RuneScape:Wiki Post/Fan fiction/Stone of Bandos

Stone of Bandos
by Sir Scizor

Chapter 1
It was a simple afternoon in the wealthy city of Falador. The guards were standing idle waiting for something to happen. Suddenly a ground shaking rumble was heard, and a soldier's cry sounded across the open plains...

"Close the gates! Close the gates!" shouted the soldier as he fell dead in front of the walls. Hundreds of goblins were behind him, all brandishing spears and weapons. The Falador Guards rushed to shut the giant walls, but already hordes of goblin]]s were inside of Falador. It was a horrible sight. Men were strewn everywhere. Soldiers, farmers, and even brave adventurers who gave their lives to defend their city, were thrown around like sticks. I watched as the goblins destroyed houses and shops. As the White Knights were running to defend the city, I turned.

"The Goblins will destroy the city..." remarked Lord Antwan.

"Can't we help the knights? It's our duty, after all..." I replied.

As he opened his mouth, several knights and and wizards entered the room. All of them held several weapons of which I was not familiar of, but I could feel their power.

"Antwan Terius, you will come with us," ordered the intruders.

"I think not, I&mdash;"

He was cut off with one of the wizards cast a spell on him, and he fell limp. The wizard cast the same spell on me, and I last remembered a man searching Lord Antwan. When I awoke, I turned and saw the city of Falador in ruins. I realised that I was still inside the castle, but I was locked in a room. I heard a commotion outside. Suddenly, the door was thrown open, and Lord Antwan tossed inside. I went to see if he was okay, and he handed me a blue gem and said...

"Take this, and never let it out of your sight! Take it to&mdash;"

Lord Antwan breathed his last and died. I searched him, and he had a note written to him by one named 'Lagode', and a few runes. I used the runes to teleport to Varrock, and went to talk to Reldo.

"'Lagode' is a name I have not heard for years..." remarked Reldo in deep thought. "He is a Dragon tamer, the only one in Gielinor... He was once said to have fought a King Black Dragon single-handedly, and survived!"

"Where can I find him?" I asked, thinking carefully.

"He lives among the Dragons, in deep Wilderness... It is said that he is trying to find a way to use them for conquering Gielinor, though I have not seen him in&mdash;"

I did not wait for Reldo to finish his sentence, I was already leaving. I had sworn to fulfil my dead masters last wish, and I will not fail. I was gathering my equipment, when a man approached me. He raised his sword, and instinctively, I raised mine. He fought well, we duelled for awhile, matching blow with blow. At last, he spoke.

"Give me the gem!" he demanded.

"No." I replied, and quickly I finished him off. I left him in the alley, and begin my trek into the Wilderness. As I was walking, a pack of revenants cut across my path. I have heard stories of the revenants: victims of the God Wars, almost invincible monsters... I stood waiting for them to move, unsure of what to do. Luckily, they did not notice me, and went on their way. I knew the weapons that I carried would have no effect on the revenants, and I continued on my journey. Suddenly, I saw a man fall a few metres from me. I ran to him, but he was already on his feet.

"Well, it's been awhile since I fought with a human, but I won't be able to say that for awhile!" he said. I raised my blade, preparing for his attack...

Chapter 2
He swung his blade, nearly decapitating my head, but I ducked just in time. He swung again, but this time I was ready. I side-stepped his attack, and began swinging my sword. I hit him several times until he was knocked to the ground. I stopped to catch my breath. Without warning, he stood up. I raised my blade, preparing for another attack. Oddly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out something.

Curious, I stopped, for the stranger was not wielding his sword. He pulled out a stack of runes and I was instantly stunned, unable to move.

He raised his blade, preparing to finish me off. Out of desperation, I shouted, "Wait! I was sent by Terius, Antwan Terius!" His face held a look of shock and disbelief, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Impossible! Terius... old Terius... what has become of him?" the man asked, not at all as hostile as before.

I chose my words carefully, "He... was killed. He was arrested, interrogated, and left to die. He sent me here, to give this to... one named 'Lagode'."

"Well, you've found me, now hand it over!"

While he read it, I examined his sword he had dropped. It read: "Honour over shame, courage over fear, power over weakness. The way of the White Knights."

I looked at it, unable to avert my eyes off it. Something drew me towards it, but I did not know what it was. Unable to resist my curiosity any longer, I asked, "Where did you get this?"

"In Falador. I received it after completing my training. No one else has been able to use it, which is why the Temple Knights gave it to me," he responded.

"Where did it come from?" I asked.

"It was made by the Imcando dwarves and was delivered to Falador by a Knight who eventually died in the Wilderness. He had found this sword and knew it possessed great power. It is said to have been enchanted by Bandos himself!"

Oddly, Lagode quickly looked up and searched the horizon. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" I responded, not hearing anything. Suddenly, I saw movement at the horizon, and something large and glowing was headed our way. I knew what it was. Having encountered them several times before, I knew that the large figure of a Revenant ork was approaching us quickly. I turned, and saw Lagode draw his blade. He waited, then quickly charged toward the revenant. I knew from experience that swords would have no effect on a revenant, having tried using them on revenants before.

Oddly, Lagode got close enough to cut off the revenant's head, then he stabbed its heart with his sword. The blade and hilt glowed, and the the essence of the revenant cracked and shattered. I heard a far-off scream and then silence.

"How did you do that?" I asked, shocked by the power of the sword.

"I told you, this sword was enchanted by Bandos. It can pretty much slay anything," he answered.

I knew this sword could very well restart the God Wars. I now knew why Lagode lived out his years here in the Wilderness. His sword had chosen him, and if the power of the sword was not contained, it would mean the death of thousands, if not millions. Lagode spoke, "In this note, it says that Terius gave you an object with great power. He says he found it while mining in Lumbridge Swamp&mdash;"

"Would that be this?" I asked, handing him the blue gem Lord Antwan gave me.

He took it in his hands, and attempted to crush it. Instead, he grabbed his head in pain, as if he had been shocked by invisible lightning. Then, we heard a voice saying, "Let my stone be! You have carried my stone and now will be granted its power! My faithful follower Lagode will instruct you, and you will eventually become my apprentice!"

Then, the voice was gone. Lagode fell to the ground, stunned. I heard him mumble, "No Master, it cannot be done! Please spare me..." Quickly, he got up and said, "Well... congratulations, are you ready to begin your training?"

Chapter 3
I rose early, as Lagode asked me to. He had changed largely. I could see nothing of him that I saw when I met him. He had me drill continually, almost 18 hours a day. I had began to lose count of the days I had spent in the Wilderness. I did not even consider running away, as I had seen Lagode's sword, and I wanted it. I even forgot why I was there. My only thoughts were of training.

One day, I was drilling, and Lagode was yelling at me. I had long learned not to pay attention to him, but suddenly he said something that caught my attention. He was yelling, of course, but he said, "Keep running! I'm going to train you until you'll be good enough to fight Master Bandos!" It did not catch my attention at first, but I then realised Lagode was a Bandosian. Never before had I seen, or heard, of a human follower of Bandos. I continued to do my exercises, deep in thought.

The next day, I awoke early, but Lagode was not ordering me to do my exercises. I realised how much I had changed over the year I had spent in the Wilderness. All the exercises and runs had done their job. I was now fit enough to fight the Varrock Guards barehanded, and win. Lagode asked me to sit, and pulled out a small pouch on his belt and reached inside. He pulled out the small blue stone I had handed him that one year ago. He asked, "Do you know how to smith weapons?"

"Well, a man in Varrock taught me the basics, but I never tried it for myself."

"The future champion of Bandos' army must know how to make his own weapons..." He responded.

I slowly took in his words, not at first believing what he said. "Future... what?" I asked.

"Champion of Bandos' army. Now come, there is a furnace nearby which we can use..."

We set off in the Wilderness, walking or a short distance to some nearby ruins and I saw a working furnace. Suddenly, I started hearing voices in my head... "Help me, please! I can't..."

"Did you hear that?" I asked, drawing out my blade.

"Yes. Just the voices of the dead. Forget about it." Lagode replied.

We approached the furnace, and Lagode started putting several items on the nearby table. I approached him, and gazed at what had placed there. I gasped, and saw a handful of diamonds, the blue Stone of Bandos I had given him, eight or nine stacks of many different metals, each stack a different colour and texture. He also was carrying a hammer. When I looked at the items, I realised that they would be worth millions of gold pieces.

"Well, choose your metal, boy!" He said to me.

I realised what he meant, and I started examining the metals. None of them were the same. At last I decided on a lightweight, but tough, material with a dark appearance that somehow appeared glowing.

"Ah, Duranite. Excellent choice young one, we will make your armour...."

He waved his hand over the metals, and suddenly, they all disappeared except for the metal I had chosen. Lagode began instructing me on how to make my weapons. It took us hours, but eventually, my suit of armour was completed. Lagode started making the sword, and he formed the hilt and blade. He put the Stone of Bandos and five diamonds and encrusted them into the blade. Momentarily, the entire sword glowed, but quickly stopped. A few minutes later, I was suited in my new armour, along with my blade and shield. Lagode pulled out a tablet and broke it, and I felt a large amount of energy washing over my armour.

Lagode spoke. "Well, commander. You appear to fit your armour. With your new armour, you also receive a new name. From now on – you will be known as – Durare. Commander Durare, your armies await your orders."

"Thank you Lagode, but for now, I just want answers! Who or what was Antwan Terius? Why did massive hordes of goblins attempt to level Falador? I want answers, and I want them now!" I demanded.

"Very well, Commander, you shall have them..."

Chapter 4
I entered the dusty room, sword drawn. It had been months since I had last entered this room, and it seemed like nothing had been disturbed. But I knew better. Lagode followed me into the room, sneezing repeatedly.

"Didn't you ever dust in here?" asked Lagode, between sneezes.

Not bothering to answer, I continued searching the floorboards for the item I had placed there so many months ago. Lagode viewed the room with much distaste showing on his face. He sliced through a cobweb with his sword and sneezed again.

"I was gone for at least a year, but I can still remember– aha! I found it!" I said as I pulled out an ancient tome out of a loose floorboard.

"You hid the book with all your families' genealogy under a floorboard!?'" asked Lagode.

"Hey, I'm not some rich pretty boy living in a mansion, you know, I ran out of space and forgot to build that bookshelf..." I responded, annoyed by Lagode's displeasure.

Lagode pursed his lips, as if about to say something, but thought better of it.

"All right, just open the book to the–" Lagode was cut short by the sound of the door being kicked in.

The sound of swords being unsheathed could be heard from the living room. The creak of floorboards sounded as the intruders attempted to sneak through the house. Lagode and I stood silently, swords in hand, should someone attempt to enter the room.

"I'd say there are four of them, and maybe a few more outside..." whispered Lagode.

"If they split up, we can take them out one by one. However, I'd personally like to know why they're inside my house..." I whispered back.

"Denill, check those two rooms. If Lagode's not here, then maybe our source isn't as truthful as we first suspected..." said one of the intruders.

"Yes sir. Maybe you're right, I make it a point never to trust drunks...." responded someone else.

"He wasn't a drunk, he was pretending to be a drunk, you fool! Anyway, I didn't see anything in the other rooms, Sarge." replied a third voice.

Lagode made his decision. He pulled out small pouch, pulled on the string, and threw it into the hallway. I heard a shout, then silence. I looked into the hall and was met with the sight of a murky gas filling the hallway and three men knocked out cold lying on the floor. I wrinkled my nose; the smell was oddly familiar.

"Lagode..."

"Wow, it actually worked! I must remember to go there more often... he must be the first elf I've met who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty..."

"Lagode..."

"Wow, I knew it smelled bad, but I didn't know it was this strong... I should get more..."

"Lagode!" I finally shouted.

"Hmm...?" Lagode responded as he nudged a body with his boot.

"What is this stuff?? And why does it smell... vaguely familiar?" I asked.

"Burnt potato, decomposed watermelon, and a month-old slice of apple pie," answered Lagode, who still wasn't paying much attention. "Oh, yeah, you probably remember it because I always kept some around my... dwelling... in the Wilderness."

Lagode finally made up his mind and grabbed the sergeant's bag. It was empty, except for a symbol in which was carved:


 * Fin Dralor

"Come on, we're going," said Lagode suddenly.

"Where?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"To see a man named 'Fin Dralor'," he said, walking off.

Chapter 5
I approached the small wooden 'hut' cautiously. Lagode followed, slowly approaching the front door, while I walked around to peer into the window, should this be some sort of trap set for me and him. I was met by the sight of a dwarf hammering on something long and silver-ish in colour. I nodded at Lagode, signalling to him to knock on the door.

This better be who we're looking for... I thought, as Lagode rapped menacingly on the door with his knuckles. The dwarf got up and answered the door, staring up at the imposing figure that was Lagode.

"Erm... can I help ye? If this is about Thane, I didn't do it!" exclaimed the dwarf, who smelled suspiciously of ale.

"Greetings, citizen. I am actually looking for my old friend Fin Dralor... is he here?" questioned Lagode, wrinkling his nose in disgust as the strong aroma of beer filled his nostrils.

"Uh...I'm Fin, do I know you?" replied the dwarf as he squinted up at Lagode, trying to recognise him.

"That's not important. What I need you to tell me is, who'd you make this for?" said Lagode, as he handed the dwarf a hand-sized 4-pointed star, which was silver-coloured.

Dralor took the piece of silver in his rough, wrinkled hands. He looked it over, then pulled a small, blue-ish thing the size of a large coin off one of the shelves in his hut. He placed the magical object on the back of the symbol, and I heard a sound of a bell.

"I made a bunch of these for someone back in Bennath. Probably on a Gullday... I think that was, uh..." said Fin, as he thought. "Right, that was, uh... some guy named 'Taynlee' or sumthin' like that..."

''Tainly? Sir Tainly? Was he that one I ran into back at Falador, the one who ordered my arrest...?'' I thought. I turned away from the window and saw Lagode drawing his sword and showing it to Fin.

That's not like Lagode... you had better watch out, Dralor... My suspicions turned out to be right when Lagode shoved the butt of his sword into Fin's head, knocking him out instantly.

"He won't remember anything and will just think his beer knocked him out. Best not to leave anyone to tell about us, you know," said Lagode, answering my unsaid question. "C'mon, back to Falador, before it starts snowing any harder. I'm rather fond of my legs and wouldn't want to lose them to frostbite..."

I followed Lagode back to Falador, striding through the light flurries of snow. I was silent almost the whole way back to the bustling city.

"Lagode? Where are we going?" I asked, realising we were not heading towards Falador.

"We're going make a quick stop at Varrock. I got a couple of buddies I want to talk to first..." replied Lagode, not telling me any more.

Eventually, we reached the bustling city that was Varrock. I Lagode entered the Blue Moon Inn, with me at his heels. As we entered the bar, I noticed a couple of men looking at me. I stared back at them, wordlessly challenging them to attack me. Taking the bait, one of them stood up, and the three other men followed suit.

"Who're you?" asked the man, who seemed to be the leader of the gang.

"None of your concern. Go back to drinking your...drink, and forget you ever saw us, brute," replied Lagode in a commanding voice I had never heard before.

"What'd you say, old man? You insulting me? I'll kill you with my bare hands, then hang you on my wall!" replied the leader, who was indeed a brute.

"Hey fellows, calm down or take it outside!" yelled the nervous barkeeper, obviously afraid of a fight.

"Durare, please take care of this brute so we can get back to out business," said Lagode in a bored voice.

As the four men approached, three of them much larger than me, I calmly fished out a couple of runes in my pocket, muttered something, and then three of the men fell to the floor, asleep and suffering from mild amnesia. I punched the fourth man in his face, and he fainted as well. Then I hurried to catch up with Lagode, who was talking to the barkeeper.

Chapter 6
Lagode strode ahead, seemingly oblivious to the oddly shaped mounds of what was likely the discharge of a foul beast, which he was walking on. I followed, trying to ignore the foul stench that was coming from the crude mounds of dung. Lagode unsheathed his sword, and swung it in a method I had seen him decapitate with, though this time he was slicing through a series of webs obviously woven by spiders much larger than those commonly found in a house. Still quiet, Lagode reached into a his pouch and withdrew the tattered scroll given to him from his friend at the inn. He studied the contents of it and looked up. Approaching the nearest and largest tree nearby, he placed his palm on the bark, and appeared to be deep in thought. Unable to shake the feeling that we were being watched, I looked around, but saw nothing. Muttering incoherently, Lagode stared down at the ground. Getting bored of standing still, I stepped carefully toward the underbrush, unsure what was making me feel cautious.

I swung my blade, and sliced through the thin branches of the largest willow tree I had ever seen, which was blocking my path. Past the branches, I entered a clearing. Turning around to look at Lagode, I saw him, now reading the scroll while glancing at a small, metallic instrument in his opposite hand. Ignoring him, I continued to advance forward in the clearing. Looking around, I saw a small pack on the ground. Opening it, I found nothing, save for a small, grey rock similar in appearance to that of a rune stone. Uninterested, I tossed the stone behind me, stood up, and turned around to find Lagode. Lagode, who was still holding the map, looked up to acknowledge my presence.

"What are you doing, Lagode? I'm rather bored of waiting for your explanation..." I asked, finally.

"Just a moment, Durare, we shall be done here soon." was his response.

Lagode withdrew a small dagger from a pouch hanging from his belt, and shoved the butt of it into the tree. The dagger, small but still deadly if used correctly, did not make the customary thunk that was often heard when using something of the sort, but was instead absorbed into the overly-large knothole. The tree suddenly began to seem to unravel, twisting its branches and slowly it contracted and shrank until its form became that of a young female human. The woman had radiant blonde hair, which was complimented by bright green eyes, which shone in an almost annoying way. Realising what it was, I waited until Lagode spoke.

"Ahh, madame, it's been a long time." said Lagode in an almost unreal voice.

"Lagode? I agree it has been awhile since we last spoke. What brings you to my side of Gielinor?" replied the woman, who spoke in a polite manner, despite her extravagant appearance.

"Business, of course." answered Lagode in a curt tone.

"So, you have a new enemy you want me to rid the world of?"

"Well, actually it's more along the lines of live retrieval." said Lagode, carefully.

The stranger didn't respond at first, but quickly rebounded. "Who is it? I prefer not to leave my targets... breathing."

"There is no need to mince words here, Lynette. We are alone." answered Lagode.

"Who is it?" repeated the woman known as Lynette.

"A white knight, by the name of Sir Tainly. He seems to want to meet my associate here, said Lagode, gesturing towards me, "but that would be unhealthy for his welfare. I want you to retrieve him."

"Fine. I shall require your payment when I have him." replied the woman, and as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she melted into a pool of water, which disappeared among the bushes.

"Don't let her fool you, Durare. As a shape-shifter, she can be as deadly as a dragon. Though, via my experiences, some dragons may not be as bad as you may think..." said Lagode to me, after Lynette's stupendous disappearance.

"...what kind of a species is that?" I asked, stupefied. "What is she?"

"As you know, she is a shape-shifter. She is also a bounty hunter and sometimes a spy. She has worked for me many a time, often silencing enemies for me." answered Lagode. "As for her species, I have nary a clue. I've seen her transform from a patch of soil to a tree up to 5 metres tall, but I've never seen anything like her, and I don't mean that in a good way."

I chose not to respond, as Lagode sat down and started to set out his equipment, which included our food supplies and equipment. He withdrew a few small runes and arranged them in a neat stack. Where to next, Lagode? Silently, he withdrew a scroll, another map, but of a much larger area. Studying it carefully, he traced our route back to town with his finger. Overhead, it began to dim, with the sun setting in the west.

"Come. We are heading to Burgh de Rott, where we will re-supply and head on to our next location. I have a few associates there who will assist us." said Lagode, who began repacking his equipment, while putting on his grey-trimmed armour. Beginning our long trek back through the foul-smelling swamps, I fitted my helmet, also trimmed slightly with grey, on my head, as we trudged off back to Burgh de Rott.