The Dragon Threat, Book One: The Summer of the Flame Parts 1-10

Prologue: Elvarg

Deep within Crandor Island's caves, a warrior stalked. He carried a mithril scimitar that gleamed in the fire that burned down there in the volcanic depths. He had a mission: to slay a dragon. Running past the lesser demons as if they weren't there, he finally reached his desination: a large and rusty gate that seemed as if it had withstood a charging dragon. In truth, it had.

The warrior kicked the gate open and stepped inside. A great heat swept the cavern, and then he saw it. It was a large and menacing green dragon shooting a flame that could have consumed the man who stood his ground in the cave. At the moment he saw it, the truth occured to him: he could not slay this dragon. The great green dragon, Elvarg its name, clawed at the man that entered her lair. As this warrior reached for the gate, he found it shut. And locked.

When the sun set that day, another skeleton existed within Elvarg's chamber.


Part One: The New Champion

There was no where else Jamie wanted to be at that moment. Ever since he had returned a newly made sword to the White Knights' Castle, he knew that he had finally accomplished his dream. He was now worthy to enter the Champions Guild.

It was every new adventurer's dream. He couldn't believe he could finally enter. He had yawned at the Cooking Guild, pushed away all thought of the Crafting Guild. Those were both idiotic groups, but now he could go into the guild that would allow him access to the runite platebody. He relished the thought that he would soon wear it. On the road to the guild, he came upon a ranger shooting at a target hanging on a tree. He wore a blue cape and a bronze badge; the offical Champions Guild outfit.

"Hi there!" Jamie greeted. "Guess who the newest member of the Champions Guild is?"

The ranger turned to him. "You? Well you will get bored soon, I guarantee," the ranger said with not a drop of friendliness in his voice (how can there be a 'drop' of friendliness?). "It's not a big deal really. What everyone wants to be a part of is the Heroes Guild." He pointed to a group of people wearing silver badges.

"Oh," replied a discouraged Jamie. "You really know how to dash someone's hopes." Jamie walked away without another word and aproached the Champions Guild. He reached for the doorknob when...


Part 2: Armour of Champions

Jamie reached for the doorknob when a hand clasp down on his shoulder. He jumped a mile in shock.

"Sorry?" Jamie turned to see the ranger he had met earlier.

"Oh, it's you," Jamie replied relived. "I almost had a heart attack."

"Good thing you didn't," the ranger replied. "I am sorry for my rudeness earlier. And by the way, we haven't introduced ourselves! I am Rangerbane, and you are?"

"Jamie," he replied. "It was kind of you to apologize. Now I must be going--" he was cut off by an arrow that flew by his head and hit the door of the guild. "Move!" Jamie warned. He pulled Rangerbane into the guild a moment before an arrow flew through the spot where his head was moments before.

"Thank you for saving me," Rangerbane said thankfully.

"No problem," Jamie replied, "but I have a feeling that whoever shot that arrow was after me, not you." He looked out the window to see a dark cloaked figure carrying a bow disappear in a flash of purple light.

Rangerbane departed leaving Jamie to explore the Champions Guild. He climbed the stairs to see what was upstairs. In the room he saw a woman with various wares and a old man with various pieces of the ledgendary runite armour.

When Jamie browsed the items, he was surprised to find no trace of a rune platebody. He asked the man where he could find one. "I believe that the Guild Master knows where you can find one." Thanking him for his help, Jamie went down the red carpeted stairs to the very decorative entrance hall and approached the Guild Master.

"Do you know where I can find rune platebodies?"

"Yes," replied the Guild Master, "I believe Oziach in Edgeville has one." Thanking him, Jamie left the Champions Guild, unaware that he might never see it again.


Part 3: A Detour to Draynor

Jamie moved toward Varrock, passing a stone circle with a warrior wielding a silver blade fighting a blood red demon. He hustled to get away from the battle, so he could enter Varrock. Varrock was a huge city with two banks, a large variety of stores, a palace surrounded by lush gardens, and backstreets that held a fair amount of crime. He sped through the southern gates, very hyped about finding someone that could sell him a rune platebody.

"Halt!" a voice shouted suddenly. "You are now a prisoner of the Phoenix Gang!"

"Oh really?" Jamie replied. He pulled a mithril chainmail from his pack, donned it, and pulled his mithril scimitar from it's sheath. "So, who wants to have sushi, or in your case, be the sushi?"

Without another word, the muggers ran. Jamie waited for them to get a good distance away, and then followed them down the dark path in the southern streets.

The muggers were whispering to each other and Jamie overheard just this: "...secret mission to Draynor...". Jamie knew that he really wanted that rune plate, but this secret misson could be bigger, so Jamie set off for Draynor.


Part 4: The Secret Mission

Jamie ran as fast as he could to Draynor ("It's really far away," he thought). Jumping over rocks and twigs, running from savage bears, and even swimming across rivers, Jamie finally arrived at Draynor Crossroads. He saw two muggers and a man in black armour. The muggers dressed the man in a dark cloak. He pulled out some herbs, as a guy in a pointy blue hat walked by.

"You are Jaron, are you not? I have a special offer just for you. High-level herbs for very cheap prices. Ranarr and Irit for only 50 gp. I have plenty, take them!" The man said to the guy in the hat. Jamie saw him walk away into Draynor's bank. Jamie believed the herbs to be a trap, so he ran after him.

Inside the bank, he saw the guy (named Jaron apparently) adding snape grass to an unfinished potion. The vial turned red and... BOOM! Glass went flying everywhere. Seconds later, Jaron stormed out of the bank with a dragon battleaxe, straightening his hat and mumbling something like: "Slipped me a bad herb he did."

But Jamie realized that the vial exploding must have been the secret mission, and no one got hurt, so without another thought, he set off for Edgeville.


Part 5: Falador

Jamie walked along the path from Draynor to Falador. The sun was setting, and he had to seek shelter soon. Soon he reached the crossroads that lead to Falador, Rimmington, Port Sarim, and Draynor. There he saw the body of a highwayman with a rune arrow in his back.

Without wondering why he was there, Jamie stepped over the highwayman and approached the southern gates of Falador, home of the White Knights. He entered and looked for the Rising Sun inn. Spotting the logo of a sun on a sign, he entered, booked a room, and went to sleep.

In the morning, he set off to enjoy a day in Falador. He ate at the inn, and then went to the shield store. He saw a nice and big mithril shield hanging on the wall. He asked Cassie, the shopowner how much it cost. Then he bought it, slept in the inn, and set out for Edgeville, the edge of the wild.


Part 6: The Naughty Dwarf

Jamie was walking along the mountain path from Falador to the Barbarian Village, when he stepped on a beer glass. SMASH! "Ack!" he yelped. "How did this cursed beer glass get here?" He saw a drunken dwarf smearing his face with a kebab and stumbling around the mountain.

"You! It was you who left the beer glass here!" roared Jamie. "You're a very naughty dwarf and I'm going to teach you a lesson! Stand your ground and face my wrath! Rrrgh!" Jamie continued his verbal onslaught. He pulled his mithril scimitar and shield and ran toward the dwarf.

"Mehmanuma...ehba...cor.." said the drunken, bearded, little man, mumbling utter nonsense. "It, it... u... ur the drunk' un! Ur attakin' me, a wittle undefinclis warf! U suld be asamed of ursef!"

"Yes," said Jamie calming down. "If anyone's been a naughty dwarf, it's me, although I can't see how that can be true because i'm not a dwa--" he was cut off by yet another arrow that landed right beside him.

"Ack!" yelled Jamie, running as fast as he could. When he finally arrived in the Barbarian Village, several thoughts accoured to him. Why did that guy want to shoot him? Why was Rangerbane so calm about when the guy shot at him? And why did he go out of the safety of the Champions Guild when someone was hunting him? And lastly, was why did it occur to him right away that the guy was after him?

Jamie felt sure that he had seen the guy before, although he didn't reconize him when he saw him. But then again, he didn't get a good look at his face. Continuing to ramble these thoughts within his head, he set off to the north, to Edgeville, seeing that it might be too late to return to a safe place.


Part 7: Yet Another Detour

Jamie was stalking the land between the Barbarian Village and Edgeville when he saw a cloaked figure running up a hill carrying a willow bow! Jamie thought that it might be the guy that kept shooting him, so he followed. The figure ran into Edgeville and went inside a house.

"Catching someone who wants to kill me is more important than armour," he thought, and he followed into the house. It was dark within the building and coffins lay row on row. The cloaked figure climbed down a ladder inside the house. Jamie of course followed, but behind him another figure also went down in the hole, wielding a bow...

The hole led to a underground cave. Jamie saw zombies and skeletons stalking the path through it. The cloaked figure ran toward a turn in the path. Jamie and the mystery ranger (Jamie had no idea there was someone behind him) followed. The guy in the cloak put a vial full of orange liquid in the middle of the cavern and ran away. Then a hand firmly clasp down on Jamie's shoulder!


Part 8: Exploding Edgeville

"AHHH!" yelled Jamie, jumping another mile. He turned to see, yet again, Rangerbane. "What the heck is wrong with you?! You've scared at least 20 years off my life!"

"Sorry?" Rangerbane said. "I just came to tell you that the vial of orange liquid is an exploding potion."

"Why are you always so calm?" Jamie said. "You didn't even get freaked out when someone shot an arrow at you!"

"I have a medical problem called Opitsm... or something like that. Now let's get out of this comfortable cave before that vial blows."

"Comfortable? You call this comforta-- Wait, it's going to blow up?!" Jamie panicked. "Let's get out of here NOW!"

"Ok, we can do that," Rangerbane said, completely calm. He turned and began to walk to the exit.

"Don't walk, RUN!"

"Why? It's not like that orange stuff is going to hurt us at this distance!"

"We're in a cave! Cave! C-A-V-E!" Jamie lectured.

"And?" Rangerbane asked.

"If that vial blows, then this cave will collapse on top of us!"

"Your point?"

"My point is th-" He was cut of in mid-sentance when an arrow fired at him. Dodging it, he saw another arrow go flying, right into the vial!

BOOM!

"Get down!" Jamie yelled, but Rangerbane could not hear him over the roar of the explosion.

As rocks fell, Rangerbane said a single sentence: "That's the way the cave crumbles!" A rock came down and hit Rangerbane square on the head. He was unconscious! As rocks began to pile on Rangerbane, Jamie saw not one way out of the crumbling cave.

A rock came down and harshly hit Jamie on the head making the world go black.


Part 9: Captured by Shadows

Jamie came to inside a jail cell. "Huh?" he thought. "A jail cell? Last thing I remember was an explosion in the dungeons underneath Edgeville." Then it all came back: the guild, the black robed stranger, the rune plate, and the exploding potion in Edgeville Dungeons, all of it. Jamie studied his surroundings. He saw Rangerbane, bound in the corner of the dark room. Jamie tried to rush forward and help him but then realized he was also bound.

"Nice of you to finally wake up. It's rude to sleep when visiting someone's house." A voice rang throughout the empty room, echoing everywhere. Jamie looked up to see the stranger in dark robes. "You weren't playing fairly before," The mystery man in the shadows said. "You wouldn't stay still when it was my turn to shoot an arrow."

"Your turn?" Jamie replied with confusion. "How is it a turn when I never shot at you?"

"Don't hide the truth! I saw you shooting at me, so I'm returning the favor." Before Jamie could answer, he lifted his bow and loaded an arrow. Jamie closed his eyes.

Whoosh! Jamie opened his eyes to see an arrow in the wall inches away from his head. He also saw the mystery man lying on the floor. But what suprised him the most was the new figure in the room. Because, the man that had entered the room (and obviously saved Jamie from being shot) looked exactly like Jamie.


Part 10: Twins, Clones, or Impersonation?

"Who are you?" Jamie asked. "Are you a long lost twin... a clone? Or... an impostor!?!"

The confronted stranger looked to the side. "I'm whoever I want to be."

"So your an impostor?"

"A friend. Now let's scoop up your other friend and get going. He's not the only one." The man said, looking at the unconscious figure on the ground.

"There's more of them?" Jamie said shocked. "OMG! I'm going to die! I'm too yo-!"

"STOP!" Man yelled. "Not when your with me." He reached into his pack and pulled out a rune Jamie had never saw before. It had a manikin dissapearing on its front.

"What is that?"

"A Fade Rune. It allowes you to cast invisibility spells." Man said, pulling several air and body runes from his pack. He hoisted Rangerbane onto his shoulder and shouted: "INVISIPATE!" Suddenly Rangerbane dissappeared. He shouted it again, then in a split second, it seemed Jamie was the only one in the room. "INVISIPATE!" Jamie could once again see Rangerbane and Man.

"Am I invisible?" Jamie said, as if in a dream.

"Yes, but only for a while. We need to hurry. If we don't get out fast enough, the spell will wear off. On three. 1, 2, 3!"

Jamie, Rangerbane (on Man's shoulders), and Man rushed out into the next room.


That is all for this issue! Stay tuned for the even better parts 11-20!

Written By: Topsummoner
Edited By: Knil
Coded By: Hoof Noob