Xercus: the Guardian of the Bone Diamond : REWRITTEN!

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Requirements

Shadow Sword Mini-Quest
Legacy of Seergaze
45 Summoning
60 Defense
65 Prayer and Agility
67 Slayer
70 Thieving
76 Firemaking and Strength

The Story

He took a sustained, nervous breath and looked at the old, broken mirror, wondering what might be in his future. The mirror failed to give him anything but a simple reflection. He noticed there was something stuck between the broken glass, but couldn’t make it out. To see, Marc peeked in his bag and found a candle. He lit it up and shown it against the mirror. That mystery object was just some ruffled fur stuck between a crack, but he saw something black behind him- a ghost? He turned and looked behind him. It was a shadow-like creature, just a black silhouette of something shaped like a werewolf…

The shadow-like creature punched him in the face, causing him to faint and to drop his candle.

Hours later, Marc woke up and found himself in this large room underground: brightly lit, roots hanging down from its short ceiling, and with grass-covered stick-grave markers all over the floor. The shadow-creature whispered, “Hush. Don’t be afraid, I’m only here to help.”

Marc by now was petrified in fear; he did not speak and let the creature continue.

“Xercus, the King of Slaves under Lord Drakan, has ordered you dead. So now, I must cleanse you, so you may appear before his prowess.” Two skeletons then rose from their graves and grabbed hold of Marc. “It shall not take long at all.” said the creature. He took one of his great arms, extended his dark claws, and then the world goes black.

Marc then awakes in a large island filled with charred rocks, surrounded by a sea of magma. There is a massive wall with gargoyles on top ready too kill intruders, and a magnificent bone gate in the middle of the wall. Marc is now a shadow-creature, just a black, solid, silhouette. The shadow-creature that killed him before is standing right next to him.

Marc is even more confused, so he converses with the creature. “What in

Saradomin’s name happened to me!?” screamed he.

“Do not worry; you have been cleansed of your body. I am only a messenger- a follower if you will of Xercus. He has sent me to you because you have the want for his Diamond of the Bone, I hear.”

“Yes, but-”

“But nothing- You follow me, or you spend your life in damnation and you will never be living again.”

“I’m dead!?”

“Mortals… Yes you are dead. Everything here is dead, and Xercus is waiting for you- we cannot wait any longer or else he will get impatient. However, you must lead the way since he called you to his throne”

Marc felt it necessary not to reply back, so he walked up to the bone gate. When he walked up to the gate, he noticed that the gargoyles weren’t in their live state- just the skeletons of them were visible.

“Halt! You are dead, are you?” one of the guards called from afar.

“Yes, if I wasn’t, I don’t think I would be here…”

“Fine, you may pass, but we will keep our eyes on you.”

Marc continued his journey into the realm, past the magnificent bone gate, through a long pathway, over a thin ledge separating rock from magma. He tried his best to keep balance, but fell in a few times, and seriously injured himself. At the end of the pathway, the shadow-creature healed Marc, as it was a violation of ethics to appear damaged before Xercus.

At the end of the pathway, there was another massive bone gate. He passed through it with it. Inside it, was a forest similar to the beautiful Isafdar, but completely dead. There were also swarms of harpies trying to feast on Marc’s head. There was a maze of trees, maneuvering adeptly at every obstacle in the way.

Once he had reached the end of the maze, as it was signaled by another Bone Gate. He passed through it and now he was in a large graveyard. There was a wall at the opposite end of the pathway that seemingly would be the entrance to the mighty throne room. Marc ran to the door, but unfortunately he could not open it.

“Foolish mortal, the key is buried in a coffin.” mocked the creature.

Taking the creature’s advise, Marc found a spade on the ground and started digging, digging up all the graves then pick locking every coffin open. Every time he failed at picking the locks he unintentionally summoned an extremely high-leveled Skeleton Giant, however, he failed a few times. After finding some junk, he looked in the last coffin and opened it- There was no key, but a book called, ‘The Art of Gentrification’. He was confused once more.

“Um, there were no keys in the coffins…”

“Ha! You mortals are so gullible, we’re shades! We don’t need keys- we can walk through doors made of Sacred Holly! You can do pretty much anything with it! What you tried to do was try and open the door with the door knob that is not made of Sacred Holly- it is metal! Spirits cannot pass through metal, not at least in this realm.”

“Whatever.”

Marc and the shadow-creature walked through the Sacred Holly door. They then enter a gothic and humongous throne room filled with Skeleton Giants equipped as valiant warriors, deadly rangers, and insidious magicians. There is a large werewolf, Xercus, sitting at a glorious, yet evil throne. The Bone Diamond is standing on a large, ornate podium in the center of the room in front of Xercus’s throne. Marc runs for the Diamond. Once he stands before it, he tries to grab it, however, he fails at picking it up.

Xercus laughs. “Greedy humans never prevail. You must have tangible flesh and bone to touch the diamond!”

“What!?”

“You heard me, now I have a deal with you, Marc, you ready?”

“Wait! Who are you and how do you know my name!?”

“Hah, thought you’d never ask. I am Xercus, the King over the Slaves of Lord Drakan, I have been here longer than you have even existed. Ever since the Lord’s Glorious Campaign, I have been luring nosy adventurers, like you, here for entertainment. Entertainment of me killing you. Notice these guards? They were those people, now eternally serving me. There was once an endless stream of entertainment and slaves for Him. Some were werewolves from the start, and others weren’t. If you wanted to become a slave you must have visited me, and receive final privelage. If you didn’t, however, you will either be fed to my pets, or become a slave of mine to do whatever I wished. They stopped coming when He took control of Hallowvale; now, I treat my guests, if they ever come, with prime treatment. Since you have wandered here yourself, I must say, I am very proud. Instead of me killing you without choice: I shall let you fight back.”

“But I already died…”

“No you haven’t; your soul and physical body were separated out in a process known as ‘Gentrification’. Now gear up. I’ll send Roover, your escort, to allow you to be suited up in the best armour and weapons of which I own.”

“Wait, so happens if I win?”

“Well, since it is highly unlikely that you’ll win, you may have the Bone Diamond, since your adventure requires it, and I have no more use for it.”

“But I won’t have anything tangible to pick it up with!”

“That is why you perform Reverse-Gentrification!”

“What!?”

“I’m sure Roover can explain. Now be gone and prepare for our duel!”

Roover led Marc out of the room into a small closet which was full of Shadow Armour - comprised of: a Shadow Helm, Shadow Platelegs, Shadow Platebody, Shadow Boots, and a Shadow Shield - as well as a Shadow Sword. He equipped them all and returned back into the throne room, magically, Marc had his ethereal body turn tangible! His inventory items also returned miraculously. By now, Xercus looks the same, but now he has a great sword- a stained glass image of a werewolf with great claws inscribed on it. Xercus notices Marc.

“Hello, friend, shall we duel?”

“Um, I guess.”

Marc and Xercus battle. Xercus's mighty sword and powerful bone spells nearly crippled Marc. After a few minutes, Marc had managed to reduce Xercus's health by half, but he wasn't anywhere close to being done. Xercus froze Marc and he summoned in his skeleton guards for assistance. Now various skeleton mages, rangers, and warriors were attacking him. Luckily, however, Roover decided to join the battle and assist with the annoying skeletons. After a few painful and violent minutes, Marc lashed out the final hit, sending Xercus to the floor, thus killing all the skeleton guards… However, Marc's body returned to his ethereal state. Puzzled, but he had no time to question.

“You win, you win! You may have the blood diamond!” said Xercus defeated and ashamed that a flimsy adventurer can claim the very thing his life entailed.

“I need to turn mortal again!”

“You need to do what I have said! I know Roover knows it and I know you can perform it! Just kill me! You can take my sword- it has a special effect against Werewolves and all Vampires--including Vyrewatch!”

Roover lashes one final attack on Xercus, killing him.

“Why did you help me!?”

“Not all werewolves are enemies! I hated him controlling my life- I don’t know about the others, but we have to perform this gentrification ritual once again to free ourselves!”

“Ok…”

Marc found the book from his backpack and read it. At the end of the book, there was a simple ritual for performing Reverse-Gentrification. All the ritual called for is that you chant a prayer in the center of a controlled ring of fire made out of entirely Sacred Holly.

Marc told the information to Roover. They both searched the throne room for Sacred Holly, due to the fear of being attacked by the other guards outside, and realized that the throne was made of Sacred Holly. Together, they dismembered the throne and reassembled the parts of the throne into a nice circle. Marc picked up Xercus’s Great Sword and found a beam of light. He tilted the sword, and changed the pathway of the light; alighting the Sacred Holly. Marc and Roover chanted the prayer furiously until they transformed into their physical selves. After that, Marc jumped over the fire and quickly took the Bone Diamond. Roover was then attacked by a bone barrage coming from the diamond, almost killing him. Marc quickly placed the diamond back in its place.

“What happened!?” shrieked Marc.

Stuttering, Roover responded weakly, “It must be the diamond - when I came here a long time ago, Xercus must have somehow altered the Bone Diamond to where I cannot leave unattended! Leave me here to die; I have served my life killing and enslaving others…”

“I can’t do that…”

“I can. I am werewolf now; I can’t live a normal, happy life… It is best to end it here…”

“If you say so… It was nice knowing you.”

“Nice knowing you too, friend.”

Marc picked the diamond back up, and now it bone barraged Roover once more. Marc buried his bones and ran out the throne room’s door, however, he fell in to an empty abyss. He then popped out of a grave in the first room where you were cleansed. This time, however, there is no ceiling and you are now under a large tree that had fallen on its side deep in the Haunted Woods. He escaped by climbing a root and ran out of the woods shocked at the amount of sudden and extreme events that had quickly and profoundly unfolded before him.

REWARDS:

- Bone Diamond
- A New Slayer Dungeon and Monsters
- Full Shadow Armour and Xercus’s Great Sword
- 1 Quest Point

MONSTER INFO

Giant Skeleton
Level: 122
HP: 152
Examine Info: He REALLY needs to eat something!
Combat Style: Melee
100% Drop: Big Bones, 1000gp
Other Info: Level 67 Slayer to kill

Skeleton Gargoyle
Level: 218
HP: 451
Examine: Spooky, Scary, and Evil!
Combat Style: Magic and Ranged
100% Drop: Bones, 1000gp
Other info: Level 87 Slayer to kill

Scarred Werewolf
Level: 188
HP: 216
Examine: HOOOWWWLLL!
Combat Style: Melee
100% Drop: Wolf Bones; 1000gp
Other Info: Level 77 Slayer to kill

Xercus
Level: 250
HP: 200
Examine: Watch out!
Combat Style: Melee
100% Drop: Xercus’s Great Sword, Wolf Bones
Other Info: Level 67 Slayer to kill

NEW SLAYER AREA

Yes there is, and under the Haunted Woods- right out of the hole you came from at the end of the section of the quest, however, you need a spade and need to dig in any of the graves and you will fall into a cave filled with three new insanely hard slayer monsters- Giant Skeletons, Skeleton Gargoyle, and Scarred Werewolves. Possibly an occasional Vyrewatch… You can easily escape the place by climbing up some roots along the walls.

None of these monsters are aggressive, and they can give you some pretty nice drops too.

Hold on, someone needed me?

We wanted to see the effect of Mosaic Egde, come 'ere!

Nah, you'd get a better effect from an internet troll and people would be far more appreciative.

What are you talking about? I know people who would love to chunk their Ivandis flail for a more powerful weapon. -.-

Hey, Mosaic Egde and Voidlight are pretty similar for their uses.

But the strongest weapon is the Sword of Kusanagi. It controls the flow of the wind and to that extent the weather and the air around it. Not even the god sword has that much power (but it's a shame because the player won't wield it, ever).

We never said either was the strongest.

yeah... i just thought the Ivandis flail, although it looks malevolently cool, it sucks. I just thought the sword would provide a useful alternative... :\