Foreword: Insert Vision-related Pun Here

Hiya, everyone! It’s me again. Since you’re on this page, it looks like you’re about to read my third story, Zamorak’s Bane III: Time Unknown. It was written between September 6, 2005 and March 12, 2006 for those that are interested. Perhaps the reason it took so long this time around was because a lot of stuff happened in the interim. I rose a couple of ranks on the RuneVillage forums and even became a Player Moderator on Runescape! (Psst...still Jaron99. Like I could change my name anyway.) Or the reason could be that, unlike ZB1 and ZB2 which were 40 parts long, ZB3 turned out to be 60 parts long! So, for those of you that like to read, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Or printed out, as the case may be. Anyway, I’ll stop boring you to death and let you start in on the story. By the way, I sometimes have people ask me if I’ll be writing a ZB4. At this point in time, I have one more idea for the series and I plan on using it. I even wrote two ZB4 tie-ins into this story, if you’re keen enough to spot them. Enjoy!

Prologue: Last Time, On Zamorak's Bane II...

The next few days were spent looking for the original members of the clan. Now that they all remembered everything after drinking the potion, it was only right to seek out those who hadn't regained their memory. About a week later when all was said and done, it was decided between a few of them that they wanted to have one of those balloon parties in the Seers’ Village Party Hall. Only seven of them could make it that day, but it was just as well. They were to meet in the upstairs of the Party Hall. Jaron, Ultima Cow, Omegaman, Brandon and Bebitwinnie were lounging around in the Pub upstairs when Andrey walked in. "Am I late?" he asked. "Nah, we're just waiting on Twisas," Jaron replied. "I brought some items to put in some of the balloons," Andrey grinned. Omegaman replied happily, "Great! I did too. We should have a good par--" With a purple flash of light, Omega was cut off in mid-sentence. Twisas arrived and ran up the stairs in her pink pointed hat, only to see no one there.

"--ty, then," Omega said, before he realized where they were. Tombstones, dead trees...this place was familiar. "Are we...west of Ardougne?" asked Jaron. "Right you are," came a familiar voice. CrazyArcher appeared behind one of the tombstones. "Not you again!" exclaimed Brandon. CrazyArcher only laughed. Raising his hand, thick transparent blue walls appeared all around them, separating the group into twos. Jaron and Ultima Cow were trapped in one box, Omega and Brandon in another, Bebitwinnie and Andrey in the third. "Teleportation boxes," CrazyArcher said. "Where are you sending us?" demanded Jaron. CrazyArcher shook his head and smiled as a blue light shone inside the boxes. "Not where, my friend. Not where."

Part 81: The Spell of Unknown Effect

There was nothing they could do--the blue walls were impenetrable by weapons and their time was up anyway. "If not where, then what?" yelled Brandon. CrazyArcher's smile only widened. They all felt a strange sensation similar to teleporting, but somehow different. As everything faded out of view, Omegaman thought he saw CrazyArcher's smile suddenly fade.

And suddenly the walls were gone. So were CrazyArcher, Jaron, Ultima Cow, Bebitwinnie, and Andrey for that matter. Omegaman and Brandon stood alone where they had just been trapped moments before, west of Ardougne. Brandon glanced around before speaking. "So...uh...did his spell backfire?" Omega slowly shook his head, looking straight ahead in shock. "I don't know. But everyone's gone but us..." "...Well, let's go look for them, then," Brandon replied, trying to take Omega's mind off the matter of where his two best friends (among others) had gone. At that moment, as if on cue, they both heard muffled voices even further to the west--and the voices were heading their way. Omega was able to make out "Take your places!" among them, although that made no sense whatsoever. "We've gotta get out of here," Omega said quietly. Brandon silently nodded and together they ran eastward to Ardougne.

And suddenly the walls were gone. So were CrazyArcher, Omegaman, Brandon, Bebitwinnie, and Andrey for that matter. And yet everything seemed different to Jaron and Ultima Cow. Jaron turned around on the spot. "Where are we?" he asked aloud, taking off his teal pointy hat and scratching his head. The sky was a darker red than it had just been, and although they still seemed to be in the same spot west of Ardougne, it had even more of a distinctly evil edge to it. Ultima Cow looked around as well, and shrugged. The same tombstones were there, although the writing on them seemed more blurred and worn. The extent of the dead trees seemed to reach further out in every direction. The land itself was devoid of life. "It seems similar to CrazyArcher's little haven, but at the same time..." Ultima Cow's voice trailed off. Then out of nowhere came a yell: "Who's there?" The voice startled the two of them, and in no time they were surrounded by evil Monks in blood-red robes with crossbows. "Not again," mumbled Jaron. "Who are you?" demanded one of the Monks. The two simply stood there. "Have it your way! Ready your crossbows!" "The shoot first, ask questions later kind of guy, eh?" Jaron yelled. "I already asked you a question," the Monk replied, eyes narrowing. "Oh. Right. (Get us out of here, Ultima.)" Ultima Cow nodded. As he raised his staff and yelled "Lumbridge Teleport!", the Monks shot their crossbows. The two of them left not a moment too soon, as the bolts flew right through where they had just been standing a moment before. In hindsight, it probably wasn't too smart on the Monks' part to line up in a perfect circle.

And suddenly the walls were gone. Along with everything else, really. For a few seconds, Bebitwinnie and Andrey were standing on a dark patch of land. They could only see for a few feet in front of them, that of which was heavy forest. And then they appeared in Lumbridge, to the surprise of many nearby adventurers. "What happened?" asked Bebitwinnie. But before Andrey could speak, they were surrounded by other people. "How'd you do that?" asked one. "Do what?" Andrey replied. "Appear out of nowhere like that! And where'd you get that cool blue armor?" Brandon seemed stunned as another person spoke up and addressed Bebitwinnie. "Where can I get white robes like yours?" Bebitwinnie was speechless, too, but at once they both seemed to partially realize what was going on. They looked at each other, Andrey tilted his head westward, and Bebitwinnie nodded. Then they both sprinted west into the forest, leaving all the questioners behind.

Part 82: Clarification

Bebitwinnie and Andrey ran towards Draynor Village--or what would have been Draynor Village, had it been built yet. Instead, they came upon the wood frameworks of several buildings and a few civilians working on putting the walls up. They moved back into the shadows of the forest to confer. "This proves it," Andrey said, "we've somehow gone into the past." Bebitwinnie nodded. "Remember what CrazyArcher said? 'Not where, my friend. Not where'." "Yeah, I think he was being sarcastic. He's not our friend, after all," Andrey replied. Bebitwinnie rolled her eyes. "I mean about the 'where' part. It's not where, it's when." "Then we've got a problem," Andrey said, looking kind of nervous. "What's that?" asked Bebitwinnie. "Our armors and weapons. These people have never even heard of Rune, let alone seen a Dragon sword. And your white robes? They're all used to the regular blue ones. I don't think any of them had amulets or rings either. To blend in, we need to put all our stuff where no one's going to find it." "We can bury it," Bebitwinnie suggested. Andrey pulled a makeshift spade out of his backpack. "And you just happen to have a spade on you," she said, rolling her eyes. Andrey grinned. "I was going to throw it into the drop party chest and have everyone wonder who put the spade in. But this works better," he said as he started digging a hole.

Omega and Brandon ran all the way into Ardougne through the north entrance and over towards the market, entering the market square at the west entrance. "That's...a long way...to run," Omega said between intakes of breath as he leaned on an open doorframe. "Yeah...it takes a lot out of you," Brandon replied, finally regaining his breath as well. "Dang, all that running made me hungry," Omega said. "Stay here, I'll get us something," Brandon replied. Omega looked down at his feet. It really had been a long way, but his experience in Agility helped somewhat. Brandon returned with a full cake. "Here ya go," he said, giving half of it to Omega. As they ate their cake, several people started filing out of the market square. "What's with all the rush?" Brandon wondered out loud. Omega looked over towards the market--and choked on his piece of cake. He pushed–Brandon–hard inside through the doorframe he was leaning on. "Hey! What's that for?" Brandon exclaimed. Omega said nothing, but pointed out the nearby window, eyes wide. Brandon looked, too--and saw himself and a tall Paladin in a silver hat getting ready to fight not thirty feet away. "We--that's--I--the--" Brandon began to stutter. Omega crouched down so he could barely be seen behind the window, and surveyed the area. Sure enough, a group of twenty-one other people with Jaron, Omega, and Ultima Cow in front stood on the sidelines across the square. Brandon could barely understand what he was seeing. "That guard...he said he saw me steal a cake...but it wasn't that me, it was this me! We've gone back in time! By...just a little bit?" Omega handed a Emerald ring to Brandon, and gave him instructions. "That's got a couple uses left on it. Teleport to the Castle Wars arena. I'll meet you there in a second." Brandon nodded, and rubbing the ring, disappeared in a flash of purple. Which, of course, no one noticed, since they all were watching the fight. Omega turned his attention back to it. The fighting Brandon fell over backwards, and barely got up in time. Grabbing a Rune arrow out of his quiver, Omegaman ran upstairs to the balcony and aimed it at the Paladin. Letting loose, he heard his arrow hit its mark with a loud "THUD!" Everyone gasped, and the Paladin looked around, wondering what had happened. At the same time, Brandon seized the chance and pinned the Paladin to the ground. Omega grabbed another Emerald ring and rubbed it, teleporting out just as the Jaron downstairs looked up at him.

Part 83: First Encounter

Jaron and Ultima Cow arrived just outside Lumbridge Castle via their teleport spell. The place seemed deserted--there was no one around. "...Where is everyone?" Jaron asked, to no one in particular. Suddenly, they heard a yelp of surprise and something coming down the stairs of the nearest tower. Seconds later, a man emerged next to the castle gate. He was wearing robes and a hat that had a mix of brown and dark blue on them. "State your allegiance!" he called out to them, pointing a crossbow in their general direction. Jaron and Ultima Cow just looked at each other, each having no idea what to do. "Allegiance?" Ultima Cow said, uncomprehending. "For or against?" the man called again, without lowering his crossbow. "Against what?" Jaron asked. The other man simply stared out at them. "You're...not from around here, are you?" Jaron shook his head. The man seemed to mull this over for a bit, then started to relax a little. He looked like he trusted them, and cautiously walked out to where they were. Stopping five feet away, he still stared at Jaron and Ultima Cow. "What?" Jaron asked. "It's just...not very many people know the teleport spells any more. How can I be sure I can trust you?" "We can't make you trust us," Jaron replied, "that's up for you to decide. But I give you my word that we won't hurt you as long as you don't hurt us." To his surprise, the other man actually smiled, and led them inside. "Works for me. Care to come in? It's not safe out here."

"Why don't you just keep the gates closed if you're so afraid of others?" Ultima Cow asked. "One of the other factions' mages came and superheated it to the stone. It won't budge," came the man’s reply. (Factions?) thought Ultima Cow. He looked at Jaron, who shrugged in reply, obviously wondering the same thing. Jaron took advantage of the pause in the conversation to look around. Everything still had an evil-looking edge to it, although the inside of Lumbridge looked...better off. Just off to the left, a big statue caught his eye. It was brownish, and looked like an adventurer with a Lobster Pot in one hand and a hatchet in the other. Some actual tinderboxes were set at its feet. "What's this?" he asked, walking over to it. "And why is it in bronze?" added Ultima Cow. "That," the man replied, "is the Shrine of the Noobs. I suppose you really aren't from around here." "Who wants a statue of a ‘noob’ in a castle courtyard?" asked Jaron, eyebrows raised. The reply came in the form of a sigh and a story. "It's the stuff of legend now. As the story goes, a long time ago, CrazyArcher was--" "CrazyArcher!? He's not still around, is he?" Jaron interrupted. Now it was the other man's turn to look surprised. "Why, yes, he rules over most of Runescape. But let me finish this story first, and it may answer any questions you have. Anyway, CrazyArcher was walking along, and a ‘noob’ started begging to buy the red hat atop his head. CrazyArcher kept walking, saying it wasn't for sale. But the ‘noob’ persisted. And in his anger, CrazyArcher slaughtered the young adventurer there on the spot. To his surprise, he heard cheers come from nearby. Apparently, more skilled adventurers had wanted the ‘noob’ dead for some time. Sensing his chance, CrazyArcher went all around Runescape and killed every ‘noob’ on the face of the planet." "Heh, that's funny," Ultima Cow smiled. "Yes, for over a month there was much rejoicing all over the land. But all was not well. Without the ones called 'noobs', our entire economy crumbled. Everyone knew the best prices. No one was going to pay 200 gp for a piece of coal, or much less sell you their Rune Plate Mail for five Emeralds. Items were not being sold or bought, only held. The people grumbled, worse came to worse, and riots broke out. And when Runescape seemed doomed, CrazyArcher appeared again and claimed he would restore the land to its former glory. Most trusted him, although there were the descendants of some that said he was truly evil and lying to us all. But they were ignored. The rest is history. He did lie to us, and took his chance to become ruler of the land. He slowly grew in power, and now no one can stop him."

Andrey sighed as he threw all of his best armor, weapons, and accessories into the hole he had dug. Bebitwinnie did the same. All the amulets, swords, rings, robes, etc. When they were done, both of them had only the normal clothes on them and nothing else, besides Bebitwinnie, who got to keep some of her runes, as they were still a common item in this time period. "So where do we go now?" asked Bebitwinnie. "Jaron usually answers that," Andrey sighed.

Part 84: An Unknown Friend...Revealed

Jaron and Ultima Cow followed the man into Lumbridge Castle's main room. "So...where is CrazyArcher now, then?" Jaron asked. The man shook his head as he turned towards them. "This is not a good time for Runescape as far as information goes. Wherever he is, only his own followers know of it. And right now, our people don't even know how many others are for us and how many are against us. The only group we are aware of right now that follows in CrazyArcher's footsteps is known by the name of the 'Lava Faction'." "The Lava Faction?" Ultima Cow queried. The man shook his head again. "We only know their name and that they aid CrazyArcher. As for the rest, regrettably, I can't spare the time to tell you right now. We were just about to try to detach our castle portcullis from the stone. As a matter of fact, it was a Lava mage that did this to us. We need to fix it in case of an attack." Jaron chose his words carefully. "If we were to...help you with your gate problem, would you fill in more details for us? It's kind of important." The man pondered the situation for a short moment, and then smiled. "I'd be happy to. We can use all the help we can get!"

"Well, our first plan of action should be to get some better equipment," Andrey told Bebitwinnie, who nodded. "We're cut off from our present-day bank," she said, "What we have is what we've got. I could probably use more runes." Andrey consented. "Well, at the moment, our best way to make some money would be to help people out. Maybe someone back in Lumbridge has a job for us. I don't think anyone will recognize us without our other equipment...we should be good to go." With that, they set back off to the east, towards Lumbridge Castle.

The work on releasing the castle's portcullis was harder than expected, even with a lot of people working together. Jaron and Ultima Cow sat down just outside the castle, when another person came into the courtyard, telling everyone it was time for dinner. The same man they had talked to earlier came up to Jaron and Ultima. "You've more than proven yourself with your hard work, guys. You're welcome to come have something to eat." Jaron smiled. "Thanks, we'll be there in a minute." The sky was starting to get dark--well, darker, anyway. Ultima Cow frowned. "Why are we waiting? I hope it's not a buffet-type thing and everyone else eats it all." To his surprise, Jaron laughed. "Hey, Ultima--while we were working, I thought of something." "What's that?" replied Ultima Cow. "This," Jaron said, holding up a Jade ring on his hand.

Omegaman and Brandon sat for a while and pondered what to do or how they could make their situation better, but came up with nothing. "What do you do when you can't think of anything?" Brandon asked Omega. Omega looked up to see tons of people teleporting at once into the Castle Wars lobby. "I usually go for a round of Castle Wars," he replied, smiling. Twenty minutes later, they both came out with big grins and two tickets apiece. That's when Omega's Ring of Talking began to start emitting static. "Zzztzt...anyone there?" Eyes wide, Omega and Brandon ran outside for better reception. Brandon had left his ring in the bank chest during the Castle Wars game, so Omega held his up and spoke into it. "Hello?" Moments later, the voice came back. "...Omega?" "Jaron! It's so good to hear from you!" "Same here! I've got so much to tell you...wait--first off, where are you? Or...when are you?" Omegaman spoke again. "Brandon and I got sent back about half an hour before his fight with that big Paladin in Ardougne, which was...maybe a week and a half ago?" "Ultima Cow and I are fine...sort of. We got sent waaaay into the future." Omegaman looked up to the sky, trying to imagine his friends in history books hundreds of years from now. But the beautiful evening sky led his thoughts astray. "Look at all the stars," he said. Jaron's reply came, after a few seconds: "Yeah, it's a beautiful sight. I don't look at the sky very often." "It's weird, knowing we're looking at the same night sky, although we're decades apart." Then, out of the blue, a third voice came. "Hello?" Omega was stunned into silence for a bit. Jaron broke the ice first, although his voice seemed a little deeper. "Uh...hi. Who is this?" "My name is Jaron. How did you get a hold of a Ring of Talking?" Omega's jaw dropped, unsure of what to say. The future Jaron again spoke, although Omega could now tell his voice was indeed deeper; he must be trying to camouflage it. "Well, Jaron my friend, that's not really an important issue. But, my other friend, do you understand what I do?" Omega gulped, and followed Jaron's lead in changing the tone of his voice. Jaron had told him this story several times in the past week and a half. "I do, I think I understand now. So, Jaron is it? I have a gift for you." "A gift?" came the reply. "Yes," Omega said. "All you have to do is go to the gate where Lumbridge meets Al Kharid. Enter Al Kharid, then take twenty steps north and four steps east. Dig there, and you'll find a treasure chest." A short silence came from the other end, then: "How do I know my 'step' is the same as yours?" Omega smiled. "Trust me. If you look for it, you'll find it." Then the future Jaron spoke once more. "Jaron, good luck finding the treasure chest. And as for my other friend, shall we continue this discussion another night?" "Agreed," said Omegaman, lowering his hand and cutting the connection. Brandon stood a couple feet away, mouth agape. "So...what exactly is it that we understand?" Omega smiled again. "That we have a long night ahead of us."

Part 85: A Long Night

Omegaman withdrew his single Amulet of Glory (used only for emergencies) from the Castle Wars bank chest and teleported himself and Brandon to Al Kharid. As Omega walked up to the bank booth to withdraw a spade, he talked sideways to Brandon. "You always said you were a pretty good Herblorist, right?" "Yeah," Brandon replied, pondering something. Omega faced him with a look of concern. "What's wrong?" "Oh, it's nothing. Pretty funny, actually...remember when we took a short time off at Draynor before battling CrazyArcher? I was going to make some potions for the group to use, but seeing as we had already found the other ones in Al Kharid, I decided I didn't need to make any." He smiled and continued, "And now, it seems I'll be making them after all." The sky was darkening even more. Brandon withdrew twenty-four water-filled vials and herbs, along with other ingredients, and set to work making the eight Super Sets.

After Brandon finished up all of the potions, he and Omega took spades and walked out to the gate between Lumbridge and Al Kharid. Walking twenty steps north and four steps east, they started to dig. "Hey, just a second," Brandon said. "What?" Omegaman asked. "Where'd the treasure chest come from?" Brandon replied. Several seconds passed as Omega stared at him, and then dropped his spade on the ground. "Good call. I'm going to the General Store, if they're still open at this time of night. Be right back."

Luckily, the General Store was indeed open, and let Omega buy one of their chests. Brandon and Omega spent the rest of the night digging, and finally buried the chest (with all of the potions inside it, of course) a few feet deep in the sand, and then covered it up with sand again, making sure the ground was flat. It wouldn't help, though, because the sand felt kind of weird from being dug up anyway. Daylight had finally broken by the time they were done. "Whew. That took longer than I thought. Now what?" Brandon wearily asked. Omega tilted his head back and recalled what he remembered. "Well, we came by in the morning to dig up the chest--wait a second, it's morning now. Oh, shoot. ...We have to get out of here unseen. If we're spotted, it could ruin everything." Together, they ran back down to Al Kharid Bank. "I just realized something else," Brandon said. "What a day for remembering stuff. Okay, what is it?" Omega replied, slightly exasperated. "If we're going to keep the time line going correctly as everything happened, we have to remember that our bank is not our own. Whatever we take out, our past selves might realize it." "Another good point," Omega said, depositing back the spade. He took out a Mime Mask and a Blue Halloween Mask. "Put this on," he said, handing Brandon the Blue Mask. And then, after a moment, added, "You do realize you just used all of your herbs. You told me you checked them at Draynor." Brandon clasped his hand to his mouth, and his eyes got very wide. "Oh, shoot...staying unnoticed is going to be harder than I thought..."

Omegaman and Brandon put on their masks and left through the Al Kharid gate. As they walked up the main path just outside Lumbridge Castle, they saw the entire group down the road. All twenty-two people, each holding a spade, coming the opposite direction. "(Don't say anything,)" Omega quietly warned. As the large group passed, Jaron (with his teal colored hat) uttered a "Hello." Omega and Brandon just nodded and continued on, even speeding up a little. The past Omegaman turned around and watched them walk off. "Weirdos..." he muttered, turning back and continuing on. Seconds after that, the future Omegaman turned around as well to watch the rest of the ground go in the gate. "Well, that was ironic," he said. "I thought it was kinda funny. Remind me later to make fun of you for calling yourself a weirdo," Brandon replied, laughing.

Part 86: Two Assistants

Early the next morning, Andrey and Bebitwinnie walked into Lumbridge Castle to find the Cook in the kitchen, fretting over his stove. "What's wrong?" Bebitwinnie asked him. "(And can we help?)" Andrey muttered under his breath, unheard. The Cook turned to face them and then blurted, "Today's the Duke's birthday again and I completely forgot to make a cake again and I don't even have the ingredients to make one if I wanted to! Again!" "Jeez, don't hyperventilate, man," Andrey said. "We can help you out. What do you need?" Bebitwinnie asked, getting to the point. "Some flour, an egg, and some milk. And quickly, please!"

"One minute we're fighting the epitome of evil, then next minute we're fighting an ugly little goblin." The goblin Andrey was battling swung its bronze spear, but completely missed and stuck the ground at his feet. "And a pathetic one at that," he added. Andrey used what unarmed combat skills he had to dispatch the creature, and then knelt down and took five glittering coins from the goblin's small money bag. He tossed the coins up to Bebitwinnie. They were alone in a nearby forest, so they were free to talk without worrying about being heard. "Oh, lighten up a little, Andrey. CrazyArcher's the one that sent us back in time, so by triumphing where he thought he beat us, we're still fighting him. In a way. Anyway, this should be enough for a bucket and pot. I'll run to the General Store up the road, and you go get some grain from that field down the way. We'll meet up at the windmill, okay?" Andrey stood. "Yeah, alright...you're right. The sooner we get this done, the better. At least the windmill's still standing...I wish Draynor was." With that, the two took off in separate directions.

The same man in the blue-brown pointy hat Jaron and Ultima Cow had first talked to came up to them now. "What's your opinion on it?" Jaron looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, we can't get any further with this portcullis by hand. We're really going to need some good chisels and hammers. No offense, but all of the ones you have are way too dull to be of any use. Why don't you just get new ones?" "No offense taken. But it's not easy at all to get the simplest things anymore. Since CrazyArcher took over, he wanted to make sure that only his followers get the best of tools. It's not safe enough anymore to even go down to the General Store, although the shopkeeper there is only alive because he promised to sell CrazyArcher whatever wares he has. We even get our runes from a third-party vendor type of person. He doesn't have a set schedule, but just comes around when he can. He always seems to be on the run to avoid CrazyArcher's followers, but we all appreciate him greatly. He doesn't sell tools, though, only runes."

The Lumbridge Cook took all of the ingredients Andrey and Bebitwinnie brought to him and quickly made a delicious-looking cake. "What can I ever do to repay you?" he asked them. "Well, to tell the truth, we're kind of low on funds at the moment," Bebitwinnie said. "Ah, of course. I can only spare you a few hundred coins, unfortunately, but here you go," he replied, grabbing a bag of gold from a nearby cupboard and handing it to them. "Oh, take this pie, too. I made it in case you were not able to get the ingredients in time, and I'm sure you're hungry anyway." "Thanks!" said Andrey, taking the pie and realizing how hungry he actually was. As he tried to take out half of the pie to give to Bebitwinnie, he ran into trouble. The pie wouldn't budge, and the Cook seemed amused. "Eat pies often? Every pie is enchanted to only be eaten in thirds." Andrey stared at the pie a moment, and then smiled at the Cook. "Ah, thanks. I remember now...I'm so hungry I had almost forgotten about it!" Bebitwinnie simply half-smiled, realizing this was probably another forgotten aspect of the past.

Part 87: Fifteen Minutes of Relaxation, Fifteen Minutes from Now

Omegaman and Brandon stopped for a rest just outside Draynor Village before heading on. "We need to plan out what happens from here," Omega said. Brandon nodded, and they both tried to recall what had happened to them just a week before. Then a look of surprise crossed Brandon's face. "Oh, wait, first I need to put the herbs back! Our group came here right after digging up the chest, and that's when I looked at my herbs! There's no way I'll get them all back in time!" Omegaman grimaced, realizing this as well. "We've got one shot," Omega said. "What's that?" Brandon asked. Omega motioned for Brandon to follow him, and then went into Draynor Bank and withdrew around fifty herbs. "Given all of the combat training I do, I get a lot of herbs. Unfortunately, I can't identify many of them. Can you tell if these are the ones you need? If so, you can borrow them...I usually don't check my herbs." Brandon gave them a good look over and smiled. "You've got plenty of Irits, just enough Kwuarm, and seven Cadantine, among other things. All we need is one more Cadantine, and we're set." Omegaman put on his mime mask and went around the bank, asking everyone if he could buy a single Cadantine herb. Luckily, he found a seller, and traded a few thousand gold coins for the herb. "I hope I don't notice a few 'K' missing," Omega said, handing Brandon the Cadantine. Brandon took all twenty-four herbs and banked them, and with that, the two ran off to Falador, hoping to stay ahead of the other large group that would no doubt soon be heading their way.

"Well, without better tools, I highly doubt we'll be getting much farther," Jaron remarked, disappointed. The other man grimly nodded. "Unfortunately, I agree. We're completely open to attack with that portcullis glued open, and it's much worse than we thought. Do you share the same view?" he asked, looking to Ultima Cow, who nodded as well. The man sighed. "Well, I suppose we'll have to post a few guards just inside the entrance tonight to be safe. I don't know how long our situation will last." Jaron's smacked his forehead, suddenly remembering something. Then he noticed everyone was looking at him. "Oh. Yeh, uh, I think we may be able to help you. But it'll have to wait until tonight. If all goes well, we can fix your gate tomorrow." The man stared for a moment, then smiled. "I don't know how you'll achieve it, but I have no reason to doubt your words. Whatever you need, I'll make sure you get it." Jaron returned the smile. "Thanks! But I think all we'll need is some time alone."

Andrey and Bebitwinnie took a leisurely walk up to the Dwarven Mining area, where they were able to buy a couple pickaxes with the money they had gotten from helping the Cook. "Still, mining's not my strong suit," Bebitwinnie told Andrey as they headed deeper into the mines. "Well, I'll mine whatever you can't, and I can still smith a lot of stuff as well. I know you probably won't be used to the armor, but until we can get something else for you, it's better than nothing." Bebitwinnie nodded. As a mage, she liked her white robes better, but Andrey had a point. Maybe taking on a second mode of combat for a little while wouldn't be too bad, she mused. Their plan for now was to mine some ore and make some homemade armors and weapons. Andrey would be fine with it, of course, already being a great warrior. She pushed her thoughts aside for now and chipped away at a piece of iron sticking out of the ground.

Part 88: Another Mystery Explained

Omega and Brandon, upon entering Falador, promptly headed for the Pub there. They took to the upstairs, so they wouldn't be noticed by others sitting in the floor below. "So what now, weirdo?" Brandon inquired. Omega didn't seem to notice the name-calling; he looked lost in thought. "Well, when we were in Draynor, I went out and made more arrows. You looked over your herbs, and everyone else just met back in fifteen minutes. ...And I'll overlook that this time." Brandon grinned, and then spoke up again. "I remember we crossed the distance between Draynor and Falador pretty quickly that day. And then we went to battle the Monk. Or, at least, we were going to." Omega sat straight up in his seat. "What's wrong?" Brandon asked. Omega shook his head. "Nothing, just stay here for a minute," he replied, running down the Pub's stairs and across the street.

A couple minutes later, Omega returned with a small satchel in hand. Brandon looked at the bag, and tilted his head, imposing a silent question. Omega plopped the bag down on the table, and Brandon loosened the top and looked inside to find a large amount of Air and Law Runes. "What are these for?" Brandon asked. "I have a hunch I'll be needing some," Omega replied. "How's your stealth?" he asked. Brandon thought about it. "Better than most, worse than yours," he decided. Omega nodded. "Good. Then all we have to do now is wait."

They both ordered some ales from downstairs and sat by a window on the upper floor, looking over the entire town of Falador. "There's actually a really good view from here," Brandon commented, surprised. Ten to fifteen minutes later, a large group passed through the south entrance of the city. Omega sat up in his chair from where he had been waiting, staring at the gate. "There," he pointed. Brandon turned in his seat and saw a group of 22 people journeying up the main street (and attracting stares from onlookers all the way at their sheer group size.) Once the party had left through the north gate, Omega stood up. "That's our cue."

Omega and Brandon slinked along behind the group, far enough away to not be noticed, but still closer than Brandon would have liked to be. As the group of 22 entered Taverly via the gate in the large stone wall, Omega and Brandon stood back, just to either side of the gate. The wall hid them from view, but they could easily see what was going on. Omega looked over to Brandon and got his attention. "Move in on my mark. But try to make your first attack unseen, because two against one isn't good for this guy," he said quietly. The Monk of Zamorak they knew so well suddenly jumped to the ground right in front of the large group. They all pulled out weapons, to which he simply laughed. "You can't beat me," he said to them. Tai spoke up, "Oh, I think we can." Andrey added his two cents as well: "You're a little bit outnumbered." The Monk laughed again. "22 to 1? Sounds like good odds." He took his magic Dragon Dagger from his robe and threw it into the air, catching it as a Longsword when it came back down. "You actually plan on fighting us?" Bnjy put forth. "I don't plan on fighting you, for a lack of words. Since you won't actually be fighting, that is. You've all caused enough trouble--I can't have you barging in when my Master's about to reestablish his reign over Runescape, now can I?" Out of nowhere, the Monk immediately pulled a vial of grey powder from his robe and threw it at the group. When it shattered in front of them, the powder turned into smoke, knocking them all unconscious. Smiling smugly, the Monk slowly walked over to the now-unconscious Jaron and raised his Longsword, its tip pointing straight down. "I've waited so long for this," he spoke aloud. Back at the gate, Omega fired a Rune arrow straight at the Monk. "So have we. Move in, Brandon!"

Omegaman's aim was true--the force of the hardened arrow knocked the weapon out of the Monk's hand. Omega ran forward, firing arrow after arrow at him. And before the Monk knew what was going on or even who had attacked him, Brandon's Dragon Halberd dealt the finishing blow with its extreme range of attack. Omega walked up to where the Monk lay dead. "That was easy," Brandon said, walking up alongside. Omega looked around, other matters on his mind. He ran over to a clothesline where Druid robes were drying, grabbed a couple shirts, and returned to the battle scene. He tried to wipe up any blood that was on the ground, and then wrapped up the Monk in them, covering the wounds. Brandon watched him, trying to figure out what he was doing. "I don't want it to look like there was a battle here. We had no clue where the Monk had gone when we woke up, remember?" Omega said to him. Brandon nodded and looked over to see himself asleep on the ground, and shuddered at the thought of what might have just happened. "Hey, wait a minute...I just saved my own life," Brandon grinned. Omega only rolled his eyes and dragged the Monk to a hole south of the town, dropping him down into the dungeon. Walking back, he saw the Monk's magic Dragon Longsword lying on the ground where he had dropped it. Omega looked around and noticed a Druid with a white pointy hat surreptitiously watching from a window. Omega waved him over, and the Druid cautiously walked outside to meet him. Handing him the Longsword, Omega asked, "Could you please hold onto this for a while for me? And it's also important that you only give it back to me or talk about it if I'm alone with you, okay?" The Druid nodded, took hold of the sword, and walked back inside. Then, pulling some runes out of the satchel he had brought, Omega teleported himself and Brandon to Camelot.

Part 89: "Final" is a Relative Term

Omega and Brandon arrived just outside of Camelot Castle. Carefully looking in, they saw that it was deserted. "Let's go," Omega whispered to Brandon. Together, they ran through the courtyard, into the castle, up to the second floor balcony, and hid there behind some pillars. "You can cast Camelot Teleport?" Brandon inquired. "Yeah, but I'm not as good as a regular mage. I've only really learned the teleport spells and getting us both here took a lot out of me. Can you cast it?" "Yeah, kind of," came the reply. "Good. Next time, we do it separately." About ten minutes later, CrazyArcher suddenly appeared in the middle of the castle courtyard with a flash of light. And he stood there.

By a half-hour later, CrazyArcher began to pace back and forth. Evidently, he hated to wait. From their hiding spot on the balcony, Omega could hear him muttering. "Where is he? He knew to meet me here..." A few more minutes passed, and then CrazyArcher just sighed and shook his head. Omega and Brandon watched as he held his arm out, and a egg-shaped grey thing appeared there. It had a long rod on it, and CrazyArcher spoke into it. "Citizens of Runescape--" he began, and then stopped. He then did something Omega and Brandon couldn't see from their hiding spot, but CrazyArcher seemed pleased. Then he took a deep breath to say something, and a huge squeal came from the oval for a couple of seconds. When it ended, CrazyArcher simply said, "Is this thing on?" But it had worked--Omega and Brandon could now hear his voice everywhere around them. He spoke into the grey oval again. "Ah, good, it works. Neat. Okay then. Citizens of Runescape, listen well! My name is CrazyArcher, and from this day forth, I shall be your new ruler!" Just then, Jaron ran up to the courtyard entrance with the original large group and yelled back, "I don't think so!" CrazyArcher seemed surprised and agitated at the interruption. "What are YOU doing here? You should be dead right now!" "Ha! You'll never rule over Runescape, CrazyArcher. Not as long as we have a say in it. We've beaten you before, and we can do it again." CrazyArcher paused for a moment, and then brought the oval calmly up to his mouth again. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by." Then he reached around the back of it again and there was a loud clicking noise. Then he threw the oval aside, and it turned to dust upon hitting the ground.

CrazyArcher wasted no time. "Where's the Monk?" he asked suspiciously. Jaron shrugged. "One second he was going to kill us, the next second he split. It seems your servant wasn't so trustworthy after all, eh?" he taunted. The Omega on the balcony smiled, finally able to put the puzzle pieces together. But the Brandon there next to him only noticed a small grey-tipped arrow silently moving toward his past self. CrazyArcher replied to Jaron's accusation by growling. "He's the best servant I've ever had--loyal, capable, and more trustworthy than you could possibly imagine. So are you going to tell me the truth about where he is or beat around the bush?" "You idiot, we seriously don't know," countered Twisas, "and besides, we wouldn't tell you if we did." The arrow made contact with Brandon's past self, as EaglesFan spoke up. "Yeah, so are you going to give up your crazy plans of world domination or beat around the bush, as you say?" CrazyArcher grinned. "Hah! Give up my plans? No way! Actually, I've already started them." The group just looked at him with confused stares, which led him to explain. "One of the powers my lord Zamorak bestowed upon me is a type of reverse Telekinetic Grab. With a single arrow and one of the Monk's potions, I can effectively and silently administer any potions I want to anyone, anywhere." CrazyArcher nodded towards behind the group. Still confused, they all turned around to see Brandon standing there with his Halberd. And then he attacked.

The group below dispersed from where they stood, scattering and trying to avoid Brandon's attacks. The Brandon above watched the action below. "Huh. I don't remember any of that at all." Just then, CrazyArcher rose into the air, his back to the two on the balcony. He was laughing at the action below. Omega grabbed a Rune arrow out of his quiver and stretched it tight against his bow, taking aim at CrazyArcher's back. He released the arrow, but the bowstring made a small "twang!" noise that CrazyArcher unfortunately noticed. CrazyArcher spun around in mid-air and barely caught the arrow, which threw him toppling to the ground anyway. Omega reached into his satchel and grabbed a handful of Air and Law runes, tossing them to Brandon. Then he teleported. "Now that I remember," Brandon said as he took a glimpse of CrazyArcher's landing. Then he teleported out as well.

Part 90: Like a Puzzle

Omega and Brandon rematerialized just outside Camelot Castle. Brandon stood against the wall with his back to the entrance, afraid to look inside in case someone were to see him. "So...what happened next? I don't completely recall," he said. "I was still kind of dizzy from that old coot falling on top of me at the time." Omegaman opened his mouth to say something, but the Jaron inside the courtyard interrupted them. "SCATTER!" came his yell, followed by a flash of purple light, and then two more. "Oh yeah, now I remember," Brandon said. Omega peeked around the corner to see CrazyArcher taunting them. "Ha ha ha!! I cut your numbers in half!" "You cut less than half. We can still defeat you anyway," Jaron shot back at him. The three archers of the group of 22--Omega, Twisas and Toxic--readied arrows and shot them straight at CrazyArcher. The Omega at the gate gasped, realizing something, and readied an arrow of his own. CrazyArcher held up a hand, and the three arrows heading for him shattered in mid-air. "Heh! You can't even touch me!" Aiming and firing, Omega shot his Rune arrow from the courtyard entrance. It hit its mark on CrazyArcher's right arm, which caused him in turn to yell "Aah! Who shot that??" Omega jumped back behind the gate as some of the group turned to look at the entrance. No one had seen him, luckily. "Shoot, that was my last arrow," he muttered. Even Brandon could now hear CrazyArcher's words. "Enough! You fools stay standing even after everything I throw at you! That's either determination or stupidity. This will finish you off. Your time is up." Omega gasped again and chanced a look around the corner. CrazyArcher was holding his vial of red energy-evaporating liquid, and had already started splashing people with it. Brandon got Omega's attention. "Hey--look." Omega turned around to see Iissam, a long way down the road, head into the forest between Catherby and Seers' Village. Staring at his empty quiver, Omega put his Halloween Mask back on and ran into the forest, saying to Brandon "I'll be right back."

The masked Omegaman approached Iissam in the forested area. "Wha--who are you?" she asked. Omega lowered the tone of his voice so that she wouldn't recognize him behind his mask. "Um...that's not important. But I know who you are. And I need to ask a big favor." "What is it?" Iissam replied, skeptical. "I need a Magic Shortbow and a Rune arrow," Omega said. "You have one right there," she pointed out. He was, of course, holding his own bow. "Oh. Yeah, but I need another. And fast, please. I'll pay you, of course." Iissam narrowed her eyes and pulled a Rune arrow out of her knapsack. "I've got twelve of these on me, but my bowstring for the Shortbow is in the Bank." Omega nodded and grabbed one thousand gold coins out of his own knapsack, handing it to her and taking the arrow. "I just need one. I'll meet you in the Bank for the bow in a few minutes. Thanks!" he added, running back off in the direction he had come, leaving Iissam there, confused.

Omega, his mask now off, ran up next to Brandon at Camelot Castle's gate. "What'd I miss?" he muttered. Brandon shrugged as he secretly watched the action from around the corner. "Beats me. I was in Lumbridge for this part of the battle. ...Wait a minute! Shoot--I forgot! Our group teleported back here! We have to hide, Omega!" "Go. Give me one more second," Omega replied. "Well...hurry!" Brandon said, running out behind a nearby tree. Omega took his own Magic Shortbow and the Rune arrow and set them on the ground. Then he pushed it, somewhat hard, along the ground, and it barely skidded to a stop right next to where Jaron was lying on his stomach. (Perfect.) Omega smiled to himself and joined Brandon behind the tree, just as Bebitwinnie, Brandon, Tai, Magicana, EaglesFan, Bnjy, Petrenks, Coran, Low Scorer, and ACher materialized where Omega had been just a moment before. The ten of them ran into the courtyard. Omega could barely hear CrazyArcher cackle something, but it was followed by Bebitwinnie bellowing "No, it's not!" The next thing Omegaman and Brandon noticed was a large puff of red smoke rising from the courtyard. "Dang...he got them all," Omega said. The two ran back to the corner they had been hiding at before. "How did you get so strong?" Bebitwinnie asked CrazyArcher. "Don't you recall our last encounter? Oh wait, I guess not," he replied, laughing. He produced a green vial from his robes, and Omega suddenly reached into his satchel of runes again. CrazyArcher held up the vial. "Here's the antidote to that memory-suppressing potion, by the way. Not that any of you will ever get it! Heh heh heh!!" Omega grinned as he found the ones he wanted, and held his arm out from around the corner. "Telekinetic grab!" he muttered, and the green vial rose out of CrazyArcher's palm and sped towards the courtyard entrance. Omega backed up a little, moving out of the group's view, but still in range to grab the vial. It landed softly in his hand. "Heh...this is awesome," he said to no one in particular.

Omega entered the Seers' Village Bank alone, but with his mask on again. There he found Iissam at a nearby Bank stall, holding a Magic Shortbow. Her Rune Hatchet had a green pointy hat on it...it was anyone's guess why. Omegaman walked over and set ten thousand coins on the table. "Whoa--that more than pays for it," Iissam said to him. "That's okay. I need you to do one last thing for me," Omega said. "What is it, sir?" He handed her the green vial. "I need you to deliver this to Jaron for me. I believe you know who he is...anyway, he'll be in here in a couple of minutes. Please be very careful with this. Oh, and tell him they only need one drop each--there's enough for everyone in his group." "Um...okay," Iissam said, not fully understanding. Omega smiled, nodded, took his new bow, and walked back out of the bank. Of course, with his mask on, Iissam didn't see his face.

Part 91: It's About Time We Got a Break

Omega and Brandon lounged in the top floor of the Seers Village’ Party Hall. There was a Bar up there, with two barmaids that brought them all the drinks they wanted. The top floor was usually empty, save for the occasional party (such as the one scheduled a week and a half from now.) "Should we be up here? What if the group comes up?" Brandon asked Omega, who stood up from his comfortable chair and walked over to the Party Hall window. He looked outside and beckoned Brandon over. On the street below, Brandon saw the group of twenty-two, looking worn out from their battle. "Look out there," Omega replied. "This is where Jaron gave his short little 'Time to go, keep in touch, we'll have a party, now go away' speech." Brandon laughed. "Yeah, he never was good at speeches, was he?" As the group below walked into Seers’ Bank, Iissam walked up to them, hatchet and vial in hand. Omega smiled and returned to his seat; Brandon followed suit. Omega sighed and spoke again. "Well, it looks like everything's all said and done. All those mysteries about the missing Monk and the floating vial...it was us all along, wasn't it?" Brandon grinned. "I'd have never guessed," he replied. "Well of course you wouldn't have. It's not every day a reincarnation of evil teleports you back in time," Omega laughed. Brandon grimaced. "Oh, yeah, how'd he come back to life, anyway? That's a mystery that hasn't been solved yet." "Hmm. I don't know. Ah well, we'll think about it later. After all we've done, we deserve a rest." With that said, they sat back in their comfy chairs. About ten minutes later, Brandon suddenly said out of the blue, "Do you think your past self will notice your herbs are missing?" Omega closed his eyes before responding. "...Shoot. Well, let's go to Lumbridge." "Why?" Brandon queried. "Let's just say I've got a hunch," Omega replied.

The rest of the day passed with the two walking all the way from Seers' Village to Catherby to Taverly to Falador to Draynor Village. When they passed Draynor, however, Omega’s Ring of Talking came to life. It was getting dark. "Zzztt...hello?" came a voice. Omega jumped at the sound, realized what it was, and replied. "Future?" "Yeah, it's me. Hey Omega." Omega and Jaron had slightly adjusted the frequencies on their rings to that their past selves wouldn't hear the conversation. It was something they had planned a while back in case they needed to talk privately, and fortunately, both of them remembered it. "Hey, I want to ask you a question," Omega started. "Yeah, what is it? (Tell him I said hi, too!) Oh, and Ultima Cow says hi." "...Doesn't he have his own ring?" "He changed the frequency a bit and he doesn't want to change it back." Omega nodded to no one in particular. "I see. Ok, about my question. Why do you think the rings still work? You're way off in the future, right?" "Yeah. I see what you mean. Hmm...well, there's only one explanation I can think of. The rings work because they were made in the same time period, and they're kind of linked between each other. So hopefully, no matter where or when we go, they'll work." Omega pondered that. "Okay, works for me, but what about Andrey and Bebitwinnie? Heard from them?" "Nope, I have no clue what's going on with them," came Jaron's reply. "One more thing--" Omega asked, "--why did the rings work with your past self?" "That's a tough one, too... ...Well, okay. The ring I'm using right now to speak to you and the ring I had on back then are the same one, right?" "Yeah." "Well, maybe it's not only linked to the others, but to itself. I'm sure the Druids never expected there to be two of the exact same ring at any one point in time. Does that help any?" Omega thought it over. "Yeah, it does. Thanks, Jaron." "No problem. Now I have a favor to ask of you, if you don't mind." "Anything. Name it." "Perfect. Are you near Lumbridge?"

Part 92: Thinking Outside the Box

Omega was confused, but responded to Jaron's question anyway. "Yeah, we're just outside of Draynor." Jaron's voice came back over the ring. "Good. I need you to make a trip to the Lumbridge General Store..."

After the conversation, Omegaman and Brandon walked into Draynor Bank. They both withdrew around 250 coins, hoping their past selves wouldn't notice the small amount missing. Omega also took a couple of ropes from his account. "What are those for?" Brandon asked him, intrigued. "I'll show you when we're done with Jaron's errand. Let's go--it's getting dark." Together, they half-walked half-jogged down the paved path heading east towards majestic Lumbridge Castle. Although it was really one of the smaller castles of the world, it was still just as beautiful and towering. The two stopped a couple buildings short of the castle, below a hanging sign that read "Lumbridge General Store." Going inside, they found the shopkeeper and his assistant busily sorting items on their shelves. The shopkeeper turned at the sound of the door opening. "Oh, good evening. No offense, but please hurry, we're about to close." "This won't take long," Omega smiled, setting the 500 coins on the front counter.

Not five minutes later, the two of them walked out of the store. Omega was carrying a large chest-type casket, its lid closed to protect the contents inside. "You know, I've used more of these in the past day than I ever have in my life," Omega joked. Brandon grinned. "Yeah...did you see the look on the shopowner's face when we told him what we were buying? I don't think he gets orders like that very often." Omega rolled his eyes. "This is Lumbridge, Brandon. I'm sure he gets orders like that...just not...that many," he replied. Brandon looked around. Indeed, there were a couple of adventurers clad in bronze huddling together just off the road. From the looks of things, one of them was trying to trade two Air Runes for an Emerald.

Omegaman and Brandon walked through the gate (under the perfectly-good portcullis) into Lumbridge Castle's courtyard. Lumbridge wasn't the type of area to have guards around. Falador, Varrock, and Yanille all had them. Ardougne even sported a few Paladins. But this evening, there were only a few civilians wandering around. As the two came to the castle door, it burst open and a little red Imp ran out. It kind of looked like a demon, only it was a foot tall. Moments later, the castle chef burst out after it, yelling "Come back here with my hat!" "That's something you don't see everyday," Brandon muttered. They continued inside.

Yet even though there were no guards around, it didn't mean suspicious activity went unnoticed. Carrying a large casket through the castle halls was a sign of suspicious activity if there ever was one. Luckily, there wasn't anyone around. The cook was outside chasing the imp, the Duke was probably upstairs in his bedroom, and that was...about everyone. "This kind of reminds me of that time in the Black Knight's Dungeon," Omega grinned, thinking of the little covert operation he, Jaron, and Ultima Cow had tried long ago when they had barely met. "I've never heard that story," Brandon said. "Remind me to tell you later," Omega replied. They came to another door and opened it to find the ground floor of a tower. A ladder led upwards, but they were perfectly fine where they were. Omegaman quietly set the casket down and looked at the floor. "Those boards there," he pointed, "they look kind of loose."

The next morning, Jaron and Ultima Cow awoke to their host's call for breakfast. As they got out of their makeshift beds on the upper floor of the castle, Ultima Cow spoke. "Do you think it'll work?" "I don't see why not," Jaron replied. At the large table in the middle dining room, they ate their fill of food with all of the other faction members. Shortly after breakfast, Jaron took their host aside. "Follow me," he said. The host followed uncertainly as Jaron and Ultima Cow walked into the nearby tower, the same one Omega and Brandon had been in decades earlier. The tower was mostly empty, save for some of the faction's rune supply. Jaron looked around and finally smiled. Getting on his knees, he reached for some of the tower's floorboards and pulled them out. "Hey!" came the host's cry. "We'll put them back, just give me a second," Jaron requested. And true to his word, less than a minute later, he had found and pulled out a casket from under the floorboards. "What--I never knew this was here!" "It wasn't," Ultima Cow grinned. Jaron carefully opened the casket, and although it was very old, it had safely protected the contents inside--nearly a hundred chisels and hammers.

Part 93: Mr. Mud's Got Some Explaining to Do

The Mud Faction's leader stared at the chest of tools Jaron had just pulled out of the floor. "Wha--I--this is amazing! Is this for us?!" Jaron nodded, smiling. "It's all yours." Their host's eyes were extremely wide with amazement. Apparently, the smallest items (even chisels and hammers) were some of the rarest to find since CrazyArcher had taken over the economy. "I--I don't know what to say! Thank you just doesn't suffice!" This was a good feeling. Jaron patted him on the back. "No problem. What do you say we go back and pry your portculis from the rock it's melted to now, and then maybe later you can explain to us about these factions again?" The host suddenly remembered his deal he had made earlier, and nodded so fast his blue and brown pointy hat nearly fell off his head. "Oh! Yes, of course! I'm afraid I don't know much, but I'll tell you everything I do." "Thanks. Let me get that," Jaron said, picking up the semi-heavy chest of tools and carrying it outside.

The rest of the work on the portcullis went by without a hitch. With new chisels and hammers, it was easier to dislodge the fried gate from the stone it had been superheated to. And although the tools themselves were decades old, no one could tell. All of the tools had all been perfectly preserved by the casket and untouched by anyone, so they had almost the same amount of sharpness as they had the day they were bought. Soon enough, the portcullis was free (although slightly worse for wear) and the gate slammed down to the ground below. The Mud Faction leader clicked his lips and shook his head. "Well, I don't know how easy it'll be to put back up to let you guys out later, but we're safe inside for now. That is, if you intend on leaving," he added, looking over to the two adventurers. Ultima Cow nodded. "Yeah, we'll have to go sooner or later. We've got some...unfinished business." The host nodded, although he had no clue what they meant either way. "All right. Well, let's go inside, and I'll fill you in on what little I know."

Jaron, Ultima Cow, and their host walked into the large dining room of Lumbridge Castle, decked out at this point in time, of course, with blue and brown tapestries. They each took a seat at the table and relaxed a bit. Some of the other faction members were running in and out, busily attending to things nearby, but for the most part, the three were alone. Jaron began speaking first. "So, this is the 'Mud Faction', right? How did you come by that name? What's it stand for?" The leader chuckled. "To tell the truth, we're not entirely sure. The name's been with us for years. I think it has something to do with our proximity to the muddy swamp just south of here." Ultima Cow asked the next obvious question--"How many factions are there?" Their host sighed. "Only our Rune vendor knows for sure, probably. We don't venture far outside, for fear of whatever's going on out there. We only know of two factions--ours and the Lava Faction. They're the pro-CrazyArcher folks that pester us now and then." "Do you know where their base is?" Jaron inquired. "Not exactly, no. But we all assume it's near the Karamja volcano. If our Mud name comes from the swamp, then Lava must stand for something, too. Karamja's the only place with lava that's remotely close to us." The discussion continued for a while, but true to his word, the host didn't know too much about the outside world. But it was still enough to help Jaron and Ultima Cow out a little. "Now, what I figure," the leader said, leaning forward, "is that there's probably a faction wherever there can be one." "What do you mean?" Ultima Cow asked, confused. "Well, we're only still here because our large gate protects us from the occasional attack. There's other places that have security measures like that, such as Falador or Varrock. Even the Karamja volcano is pretty well defended--there's only one way in, and if you control that, you control the entire volcano. But places like Draynor Village--they have no protection! It's probably a ghost town by now." Jaron nodded, thinking it over. "You're probably right. Plus, if there was a faction in Draynor, it would probably get attacked by the Lavas, who would then leave you alone because you're farther away." The host nodded. "Exactly my point." Ultima Cow took a deep breath and spoke as well. "Well then, Jaron, if we're going to find out anything more about what's going on, we need to search for some of these Factions. I doubt Al Kharid could defend itself. Do you think we should head for Varrock?" Jaron nodded in answer to his friend's question. Their host gave a weak smile. "Well, as much as I'll miss you guys, it seems you've got your own agenda to follow. Rest here for tonight--I'll make sure the gate's opened for you in the morning."

Part 94: One Possible Chance

Over a day's time, Andrey and Bebitwinnie had successfully created some makeshift armors for themselves. Andrey didn't mind at all, of course, being a warrior at heart, but it took some getting used to for Bebitwinnie, since she had always worn her lightweight white robes beforehand. "The sooner we get out of this situation, the better," Bebitwinnie commented with a half-grin as they walked away from Falador. The furnace there had worked perfectly for smelting the ores, and the nearby dwarf, Doric, had let them use his anvil to make armors. Andrey smiled, too. "Yeah. I don't want to be stuck in Runescape's history forever. Why do you think CrazyArcher sent us back in time?" "I don't know," Bebitwinnie answered, "It just doesn't make sense. You'd think he'd send us somewhere...or sometime...where we'd be immediately captured or something." Andrey nodded at that, and silence followed. The two continued walking eastward, for lack of somewhere to go. Taverly didn't even exist yet--there was a stone wall where the gate should have been. A few minutes later, Andrey spoke up again. "Maybe he didn't mean to." "Pardon?" Bebitwinnie replied. "Oh, I was still thinking about what you said. Maybe CrazyArcher didn't mean to send us back in time. It's not like him to let us slip through his fingers like that. I'm still wondering how he was there in the first place. We've killed him what, twice now?" Bebitwinnie laughed. The funny thing was, it was true. "Yeah, I think so. Ah, to know what happens behind the scenes around here," she said. Andrey nodded. "If only we could talk to the gods themselves, eh?" Bebitwinnie stopped in her tracks, and it took Andrey a few seconds to realize she wasn't walking alongside anymore. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned. "I just thought of something," she replied. She appeared to be deep in thought. Several seconds ticked by. "Well, what?" asked Andrey again. Bebitwinnie suddenly realized he was staring at her, and spoke up. "Oh, right. Well, you know how Zamorak apparently visits Reldo pretty often in the Varrock Castle Library?" "Yeah...so?" "Well, what if that library isn't limited to Zamorak? What if it's the one place in the world you can speak to the gods? What if we could talk to Saradomin himself?" Andrey's mouth dropped open. "I see where this is going! If we could talk to Saradomin, he could tell us what his favorite color of pointy hat is! And what he eats for breakfast! And who--" "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of getting out of the past," Bebitwinnie replied. "Oh. Well, there's that, too."

Andrey and Bebitwinnie were nearly to Varrock when sundown came, so they stayed for the night just down the road from the city. The next morning, they went first thing up to Varrock Castle, and into the library there. A young historian greeted them. "Hello! I'm Reldo. How can I help you?" The two simply stood there--they hadn't thought of this situation. Reldo in the past? How old was he, anyway? Bebitwinnie spoke up, unsure of what to say. "Um...hi, Reldo. I'm Bebitwinnie, and this is Andrey. We just came to look around for a bit. "Ah, okay! There's not too much now, but I plan on expanding my collection," came Reldo's answer. He walked a few feet away. "(What do we do now?)" Andrey whispered to Bebitwinnie. Just then, a Guard walked in and spoke to Reldo, who nodded. "Be right there. Hey, you two! I have to go attend to something. I'll be back in a few minutes, if you need anything." "Oh, no problem! Take your time," Bebitwinnie answered, as Reldo hurried out. "Never mind," Andrey said, grinning. "Now what?" Bebitwinnie looked around, and spoke out loud. "Uh...hello? Saradomin? ...We wish to speak to you!" A few seconds later, to their amazement, a blue light shone over in the corner. "Who summons me?" came a voice. The two stepped over to the light, unsure again of what to say. Bebitwinnie introduced them and explained their situation, of how someone called CrazyArcher had sent them back in time, and they wished to return. There was a short silence. "If you are indeed from the future, where are your futuristic clothes? Surely fashions evolve over time," said the voice. Bebitwinnie nodded and told Saradomin about how they had buried their armors and weapons near Draynor on their first day. Again, the blue light was silent for a bit. Finally, Saradomin spoke again: "There is someone else you should talk to." Andrey stood there, mouth agape and defiant. "Like who?" Slowly, the blue light turned green, and then another voice came. "Of thee, who is the faster runner?" Andrey and Bebitwinnie looked at each other. What was that supposed to mean? Andrey shook his head and pointed at her, explaining: "I'm always decked out in armor. You're probably faster than I am." Bebitwinnie nodded assent. Suddenly, a small satchel appeared in Bebitwinnie's hand. Looking inside, she found an assortment of runes. "What are these for?" she asked. The green light didn't answer her question, but only responded: "I suggest thee head for the south gate." And without another word, both Andrey and Bebitwinnie vanished.

Part 95: Three Groups of Two, Two Groups of Three

When Andrey reappeared, he was still standing in the Varrock Castle Library, but something was different. There were more books on the shelves than a minute ago. Everything looked extra-decorative. He looked around, but Bebitwinnie was nowhere to be seen. "I wonder if I'm...back in present day?" he muttered to himself. Someone yelped from behind a bookcase, and Reldo stuck his head out. He wasn't the same young man Andrey had seen moments before, mainly because he hadn't aged enough, but he still looked about the same. "Oh, hello there! You gave me quite a shock--I didn't hear you come in. Is there anything I can help you with?" Andrey looked around. "No, I don't think so, thanks." "Anytime, sir. By the look of you, you seem to be new around here. Should you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Reldo disappeared behind the shelf again, probably organizing his books. (Oh yeah, I still have all that Iron armor on,) Andrey thought to himself. He was about to head into the hall outside, but stopped at the door. "Hey, Reldo?" Reldo stuck his head out from around the bookcase. "Yes?" "Was your father's name Reldo as well?" Reldo looked surprised to hear that question. Apparently it was the first time anyone had asked it of him. "...Why, yes, actually. He, and most of my other ancestors as well." Andrey slowly nodded. "Huh. Thanks," he said, as he turned and walked out, leaving Reldo standing there, slightly confused.

When Bebitwinnie reappeared, she was still standing in the Varrock Castle Library, but something was different. Actually, lots of things were different. The sky coming through the windows was darkened a bit, and blue and red tapestries were hanging all over the room. The books on the shelves looked very old, although she recognized a few titles she had read before. She took off her heavy armor, happy to be free of its burden. But it was obvious something was wrong. Just then, someone else (also clad in blue and red robes) walked in and stopped at the sight of her. "Who are you?" he asked quickly. "Uh...hi. My name is Bebitwinnie," she replied. The man only glared at her. He didn't seem very friendly, and Bebitwinnie instinctively put a hand into the satchel of runes she had. It was behind her back, though, so the man standing there didn't notice. "Are you a friend or foe?" came his question. Bebitwinnie was confused. "Uh...friend or foe of who? I don't want to fight you, I guess we could be friends." The man shook his head and smiled, although his smile didn't seem quite right. "Maybe he missed a noob after all. Friend or foe of CrazyArcher, you idiot." "Oh, CrazyArcher? His foe, of course. My friends and I killed him twice, but apparently he keeps coming back to life somehow." The man grimaced and produced a light blue dagger from his robes. Bebitwinnie stared at the dagger in apparent half-shock. "I...suppose that was the wrong answer then? Heh..."

Part 96: Second Encounter

Jaron and Ultima Cow walked down the road north of Lumbridge, towards the city they knew as Varrock. Whether it was even named Varrock anymore, or whoever resided in it, they still didn't know. The weird thing was, the further the two walked, the more they came to believe that the Mud Faction leader was right in his assumption--no one lived where they weren't protected. All of the farms along the way were empty, devoid of people and animals. The only thing in one of the farms was a grey pointy hat sitting on a table. Strangely, even the weeds seemed to have stunted growth. It was all just empty and dreary. The greyish sky didn't help things--even though it was morning. "Is all of Runescape like this, you think?" Ultima Cow asked his companion as they trudged down the road, on the lookout for anything suspicious. "Probably," Jaron said. Ultima Cow nodded and spoke again. "It's a shame. Places like Draynor and Al Kharid...probably deserted. Edgeville for that matter, too." Jaron sighed. "Yeah...I'm gonna miss Draynor Village. So small. So peaceful. So flammable," he replied, grinning. Ultima Cow only rolled his eyes and continued on. "Hey, I'm kidding," Jaron assured.

Bebitwinnie stared at the Rune dagger her enemy was now holding just several feet away. "So...heh...you support CrazyArcher then?" she said, trying to stall long enough to think of a plan. "You're darn right we do. The Steam Faction is one of CrazyArcher's most loyal supporters," the man replied. Bebitwinnie was confused. "...Steam Faction? What's that? Don't you still have coal as a power source?" The man laughed. "Of course we have coal. Steam is just our name. What's wrong with you?" He seemed to be taking pleasure in Bebitwinnie's lack of knowledge of the time period. (He's letting his guard down enough for a sneak attack,) Bebitwinnie thought as she silently felt the runes in the satchel for signs of a skull and crossbones. "Sorry. I'm...not from around here. AIR BLAST!" With her last word, she caught her attacker offguard as a powerful gust of wind slammed him into the bookcases behind him, rendering him unconscious. "Great. Now they all know I'm here. Where do I go now?" she muttered. Just then, she remembered Guthix's words: "I suggest thee head for the south gate." "He must have meant me, not Andrey," she surmised. Running out the door, she came face to face with another Steam Faction member. Another Air Blast sent him sprawling against the far wall, too, and she ran down the hallway towards the castle entrance.

"Well, there's Varrock," Ultima Cow said. Jaron nodded. They were just coming up on Varrock from the south, and from the looks of it, the gate was moderately defended. About three or four rangers stood at the top of the city wall, while a man in blue and red striped robes stood under the gate. "Friend or foe?" he called out. "Oh, not this again," Jaron muttered. He walked up a little closer to the city gate before responding. "We're enemies of CrazyArcher," he called out. The rangers readied their bows, and Jaron and Ultima Cow took a hesitant step back. "Uh...if now's not a good time for you, we can always come back later," Jaron stammered. The man under the gate smiled. "Nonsense. All enemies of the Steam Faction, and CrazyArcher for that matter, must be dealt with. Aim, rangers!" Suddenly, a yell came from inside the city. The man under the gate turned around, and his robes suddenly caught on fire from a glancing Fire Strike. "Wha--ow! Hot!!" As he hopped around, trying to put the fire out, Jaron and Ultima Cow noticed Bebitwinnie running full speed toward the gate. "...Bebitwinnie?" muttered an amazed Jaron. "Bebitwinnie!" Ultima Cow called out, astonished. The rangers spun around and aimed at her, but Ultima Cow quickly let loose an Air Wave and knocked them all off of the wall they were standing on, and they fall several feet to the ground below. As Bebitwinnie ran up, Jaron and Ultima Cow wasted no time in turning around and sprinting away from Varrock alongside her.

Part 97: Change the Past, Correct the Present

After Omega and Brandon had buried their casket of chisels and hammers under the Lumbridge Tower floorboards that night, they went just outside the castle to find a place to stay. It was getting dark out, and both of them were pretty tired by this point. "There's a house up the road we could probably stay at," Brandon commented, pointing to a house with a light in the window. Omega wearily nodded. It had been an eventful day--he had almost forgotten that their battle with CrazyArcher and his Monk had taken place just this morning. That night, they slept peacefully in that inn for only a couple hundred gold coins. The next morning, Omega got up at about the crack of dawn. "What are you doing up? Go back to sleep," Brandon muttered groggily, pulling his pillow on top of his head. "No time," Omega said, continuing. "We need to get this done as soon as possible." Brandon sighed. "Get what done? Does this have anything to do with those ropes you brought?" "Yep," Omega smiled, "Come on, get up. I'll need your help."

About a half an hour later, Omega and Brandon were standing at the ocean cliffs just south of Lumbridge Castle. "Why are we here?" Brandon asked, looking at the waves crashing on the rocks below. Omega looked over the cliff, too, but he seemed to be scanning the cliff wall. Tying one of his ropes to a nearby rock outcropping, he pushed himself over the edge and repelled so far down Brandon could only see his pointy hat. "Hey, what are you doing!?" Brandon cried out. Omega peeked back up over the top, grinning. "Just follow me, jeez. I'll show you."

The end of the rope stopped just at a hole in the cliff, which they recognized as the Monk's old tunnel lair. Brandon looked around, surprised. "Oh yeah, the tunnels! You told me about these, but I had forgotten about them. Are we heading somewhere?" "Nope," Omega replied simply. "We're here for that." Omega pointed over to a table loaded with herbs and potions. "Whoa!" Brandon yelled, seeing the table for the first time. "Careful, Jaron says some of those explode. Remember how I gave you those Super Set herbs so your past self wouldn't notice they were missing? Well, I figure it's about time I put mine back," Omega said. Brandon nodded. He looked over the table, picking out certain herbs. "Here's an Irit...here's a Cadantine...here's another Irit..." He started handing them to Omega, who was tallying them up as Brandon continued his search. "Here's another Kwuarm...wow, I don't even know what this herb is," he said, moving it aside. By the time they were done, Omega had taken all he needed--eight Irits, Kwuarms, and Cadantines--and Brandon was going to take several other good herbs as well. "Eh--I wouldn't," Omega said, looking at Brandon. "Why not? It's not like the Monk's going to come back for these," Brandon protested. "Yeah, but we're here because our past selves are still milling around, remember? What would you do if several rare herbs suddenly showed up in your bank account?" "Probably jump for joy," Brandon replied matter-of-factly, but he took Omega's advice and left the herbs anyway. "We'll come back another day for them," laughed Omega as they head for the entrance to the cave.

Andrey left Varrock Castle and looked around. He could spot a few Dragon Halberds and some other rare items he knew, but there weren't that many around. "Perfect. I'm back in the present," he assured himself. "Hmm...what to do now...I suppose I should go get my stuff back from where I buried it near Draynor," he commented, starting his walk south.

Part 98: Regrouping

Once they were safely as far south as Lumbridge again, the three stopped running. "So, where have you been?" Ultima Cow asked Bebitwinnie. Bebitwinnie shook her head and excitedly replied, "You might not believe this--but Andrey and I were in the past! It was amazing! There was no Rune, let alone Dragon, and pies were only eaten in thirds, and Draynor wasn't built yet, and--wait--Draynor!" Jaron held up a hand. "Jeez, take a breath. First, we believe you, since we're in the future at the moment. Second, do you know where Andrey is? And third, what about Draynor?" Bebitwinnie smiled and took a deep breath before responding normally. "I don't know where Andrey is. I think Guthix sent me here." She looked around, worried. "By the way, where are Brandon and Omega?" Ultima Cow fielded her question: "They're in the present, actually. About a week and a half earlier, to be exact." She nodded. "Well then, maybe Andrey's with them. As for Draynor, obviously, we couldn't walk around in our modern-day clothes since they hadn't been invented yet. People kept staring and asking me where I got my robes, and I couldn't truthfully answer them. So Andrey and I buried all of our stuff near Draynor Village, which was just being built at the time. Hopefully, it's still there." The three immediately set off west towards Draynor, but only a few steps later, Bebitwinnie asked, "Hey--how did you know where Omega and Brandon are, anyway?" Jaron held up his hand, with the enchanted Jade ring on it. Bebitwinnie rolled her eyes. "Oh, duh, the Rings of Talking. We buried ours," she said, laughing.

Andrey was nearly to Draynor Village. His quiet solo journey had been filled with many different thoughts, such as: (Where's Bebitwinnie?) (Where's everyone else, for that matter?) (Heh heh, maybe I mean when's everyone else.) (I wonder if I should get a Dragon Scimitar...) Needless to say, the time passed quickly. Traveling down the last stretch of road, he saw two people emerging from the eastern forest, one with a bundle of herbs in his arms. (Hey...is that...?) Andrey ran down the road towards the other two, as they suddenly went back into the forest.

Brandon was only a few steps away from Draynor Village Bank when Omega grabbed him and pulled him behind a tree. "Hey! What was that fo--" began Brandon. "Ssh!" Omega retorted, pressed against the tree. "Andrey's down the road. If he sees us, and then sees our other selves and talks about meeting us here, something bad could happen!" "Oh," Brandon replied, understanding the severity of the situation. But it was too late--five seconds later, Andrey came around to their side of the tree. "Hey, guys! I'm lucky I found you here. What are you doing behind this tree? And what's with the herbs, Omega?" Omega had tried to hide the herbs inside his pointy hat, but to no avail. Both Omega and Brandon were speechless at Andrey's questions, however. "We...uh...I..." Brandon stammered, but Andrey interrupted him, obviously excited about something. "Have you seen Jaron, Ultima Cow, or Bebitwinnie lately?" Omega's eyes lit up at hearing that, and tested Andrey. "Wait a second...didn't you just come back from the battle with CrazyArcher yesterday?" he asked. Andrey shook his head, not understanding. "Yesterday? Omega, that was almost two weeks ago." Omega and Brandon both breathed a big sigh of relief at that. Omega started laughing. "Boy, have we got a story to tell you," he said.

Jaron, Ultima Cow, and Bebitwinnie strolled into Draynor Village, which was now completely abandoned and oddly smelled of rotting cheese. "Yep, he was right. There's no faction here," Ultima Cow pointed out. "Yeah--what's with these factions?" Bebitwinnie asked. Jaron headed towards a nearby house, coming out with two spades. Smiling, he handed one to Ultima Cow and addressed Bebitwinnie. "Heh--found these in there. Only two, though. Tell us where to dig, and I'll tell you about the factions and what's been going on around here in the meantime."

Part 99: Repossession

Jaron and Ultima Cow started digging in the spot Bebitwinnie had pointed out to them, just east of Draynor Village. Bebitwinnie seemed slightly frustrated. "Are you sure? It's my stuff, I should be the one digging it up instead of you guys..." "No, really, we insist," Ultima Cow countered. Bebitwinnie sighed and sat down--obviously, she wasn't going to change their minds. "So, about the factions--" Jaron started as he thrust his spade into the dark ground, "--apparently CrazyArcher's finally taken over the world. You can probably tell that from the gloomy atmosphere around here. Anyway, there seem to be groups of people spread out over the land. They're calling themselves 'Factions'. Ultima Cow and I met the Mud Faction, which were really nice to us--they don't like CrazyArcher. But there also seem to be pro-CrazyArcher factions, like the Steam Faction you came upon and the Lava Faction." Bebitwinnie shook her head--this was a lot to take in all at once. "Mud...Steam...Lava? What does it all mean?" she asked. Jaron sighed and leaned on his spade for a moment. "We were hoping maybe you had a clue," he replied. "Sorry, nothing," Bebitwinnie said sadly. Jaron nodded. "We'll just have to keep exploring, then." Just then, Ultima Cow gave a yell of surprise. "The hole--it's blue!" Bebitwinnie walked up to their semi-deep hole and saw, sure enough, a blue tint. "That's weird," she muttered as Jaron and Ultima Cow tossed their spades aside. Ultima Cow knelt down and brushed some of the dirt aside in the hole. To everyone's surprise, he uncovered two big orbs of blue light. He knocked on one of the orbs, but nothing happened. Kneeling down more to take a closer look at it, he spotted something white inside of it. "Hey, it looks like your robes are in this one," he said, pulling the orb out of the hole and setting it on the ground. Bebitwinnie bent down to pick it up, but when she touched it, the blue light became very bright--and the orb shattered, leaving white robes and an Air Staff sitting on the ground.

Omegaman, Brandon, and Andrey were all diligently digging into the dirt east of Draynor Village. Andrey had already told the two about how he and Bebitwinnie had been sent to the past, buried their belongings, helped the Cook of Lumbridge, made some makeshift armor, and then simply gone to Saradomin for help in the end. Omega and Brandon in turn explained to Andrey the answers to all of their past mysteries--why Brandon had been falsely arrested in Ardougne, what happened to the Monk in Taverly, and the secrets of all the strange intervention in their final battle. "It all makes sense now," Andrey grinned as he shoveled out another chunk of dirt. Only a minute or so later, they, too, came upon the two glowing orbs. "You buried orbs?" Brandon asked. "No...we didn't..." Andrey replied uncertainly. Crouching down, he picked up one of them. "I think Bebitwinnie's robes are in this one," he announced. And then upon grabbing the other, it shattered in a shower of light, dropping its contents--full Rune armor, a Dragon Longsword, an amulet, a ring, and a pointy colored hat--on the ground.

Bebitwinnie picked her belongings up off the ground and smiled. "I get it," she said, apparently happy about something. "What?" Ultima Cow pressed. "Andrey and I buried our stuff in the past, and we've jumped who-knows-how-many years into the future. These robes should be all dirty and decayed. But when we told Saradomin about them, he must have put some sort of protection spell on them so they wouldn't age and so that only we could get our stuff back! That's why the orb opened when I touched it, but not Ultima!" Just then, the other orb disappeared. "Wha?!" Ultima Cow yelped, but Jaron merely raised his ring to his mouth. "Hey, uh, Omega, whatcha doing?" After a short burst of static, Omega's reply came: "Oh, hey Jaron. We found Andrey, and he just dug up the stuff he buried. Guess where he was all this time?" Jaron smiled, although Omega couldn't see it. "Hmm, lemme guess--the past?" "...How'd you know?" came Omega's confused voice. Bebitwinnie grinned, walked over to where Jaron was standing, and spoke into his ring. "Hi Omega!" "Oh. Well that solves that," Omega laughed.

Part 100: Relocation

Jaron, Ultima Cow, and Bebitwinnie walked into one of the many now-abandoned houses of Draynor Village. They had decided that, although there was no one around, it just didn't seem safe to stand around outside. The rotten cheese smell was stronger inside the house, but it was tolerable. "So, any news on your end?" Jaron said into his ring as Ultima Cow stared out the window for any sign of activity. "Not really," Omega replied, "how about you?" "Actually, we met a new faction today. The Steam Faction," Jaron said. "(Faction?)" they heard Andrey say in the background. "That makes what, Mud, Lava, and Steam?" Omega asked. "So far, yeah," Jaron replied, continuing. "We're going to have to look around some more to find some of the other factions. I just wish we knew the names of the rest of them--Mud, Lava, Steam...it seems like a pattern or something." "I don't have any idea," Omega said. They were silent for a little while, and then Jaron spoke up again. "Hey, if you've got nothing else to do, would you mind asking Reldo about it? He always seems to know a little bit about everything. Varrock's kind of tied up here at the moment, and he's probably dead at this point in time anyhow." "Well that was particularly blunt," Omega remarked, "but sure, we'll go. We just have to make sure we aren't spotted by our past selves." "Good call. I'll talk to you later," Jaron said, lowering the ring. "Heh, Andrey doesn't have a clue," Bebitwinnie laughed. "Let's just hope they can come through for us," Ultima Cow sighed.

Omegaman lowered his Ring of Talking and looked at Andrey and Brandon. "So Varrock, eh? That's pretty far away. Can you teleport us there?" Brandon asked. Omega shook his head. "I could, but I only have a couple of Law Runes left, and I'm saving them for an emergency. We can walk it." Andrey sighed, then realized the other two were staring at him and spoke up. "Oh, uh, I just walked all the way here from Varrock. It's kind of depressing to have to go all the way back now." Omega smirked. "Yeah, but think--had you not come, you wouldn't have met us here." "Yeah, you're right about that," Andrey said, grinning.

"So, where should we head for?" Bebitwinnie asked, sitting down in one of the old chairs of the house. Jaron sat down, as well. Ultima Cow was still looking out the window, for lack of anything to do. "Well, let's think about it," Jaron started, taking off his blue pointy hat. There can only be factions where they can defend themselves. That takes out this place, obviously, since no one's here. Things don't look too good for Port Sarim, either. Rimmington has no defense whatsoever. So the closest thing to us that would possibly have a faction would probably be Falador. Or Draynor Manor, but that place creeps me out." "Me too. Let's go to Falador," Ultima Cow said, his first words in quite a while. "Sounds good," Bebitwinnie added. Jaron smiled, stood, and replaced his hat. "That settles it, then. Falador it is."

Part 101: Third Encounter

Walking from Draynor Village to Varrock took a few hours, seeing as there was no clear-cut path straight to it. Andrey was finally happy to see Varrock Palace come into view, though. "There it is! We're finally there," he sighed. Omega only rolled his eyes and continued. Andrey had complained most of the way, but Omega figured he had a right to, coming all that way and then having to go all the way back. Andrey was the first to burst into the Palace Library, as Omegaman and Brandon leisurely walked in behind him. "Can I help you?" Reldo asked, turning to the three newcomers from a bookshelf. "Ah, you look familiar," he added, seeing Andrey again, although this time he had a colored pointy hat on. "Uh...yeh, we met earlier today," Andrey stammered. Omega took control of the situation and spoke up. "Hey, Reldo. We just stopped by for some information. What do you know about Mud, Lava, and Steam?" Reldo's face brightened at his words. "Ah, so Sedridor's told you, then!" he exclaimed happily. "Told...us what?" Brandon asked, confused. Omega stepped on his foot, trying to get him to be quiet. Reldo's grin suddenly faltered, like he had let out an enormous secret. "Uh...I mean...you..." he stuttered, at a loss for words. Omega decided to bluff his way through it all and come to Reldo's rescue. "Yes, you're right, Sedridor's told us about it. We just wanted to know if you had anything to add." Reldo smiled a little bit, seeming calmer. "Ah. Well, okay then. No, not really, I'm afraid. Sedridor's the resident expert on this sort of thing. He knows more than I do about it at the moment." Omega nodded, a plan of action already forming in his head. "Okay. Well, thanks anyway, Reldo," he said, walking out. Brandon and Andrey followed him out, still slightly at a loss for words.

Once safely in the Palace courtyard, Omega turned to the others. "Well, it seems we've got another lead," Brandon said. "That we do," Omega smiled. Andrey just stood there, staring straight ahead. "Hey, are you okay?" Omega asked him. "Se...Sedridor? But--but that's...past Draynor!" Andrey said, with an edge of sadness to his voice. Omega understood--now they had to go all the way back to Draynor again. Poor Andrey. "Say another word about it and I'll smack you," Brandon muttered. (This is going to be one long journey,) Omega figured.

Jaron, Ultima Cow, and Bebitwinnie were closing in on Falador's south gate. "So, what do you think we'll find here? A group against CrazyArcher or for him?" Ultima Cow asked the others. Jaron shrugged and replied, "At this point, it's anyone's guess, really. I just suggest we don't lie about our own alliance or else it might cause trouble for us down the road." Bebitwinnie nodded her approval. "Yeah, you're right about that. If they want to kill us, I'd rather we knew it right away." Jaron laughed--it was true, they really would. As they finally approached the south entrance to Falador, they found a man clad in white armor standing in the doorway. "Halt! State your alliance!" he called out. "(Well, that's more original than 'For or against',)" Jaron muttered to the other two, stopping. But aloud to their greeter, he replied "We are enemies of CrazyArcher!" The man in white seemed to narrow his eyes as he asked his next question. "What faction do you belong to, and what is your business here?" Ultima Cow spoke up. "We don't belong to a faction--we're just looking for answers, basically. Can we call a truce?" "A truce? You want to come in, you mean?" the man in white queried. "Well, I was going to put it more subtly, but yeah, can we talk to your leader?" Jaron replied. The other man stood there, silent, for a moment, and then turned towards the city. "Follow me," he called to them. The three followed him, but they weren't more than twenty steps inside the city when a large group of armed white-armored people ran at them from every direction--out of houses, out of the gate towers, out from behind bushes, and from across the landscape. In a matter of moments, the three were surrounded and vastly outnumbered. "Wow," Ultima Cow whistled, amazed at this faction's stealth and speed. "Surrender your weapons and come with me," the original white-clad man demanded. "Not like we seem to have a choice," Jaron said as he put his Dragon Battle Axe down under the watchful eyes of twenty other people.

Part 102: Misunderstanding

Ultima Cow and Bebitwinnie mimicked Jaron, setting their staves down on the ground. "Runes, too. And those rings and amulets," one of the white-clad people said, pointing at them. Ultima Cow grimaced and threw his runesack down onto the ground. Bebitwinnie did likewise. All three of them handed their amulets and rings to a nearby guard. The original man they had seen under the gate motioned to the three, and they followed him up the road. They walked all the way around the Falador Castle moat and across the drawbridge, the other twenty faction members flanking them the entire way. "Sort of a lot of security for three little adventurers, eh?" Jaron asked no one in general. "Better to be safe than dead. We take no chances," the leader in front scoffed. Coming to the castle's front door, the leader beckoned them inside. The other twenty stayed behind, in the courtyard. Walking up the stairs, the four of them came to what Ultima Cow decided was the main room. It was more like a large office, really, with papers strewn about here and there. Another man clad entirely in white armor was sitting behind a desk, reading something as they came in. Upon their arrival, he smiled, stood, and asked his fellow faction member, "And who are these?" (He doesn't seem that mean,) Jaron thought. Hopefully that thought would hold true. "My king, these three said they wish to call a truce," their captor said. "Oh ho! A truce, eh? And which faction are you from?" the king asked them. "We're not from a faction. We're just adventurers, actually, trying to find our way home," Jaron replied. The king stared at Jaron for a moment, then his eyes drifted to the other two standing with him. "Not from a faction, eh? Preposterous. A likely story, but no one isn't in a faction anymore, save that nice rune vendor that comes around now and again. As for your 'home', it's probably destroyed by now anyway. Guards! Throw them in the dungeon! The White Knights shall not tolerate such nonsense!" Jaron looked taken aback. "Wha?! Wait a second--the White Knights? After all these years? I'm a member of the White Knights, too!" But the king was indignant. "You're not any member I know of, and I know them all. To the dungeon with you!" "But--!" It was too late, as six White Knight guards had come up the stairs and dragged the other three back down into the basement.

The next thing they knew, they were locked in a nice little cell in the basement of Falador Castle. The guard had left, leaving the three alone. The stone walls and floor were damp and cold, but it didn't matter. What did matter was that the situation seemed hopeless. For being quite old, the cells were in very good shape. There was no way even a master lockpick like Deathstorm could have gotten out of this one. "So...are you really a member of the White Knights?" Bebitwinnie asked, intregued, as they all sat down on the cold stone. "Yeah...it's a long story, though," Jaron replied. "By the looks of things, we've got time," Ultima Cow said, grinning. Jaron laughed, then sighed. "...Yeah, but it's all classified information. If I told you, I’d have to kill you. Or something like that." Ultima Cow smiled, secretly not knowing if Jaron was being sarcastic or not. Jaron seemed to sense that, and added, "Heh, I'm just kidding. But I'm still not allowed to tell you." "Aw...I could use a nice story to pass the time," Bebitwinnie groaned.

To everyone's surprise, Andrey walked the whole way back to Draynor Village without complaining. Omega, Brandon, and Andrey went across the bridge south of the town to arrive at the Wizard's Tower, the first and foremost location in magical studies, the second probably being the Wizard's Guild down in Yanille. Upon arriving, they promptly headed downstairs, trying to cause as little suspicion as possible. "Which one's Sedridor's room?" Andrey asked, slightly impatient. "This one on the right, I believe," Omega answered, pushing the door open.

Part 103: A Continued Pattern

Omega walked through the door to Sedridor's room, with Andrey and Brandon following him inside. For once, luck was with them--Sedridor was sitting at a nearby table, reading what looked to be an old book on Rune studies. He had a blue pointy hat on--the look of fashion for any wizard, really. "Um...excuse me," Omega said, making Sedridor jump. Apparently, he hadn't heard them come in. He looked up and half-smiled at the three standing there, not sure whether he should reprimand them for coming in unannounced or feel smug about them coming for his advice. That's the only reason anyone came to Sedridor these days--some question about the art of Magic. "Can I help you three?" he asked. Omega braced himself, trying to think of how to word his next question. Whatever Sedridor knew was probably classified information, and why would he just give it up? "Um...yeah. You know...Ultima Cow, right?" Omega inquired. Sedridor's face brightened--Omega was on the right track. "Ah, yes! Of course! We are very good acquaintances, you might say. You must be some of his friends--he talks about you all quite often." Omega pushed forward. "Ah, good. Um...Ultima's in a bit of trouble, and we need your help." Sedridor's smile then faded, as he replied, "Oh, that's not good! Not good at all. Is it a matter of life and death?" "(More like life and being stuck in an evil projection of the distant future,)" Andrey muttered, although Sedridor didn't hear him. "Yeah, more or less," Omega answered. "Hmm." Sedridor seemed to be weighing his options. "What was your name again?" "Omegaman. And this is Brandon and Andrey." "Ah. What exactly is it you need to know?" Andrey and Brandon leaned back against the wall, letting Omega do all of the talking. He seemed to be taking it in stride well enough. "Well, at this point we've got three clues. Mud, Steam, and Lava. We were hoping you could shed some light on this. Anything at all would help." Sedridor grinned once again, making Omega's mood brighten. "Ah, yes. Not sure how you found out about all that. We were thinking about releasing this knowledge to the general public of Runescape, but not yet." "Pardon me, but what knowledge?" Brandon asked, his first words since entering the room. "Why, the ability to make combination runes! It's a newfound part of the art of Runecrafting. Let's see...there's Mud, Steam, and Lava, as well as Mist, Dust, and Smoke..." Omega's mind reeled. Not only had they found someone that knew something about Jaron, Ultima, and Bebitwinnie's predicament, he was able to continue the pattern as well! "Mist, Dirt, and Smoke," Omega mumbled to himself. Sedridor nodded. "Dust, not dirt. And yes, that's correct. By combining two runes, we can make a new rune with the power of both! Mud is from Earth and Water. Steam is from Water and Fire. Lava is from Earth and Fire..." "I get it--" Andrey interjected, "--so Mist is Air and Water, Dust is Air and Earth, and Smoke is Air and Fire?" "That's also correct," Sedridor grinned. Omega shook his head, amazed. "Thank you so very much. We'll relay this information to Ultima Cow, and hopefully it'll help him out. We may come back later." "No problem. Any friend of Ultima's is a friend of mine," Sedridor replied. The three left the room, went upstairs, and walked out of the tower, stopping out of earshot of the other wizards. "That explains a lot," Omega whispered to his friends. "How so?" Andrey asked. "Well, Jaron said the Mud faction was near Lumbridge Swamp--where there's a lot of water and earth. And the Lava faction's supposedly in the Karamja Volcano, where there's lots of earth and fire." "And lava," Brandon added, dryly. "Well, that too. With this information, we might be able to pinpoint other faction locations!" Andrey thought for a moment, and then blurted out, "Well, mist--it's air and water, right? Catherby sure fits that description." "That's a good one," Brandon agreed. Omega nodded. "Yeah, nice! We have to tell the others about this." He rose his Ring of Talking to his mouth. "Hey, Jaron--" There was no reply on the other end. They waited a few seconds, and then tried again. "Hello?" Omega asked. Again, no reply. Omega lowered the ring. "That's not good," Brandon said, fearing what the others might have gotten into.

It was day two of Jaron's, Ultima Cow's, and Bebitwinnie's life in the cellblock of the Falador Castle basement. They had been fed well enough, given the White Knights' hospitality, but they were losing time. Not to mention that sitting on the cold stone floor got boring after the second hour. "Do we still have no plan?" Bebitwinnie muttered, still frustrated at their situation. "I've got nothing," Ultima Cow sighed, staring at the nearby stone wall for imperfections. Jaron nodded assent. There was really nothing they could do, and no one who would believe their outrageous story. And then the wooden door to the cellblock opened.

Part 104: An Old Friend

The creaking of the wooden door signaled to the three that someone was entering, but at the moment, they really couldn't care less. Jaron simply stared out of their cell at the one across from it. Strangely, it didn't seem to have a door on it. (I guess with things as they are, it's hard to get the materials to make iron doors,) Jaron thought. A moment later, an old looking man with a grey pointy hat walked up in front of their cell. Jaron's face lit up when he saw the newcomer. "Tif--Tiffy Cashien?" The old man smiled wryly and replied, "Actually, Sir Tiffy Cashien the Fifth. Apparently, I look a lot like my ancestors. And you've passed the test, good show, what?" Jaron stood, wondering where this was going. The Tiffy back in his time was a close friend and ally. Was this Tiffy about the same? Ultima Cow and Bebitwinnie stood up, too, for lack of something to do. "Passed...a test? What do you mean?" Jaron asked. Tiffy smiled again. "Why, you've recognized me, old bean! That proves our assumptions that you are, indeed, a Temple Knight. No one else would know my name." (Temple Knight?) Ultima Cow and Bebitwinnie wondered, but they kept quiet, realizing that something important was happening. Jaron shook his head. "But the king said he didn't know me--that I wasn't a White Knight at all." "The king knows what we want him to know, basically," Tiffy continued. "We have hidden surveillance devices in that room, as well as every other room in the castle and around the city. I believe our beloved king also said he knows every member of the Knights. Well, let me assure you, there are many he doesn't know of. He's quite stubborn about his position as king, what? Likes to make himself look more important than he is." Jaron nodded. "Okay, I get it. After all this time, the Temple Knights are still acting covertly?" "That's correct, old bean." Tiffy saw the confused looks on Ultima Cow and Bebitwinnie. "Are these your friends, Jaron? It is Jaron, right? Have you told them anything?" "I'd trust them with my life, but no, I haven't told them about the Temple Knights." "Jolly good show. Well, perhaps we ought to. You see, you two, the Temple Knights are basically a covert group of White Knights, really. We have the best technology around, and carry out all sorts of secret missions, what?" "Ah," Ultima Cow said, getting the jest of things. "Well, I'm here to help you out, old bean," Tiffy said, getting right to the point. "I'd take all the help I can get at this point in time," Jaron replied, grinning. "Ah, a temporal science pun?" "Uh...no, I was actually referring to being locked in a cell," Jaron answered. "Oh, right. My fellow Temple Knights figured you had come from the past, seeing as your name was in our record books from long ago. Anyway, to the mission, what? You are familiar by now with the factions, correct?" "More or less, yeah," Jaron replied. "Good. Well, the Lava Faction has managed to obtain one of our CommOrbs. Those are the little blue ball thingies that hold information on most of our missions. Can't have that falling into the wrong hands, what?" "It already seems to be in the wrong hands," Bebitwinnie stated. Tiffy shrugged. "True, but they can't manage to extract the information--they can't figure out how to turn it on. Yet, anyway. We need you to sneak in and destroy the CommOrb by any means." "I thought CommOrbs were supposed to self-destruct in the wrong hands," Jaron stated. Tiffy sighed. "Usually, yes. We don't know why this one didn't, but we're looking into fixing the problem. We're jolly good at fixing security holes, what?" "Yeah...but I'm sure the volcano's defended," Ultima Cow spoke up. "Oh, it is. Here, take this," Tiffy replied, producing a vial of grey powder and handing it to Jaron. "This looks familiar...oh--the Monk had this! It's a sleeping potion." Tiffy grinned again. "Astounding, old bean! You already know the works, good show. Unfortunately, we can't give you much for the trip. At this point, alliances can be shaky, what? Have to make sure you don't run off. Therefore, Jaron gets nothing except his hat, being a true fighter already. But you other two can have your staves and a small amount of runes." "I would need my amulet to teleport us there," Ultima Cow said. "Not quite," Tiffy replied, handing Ultima a small red orb. "What's this?" Ultima inquired. Tiffy laughed, evidentely pleased with himself. "Have you wondered at all why that cell there has no door on it?" he asked, pointing behind him. Ultima held out the orb, and a stone in the other cell's wall shifted, revealing a crawlspace. "Can't have actual prisoners finding that tunnel, what? There's a small passage that goes under the city wall. This tunnel connects onto that. Use the orb to open the hatch, which will let you back into the outside world. Got that, old bean?" "Sounds good," Jaron said, as Tiffy unlocked the door. "Jolly good. Come back when you've completed your task, please. We’ll distract the guards from finding out you're not here in the meantime. If you succeed, I'll...persuade...the king to help you with whatever you need." "Thanks, Tiffy," Jaron replied, heading for the tunnel.

Part 105: Prison Break

Omegaman, Brandon, and Andrey found a small inn located in Draynor to stay the night at. After all the walking back and forth the previous day, they needed the rest. Actually, having nothing else to do, they decided to sleep in until around noon. Afterwards, they took a stroll around Draynor. Needless to say, it didn't last very long. "So, what do you think happened to the others?" Brandon asked, as Andrey eyed some wooden horses in the market square. "Well, I've got three theories," Omega started. "One, they lost their rings somehow. I have no clue why, and you'd think they wouldn't all lose their rings at the same time, so that theory doesn't really hold water. Two, some evil faction came and took them hostage, and confiscated their rings as well. That's why I immediately stopped talking when they didn't answer the first time. If their stuff was taken, we don't want anyone else knowing about the rings." "And the third?" Brandon inquired, as Andrey shelled out some money for a grey horse. Omega sighed. "Or three, they're dead. Fell into a pool of lava or something. ...But I don't expect that at all," he hastily added, seeing Brandon's shocked expression. "Yeah, I guess," Brandon agreed, still glum. "The only lava around anyway would be in the Karamja Volcano, and they have no business going there, since they said it was home to an evil faction, right?" Brandon said, and Omega nodded. "That's what I figure. I'd put my money on the hostage situation. But they're resourceful--they'll pull through. For now, we need to just make sure we stay out of our past selves' way." "Hey, guys, look what I got!" came Andrey's cry from across the square. Omega and Brandon turned to see Andrey and his horse. "(Let's pretend we don't know him,)" Omega whispered to Brandon, smirking and walking away.

Jaron took his teal pointy hat off of his head and got down on his hands and knees, inspecting the tunnel. It progressed into the wall for quite a long way, but it was so dark in there that none of them could see very far. "I'll go first," Jaron said, crawling into the tunnel. The opening was quite small, but he avoided hitting his head on the ceiling. A few seconds later, Ultima and Bebitwinnie could see only blackness in the tunnel again. "Hey, are you still in there?" Bebitwinnie called. "Yeah, come on! I think it goes for a long way!" Jaron called back. "This would be the perfect time to find out I'm claustrophobic," Ultima muttered, kneeling down and following Jaron's lead. Bebitwinnie grinned and followed as well.

Somewhere between ten and twenty minutes of crawling along in complete darkness later, Jaron saw a faint light. "Hey, you guys, I see something up ahead!" "I see it, too," Ultima agreed. A closer inspection revealed that there were two small lines of faint sunlight, about six feet away from each other. The tunnel also became much wider and taller at this point. "These must be the two doors, one leading into Falador, the other going outside," Bebitwinnie stated. "Well, which one should we choose?" Ultima Cow asked, pulling out the small red orb that Tiffy the Fifth had given to him. "If we are where I think we are, we should pick the one on the left," Bebitwinnie replied. "Sounds good," Jaron agreed, as Ultima Cow held the orb up to the left panel. There was a small clicking sound, and a little bit more sunlight came in. "...Is that it?" Ultima Cow said, stunned. He was expecting the trap door to simply fly open. Jaron grinned, although in the darkness, it was hard to notice. He pushed on the door, and it easily opened upward. "Yep, that's it--you unlocked it." He slowly stuck his head out the top for any sign of activity, and then pushed the trap door the rest of the way open and climbed out. Ultima Cow and Bebitwinnie followed. They let their eyes adjust to the light for a moment, and then Jaron pointed to the south. "Well, Tiffy was correct. We're right outside the Falador city wall, and there's Port Sarim down there to the south. I doubt anyone lives there anymore, but we could probably find a boat to take us to Karamja." The sun, however, had different ideas, as it had almost already completely set on the horizon. "How about we continue tomorrow?" Bebitwinnie offered, as the field started to darken. "Yeah, let's do that. But where should we stay? We can't sit here against the wall, someone might find us," Ultima put forth. Jaron looked back at the open hole. The small amount of sunlight that was left flooded into the hole, showing that the tunnel's end produced a medium sized room. "We could stay in there," Jaron said. "It's probably our best bet," Bebitwinnie agreed. Ultima nodded and jumped back down into the hole, the others doing the same. Jaron then closed the trap door, leaving it the tiniest bit open so daylight would signal the next morning.

Part 106: The Mission Begins

Ultima Cow woke up the next morning when sunlight shone through the crack in the trap door. (Oh yeah, Jaron left it unlocked so we'd know when it was daytime. Well, time to get on with the mission, I guess...) he figured. "Hey, you guys, wake up." Although it was dark, Ultima could see Jaron groggily sit up. "Why? Am I missing lunch?" he mumbled. "...What?" Ultima asked, confused. Jaron chuckled and sighed. "Heh, nevermind." "It's morning already?" Bebitwinnie asked, yawning and sitting up herself. "Yeah, we should get moving," Ultima replied. He pushed the trap door the rest of the way open, and sunlight flowed into the room. Climbing out, he let his eyes adjust to the light (being in a hole for so long) as Jaron and Bebitwinnie came out after him. The fresh air was certainly nice. Although the Temple Knights obviously kept their passage clean, there was no way to avoid all of the dirt it contained, seeing as it was an underground tunnel. "Heh, you're a mess," Ultima Cow told Jaron as they started walking south. Jaron looked at his clothes, all covered in brown dirt. He brushed most of it away. Unfortunately for the other two, the dirt had blended into Ultima Cow's blue robes and Bebitwinnie's white ones. Jaron pulled out his teal pointy hat and set it back on his head. "At least my hat didn't get dirty," he exclaimed happily. "I swear, sometimes I think you care about that hat more than anything else," Bebitwinnie laughed.

The three were almost to Port Sarim when Ultima opened up another topic of conversation. "So why do you think we haven't seen anyone outside of the factions? Are they all scared to be out for some reason?" Jaron nodded and said, "The Mud Faction leader said it was dangerous to be out here, but how dangerous can it be if there's no one to oppose you?" "My point exactly," Ultima replied, then added, "In fact, if we were completely quiet, what would there be to hear?" To test his question, the three walked in silence for a couple more minutes, arriving at Port Sarim. Once inside, though, they did hear something--muffled voices. "(Drat--in here!)" Jaron whispered as they ducked into a nearby abandoned store. Less than a minute later, seven men in red and brown robes passed by the windows, not even looking inside. Each one of them had a battlestaff, except the orb on top of it, oddly enough, was the color of lava. When they had been gone for a while, Jaron spoke again in a whisper. "(So...do you think they're gone?)" Ultima Cow nodded and replied, "Yeah, I think so. Did you see their staves? Those were awesome! I don't know what they do, but I wouldn't want to run into one." "Oh yeah. That makes me feel much better about this mission," Bebitwinnie said gruffly, walking outside.

Being much more careful now, the three of them slowly made their way to the docks of Port Sarim. Much like everything else around the world, it was abandoned, except for a boat in the harbor with red and brown sails. "This must be their boat. They probably came out to attack Falador or Lumbridge," Jaron stated. "Probably not Falador; they're too heavily defended. Quite possibly Lumby's second wave. Good thing we fixed their gate," Ultima Cow added. "Well, it's fine by me," Bebitwinnie smiled, boarding their empty boat. Jaron threw off the rope mooring it to the dock, and they floated out to sea.

Omega, Brandon and Andrey walked back into Draynor Bank and leaned against the wall in the corner. "So, just to be on top of things, what did you guys do for the week after the CrazyArcher battle?" Omega inquired. "I was pretty much fishing in Catherby the whole week, except for when I went to Varrock the day before the party to sell what I had caught," Brandon said. "I don't think I left Falador until the day of the party," Andrey said. Omega nodded and added his two cents. "And I was training in the Legends Guild for most of the time. Good, then we shouldn't run into our past selves as long as we stay away from Falador, Varrock and Catherby. Let's go to Karamja--I've got an idea."

Part 107: Fourth Encounter

As it turned out, Ultima Cow was pretty adept at steering a boat. And although the three of them were sort of a motley crew, they safely made it through the rough waters to the island of Karamja. In their time, Karamja was a tropical island, bursting with bananas, pineapples, palm trees, loads of fish, and an active volcano. (It seems one thing hasn't changed, at least,) Jaron thought as he surveyed the land. Like the rest of Runescape, it was pretty much decimated and deserted, with the exception of the smoking volcano to the west. "Why would anyone want to stay in an active volcano? Isn't it dangerous?" Bebitwinnie asked as Jaron tied the boat to the dock. Jaron nodded and started walking westward with the other two. "Yeah, you'd think so. I don't believe Karamja's ever actually erupted, though. It mostly just smokes all the time." "Also, the area people go into isn't actually the center," Ultima Cow put forth. "There's a vent in the side with a rope attached to it. That's how people go in and out." "Ah, okay. So...what's our plan of action?" Bebitwinnie inquired. Jaron pulled out the vial of grey powder that Tiffy had given to him. "I figure this vial is good for one diversion. The volcano has an entrance sort of room--I'm sure they're guarding the entrance 24/7. So we get everyone into the room, drop the vial, and knock them all unconscious. Then we should be able to slip into the first few rooms without any problem." "And after that?" Ultima asked. Jaron shrugged. "And...after that...I'll make up another plan."

Omegaman, Brandon, and Andrey arrived at Karamja with no problems, although night was falling already. At present, there was a small business that would take passengers from Port Sarim to Karamja for only thirty coins, which was actually a pretty good value. "You still haven't told us what your idea is," Brandon said, as the three of them started walking past the base of the smoking volcano. Omega smiled. "Fine, all right, I'll tell you a little bit. I want to go to Seers." Andrey looked at Omega with a confused expression. "Seers' Village? Why?" "Mostly a reinforcement. But we had to go this way, since our past selves were in Falador and Catherby. There would have been a good chance of a meeting if we'd gone the other way around." Andrey groaned. "So let me get this straight--we're walking to Brimhaven, taking a boat over to Ardougne, then walking again all the way up north to Seers? Do you have any idea how much walking that is?" "Probably a day's worth. But we've got time to burn. Let's go find a place to stay in Brimhaven. It's a nice little town," Omega replied, grinning. "Yeah, sure, if you like pirates," Andrey muttered.

The future three trekked up the side of Karamja volcano and looked down into the vent. Jaron bent over the edge and looked down inside. At the bottom of the rope were a few people clad in red and brown robes, walking around with crossbows. "What's the deal with CrazyArcher supporters and crossbows?" Jaron asked no one in particular. Just then, as Jaron turned to get a better look, his pointy hat dropped right off his head and fell to the ground far below. A Lava Faction member saw it and walked over, staring at it. Then he looked up and saw Jaron's head poking out from the opening in the ceiling. "Hey! You up there! What are you doing?!" Jaron smiled and replied, "We're invading your volcano, of course! We've got an army of like...uh...thirty people! You'd better get some reinforcements before we arrive!" The Lava Faction member yelped and turned to his comrades. "Invasion! Get everyone in here! Aim your crossbows at the vent for when they drop down!" About fifteen more faction members ran into the room, loading bolts into their crossbows. Jaron looked around and saw the mass of people. "Uh...can I have my hat back?" "No!" Jaron shrugged and dropped the grey vial into the hole. The vial broke, and the powder turned to smoke. Coughing, each of the Lava Faction members fell over, unconscious. As the dust settled, Jaron climbed over the edge of the vent. "Nice one," Ultima Cow said, laughing. "Never get between me and my hat," Jaron replied, sliding down the rope.

Part 108: Perils of the Volcano

Bebitwinnie, the last of the three to descend the rope into Karamja volcano, landed on the ground with a dull thud. Jaron picked up his teal pointy hat and looked around, making sure the twenty or so Lava Faction members were fast asleep. Ultima Cow walked over to a very large rock in the corn