the next morning to a bustle of activity downstairs. He went down, and found everyone crowding around the table he was sitting at, with guards trying to move the people back. People began craning their neck to see the table, which only had a plate of unfinished food on it, and an empty leather pouch.

"Nothing to see here! We've solved the case, you may leave!" The guard starting waving his arms in the air and motioning for the people to leave. No one seemed to listen though, and instead just tried to get a closer look.

"Of course," whispered James to himself. "I should've known leaving a severed hand on the table wouldn't be a good idea!"

"Hey, you!" yelled a guard towards James. "Weren't you the one eating here?" The crowd turned to look at James curiously. "Come with me." The civilians looked at James in puzzlement as the guard grabbed James' arm and dragged him to the castle. Several onlookers tried to follow them, but were stopped by the other guards on their way.

As they walked, James couldn't help but wonder what he should've done, and what would happen now. As he went to Ussieus' room, he heard talking coming from the room above. At first he heard Urantan say something, and Ussieus yelling a response. Ussieus' reply was met by several voices James didn't recognize speaking franticly, although they sounded old. The guard pushed James up the ladder and waited on the ground.

"Ahh, this should solve a few problems," said Urantan, looking at the young boy who had just poked his head up through the floor.

"What's going on here?" asked James, confused. Five chairs were placed in a semi-circle around the room, and in each sat four very old looking men. They wore deep purple robes embroidered with gold, and each had a small golden medal on their chest. The fourth seat seemed to belong to Ussieus, who was standing, looking outraged.

"Allow to me to explain. James, this is the Council of Elders here at Falador, maybe you've heard of the Varrock Elders? Roald saw it fit to anoint a council here as well, and Ussieus became one as default, already being the leader here. Now, we are here for a few reasons, but the simplest being, well, they want to kill you. Naturally we are not going to let them, or, at least until your contract with Ussieus is up, isn't that right Ussieus?"

"What are you talking about?" yelled James, before Ussieus could say anything. "What am I to you? A disposable soldier who does his tasks and is sent off to death? I need an explanation, now!"

"Well basically," began the elder farthest to the left, who seemed to be the oldest, and the one in charge.

"Shut your mouth, old fool!" interjected Ussieus. The elders gasped, the one who was just speaking looked astonished. "James, there are quite a few problems. I'll try to explain as best as I can. Basically, when word reached us that you had committed treason; you were branded a criminal, and were to be sentenced to death. Somehow, your friends were able to convince Varrock that should you come back on your own accord you should be spared, since at that point, they still had faith in you. Roald agreed, and then a month and a half or so went by before your return. During this time, the elder council was established, and with it, the power to create all laws and sentences within this city.

"This is bad, for you, because these men were always against giving you a second chance, why I do not know. All I know is that you are now scheduled for execution in two days time. I've been arguing your case because, frankly, I like you, and don't want you to die, but it doesn't seem like there's much I can do."

James stood silently, not quite sure how to react. After a while, he began collecting his thoughts. "Isn't there anything that can be done?"

"I'm afraid there's nothing," said Urantan, looking at the ground, sounding almost genuinely sad. "Still, this gives us time to complete our mission. We should prepare." As Urantan said this, he walked up to the ladder and climbed down, not saying another word.

"If you'll excuse me," said Ussieus, addressing the elders, "I'd like to speak to James in private. Come!" James obliged, and they climbed down the ladder. As they got to the bottom, the guard that had escorted James there climbed up. Just before Ussieus led him in the next room, James heard him describing the events at the inn.

"Listen!" began Ussieus in a frantic whisper, holding James up against the wall, which took James by surprise. "I need you to run. I don't care if you finish the mission or not, but whatever you do, do not come back to this city. There are other ways I can keep in touch with you; you are no value to me, or your comrades, dead. You will have failed yourself, and I don't think there's anything for you here. These elders are crazy, political, power hungry fools! You have no idea how good they'll look for finding the traitor James Farmer! That's why they're so casual about this; your death is like a prize to them!" James tried to take all the information in.

"I don't care what happens to anyone else, you need to survive. For multiple reasons. One, you have become a powerful fighter and ally. Two, not only do you have connections with the druids; you know things about the enemy we don't. And three, most importantly, you don't deserve to die, not after the hell you went through! Now go, do what you must, and survive. Urantan and the others are waiting at the South Gate. Travel well, James Farmer, and may Guthix guide thee on thy journey!" Ussieus then pushed James towards the door out, and ran back up the ladder.

"Right!" Said James to himself. As he was heading towards the groups, he heard shouts and a heated argument coming from the high tower. "Be careful Ussieus. If they are as cruel as you say they are, who knows what they'll do to you!"

James found the group waiting casually at the South Gate. Mark jumped up and waved as James strode over to them.

"So, what happened?" Asked Merk curiously.

"Let's go, now!" commanded James, who didn't stop, but instead strode out of the city. The group followed, and looked at Urantan for an answer. "I'll tell you later!" Snapped James. Satisfied, they followed him, and they began their journey, stopping only when they reached the Port. They rented a room at the inn and wasted no time asking James about what happened. He told the story quickly, and then asked their opinion on the whole thing. He left out what Ussieus had said to him though.

"They can't do that!" Yelled Mark. Merk nodded in agreement. Haddlin sat down and began rubbing his temples, trying to think of some sort of plan.

"I hate to sound like I don't care, believe me I do, but I think we should more focus on the task at hand," began Urantan. "At the pace we're going at, we'll reach the tower by tomorrow. That reminds me, we shouldn't. I don't know about you three, but I'm an old man. I can't move this fast every day. James, I know you're going through a lot, but you have to relax. Now, I suggest everyone get a bit of sleep, I am regardless of what you choose." After Urantan retreated for the night, the rest did as well, until it was only James in the dark tavern, sipping the last of his ale.

"James, it's time to leave! James!" James opened his eyes groggily to see Haddlin pushing him awake. He had fallen asleep on the table.

"Where's everyone else?" He yawned, rubbing his eyes and standing up slowly.

"Waiting outside, come on."

James nodded and slowly got up. Just before he left, the bartender stopped him. "I got something for ya'!" He said, withdrawing a small leather pouch. "The man who gave it to me said you'd understand, I haven't even looked at it." James thanked him and walked outside, undoing the knot as he went. The group looked at him curiously. When he opened it up, he found yet another severed hand, as well as a small note. Disgusted, he dropped the hand, but looked closely at the note.

Dear James,

Sorry about the messy job before, be a little cleaner next time though.

Still your friends,

The Rouges

"Wh-what is that?" Asked Merk, poking the hand on the ground.

"Nothing!" replied James, who picked up the hand and threw it into the sea. "Come on, we can probably climb over this wall and reach the Wizard's Tower within a few hours time!"

"James! What did I tell you?" yelled Urantan. At this point, James was already finding a handhold and pushing himself up. Haddlin sighed and followed suit, as did the rest of the group.

"You're going to get us all killed," said Haddlin, annoyed.

"Very funny. You won't die, I promise. Now come on, I want to go there now. There's too much going on right now. I need a second to think, and I can't while this is going on. I just want to get it over with."

"I can understand that, but maybe we should rush in," said Urantan, who was having a bit of trouble getting over the wall. James and Haddlin were already on the other side.

"If you don't want to go, be my guest. I am." James then began walking into the direction of the Wizard's Tower, being careful to avoid Draynor Village. He reached the bridge and waited for the others. As the gentle waves hit the stone columns supporting it, he felt himself slip away. He wished only to be out at sea, not worrying about war or trouble. He was immediately brought back to reality as the rest of the group caught up.

"Well then, let's go," said Urantan. They began walking across the bridge, and realized that it was eerily quiet. No one said anything until they reached the tower. Finally, Urantan noticed something. "They aren't here."

"How do you know?" Asked James.

"See that dock over there," said Urantan pointing to the other side of the building. "Look closely, there's something odd about it. What is it?"

"There's no boat!" yelled Mark excited. Haddlin sighed and resisted the urge to hit him.

"Precisely!" responded Urantan. "We should probably leave. Come." They all turned around, and as they walked back towards the bridge, heard a loud rumble.

"What was that?" asked James, looking around.

"Well, this rather complicates things," said Urantan. As if in answer, a giant demon crashed through the ceiling, letting out a terrible cry. "Of course, the wizard's lesser demon!"

"L-l-lesser?" asked Mark, staring at it, eyes gaping.

"I assume they implored some sort of growth spell. Never did figure that one out. At any rate, it should stop eventually. We should probably take it out before that!"

"Right!" said Mark, who watched as it jumped down onto the ground. It was now roughly half the size of the tower. Fearless, Mark ran towards it, sword drawn, yelling a fearsome battle cry. The demon bent down and looked at Mark as he charged. Uninterested, the beast swung its arm, swatting Mark away like a fly. He landed in the shallow water and sat there, stunned.

"Is he alive?" asked James.

"He'll be fine!" yelled Merk, rolling the boy on his side so he wouldn't drown. Mark then drew his sword, and began circling the demon. Merk snuck around it and ran into the building. As he climbed upward, he asked Urantan for a distraction.

Urantan wasted no time withdrawing some runes. After a quick incantation, he sent several gusts of wind towards the monster. The demon came off the minor scrapes and bruises, but it was all Merk needed. He had come out on the top floor and looked down at the demon.

"I only got one shot at this!" Merk readied his sword and jumped, straight for the demons head. He was off the tiniest bit, and instead hit he demon in the back, its rough skin deflecting most of the blow. Merk stuck onto the demon as it danced around, trying to knock him off. Eventually, the demon fell forwards right in front of the tower. As Mark jumped off, Urantan sent three large boulders towards the tower, knocking it on top of the beast.

"Is it dead?" asked James, taking a step forward. The rubble didn't move. James took a step closer, glancing cautiously at the debris, then back at Haddlin and Urantan, who was going to see if Mark were still breathing. Merk crouched low and tried to catch his breath, but gave James a thumbs up sign. James let out a sigh of relief, and walked all the way up to the pile of rocks. He didn't notice the tiniest rock roll to the ground. Without warning, the beast crashed through the rocks, now almost just as large as the former tower. It brought up its arm and brought it down on James, who sidestepped the blow, but was still hit in the leg.

Merk once again charged at the beast, but got swatted away like his brother, and was sent back to the bridge. He tried to find the energy to get up, but instead just laid there, hoping the others would take care of it.

Urantan took out several more runes. He began chanting quickly under his breath. Before he could release his spell, the demon created two large fireballs from his hands, which it sent at the wizard. Urantan was able to sidestep the first one but was hit full force by the second one, which he was just barely protected from by the water spell he had just cast.

Meanwhile, James was trying to stand up. The demon eyed him closely, and after stomping and flailing around madly, picked him up. James screamed in terror as he was swung in the air with no way to stop it.

Haddlin looked around. He was the only one left. Mark and Merk were practically in a coma, Urantan was suffering from burns, and James was being held by the demon. "Only one option," he told himself. He took out his crossbow, and repeated the phrase to himself over and over again. The demon took a step forward as Haddlin held the weapon tightly.

"Only one option," Haddlin repeated. The demon threw James gently, who landed in the shallow waters next to Mark. James had just enough energy to turn himself over and watch Haddlin.

"Only one option," repeated Haddlin, withdrawing a crossbow bolt from his boot. The tip was encrusted with a deep red gem. The demon took another step forward, not quite sure how to react.

"Haddlin, you fool!" yelled Urantan, just barely sitting up. Haddlin ignored him.

"Only one option," whispered Haddlin, one last time. As he did so, he raised the bolt high in the air. Quickly, without James even realizing what was happening, Haddlin stabbed himself in the chest. The demon stepped back, surprised, as Haddlin pushed it in deeper, so that it almost completely penetrated through his body.

He then slowly drew it out. As he withdrew it completely, James noticed the tip of the arrow sparkled brightly. Haddlin winced and fell to his knees. Using all of his energy, Haddlin got the bolt into the crossbow, and weakly aimed it at the demon. After a quick second, the arrow fired.

It hit the demon square between the eyes. At first James thought it would be enough, but then realized the weapon wasn't near powerful enough. The bolt hardly penetrated the skin. It just stuck there on the demons head.

Then, with a flash of blinding light, the arrow pushed threw, very slowly, until it came out the other side of the demon's head, and fell to the ground. The demon let out one last cry as it happened, and fell back into the rubble.

Haddlin smiled, and dropped to the ground.