Kind of short, but it's all important.

Chapter 7: The Late King of Ardougne

"This war is a losing battle for your side." said the king rather casually, laying down on his thrown, his legs over the side. He took a rather large bite from his now finished apple, and let it drop from his hand, to roll on the floor until a servant hastily picked it up and ran out to the grounds with it to throw it in the increasingly large compost pile. Another servant handed him a large pear, and the king continued to eat. "I see no reason to join you. Look what happened to Burthorpe, they signed their death warrant.

"Burthorpe is a foolish nation whose traditions lie within barbaric ceremonies and countless battles. They are no better than the Fremnik scum of the north who you hate so much. We understand that your nation is different. Not only are you skilled in battle, you have countless strategists and tacticians who can ensure our victory. Your forces are large, your city is large enough to be separated in two, and still be more formidable than a city like Varrock. Plus, we feel that we can lure the enemies driving force, its own group of heroes, here, to their deaths. Without them, their morale will plummet, and their cities, no, regions, will be yours for the taking. Misthalin and Asgarnia will belong to you. All you have to do is help us.

"Hmm, I don't know," replied the king, pear juice dribbling down his chin. "It does seem rather risky."

"But think of the benefits. Maybe this will help change your mind," said the man, producing a rather large bag of coins. He shook the bag lightly, producing a soft jingle, to which the king looked up and tossed his fruit to the floor, quickly wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"Perhaps we could arrange something then?" said the king, eyes staring at the money bag. He gave two loud claps and in response, a tall man wearing a very expensive looking red silk shirt, and matching pants to complete the outfit, came running from the corner and bowed deeply. He was balding, but still had a thin layer of white hair clinging to his head. The king didn't even glance at him, but instead ordered, "Go speak to this nice man here, and make some arrangements. Make sure it's all in my favor, of course!"

"Of course sir!" replied the man as he straightened himself out. "Come along," he said to the man, quickly making his way to the door at the far end of the chamber. The visitor followed, putting the large sack back into his robes. The king's assistant waited for him at the door, looking rather impatient.

"Whoops!" said the man, rather casually, as he dropped a few runestones on the ground. "Let me just pick these up quick." As he bent over to get the stones, he began muttering something incomprehensible. His voice grew steadily louder, and as he picked up the runes he was nearly shouting. He ended by turning to the assistant and holding the runes tightly in his hands. The man went stiff, his entire body growing pale. The man fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud.

"What have you done with him?" demanded the king, straightening himself so he was sitting on the chair upright. The visitor, who was obviously a wizard, approached the king, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

"Oh, he's just unconscious. He'll be fine. This is rather disappointing though, you'd think you'd have some actual guards in the chamber room."

"They were handling some thief, a rat, who broke into this very room." The king tried to come off as confident, but could barely keep his voice louder than a whisper.

"Oh yes, that's right, now I remember sending him in here. Still, you'd think you would've been wiser than to send all of your guards after him. Just more of a reason that you need to be dethroned, you aren't fit to run this place."

"W-w-well they'll be back any second!" retorted the king, resisting every urge to curl up in a ball and hope the man would just go away.

"I really wouldn't be too worried about that," said the man, pulling out several runes. He did a quick incantation and sent two large boulders towards the door. They knocked over the surrounded pillars, effectively barring the entrance, and narrowly missing the assistant by inches.

The king reached for the sword attached to his waist and withdrew it shakily, barely having the strength to hold it upright.

"You are a pathetic excuse for a king. I don't know how the people have endured you for so long, unless you somehow scared your guards into serving you. That must be it; you've created a sense of fear in your people. Don't worry; soon, they'll have a strong ruler, one who they can count on to stand up to enemies, and one who they can truly fear." The wizard withdrew more runes and began muttering gibberish. He finished speaking with a shout, thrusting the runes forward. The king dropped his sword to the ground and covered his head with his hands, expecting the worst. "You even cower in the face of an obviously fake spell, instead of standing up to it. Don't worry; the next one's the real thing!"

"Does anyone know some spells to get through here!" shouted the captain of the Ardougne guard, who once again tried to ram the door to the king's chamber open. He rubbed his shoulder and looked at the faces of the other guards, who seemed to have no idea what was going on. Finally, a man wearing deep blue robes that the captain had never met before pushed his way to the front of the crowd. The captain was about to stop him, but figured that if this stranger could help, he would let him. He withdrew three or four air runes, along with the same amount of death runes. After a quick incantation, a large ferocious gust of wind slammed into the door. The large door refused to budge even an inch.

"Anything else you can do?" asked the captain.

"One thing, but its likely going to take all of my energy," warned the wizard. He withdrew six air runes, arranging them in a triangle on the ground. Within the triangle he made another triangle of six runes whose design resembled a drop of blood. After that, he withdrew a stick of chalk, creating a circle around the triangle, although leaving a rune sized circle in the four 'corners,' where he placed four more air runes. Then, after withdrawing a book for quick reference, he wrote a strange message in a circle around the triangle, although within the original circle. After this he stood back, admiring his handiwork.

"I'd advise you hold on to something," said the wizard, motioning to the small rings on the wall keeping the torches in place. The guards quickly grabbed hold of them, bracing themselves for what ever was to come. "Right, well then, if everyone's ready!" At that the man returned to the book he had referenced early, and began saying the same incantation he had written in the circle. As he spoke, a large gust of wind burst seemingly from the window at the end of the corridor, nearly pushing the men off their feet. The wizard finished speaking, smiling politely. The wind picked up, yet somehow he stayed happily on his feet, while the guards were using all of their strength to stop the wind from picking them up. A few guards a little further down the hall noticed the wind had stopped coming. Sure enough, the wind had been picking up in the center of the circle. Slowly it started to spin, creating a tiny, but powerful, tornado, right in the center of the blood triangle. The tornado reached the ceiling, where it burst, sending one last burst of wind all throughout the corridor.

"Hello there," said the wizard, who was now greeting the entity in the center of the circle. It was large, at least seven feet tall, and looked as if he was made out of wind, his 'skin' was bluish-whitish, and moving all over its body. It was relatively human shaped; it had obvious arms and legs, and a round head that looked like a semi-circle right off his body. In response to the wizard, it merely groaned. "Yes, you obviously aren't enjoying this; I know you don't like to be away. Oh, I wouldn't slacken your grip yet," he added, turning back to the guards, who looked slightly relieved that the gusts were over. "In fact, I'd hold on a bit tighter. Now," he said, once again directing his attention towards the being he had just summoned. "If you could kindly open the door, I'll let you go home."

In response, the being thrust his hands toward the large door, which was at least ten feet tall and six feet wide. For a moment it seemed like nothing happened, but slowly the men directly behind it felt the wind picking up again, although this time it felt as if it was coming through the wall. Slowly it picked up speed, and the men were thrown in the air, horizontal with the floor. They clung tightly to the rings, which were now loosening from the stone. The door was slowly moving open, even now the wizard, who was still standing happily behind the monster, could see inches into the room.

Then, as if in an explosion, the door shot open and was sent across the chamber. The pillars were thrown threw the air like mere paper, landing somewhere in the middle of the chamber. The monster turned to the wizard and smiled, and let another large tornado engulf him. When the tornado cleared, the only thing left on the ground was the chalk lines.

The wizard strode into the chamber, the Ardougne guard following him closely after. On the thrown sat a wizard, in the same position the wizard had found the king previously. The king's assistant stood at his side, nervously glaring at the guard. Most shocking of all though, was the king's dead body, which was slumped against the foot of the chair. The wizard could tell from where he was that his clothes were damp, although now visible cuts or gashes seemed to exist.

The wizard regarded them, beckoning them all over casually. As they approached, he took a generous bite out of a large pear, and threw it out the window.

"You had a rather long audience with the king for someone who was just going to kill him. I saw you walk in the same time I arrived, and eavesdropped to most of the conversation. I foolishly got caught up in helping the guards dispatch of the thief, and now I return to see the king dead." The wizard spoke confidently, but it was obvious to everyone he was nervous. Beads of sweat ran down his face as he spoke, and his breathing was heavy. He hadn't lied when he said the summoning would take most of his energy. If a fight were to break out, he would probably have to flee.

The man in the thrown shrugged, already bored with the conversation. "Well, for one, I had a feeling someone was listening outside, considering I saw you when I arrived as well. I had hoped that stalling would let me do this alone, and right I was, for when I approached the door to talk to the king's lovely assistant here, I could sense no presence. But honestly, you can't take me, not after that very impressive summoning. That really was a great bit of magic."

"Yes, I seem to get that a lot. I was hoping we were still on good terms though, Haikor, we were once such good friends." The wizard, though still tired, seemed to return to his usually casualness, and was currently playing with a strand of fire, directing it around his moving fingertips.

"Please, Urantan. After what you did to Traiborn, our glorious leader?"

"Well, he was simple really; he fell to that attack far too easy. Sure it took most of my energy, but it was just simple planning." Urantan was now entertaining himself by racing the snake of fire around the room, hardly glancing at Haikor. The guards watched the scene dumbfounded, not exactly sure how to react.

"So are you just going to have fun with that thing, or are you going to fight me?"

"No, I don't have much a desire to fight you. I have been trying to create a particular spell for awhile now though, if I could test it on you."

"What type of spell?" asked Haikor, who was now standing, and eyeing Urantan carefully.

"Well, you can learn that yourself hmm?" At this, Urantan retrieved eleven runes from his robes. Three law runes, four air runes, three water runes, and a mind rune.

"I fail to see what those runes could do. Well then, I'll show you what a powerful spell is." Haikor took out a blood rune, three fire runes, and three air runes.

"No matter," replied Urantan, who began his incantation. When he finished, both his runes and Haikor's runes glowed a light purple. The light became so bright that it was impossible to even see the runes in their hands. As the light ebbed away, Haikor noticed things were different. In his hands were three air runes, three water runes, and a mind rune, whereas Urantan was holding three fire runes, three air runes, and a blood rune. "And it worked magnificently!"

"You're too tired to use a spell of that magnitude!" yelled Haikor, hardly able to believe what just happened.

"Of course I am, but your current spell will hardly affect the guards. Now, if you men would like to finish him off, I'd greatly appreciate it!" The guard captain nodded and the guards charged at Haikor. Haikor however did an unusual thing. He put the runes away, and instead said another quick incantation under his breath. At the end, he clapped, yet it still seemed to have done nothing.

"Fellow wizards!" his voice boomed, far louder than he should've been able to. "Come to my aid. Finish off the guard here, destroy all hope. I must take my leave, but you can destroy them. Surround the castle, let none escape, especially the traitor, Urantan. This city is still ours!" When Haikor finished speaking, he pulled out two earth runes and two law runes. Before Urantan or the guards could do anything, Haikor was gone, disappearing in a purple orb.

"What do you think he meant by that?" asked the captain curiously.

"I think I figured it out!" said one of the guards, pointing out the window. He pointed to the docks, where they could see numerous wizards walking on land. As the last wizard left the boat, the guard counted at least twenty-five of them, maybe more.

"What should we do, we can't take them on!"

"What about the soldiers, there must be a good sized army, this is the largest city I've ever seen!" yelled Urantan.

"The barracks are all on the West end of the city!"

"Then run, now! Before the wizards get here. You can defend this city!"

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get help. Selian," he began, talking to the captain, "Don't let them take this city, do whatever you can!" Selian nodded, and watched as Urantan disappeared.

"Well then, let's go!" The men nodded, all drawing their swords. The captain led them out of the chamber and down the corridor to the stairs to the third floor. They ran down the stairs quickly, maneuvering around the tables and chairs in the dining hall, and raced down the stairs to the second level. Selian was about to direct his men down the last staircase when he heard another booming voice coming from outside. He approached the large window that overlooked the castle courtyard to see the wizards assembled there.

"There is no way out, there is only on exit, and we have it blocked!"

"What do we do?" asked a guard, afraid for his life.

"We charge out, and run through, making a run for the barracks," replied one of the guards, looking at Selian, obviously thinking his idea was the clearest option.

"No, we find another way out, or make one, and get everyone to the barracks alive." He looked around. They were currently in the study, bookcases lined the wall, and cozy armchairs sat around the fire. After quickly scanning the room, hoping for another option, his eyes rested on another window, this one overlooking the back of the castle. Another guards seemed to notice what he was looking at, for he shouted:

"You can't be serious?"

"There's no other way. Besides, it's a garden out there; chances are there are some bushes to break our fall." He ran towards the window, and sure enough there where large hedges underneath to break their fall. His raised his hand and pressed it against the glass, testing its strength. He pushed, and the glass easily gave way. He rammed it again with his shoulder, making a large hole, large enough to jump through, in the window. A brave guard approached him, looked at him reassuringly, and jumped out. The rest followed, and Selian himself jumped out after the last.

They had all assembled in the garden, weapons once again at the ready. One of the wizards seemed to have heard him, for they could hear several footsteps approaching from the east side. The soldiers all stood tall, their swords held high. They quickly formed into a line and became like a human wall.

"Listen to me!" began Selian in a frantic whisper, "You all have to run. Run to the barracks and tell them what's happening. We are but seven guards, counting myself. We cannot defend against some twenty-five trained wizards ourselves. I'm not going to let any of you die on me. If we all die, no one will warn the soldiers. You have to move quickly!"

The soldiers stood still, refusing to move. The footsteps grew slowly louder, until finally, the silence was broken with, "Sir, watch out!" Selian turned around to see three wizards, and a fireball hurtling towards him. He was hit square in the chest, sliding on the ground to his men's feet.

"Go, please! I'm not important, but this city and these people don't deserve this! Sure our old king was a coward, but at least the people could live happily. Not under their rule. So go! Forget about me!" It was a feeble attempt, and Selian new it wouldn't do much good. The guards just helped him up and put him behind the wall.

"Sir, you go and warn them, your life is far more important than ours. Please, run!" Without giving him time to react, the guard turned Selian around and pushed him. Selian ran westward, and only took a brief look back at his men, who were charging into battle. He watched as two were taken down, and forced himself to avert his gaze. A stray fireball went past his shoulder, yet still he continued on. The citizens by the castle had all heard the wizards, so Selian, for a moment, was the only one in the streets.

"Ring the bell, ring the bell!" he shouted, finally reaching the barracks. The soldier at the top of the bell tower looked at him curiously. "Just do it!" The soldier obliged, and the sound echoed throughout the city. Villagers dropped what they were doing and ran home, locking the doors behind them.

A soldier ran out from the barracks to greet him. "What's going on?"

"The king's dead, and the city is under attack. My legion of guards are all fighting them, though probably dead by now. We need all the soldiers we can to defend this city. These wizards are truly powerful and must be stopped!"

"R-r-right! Let's go!" The rest of the soldiers, some two hundred fifty, had assembled in the streets.

"This should be enough," said Selian, confident that the city was theirs. He ordered the soldiers to run back top the castle, with him in the lead. The mass of people moved as fast as it could, but all the while Selian was wishing he could move faster. He often had to stop and let to the soldiers catch up for he had run to far ahead. As he saw the castle in the distance, he saw several people who definitely weren't wizards. With a sudden surge of hope, he ran even fast towards the castle, not caring about the soldiers.

"Stop!" said one of the mysterious men, holding out his hand. Selian stopped in his tracks. The voice was none he recognized, and the man's hands seemed to be made of metal. "We, the people of Burthorpe, claim this city, along with the wizards of the Draynor Wizard Tower. You would be insane to try and stop us! We out number your forces greatly!"

"Hardly, I only see thirty five or so men in front of me, mostly wizards, and a handful of you!"

"That is because our full force is waiting just outside the main gate. If you attack, I shall give my men the signal, and this city shall come to ruin."

"It'll come to ruin if you rule it anyway!" yelled a soldier in the frontline, who charged towards the man. Selian reached out to grab him, trying to stop him from making such a foolish mistake, but his hand missed him by inches. The soldier charged forward and raised his sword to attack. His sword was caught in between one of the metal claws on the Burthorpe soldier's left hand. The man spun his hand around, effectively disarming the Ardougne soldier. With his right hand, he stabbed the soldier in the neck.

"Right then, if you insist!" The Burthorpian soldier raised a large horn to his lips and blew, signaling the attack.