"Come", he said. "We're almost there." I have been following him for a while now. He came to us a while back and asked me and a few of my friends to come and help with a battle. A battle that could possibly turn the tides in a conflict that had lasted for ages. And while I only heard of this war in passing, one of my friends convinced us that it is worth the cause, and we should fight. No longer would we have to suffer the constant bullying of the gangs, and that in itself had already convinced me.
So there I was, traveling with my new companion to a place called Edgeville. My other friends had rushed ahead of me and I was going to meet them there, but I have never visited this town myself. All I know is what I read in books and heard in passing. It used to be a ghost town, but was reclaimed from the Wilderness by humans a while back. Since then it had become a frontier town, a last stop for adventurers to resupply themselves before heading off into the great unknown, as well as the first place that those same adventurers come to show off their newly gained wealth. And the town has thrived since then.
As I followed my new friend, we passed towns I had visited before, but the further north we went, the more alien the scenery became. We stopped in a small town made of nothing more then wood and thatched barns. I had already noticed it on our journey, and the bar here too was full of people, probably all here on their last stop before the final stretch to Edgeville. People with carts full of weapons, armour and even food only stopped for a brief moment, and continued on through the night. Was the need for supplies this great? I could only imagine.
The next morning we did not proceed further north like everyone else. We turned east around the next ridge of mountains. "Where are we going?" Whether I inquired him out of curiosity or anxiety, I do not know, I guess the size of such a battle looming on the horizon would put every man on edge. "We're going to see an old friend of mine. He belongs to the Monastery, and I think he can give us an edge in this battle." And he was right. Not long after I asked him about it, a marvelous building rose up from the horizon, seemingly trapped between two ridges of mountains, and we entered.
After a brief conversation, one of the priests came to me and blessed me. Clearly this was a house of Saradomin, but somehow I did not feel safer. The gangs I was told about had a few unique qualities about them, and one of them was their pride in the organised killings they had done in the past. One on one I was sure I could hold my own against any other average person, but with a dozen people chasing you, I would be fleeing as fast as I possibly could. I was wondering if my friends felt the same way. And while I knew we didn't have far to travel, the remainder of my journey to meet with them again could not be over soon enough.
By the end of that day we had finally arrived in Edgeville. Even from far away it was an impressive sight. Green capes everywhere, people wielding standards shouting instructions, others handing out pieces of armour and weapons, and everywhere people were either sparring or staring into the fire, preparing for the battle to come. And I had to find my friends amidst all of this. There must have been a thousand people, if not more. Was there ever a battlefield big enough to fight this war in? Were all these people aware of what they were getting into? And if so, who managed to rally all of them?
As I stood there dazed and confused, I had not realized that my new companion had walked on and I caught a last glimpse of him entering the supreme commander’s tent. There I stood, in the middle of all those people, still with no armour or weapons or anyone else that looked familiar enough to talk to. When I had finally managed to get myself a set, I stood there fumbling with it in an attempt to don the armour, when a few guys approached me and offered to help. I had not met them before, but I guess they were in the same mess as I was, so I gladly accepted their help and invitation for a final drink before we had to march off.
From the dents in their armour and quite an impressive scar on the arm of one of them, I could tell that they had been in quite a few battles before this one, and for some reason they did not seem overwhelmed by the huge turnout. This was the first time I felt a sense of calm coming over me. Surely if these experienced fellows were this confident, the chances of us winning, or moreover, me surviving should be pretty high.
Without even noticing it, we had crossed into the barren Wilderness. And as the evening was falling, we were approaching the ruined stronghold where this battle was to take place, but it didn't look inviting. And without a warning, the screams of battle broke loose and I was ordered right to the front line.
Limbs here, pieces of armour there, and people scrambling all over the battlefield. It was utter chaos. I felt helpless. Best I could do was stay with these guys and follow the orders of one of the assigned officers. The fight seemed to go well for us, and amidst the fray, I even saw my friends, chasing someone wearing a crimson cloak. I made it about four or five steps trying to follow them before everything went black.
I woke up later back in Edgeville, and I felt relieved. My friends and new found companion, as well as those two guys I met at the camp were standing over me. "He's awake!” one of them shouted. Relief quickly turned into regret as I could not remember a worse headache, but at the time it could not have bothered me. We won. And I lived! The aftermath turned to debate, and the debate into a feast of victory. Finally we have turned the tables, and we all knew that it was thanks to a combined effort of strong leadership, ingenious tactics, and a massive conscription act.
A year later now, a messenger has come again with the news, and we stand on the eve of having our honour challenged again. And I know in my heart that we will win this battle, as all my friends, both old and new will be right there with me, fighting for the same cause again. "Some things are different though", as I sat down to talk to a group of new recruits, "I used to be like you."
Did You Know...
...that different light sources (used singly or together) can give greater amounts of light! In fact, bullseyes are brighter than mining helmets. Read about light brightness in the Firemaking
Guide. (Thanks to crewbie wyvren2000!)
Do you have any thoughts or comments about what you've just read? Want to discuss this article with your fellow RuneScapers? We invite you to discuss the article in this forum topic.
Letters to the Editor are now being accepted. If you have some thoughts to share with the Editor about this or any other Tip.It Times article, please refer to this forum topic for more information on writing a letter to the Editor. Selected letters will be published in the Times' usual space on the main website during those weeks that no Tip.It Times article is being published.
