The Rising Heat

Lumbridge Swamp Caves

Down in the lonely, dank, dark, smelly caves beneath Lumbridge lies Juna the serpent, who guards the Tears of Guthix. She has been so lonely for so many millennia. Until a few years ago, when she met the Madphibian, a very strange creature. It is a talking large frog, and its mad. Its crazy. Its insane. Its cuckoo. But it always tells the truth in the form of prophecies. Juna was starting to become a bit mad herself, befriending this cursed creature.

"The time is coming!" cackled the Madphibian insanely. His voice was high pitched, and his sentences always ended in a mad giggle.

"The lord Sharkros was right. The lesser creatures shall overthrow the humans!" Juna replied.

"For the Lord Guthix, he has terrible nightmares. He dreams of a dying world, one with constant thunder, rising heat and flooding!"

"His nightmares will end. Only we know his sleeping place. Lord Guthix shall dream of a new world, one where nature's sea creations rule. One of everlasting peace."

"No, no more sorrow. We pay for your mistakes, your time is borrowed, your time has come to be replaced! Your time has come to be erased!" chanted the Madphibian.

"Madphibian, tell me a story."

"At the heart of the volcano, there lies a veteran. A war veteran, stopping another mad one's reign of terror. He will die! His name burns in the constellation of Guthix itself!"

TzHaar City

"The volcano is getting even hotter!" TzHaar-Kot-Tok exclaimed to the rest of the TzHaar Council.

"But Kot-Tok, it is not something we can help. JalYt have said the weather is astray everywhere. But on another subject, the TzTok-Jad still needs nursing after two months of healing. Kot-Tok, you are in charge of this matter. Case dismissed! barked TzHaar-Mej-Jem, the current leader of the council.

Kot-Tok bowed and left the chamber, in sweat. The heat was rising, and it was very unusual. TzHaar have never sweated before in their five thousand year history. They live and thrive in volcanoes, and have been known to survive eruptions.

Kot-Tok entered the Fight Caves, which had been recently closed off to all visitors. Inside was the loudest groaning on the planet. The TzTok-Jad, pride of the TzHaar species, was in pain. There were about twenty TzHaar tending to it, and even a couple Yt-Hurkots.

"Status report, Xil-Gun!" Kot-Tok said to Xil-Gun, the TzHaar inventor.

"No change for months, Kot-Tok. The Zamorakian JalYt teleported it somewhere harmful, remember? The ocean! It was there for days until we rescued it. But there is evidence someone else found it before it us, and seemed to have done something to its head."

Kot-Tok stared at the back of its head, where the brain would be. There was a huge scar, that was never there before. It never healed.

"Methinks it were JalYt. They have done something to its head. Something pyschological, and its pain must be just that."

"This is most absurd indeed."

"...he said. But he doesn't know the disaster to come. No one does" Madphibian said.

"Its very strange that you seem to know what is happening exactly at this moment in time, but do continue" Juna said.

"It is like a time bomb, ticking ticking ticking. The impending disaster will utterly destroy the men of lava and rock, yet have a domino effect on the rest of the world!" giggled Madphibian.

"Will we get affected? The Dark Lord? The Lord of Balance, who sleeps and sleeps?"

"Yes! It comes at a full cycle. But we and the two lords will get affected, in the best way possible. Gielinor pays the sacrifice, not us!"

"The Ark has been shipped away!" announced TzHaar-Xil-Lix, a messenger for the Council.

"And who has it been shipped to?" Kot-Tok asked.

"Some old winged friends."

"Ah. It will be same with them. This world is always safe with them around."

"Hows your job going?"

"Not good. Xil-Gun can't guarantee a full recovery. But I discovered something most peculiar about it."

"Oh. Tell me more."

"A strange, not-healing scar at the back of its head. Near where the brain would be. It led me to a conclusion, that couldn't be possible!"

"I do not share your sense of thought."

"Somebody found the Jad before we did. And has done something so terrible. I have many suspects."

"You still have not explained yourself. What is so terrible?"

"There is something within its mind, placed there by the most skilled of fingers. I examined closer, and it seems whoever did it was wearing metal gauntlets."

"Yes, but what is that item?"

"A very small mind-control rune. Its the rarest of the runes on the planet. Trust me, I am good friends with a TzHaar-Mej."

"The council must be alerted immediately!"

"Then its good you are here. Be swift!"

Xil-Lix ran off, and Kot-Tok stood up. All the TzHaar medics were slowly backing away out of the cave, so did every creature within the cave (Tok-Xil, Tz-Kih etc). Then everything ran out of the cave. There was a massive roar.

"I love this story. Such mystery, such suspense and a huge monster on the rampage..." Juna interrupted.

"But it gets better! Remember, this event is so huge it creates a domino effect!" laughed Madphibian.

"All TzHaar must leave the city! Evacuate!" shouted the TzHaar-Ket, using a giant horn to speak through. All the TzHaar were in chaos and running out. Even the TzHaar creatures followed suit. For the Jad has gone mad. The Fight Caves was destroyed, and it rampaged through the city. Many humans were squished.

The Jad seemed to be in a trance. It marched to the center of the city, where it punched a hole in the ground. It kept doing and doing it, until it penetrated past the volcano and into the sea.

There was a sudden earthquake, and most of the TzHaar had escaped. Although there were lots left, the odds of everyone surviving is certain. The TzTok-Jad suddenly screamed in pain, and collapsed.

There were more tremors, and it suddenly started flooding. Weirdly enough, the whole volcano was flooding! The lava was being overwhelmed by water.

The Jad was certainly and presumed dead. Every TzHaar had escaped. Except Kot-Tok.

"Kot-Tok! Lend me your hand!" screamed Xil-Lix.

"No! I must form a lava barricade!"

"But you will drown!"

"If I do, then it will have been for my people!"

A tear made of fire rolled down Xil-Lix's cheek.

"You are a true TzHaar. Once we get out, we will erect a statue in your honour!"

Kot-Tok nodded, and he sealed the exit with pure lava. He felt the water rushing around him. He couldn't escape. He only had a few minutes.

"When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done. Help me leave me behind some reasons to be missed. Don't resent me, when you're feeling empty, keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest. Leave out all the rest."

The whole volcano sunk into the sea, and there was a large lake formed where the volcano used to be.

"And that wraps it up. A whole volcano went down in water. And TzHaar-Kot-Tok, veteran of the economy war, drowned while singing."

Juna smiled.

"That was the best story I've heard in centuries. You should write a book."

"Wait! The domino effect is about to start. And its all in my mind. One falls after another, and another, then another. Its the way the world of humanity ends."