Hello, hello, hello, what's happenin' readers?
Here it is. The big one. The final fight. I've been preparing this for a while, so I hope you enjoy it.
Just a quick note, I've re-uploaded chapter 7 alongside the uploading of this chapter. Also, as usual, if you spot mistakes/typos that I overlooked in the editing process, then please point them out to me. Thank you.
Disclaimer: I do not own Jagex, RuneScape, or any of the RuneScape characters. All I own is the plot of this fanfiction and some of the characters in the story. I am not making a financial profit from this story.
Chapter 80: The Final Fight
Master Samuel, on his mutated horse, flew towards me. Any hope I had left had fallen to the ground along with Ray. I gulped. There was nobody else here except me and Master Samuel. I couldn't run, I couldn't hide, not any more. The final fight had arrived.
Master Samuel grabbed me by the scruff of the neck. He flew back upwards. I struggled desperately, screaming for help. Master Samuel shook me violently and punched me in the stomach to silence me. Master Samuel then did a most awful thing.
With a flick of his hand, the whole castle collapsed, minus a few towers. My jaw fell open as I saw the magnificent building crumble to the floor. The castle held such a high place in my heart, and to see it fall to the floor broke my already fragile heart. A tear rolled down my cheek, and I heard screams of despair come from the battle. Master Samuel was grinning evilly, like the lunatic he was.
He flicked his hand again, and a massive web of binds materialised between the surviving towers. Colossal lumps of brick and stone had become snagged in the web. Master Samuel threw me into the web with the force of a firework.
I was lost in the sea of purple binds. I forced myself through the ropes, dazed, disorientated and very angry. I found a lump of rock to cling onto. I climbed onto the rock. I was at the top of the web.
The sight of the destroyed castle was one of the most awful things I had ever seen, and I'd seen many awful things. I'd seen people ripped apart. I'd seen the life leave people's eyes. I'd even seen gruesome torture take place. But none of it compared to seeing a building as large and beautiful as the White Knight Castle fall to the ground.
Something large and solid hit my back. I collapsed in agony. Master Samuel stood over me, smirking.
"Mainiac97," he murmured. "I pity you and your childish ignorance. You believe you can stand up to me. You believe you can defeat me. But you are a naïve young man to think so." I mustered the strength and the bravery to stand up and face him.
"Maybe I can't defeat you," I growled. "But I can die trying. The only reason you are currently so powerful is because of the God Rune."
Master Samuel snickered. He grabbed me by the neck and began squeezing. I felt the breath leave me very quickly. I was choking. I couldn't move. I couldn't fight. I tried to pry his fingers off but he was too strong. Master Samuel began laughing madly.
"You're dying," he giggled. "Finally, I am going to be rid of you forever." I hung sadly. I couldn't survive for much longer. I felt the world around me fade, and tears began falling down my cheeks thick and fast. I was going to die. That aspect didn't frighten me much, though. I wasn't scared of death. What scared me was that Master Samuel would go on and destroy Falador, then try and take over RuneScape. I sighed, and I could almost feel the life slip from my body. I hung in Master Samuel's grip, almost completely dead. The last thing I heard before I died was Master Samuel's cry of victory.
Where am I…? I thought blearily. I couldn't bear to open my eyes. I knew I was currently dead, but at the same time I felt perfectly alive. I managed to open one eye slightly, but all I saw was darkness. I mustered the confidence to open both eyes wide, and I couldn't see anything. I was floating in darkness. So this is death, I thought calmly. Then I remembered Master Samuel and Falador. They were out of my reach now. I roared in mental torture, knowing I couldn't help them. What I would give to see one comforting face, somebody I knew, even if it was Master Samuel!
"Don't be alarmed," I heard a calm voice say. I turned around, and I saw Death, the harvester of souls. He still wore his dusty black cloak. He held his famous scythe, and if he had facial features I could tell that he would currently be grimacing. I was almost glad to see him. He was a comforting presence who could answer all my questions. "We've met before, Mainiac97, but, just in case you do not remember me, I am Death. I am here to inform you that you are dead. Your soul has been separated from your body. I am very, very sorry."
"I remember you," I sighed. "But where am I?"
"This is what I call the Calm Space," Death told me. "But it really hasn't got a name. It's a completely empty space. You are floating in literally nothing. This place was created so people who died could have time to gather their thoughts and calm down. It gives me time to explain some things to them. This is where people make the biggest decision of their lives (or their afterlives).
"This decision is simple. You can stay here for as long as you like, or you can move on. Once you're ready, you can go on to the world beyond. Some people are never ready, and stay here for eternity. I can't force people to stay or go on. If you explore a little, you could find some of these people either waiting for their loved ones to die, or staying. But there is no going back at all. You're dead now, and you can never return back to life."
"How can you be completely sure that I am dead?" I questioned. Death pulled out a massive thick book from his cloak, and gestured to it with his skeletal hands.
"This book lists every single person who is due to die today," Death informed me. "It is especially thick today because of the war that is going on in Falador. It tells me the exact time of death, down to the millisecond, so I know when to find them and harvest them. Let me find your name on the list." He flicked through the book casually. He was shaking his head for some reason. He put the book back in his robes.
"This is strange," he said. He muttered a spell, and the book was gone. "You are not meant to be dead right now. You should still be warring, not up here. I don't understand this. This never happens. You are a strange person, Mainiac97. The oddest things happen to you."
"Does that mean I can go back to RuneScape now?" I asked excitedly.
"I'm not sure," Death wondered, scratching his head (or his skull). "This puts me in an awkward position. I am not allowed to let someone go onto the world beyond before they are destined to. At the same time, though, I can't put a harvested soul back into their body, considering I cut the bonds. I'd have to re-tie you, and I've never done that before." Death paced backwards and forwards. I watched him nervously.
"Well, I have two options here," Death finally explained. "I can do a wicked thing and abandon you. I could ensure that you can't go forward, and leave you here forever. But that could be considered bending rules, because I'm not really supposed to have a say in a person's fate. Or I could ask the gods, but I doubt they'll like being disturbed." I opened my mouth to say something, but he interrupted me. "I can't bring myself to be cruel enough to leave you. I'll speak to the gods. Wait right here." Death suddenly disappeared.
I was barely coping with the fact that I'd just died, let alone that I wasn't meant to be dead at that moment. The whole thing confused me. I never expected someone as smart and as powerful as Death to get stuck like this. I didn't know Death had the means to communicate with the gods in person! I didn't even know Death had fears! He was obviously scared of the gods to be so reluctant to seek advice from them. I hoped that, somehow, I could return.
To be honest, I expected the afterlife to be a little more…different. I didn't really know what I expected. I just wasn't expecting the Calm Space, choices, and big books. I was expecting to go straight to the world beyond, not having to dawdle here. But I suppose the whole design of the afterlife worked for everyone.
I pondered these thoughts, and shortly Death returned.
"I have some good news and some bad news for you," Death announced. "The good news is the gods have decided to make you an exception. They've allowed you to go back to RuneScape!" I yelled with joy and jumped up and down. I gave Death a bear hug while he stood there awkwardly. For me, this meant a second chance! "The bad news is the gods have given you one condition: you will have to sign an agreement that says that you will never speak of these events to anybody on RuneScape. Is that OK?"
I shrugged, and nodded. I was expecting the bad news to be worse. It was a decent price to pay in exchange for life on RuneScape again! Death clicked his fingers, and a piece of paper and a quill materialised in his hand. He handed it to me, and pointed at where to sign. I hesitated, read the material, and signed. Death took the paper back, and it disappeared.
After a minute of silence, Death spoke. "Are you ready to go now?" Death enquired. I nodded slowly. Death stepped forward, and took hold of my arm with his bony hand. I shivered. Suddenly, I felt my eyes go droopy. No matter how much I tried to keep them open, they kept closing. I felt sleepy. With a yawn, my eyes closed, and I fell into a deep sleep.
I woke up abruptly. I scanned my surroundings briefly. I was lying on a chunk of stone among Master Samuel's web of binds, where the castle used to stand. Master Samuel stood in front of me, accompanied by his horse and James. The smell, sounds and sensations of war hit me like a boulder. I closed my eyes again before they noticed I was awake. However, I felt like jumping with joy. I was alive! The gods made me an exception, and I had a second chance at life!
But, at the same time, I wondered if this was a sign that I wouldn't die in the war at all. Maybe it was a sign of victory! But, I doubted that. Maybe it just meant I'd died at the wrong time of the day, not the wrong day as a whole. My thoughts were interrupted as James spoke.
"Are you sure he's dead?" I heard James ask.
"Of course I'm sure!" Master Samuel snarled. "I checked his heartbeat and punched him several times in the stomach and on the head for good measure!"
"So what do you plan to do now?" James asked.
"Well, with him out of the way, I don't have many obstacles between me and complete and utter power," Master Samuel answered triumphantly. "I just have to finish this war once and for all, and claim Falador as mine. If you'll excuse me, I shall go and join the war. You can do what you wish with the boy's body." I heard a whinny, and I heard the flapping or large wings. I realised that the horse was setting off!
I jumped up suddenly. James' back was turned. I grabbed him and covered his mouth so he couldn't make much noise. I pushed him into the massive web of binds Master Samuel had created. He was lost in the web before he could call for help. His look of shock and anger as he tumbled among the binds was something I would have liked to remember.
Thankfully, any noise that was made was drowned out by the noise of the horse flapping its massive wings. I grabbed onto the horse at the very last second, and I clambered on as quietly as I could. The horse didn't notice.
I sat on the back of this horse, trying not to make any movement or sound. Master Samuel was humming to himself cheerfully. I was panicking. What could I do in my current situation? I could push Master Samuel off, but with the God Rune he could easily fly back up and destroy me. I could try and strike him with a weapon, but odds were it wouldn't do much to him in his current state. I looked down. We were far above the carnage, and I would most certainly die if I fell.
"I know you're there," Master Samuel hissed, making me jump. "I don't understand how you're still alive, but I don't care, because I have you right where I want you. I can have more fun killing you this time." He whispered a spell, and a long red transparent blade emerged from seemingly nowhere. Master Samuel took hold of the blade, turned around, and jumped forward.
I unsheathed Silverlight as quickly as I could, and I swung it in his direction. It hit him on the arm, but because of the God Rune it didn't do any noticeable damage. He sat there, laughing. I thought and thought of a way to defeat him. Any second he'd get bored and he'd end me. I realised that he'd become powerless without the God Rune. But how could I get it off him?
An idea struck me. I blessed my quick thinking. I turned around, and stabbed his horse in the leg. The horse screeched, and began trying to buck us off. I held on for dear life. Master Samuel wasn't expecting it, so he was almost flung off. I stabbed the horse again, and it made a more violent movement. Master Samuel was almost bucked off again. He pulled a face, and began crawling across the back of the horse. I saw my opportunity, and I stabbed the horse one more time.
Master Samuel was sent flying into the air, caught off guard. I slashed at him, and I ripped his red robes. I saw the God Rune strapped to his chest, and I slashed the strap. The God Rune was flung into the air. It went over Master Samuel's head, and fell into the web of binds.
"NO!" Master Samuel screamed. He went to control the horse to fly towards the web, but the horse was already descending because of its wounds. We didn't have much warning before the horse flew into the web and bucked us head-first among the binds.
I scrambled among the glowing purple ropes, trying to find the God Rune. I surfaced the web, scrambling towards the nearest lump of stone. I climbed on top of it, spying for the God Rune. I heard heavy breathing from behind me, and something sharp came into contact with my side. I keeled over, and I turned around to see my attacker.
Master Samuel stood there, his robes ripped, fuming. He was still holding his red blade. "I've lost the God Rune," he growled. "You've caused enough trouble. With no God Rune, it's a personal fight between me and you. I will slaughter you, God Rune or no God Rune. Sadly, when you have that rune, it makes you feel so powerful you don't feel like you need spare runes, so I can't use magic. It'll be me and you, just our two swords."
With a sudden movement, Master Samuel went to stab me. I blocked, struggling against the massive strength of Master Samuel. I saw him break a sweat. My arm began hurting very badly.
After a while, we broke the contact, panting. I tried to attack him again. He kicked me, and I was sent stumbling backwards. I wind-milled my arms to keep balance, and, snagged in the binds below, I saw the God Rune. Master Samuel saw it too. He jumped forward, and tried to grab it. I grabbed his foot at the last second and I dragged him backwards.
We wrestled for a little longer, trying to keep afloat in the fight. I didn't know how long I was going to last. Just as I was about to give up, I thought of Dream, Osrie1, and Amy11. I thought of all of my friends. I thought of Lumbridge, Varrock and Falador. I thought of Dream's pale body lying on the floor of the dungeon. These thoughts opened up a stream of hatred towards Master Samuel. This hatred gave me the energy to continue fighting.
In the end, I managed to overpower Master Samuel. I descended hard on him, and he fell on the floor, gasping for air. I grabbed his blade, and I threw it into the web. I grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him upwards.
"You're powerless," I spat. "You're weak, you're tired, you have no sword, and you've lost the God Rune. All of your supporters and soldiers are currently fighting for you. You should be ashamed of yourself. Your cockiness has been your downfall. If you'd killed me the moment we met again, you'd probably be standing over Falador, its new ruler. Now I am going to make you suffer for everything you've made me endure. You've killed so many people. You've done so many despicable things. It's payback time."
"Please have mercy," Master Samuel pleaded. "The God Rune, it does things to you. It makes you think wicked things, it rules over you. Please, please, I'm begging you." I snorted.
"You've done awful things before the God Rune," I growled. "You were greedy and evil enough to go looking for it. Besides, I doubt the God Rune has much to do with you. You deserve no redemption. You've gone beyond that." I murmured a bind spell, and Master Samuel was tied up in purple robes. I punched him in the stomach as hard as I could. "That was for Falador!" I bellowed. I kicked him in the groin. "That was for Dream Decay!" I sent Silverlight through his knee. "That was for me!"
I continued doing it for a long time. I was enjoying it very much. Master Samuel was at my feet, at my mercy. I knelt down, and retrieved the God Rune. As I held it, a great sense of power, achievement and pride filled me. Levels and runes didn't matter any more. I was in complete control. I wouldn't let it control me. I wouldn't be using it for long enough, anyway.
I held Silverlight above my head.
"This is my revenge," I bawled. "You will no longer cast a shadow across this world. Goodbye, Master Samuel." I threw Silverlight down, and it went through his heart. He lay there, gurgling and twitching slightly.
""You will regret this," Master Samuel hissed. "Even if I am gone, the Jury of Death will still exist. My book of ancient spells will be passed on. Even when I am gone, my work will never die! That is something nobody can destroy!" With a final groan, Master Samuel's eyes closed, and he went limp. Master Samuel was dead.
I paused for one second. Then, pure euphoria filled every inch of my body. I jumped up with joy. The man who'd made my life a misery was gone! I had nothing to worry about now! I yanked off his claw and put it in my bag. I decided to keep it, as a trophy of my triumph over arguably the evillest man in RuneScape.
Using the God Rune, I murmured a spell, and I flew upwards with Master Samuel's body. I was high above the war when I stopped. I could see everything clearly. Ray and Hope were at the core of the battle, killing Master Samuel's warriors by the dozen. I didn't want any more death. I uttered a spell that would magnify my voice.
"To all of Master Samuel's warriors!" I called out. I was ignored by anybody in the Sea of Sorrow. I put my hands in my pockets, distressed. I couldn't get their attention! The answer, however, was in my pocket.
I felt the shell of peace that I'd gotten from the Stronghold of Security.
I held it up, and opened it. The final charge from the shell blasted out among the war. Everyone stopped, and perfect silence fell upon Falador. Everyone stood still. I'd forced peace temporarily upon the people in the war.
"I have got Master Samuel's dead body right here. He has been defeated. I am currently in possession of the God Rune. I shall prove this to you." I whispered a very complicated spell in a hushed tone that wasn't magnified. The White Knight Castle began reconstructing itself. All of the binds fell apart, and I teleported anyone that was stuck among them into the Sea of Sorrow. After a moment, the castle stood, as tall and as proud as it did before.
"The battle shall end!" I shouted. My voice magnified once again. "There is no point fighting any more. Your leader is dead." Master Samuel's warriors walked away calmly, looking eerily relaxed. Forced peace tended to do that to a person. I'd witnessed it before in the Stronghold of Security. Just as people began leaving the battle, the spell was lifted, and pandemonium broke loose.
Master Samuel's warriors were trying to flee now, but the Falador warriors were getting in their way. Hope the dragon flew above, roasting any evil warriors that tried to escape. I decided to leave the battle burn itself out.
After a good half hour, every one of Master Samuel's soldiers had gone. They had either died or they'd fled successfully. Many had teleported out, but I cast a teleportation block spell afterwards to ensure nobody else could. Hope and Ray had flown towards the Black Knight's Fortress to attack it, to eliminate survivors who had fled there. It was necessary to stamp out as many of Master Samuel's warriors as possible to avoid another war. The Falador soldiers were whooping and cheering. The war was over. Master Samuel was dead. The God Rune was in safe hands.
I slowly hovered down to Sir Amik Varze. He gave me a grin, and I couldn't help but grin back.
"Could you please magnify my voice and make a stage please?" he whispered into my ear. I nodded, and clicked my fingers. The ground below us trembled, and rose. Sir Amik Varze cleared his throat.
"To all who stands in Falador now," Sir Amik Varze shouted. "You should be proud of yourselves. You have battled ferociously, and without your efforts we might not even be here. You will all be individually rewarded.
"But, among us, there is a certain person who triumphed over every obstacle in his way. He's done the impossible and proved to everyone here that, with a little bit of bravery and self-confidence, anything can happen. This man is standing right here." He tapped me on the shoulder heartily.
"Mainiac97 has saved our lives. With quick wit, strength and a tiny dash of luck, he has overpowered and killed Master Samuel and has ended this war for good. I believe he truly deserves the title of 'hero'. Do you all agree?" There was a roar of approval that rippled right throughout the crowd. "Mainiac97, I hail you as a hero. You will be put in our hall of heroes, and you will be remembered for years to come for your outstanding bravery.
"You have defeated the man everybody feared, and, better yet, you have gotten rid of him so his presence will no longer haunt us. On a later date, a reward ceremony will take place, where we can reward you (and many others) fully. But, for now, everybody give our hero a big cheer!"
The crowd almost exploded with cheers and whoops. I couldn't do much more than smile. I couldn't believe what I'd achieved. If, this morning, somebody approached me and told me I would defeat Master Samuel later in the day, I'd laugh. If they told me I would die and come back to life, I would laugh even harder. I thought, maybe, I was dreaming. I pinched myself to make sure.
Today, good things and bad things had happened. Master Samuel was gone, for a start, and most of my worries had evaporated. However, my best friend was dead, and many other people had died in the war. There was no way of bringing the dead back to life (not counting necromancy). I was lucky to be alive. I was only here because of chance. The gods could have decided that I was well and truly dead, and I'd probably be in the afterlife right now.
I stared down at the God Rune. I most definitely wasn't going to keep it. It was very, very powerful, but it changed your frame of mind completely. I could do things that gods could do, and I didn't feel comfortable with that sensation buzzing around in my stomach. I'd probably end up giving it away to someone who needed it more than me, probably Sedridor.
I stared up at the sky thoughtfully. I'd had quite a fantastic adventure through RuneScape. I didn't know where I came from. Mystery still surrounded my life. Even if I'd defeated Master Samuel and, to an extent, brought peace to RuneScape, I knew, in my heart, my adventure was far from over. Places remained unexplored, enemies remained undefeated, quests remained uncompleted, and life remained unlived. I would wind up back in the Calm Space at some point, chatting with Death, and I wanted to take advantage of the time I had left before then.
...and that concludes chapter 80! This is arguably the most important chapter in this whole story, so I hope you liked it. My question to you is, if you had Master Samuel at your mercy, what would you do to him?
Although it sounds like the story has come to an end, it hasn't quite yet, so don't pull out the tissues yet :P. Next up is my annual Halloween special, and after that expect to see an epilogue of some sort and a final author note. I'll discuss what happens beyond that in the final author note.
Until next time, toodles!