Hello, hello, hello, what's happenin' readers?

Just a small note to say I've reuploaded chapter 5 with edits done.

If you spot any mistakes/typos in this chapter, please point them out to me so I can rectify them.

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.

Enjoy!

Chapter 78: Calm before the Storm

No, I thought desperately. This isn't happening. This can't have happened. Dream isn't dead. Master Samuel is just playing with my head.

I touched Dream on the cheek, and I felt how ice-cold he was. I realised Dream was really dead. He'd been my friend for several months, and he was a very good person. Even if he was a traitor, he was still a friend, and I was horrified to see his dead body lie in front of me. With a pang of ice-cold realisation, it struck me that denying it wouldn't help one bit. I'd have to face the truth. Tears started dripping down my face like tiny waterfalls. Grief struck me like a powerful sword. It immobilised me, froze my thoughts, and turned my logic into mush.

I stared at Master Samuel, enraged. He was standing there, gloating about his big victory and how I was going to die slowly and painfully. I felt an old monster reawaken in the depths of my soul. I sorely wished I had my skull sceptre at the moment so I would have a miniscule chance of smashing Master Samuel's skull in. He'd killed one of my best friends for absolutely no reason at all. Granted, I was his original target, but he didn't seem to care about Dream's sacrifice. He didn't value life one bit, unless it was his.

Screaming with fury, I unsheathed Silverlight. Three black knights approached me to hold me back, but I swung around in my anger and beheaded all three of them in one shot.

I ran forward, bellowing. Silverlight seemed to glow with some of its former glory. I elbowed Left and Right out of the way as they tried to stop me. I wanted Master Samuel to pay dearly of the pain he'd caused me, my friends and many others besides. He was a complete monster, and there was no chance of repentance. He'd proven to me how evil he was.

"Don't worry, Dream," I whispered. "You're safe now. I'll get this fiend back and I'll avenge your death, somehow." I pushed past the MCM and James, and raised my sword to strike Master Samuel. The MCM and James stepped forward to aid Master Samuel, but he put his hand up to signify that he wanted them to stop. He cackled.

"Act the hero all you want," he taunted. "You'll never beat me, not while I have the God Rune." Just as I was about to lower the sword into his face, he shouted a word, and I flew backwards into the wall.

I stood up, dusting myself off, glaring daggers at Master Samuel. I walked past Emily, who was kneeling on the floor, sobbing with loss and grief. I ran towards Master Samuel again, only to find myself back on the floor on the other side of the room, my muscles hurting and my bones aching.

I realised I couldn't fight Master Samuel when he had the God Rune. I wasn't interested in killing anybody else apart from Master Samuel; he was my main target. My only choice was to leave, inform the white knights about what had occurred, and then maybe something could be achieved. I picked up Dream's body and put it over my shoulder. He was very heavy, to say the least. I helped Emily up. Master Samuel eyed me suspiciously.

"We're going to escape from here," I murmured in her ear. "You'll have to cooperate with me. When I scream 'now', you need to run towards the door. If we can get out of here alive, we have a chance of avenging Dream's death." Emily nodded seriously, tears still trailing down her cheeks. I felt sympathy for her. I didn't want to think about how I'd feel if the love of my life died.

"NOW!" I screamed. We both ran towards the door, me a little slower because of the weight of Dream's body on my shoulder. Several black knights ran towards us. I muttered a bind spell under my breath, and one fell over, trapped in purple ropes. It caused a small distraction, and because of it we managed to get out of the dungeon door, and we ran down the dungeon corridor as fast as we could. We were closely pursued by many black knights. We were in the actual castle now, because red velvet carpets covered the floor, while the menacing chandeliers hung from the ceiling. We turned a corner, and ran up a flight of stairs.

"We're going to get lost!" Emily shouted. "I don't know my way out. I never went much further than the dungeons."

"As long as we distance ourselves between those knights, we'll be fine!" I shouted back. "Just run!"

We continued running through the castle aimlessly. We'd managed to escape from the group of black knights in the dungeon, but by now the odds were that the whole castle had been alerted of our presence. We continued until we reached a dead end. I was absolutely terrified. I was stuck in a castle, carrying around the dead body of my best friend, surrounded by enemies, with currently the most powerful man in the world not too far away.

We went to turn around, but we heard angry voices coming from the other end of the corridor. I saw a crowd of black knights running down the corridor. I looked around in desperation for some way of escape. I spotted a vent entrance nearby. It looked big enough for a person to fit in. I didn't like the aspect much, but I had no choice. I ripped the vent cover off, and ushered Emily inside. Grimacing, I pushed Dream's body inside, went in myself, and pushed Dream's body through the ventilation system.

Inside, it was hot, stuffy, and there barely any air to breathe. We sometimes passed grilles, which showed certain rooms. We passed a room full of spare armour. We passed cafeterias which were almost empty, because lunch had passed. We passed a room full of black knights chatting, relaxing and drinking tea.

We passed a certain grille and he heard the slimy voice of Master Samuel. We stopped, and peered through the grille.

Master Samuel, James, the MCM, several black knight commanders and the four black knight lords were sitting around a polished mahogany table, sipping water.

"Why did you let them escape?" I heard Roderick demand. "You let them slip straight out of our grasp, even when you had the means to easily stop them! Do you want us to fail?"

"Think about it," Master Samuel sneered. "When we attack Falador later on in the day, I don't want them unprepared. I want a challenge; I want to test the limits of this God Rune. What's the point burning down a city if there's going to be no effort involved in it whatsoever? How can I prove to the world that I am the ultimate, that not even the legion of the white knights can defeat me, if I don't make it more challenging? It'll be a challenge and a bit of fun for your warriors as well. I heard that the white knights are pushovers.

"I could very easily utter a word of death and kill him instantly, but there'd be no fun in that. I want him to die in as much pain as possible. No, let him escape. The next time we meet will truly be the end. I won't let him out of my grasp next time.

"I actually have a specific preference to the way I want him to die. I want to drop him off a tower on the White Knight Castle into the moat. I've been fantasising about it for a while, and the circumstances will be right when we meet later. His friends and his community will be going up in flames around him, his enemies will be triumphing, and he'll have hopelessness filling every vein in his body. What could be a better way to die?" He stared towards the vent, almost as if he knew we were there. I gulped nervously.

"But sir…" Roderick argued. Master Samuel put his hand up.

"No arguing," he snapped. "I know what I am doing. Now, prepare your troops. We'll march towards Falador later today! We'll crush the warriors, burn the community to ashes, and attack the city at its heart. That being Sir Amik Varze himself of course."

Everyone began leaving the room, and sooner or later only Master Samuel stood there.

"I know you're there, brat," he hissed. "So listen closely. I'll ensure that you get out of here safely, because I want to be the one to kill you. Run back to your white knights. Warn them about our planned attack, and hide behind their skirts. That's what you usually do. There's rarely been a moment when you haven't. When you defeated me in Varrock, you did it with the help of Silverlight and Ilookgood99. You didn't actually kill Mort the vampire. Aaron did. You seem to get the credit for everything, yet you rarely do anything. You get through life purely out of luck. Many have died trying to protect you: Sir Vant, countless soldiers, Gypsy Aris, and even Dream Decay. But I will ensure that the next time we meet you'll fight me purely out of skill, with no luck involved. Now run. Run as fast as your little legs can carry you, because mark my words, you'll want to distance yourself as much as you can the next time you meet me."

He started tapping his claw against the table, leaving small marks. "The storm approaches, stronger than ever," Master Samuel wheezed. "You are the one who is going to get caught in the eye of it." He began laughing manically. I was scared, so I gestured to Emily to continue going. She nodded, looking as terrified as me. She continued crawling through the vent system, and I followed her, pushing Dream's body.

We finally found an opening, and we came out in the corridor fairly near to the corridor that led to the main entrance of the castle. I remembered it from the menacing oil painting of a pure black horse with red eyes hanging on the wall. We found the main entrance, and went through. There was nobody guarding the castle. I realised all of the knights were probably either looking for me or purposely letting me escape on Roderick or Master Samuel's orders. I realised we must have spent ages in the castle.

We walked out of the small forest and appeared by Barbarian Village. While we walked back along the path which led to Falador, I realised how right Master Samuel was. I was a coward, always relying on other people to save my hide. It was probably my curse.

I was absolutely horrified at Master Samuel's newfound powers. With them, he could easily say a sentence or two and send the white knights into turmoil. I didn't know how I'd be able to defeat him, or even if I could. I'd probably have to rely on somebody else to protect me again. That was the last thing I wanted to do.

I also considered Ilookgood99's prophecy. Watch out, Mainiac97. A very bad thing is going to happen to you, sooner then you think. I can't tell what it is. There is a traitor among you, a traitor which will cause this disaster. A storm is coming, Mainiac97, and you aren't fully prepared for it. But I do see a dazzling end, a light in the midst of the darkness. I now understood some of the meaning behind the prophecy. Dream was obviously the traitor, unless somebody else was going to turn out to be a traitor. First Cedric, now Dream. I don't think I could be able to stand another betrayal. Dream's death and Master Samuel's return was probably a disaster enough.

I dreaded thinking about the attack that the black knights had planned. I'd already lived to see more than one major war. It sounded like this war was going to be the biggest one yet, even bigger than the Silverlight wars.

The white knights weren't enough in numbers to combat the black knights, Master Samuel AND any warriors Master Samuel had to offer. It sounded like Falador was going to come to an end. My bloodstream iced over at the aspect. I had a house, but I'd made so many friends in Falador. I'd grown to love the place and the community. I'd been living there for almost a year, and my heart would break if I saw it go up in flames.

Emily was still sobbing over the death of her loved one, who currently lay over my shoulder, dead as a doorstop. I patted her reassuringly, trying my best to comfort her. It must be a terrible experience, to lose someone that important to you. I was terribly saddened by Dream's death to the point of sobbing myself, but I couldn't sympathise with her because I didn't share a relationship with Dream to the same level as her.

We walked into Falador. The guards stared at us, alarmed. They walked forward.

"Mainiac97! Why are you…? What is the…? What in the name of…?" the guard sputtered.

"I'm going straight to Sir Amik Varze to explain," I told him calmly. "Falador is in great peril." The guard, looking bewildered, let us pass, glancing at Dream's body nervously.

I walked into the castle courtyard, getting a barrage of odd looks by knights. Some stopped me, demanding for an explanation, but I told them the same thing I told the guard, and they let me pass. I walked through the castle. I went up to Sir Amik Varze's door, and I knocked three times. I was told to enter, and I obliged.

Sir Amik Varze sat by his desk, his eyes widening at the sight that beheld him. He had two white knights nearby, and they both looked surprised.

"What the…?" Sir Amik Varze stammered. "Explain what's going on!" So I did. I explained about Dream luring me into the black knight's clutches, and I explained about his reasons for being a traitor. I explained what the black knights were up to. I explained about Emily, I explained about the God Rune, and I even described my encounter with the four black knight commanders/lords. I described to him the horrors of Master Samuel and his newfound powers. I explained Dream's sacrifice, I described our attempt at escape and Master Samuel's reasons for letting us go, and I told him about the planned attack later today. Towards the end, I was running out of breath, and Sir Amik Varze looked both astounded and frightened.

"The both of you have been through a lot today, Emily especially," Sir Amik Varze muttered. "I think you deserve a long rest after what you've been through. I also thank you for your warning about the planned assault later today. If Master Samuel and the black knights are as powerful as you say, we are going to need a lot of help. We can't take an army like that on alone." He gestured for the two other white knights to come closer. "Could the both of you possibly get seven knights please?" he asked kindly. The knights nodded, and ran off.

Ten minutes later, seven white knights entered, and waited in front of Sir Amik Varze expectantly. Sir Amik explained the problem briefly to the knights. Their eyes widened as he explained.

"I need one of you to go to Duke Horacio of Lumbridge, explain the situation, and ask for some help," Sir Amik Varze commanded. "I need someone else to do the same with the wizard's tower, and I need another person to do the same with the Glory Troopers and Varrock. I need someone to go to the house of Capablanca and ask him to summon everyone that is living his house here. I need someone to carry the body of Dream Decay and keep it safe so we can give the poor fellow a proper burial if Falador survives the attack. Also, could someone get me a glass of water? All of this commanding and organising is stressful work." Everyone rushed off to do their assigned tasks. One knight remained, waiting for Sir Amik to assign him a task. "I need you to stay here and look over Emily and Mainiac97 while I go off to attend to other business. Could you possibly go and get them some food and drink please? I'll stay here for a second longer to finish some paperwork, and when you get back I'll leave. I have an army to organise." The knight nodded, and rushed off. He came back ten minutes later, holding a plate piled with meat sandwiches and a massive jug filled with flavoured water. Sir Amik Varze gave us a nod, and left.

In the half an hour he was gone, we ate our food, plagued by thoughts of war, death and bloodshed. We finished the plate of food and the jug of water just as Sir Amik Varze returned from his business. He thanked the knight who was watching over us.

In the next hour or so, important-looking people came in and out of the office. A commander of the Lumbridge army came to visit the office to tell Sir Amik Varze that his backup soldiers had arrived and that they were ready for battle. We were visited by a commander of the Varrock army, who told Sir Amik Varze exactly the same thing. The Glory Trooper commanders (Haldir6, Haru axe-man and Creator, with Aubury leading them) came, said the same thing, and greeted me cordially. All of the people in our group came, were told of the happenings, and had been asked to gather locals who were willing to battle. All the other citizens were evacuated to Rimmington, Draynor, Lumbridge and Port Sarim.

By far, the most interesting visit came from Sedridor, head of the wizard's tower.

"Hello Sir Amik Varze," Sedridor said, bowing his head slightly. "I come here to inform you that some of our battle wizards have joined all the other soldiers, and that they are ready for battle."

"Thank you," Sir Amik Varze smiled. Sedridor turned to leave, but he spotted me, and his face broke into a massive grin.

"Well, look who we have here," he said. "It's my old friend. How are things going?" I raised an eyebrow, and Sedridor laughed. "What a stupid question. So, how are your feelings about this war?"

"I don't feel very optimistic," I sighed. "Especially since Master Samuel has the God Rune."

"Yes, I heard," Sedridor frowned. "It's very distressing. If I had that rune, I wouldn't have to focus on my project any more."

"What do you mean?" I enquired.

"Well, it's a pretty long story," Sedridor explained. "You see, about thirty years ago, during my research, I discovered a spell. This spell is an ancient spell, and the caster has to be an extremely powerful person. This spell completely reshapes the world. It gives you control over everything. If I did cast this spell, I could destroy evil, I could reshape the wilderness, and I could do anything and everything. I would be a god. Not that I want to be a god, but I want to help the world. I could give the spell to someone else, like an elder magician in Yanille. I don't want to abuse the spell.

"But this spell is an extremely complicated spell, and it is such a long spell it takes up an entire book. I found a pretty large portion of the book during my research, but there was a lot missing. I've spent the last thirty years or so looking for the missing pages, or sending people on quests to find them. I have all of it, except for one page. I've spent countless hours slaving over this book, trying to figure out what goes in the missing page. Plus, a lot of it is dated, and for it to work in today's environment I needed to make some edits. That's what I needed the research on the talisman you showed me for. It could answer questions involving rune stones, which would in turn help me with finishing the spell.

"I also need a countless amount of runes and a limitless supply of energy. It needs so much power that if I tried to use a staff, the staff would burn to ashes with the pressure. So I've been saving up millions upon millions of runes, one by one. It still isn't enough, and for there to be enough I'd need to keep saving constantly for the next ten years. That's why the God Rune would be useful. It would offer me all the energy I need for the spell. It would probably offer me even more answers to all of the questions involving rune stones and their powers."

I nodded, awestruck at the sheer power of this spell, and how much devotion Sedridor had shown to finishing it. He was a good person to want to help the world at such a rate, and be willing to give up all his time, energy and countless runes.

"That reminds me, how goes your quest?" queried Sedridor.

"Oh," I gasped. "I remember the quest. Yes, I have the research, but I completely forgot about giving it to you. I'll go get it now."

"OK," Sedridor chuckled. "No worries."

I ran to the bank as fast as I could, and I removed the research Aubury had given me a while ago. While I was there, I scooped up the four coloured beads I was meant to give to the old man at the top of the wizard's tower. I ran back to the castle, and back into Sir Amik Varze's room.

I gave him the notes and the beads. He looked confused as I handed him the beads, so I explained. He nodded curtly.

"I'll pass them on for you," he said gratefully. "I'm pretty sure old Mizgog will be happy to get these back. As for the notes, thank you very much." After reading through them, Sedridor nodded. "These are acceptable. I can work with these. I may as well give you your quest scroll now." A scroll materialised in his hand, and he gave it to me. It read:

Congratulations! You have completed Rune Mysteries! You have earned:

1 quest point

150 magic experience

The ability to craft runes

Complete access to the wizard's tower

I thanked Sedridor. Just as we were starting a conversation about the war, the black knights and Master Samuel, Sir Amik Varze ran in and told us to prepare ourselves. Sedridor was going to battle in the front line, and Sir Amik Varze invited me to join the front line as well. Emily was told she could evacuate Falador, stay in the castle, or join in the battle. Emily decided to evacuate, considering she'd just spent a long time as a prisoner in the black knight castle and was very weak as a result.

Sir Amik Varze handed me some white knight armour as I left. The armour consisted of platelegs, a platebody, a med helmet, and spiky steel white gloves.

"That steel armour you are now wearing won't protect you very well from the attacks of Master Samuel and his army," Sir Amik Varze mumbled under his breath. "I am giving you permission to wear our armour for the duration of the battle." I shook his hand so violently it almost came off and I thanked him profusely. I put my steel armour in my bag, and wore the white knight armour proudly.

A cold chill swept over me as we stepped out of the castle. Everything seemed eerily quiet. The sky was grey and forbidding. Several white knights, along with Jamie and Capablanca, met us by the doors. We walked out of the courtyard across the bridge.

"This must be the calm before the storm," Capablanca said in a hushed tone. Fear echoed in his voice. I silently agreed with him. Everything seemed too quiet to be natural, especially before a war.

We were greeted by a very powerful sight. Thousands upon thousands of warriors waited in the empty streets of Falador, wearing different outfits and costumes. The group nearest the entrance where Master Samuel's army would come from were obviously the front line. They consisted of Haldir6, Slinky, Aubury, Haru, Creator, Osrie1, Amy11, and several important-looking people from the Varrock, Lumbridge and wizard tower armies respectively. Our group ran forward to join them.

We waited for a long time. It felt like hours were passing. Well, to be completely honest, hours were probably genuinely passing. As every second passed by, the army grew more apprehensive and restless. As time passed, more soldiers and more backup arrived.

A thought occurred to me. What if Master Samuel had set us all up? What if he'd been lying and he was currently laughing at us? Just as I turned to share this thought with somebody else, someone roared in the distance. More people roared. Everybody stiffened up instantly. A white knight messenger ran past us to investigate. A few minutes later, he ran back, looking flustered and excited.

"It's the dwarves," he spluttered. "They're attacking the army, and they're trying their best to delay the army as much as they can. They're trying their best to gain us time."

"That's excellent!" Sir Amik Varze exclaimed. "In the time they've gained us, more soldiers have arrived and our chances of success have improved drastically." He was interrupted by a shuddering sound of what sounded like millions of footsteps. My heart skipped a beat.

They were coming.

Well, how's that for a cliffhanger?

That brings up another question. In your opinion, which cliffhanger was the best cliffhanger in the story? Please let me know in a review!

Once again, credit goes to Haseo the Terror of Death for our shared universe, which concluded in the last chapter. He's an amazing author, so when you have a second please check him out if you haven't already!

Until next time, toodles!