Chapter Text
Soli Deo Gloria
BGM: Barb Wire (RS2 Version) www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqZiVs…
"Huh..."
Zorial muttered to herself with her arms crossed as she surveyed the second bluish-greenish chamber in Kuradal's slayer dungeon. A chamber that she noted was conspicuously empty.
There were hellhounds nipping her on the way in that would probably be nipping her on her way out. She saw steel and iron dragons romping about in the centermost chamber shaking the cavern with tiny tremors. If she squinted she was fairly certain she could make out abyssals warping about with the same unpredictability as a five-year-old on a sugar rush. Also, dark beasts that would make an excellent snack for a certain friend of hers.
She had even waited several minutes to see if she had simply missed them, or if they had decided momentarily to go back to the abyss. No, Kuradal would have done a better job at securing her slayerly catches than that.
So why on Gielinor weren't there any greater demons about?
Immediately she turned around, raising a small crystal shield, passing through the portal and making a quick sprint in the dimly lit cavern, a couple of the hellhounds pulling off a feather or two from her wings, which caused her to wince slightly, almost running straight into one of the lead Slayer Masters before catching herself.
"Is something wrong, Zorial?" Kuradal said, the somewhat tribal accent quite familiar in giving both advice and seemingly inordinate amounts of monsters to slay at times, at least until Morvran in Prifiddnas made her tasks look like a trifle.She resisted going to the Elvish Slayer Master again after only a few tasks, given how despite her experience his tasks and demeanor made her uneasy. It was difficult to work for a teacher she could hardly please, after all.
"Yes, you assigned 254 greater demons, and there aren't any greater demons in there." She said. "Did they escape?"
"No, that wouldn't be the case. I've secured that section against unauthorized abyssal teleports," she commented, crossing her surprisingly muscled arms.
As I thought. Zorial said to herself.
"Hmm, it seems some of my newer students made quick work of them, I'll need to catch more..." She said, looking down and muttering to herself a bit, while a rogue abyssal demon crept out of the cavern's mouth presently unnoticed.
"Aha, I've got it!" She said, looking up. "Zorial, get out of the way!"
Without much warning, an omni-elemental blast of magic sent the abyssal hurtling back into the cavern, missing Zorial's main body but leaving her left wing with a distinctly unpleasant appearance.
"Can I move away from the cave mouth this time before you tell me?" Zorial said with a somewhat flat tone, to which Kuradal nodded, as the icyene walked around the well-built and armored daughter of Duradel.
"Aye. You've accrued over 700 tasks from slayer masters overall, which means soon enough you'll be able to have students of your own. But, you'll need to be able to trap monsters in sufficient numbers for your students to hunt at times, as I have. So, instead of killing that many greater demons...how about you try trapping and bringing back here at least 50 or so?" She said, with a somewhat clinical tone and arms akimbo.
"...Well, that's new." Zorial said, a somewhat surprised look on her face. "Isn't that something more for a Hunter master than a Slayer Master?"
"Hunters generally tend to be concerned with more 'natural' creatures whereas we Slayers are more concerned with those that would concern Gielinor's general welfare and safety. I would give you advice, but I trust you're both intelligent enough and know enough about magic to be able to get the job done. After all, you are a Master too...and as a Master yourself you should also know that distinction." She said, perhaps with some light chastisement.
"...Right. And if I do need any advice, there's always this." Zorial said, pointing to the ring of slaying which she had carved a slot for into her gauntlet, with a light smile and a confident look in her eyes. "And this," she said, then pointing to a greenish blue ferocious ring, one of many she had accrued in her quest to become a Master from Kuradal's pets.
And a certain friend of mine, she also thought.
Just as Zorial began a lodestone teleport to Karamja, however, Kuradal gave her a light smack, disrupting the spell.
"Hey, what was that for?" Zorial said, a slightly surprised and injured tone to her voice, her hand gravitating unconsciously to the lightly injured spot.
Kuradal stepped back, a look of light disappointment on her face. "I know what you're thinking. 'I'm going to go to Brimhaven and trap the greater demons there.' That would be a bit too lazy, don't you think? I've got something better. There are rumors going about of some demonic flash mobs courtesy of Zamorak...How about trapping those?" She said, while Zorial just stared at Kuradal in disbelief. The normally serious woman seemed to be a bit joyful, even giddy.
I haven't ever beaten Tz-Tok-Jad, and you assign me this? Maybe Morvran's tasks are more sane than I thought...
"And, if you get even better at this, we can trap some dragonkin to slay." She said, more with serious determination, while Zorial tried her best to hide her visceral reaction. With enough passing time, she calmed herself.
I shouldn't get too ahead of myself and think that just since I'm wearing a fancy black and red cape that only Masters can wear that now I somehow have all knowledge. I have once heard it said that the wisest man still knows he have a lot to learn. I guess the same applies to slaying as well. You never really forget the basics, only build upon them...
"Yes, Kuradal." Zorial then adjusted the teleport, going to Edgeville instead.