Get Outta Town!
#1
http://www.lurkerlounge.com/cgi-bin/forum/...rum=AtmasTavern

Continued after a long break, the story of Angeleyes, as she rescues her nephew from a kidnapping Necromancer and goes in search of the Tal Rasha, and Boy's mother, OcchiSonya.



Angeleyes held tight to Mikal's hand as she hurried down the street. Ducking around two men carrying a large piece of furniture, she spotted a wagon trundling southward, toward the docks, and dodged the thickening pedestrian traffic until she had caught it.

A shrill blast on a tin whistle behind her added a last burst of energy as she grabbed wagon's tailgate. The guards had sorted themselves out and were about to come looking for her. Hanging on to the tailgate with one hand, and Mikal with another, she kipped up and swung her body underneath the wagon's bed, sliding forward on the dusty cobble stones. Letting go the tail gate, she allowed her momentum carry her forward, then reached up and grabbed for the right wheel's inner hub as it rolled by. For a frantic moment, she thought her grip would fail her, but then the momentum of the vehicle overcame her problem. She let her body turn under the wagon and her cupped hand act as a hook. Coughing in dust and gripping Mikal with her other hand, she bumped along the street, every collision with a cobblestone bringing renewed pain to her joints.

Mikal squirmed within her grasp, his eyes wide with questions, his feet bumping loosely along the street.

"Mikel dear, grab tight to Aunti Occhi's robe. I need to hold on with both hands. We are running away from the guards." She gritted her teeth from the effort it took to let him go and reach up to grab onto the hub with her other hand, then bit back a yelp as Mikal tightly grabbed her hair with his left hand and her right breast with his right. She could feel the fear and confusion in his fingers as they trembled.

In a gritty whisper she coaxed him into rearranging his grip. "Grab my hood with your left hand, that's a good boy, and now get your other hand on the robe's belt. That's right, well done. Now, let's ride along for a while. I need to think."

Mikal's breathing calmed a bit, then he whispered in her ear, real confusion in his voice.

"Where are we going, Aunt Occhi? Master Orthas kept promising me that we were going to see Mother. Will you take me to her?"

Angeleye's choked back a sob, the desperate plea for reassurance in her nephew's question a knife in her heart.

"We are going to the docks, Mikal, and when I find the ship bound for Kingsport, I will try to get us both on it. Aliza should be waiting for us if her errand here is done."

Mikal perked up. "Mistress Aliza? The archer? She helped me stay away from Master Orthas after the guards took you away. She told the guards to take care of me while you were in the dungeon, and they did. Jemali even let me try out his sword on the wooden target in the practice yard."

The enormity of this revelation broke like dawn in the assassin's head. Aliza knew of her arrest, and was probably trying to get her released! When the dead body's were eventually discovered, what danger would that put Aliza into? Her plan needed to change. Abandoning Aliza in Lut Gholein was not an option.

Angeleyes almost lost her grip on the hub as the wagon negotiated a right turn. From the change in sounds and light, she realized that they had entered Lut Gholein's marketplace. The wagon continued on for a few dozen paces and then rolled to a stop. Familiar voices erupted to her left.

"Hail, Warriv, what have you brought me today? Is the steel wire I asked for there in your bundles?" the rich, melodious voice of the weaponsmith inquired.

"Aye, Mistress Fara," replied a gruff voice that could only belong to the caravan master Warriv, "I've got it near the back of my load." The shuffling of feet and lumps above her told the assassin that Warriv was shifting loads to find the parcel for his customer. The wagon creaked and then two feet landed less than an arm's length from her head, on the other side of the wagon wheel.

"There you are, as ordered. I'll be back tomorrow for payment, I am running a bit late today, and Lord Jehryn's accountants won't hold the gates for any deliveryman. Westmarch Bitter won't get any tastier in the Sun." The wagon creaked again as he leapt up into the seat. With the crack of a whip at his team, Warriv put the wagon into motion. Angeleyes let go of the hub and let the wagon leave her lying in the plaza directly in front of Kara's weapon's repair stall. Somewhere off to ther left, the tin whistle sounded, a signal that the guards were working out their search plan for their runaway prisoner.

The tall, red headed woman had her back turned to the plaza as she carried a heavy bundle into her shaded workplace. Angeleyes quickly rose and scurried into the tent behind her. Mikal made a little "oof" as she let him down, which caused the smith to whirl around, a dagger appearing into her hand.

"What are you doing- - Angeleyes, is that you?" demanded Fara, her eyes going wide in surprise. "You look like you've been dragged through the streets!"

Pulling back the cowl from her stolen robe, the assassin nodded her head and smiled.

"Yes, it is me, and I am in desperate straights. I need to hide for awhile until Greiz spear pullers stop looking near the market place. I need to hide Temp's nephew too." She nodded down at Mikal who was staring wide eyed at Fara'a display of scimitars.

Fara put her dagger back into her belt.

"I guess I'll ask why later, Occhi. I don't buy the murder charge that has been hung on you." She gestured to the rear of her stall, behind the forge. "Here, get under that pile of old sacks and stay quiet."

Angeleyes and Mikal wasted no time in burrowing themselves deep into the pile of old burlap. As they snuggled together, Fara began banging on some metal tool or weapon on her forge.

So much for a nap, thought the mage slayer to herself. I suppose this is as safe as we are going to be for a while.

To be continued. . .
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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#2
Cool. :)
A plague of exploding high-fives.
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#3
Nice Occhi. But don't leave us hanging for six months this time, k?
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#4
I'd be very interested to read it from start to finish. I'd just as soon not jump into it in the middle, if at all possible.
Roland *The Gunslinger*
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#5
Roland,Feb 16 2003, 05:42 AM Wrote:I'd be very interested to read it from start to finish. I'd just as soon not jump into it in the middle, if at all possible.
You mean you don't have The Book yet ?? :P

An awesome read as always Occhi :D
Stormrage :
SugarSmacks / 90 Shammy -Elemental
TaMeKaboom/ 90 Hunter - BM
TaMeOsis / 90 Paladin - Prot
TaMeAgeddon/ 85 Warlock - Demon
TaMeDazzles / 85 Mage- Frost
FrostDFlakes / 90 Rogue
TaMeOlta / 85 Druid-resto
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#6
Great job Occhi! Glad to get another part in this epic-in-the-making! :D
WWBBD?
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#7
Woah Woah!

Damn Ochi!
I was looking for this story for like last 6months... Finally concluding that murphy ate it in the previous forum.
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#8
ANd if that breaks, let me know, when I get home I can insert the rest here in this thread. :)
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
Reply
#9
GENIUS GENIUS GENIUS heh, extremely well written, and most enjoyable to read. Keep up the good work!

By the way, are these characters based on your real diablo characters? The names hint at that, also I remember once you posting something relating to an assassin with a bow and a Kings Grace [runeword] rune sword, this seems to fit the bill. Just curious.

-Wapptor

<edit> stupid grammar issue
"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true."
-- James Branch Cabell
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#10
After nearly a year and a half of slowly but surely getting past obstacles, playing now and again, my 67th level Rogue Assassin, Occhidiangela, finally killed Baal in Hell (Softcore. She got nailed now and again in the process) *whew* Since that run ended a couple of months ago, and since the original stories of OcchiSonya and Temp wrapped up when they finished in Normal Diablo before LoD came out, I thougth I would try to tie the two together. Temp was Occhi's little brother even back then.

She used S/S, Tiger Strike, BoS, A Bow, Venom, Phoenix Strike, and Shadow master primarily. (I found a Skewer of Krinzit one day, and its ITD really helped the Phoenix Strike release on normal attack.) I had to ask Dee Bye for help in getting past Hell Ancients: solo was just not working. The two of us, his 70 amazon and I, were able to team up and allow me to progress beyond that quest. Sad to say, some times, variants run into walls, and I ran out of patience. The ancients were able to one hit kill me too often, or otherwise I think I could have finally done them solo. Between my bow, venom, and shadow master, I had some success with 'Hit and Run' and patience on the Arreat Summit, but inevitably, the red screen would come on.

Yes, the bow and sword are what I used, since she is, after all, a Rogue at heart. :) The details are simply an embellishment on the back story provided by our dear friends at Blizzard, and are heavily influenced by two things.

Lut Gholein is my favorite town, since it has a real bar and a real bartender. :)

The Legion of Greiz, a variant some of us Variant Scum played to the sound of insane laughter, figures in most of my little stories since I so thoroughly enjoy bringing the hapless Act II mercs (remember, before the LoD, Act II guards were mostly Duriel Snacks) to life.
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
Reply
#11
I don't know how to say this any other way, but thats SO cool hehe. I myself have personalitys and different histories attached to each one of my characters, I find it makes them more real and individual. Its fun to see someone else give them that much depth. As for the legion of Greiz, lurkers should get together and play more party variants, I think I would fit in well with the so called "variant scum". Once again, keep up the good work.

note: why did you choose a kings grace RUNE sword over a Cryptic sword, if the damage could have been much better (or am i wrong :blink: ?)

-Wapptor
"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true."
-- James Branch Cabell
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#12
:(
Occhidiangela,Feb 15 2003, 05:31 PM Wrote:http://www.lurkerlounge.com/cgi-bin/forum/...rum=AtmasTavern

Continued after a long break, the story of Angeleyes, as she rescues her nephew from a kidnapping Necromancer and goes in search of the Tal Rasha, and Boy's mother, OcchiSonya.
Are you trying to lure the public into thinking that necros are evil?!

Just because necros didnt lift a finger (their minions did :lol: ) to help defeat baal doesnt mean they are evil :angry:

And just because they wear bones that no mortal knows where they got them from also doesnt mean they should be shunned and hated!!!

All in all, nice post!
"It burns because its burning!"
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#13
What is the function of a Mage Slayer? To slay evil Mages.

I chose the Necromancer as a foil, as an agent of darkness due to Angeleye's background. To a Rogue who had fought her share of skeletons and other reanimated corpses in Tristram, a Necromancer's art is tasteless and part of the prloblem, as are any mages who do not serve The Light.

I like Necromancer's just fine, however, not every Necromancer on bnet is 'a good guy" is he? This fellow is a "bad guy."

If I wrote the story from the point of view of the Necro, I would have to think that Assassins like Occhidiangela are zealots whose abhorance to magic makes them myopic killers, sort of along the lines of Fundies who bomb abortion clinics.

Where ya sit determines what you see. :)
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
Reply
#14
One, note the level. She had not found a three socketed Cryptic Sword by the time she finished the game, and I don't recall having her Strength high enough to weild a Cryptic Sword, though her Dex was OK.

I had to start putting more points into Vitality as the game wore on. Doing MA skills with a sword gets you hit, and I don't care to be stunned.

She played the game with what she found, bought, and gambled. The one concession I made was that the Razor Bow I had socketed with Zephyr I had to retire, as the Eth Bug simply has not been fixed. I loaned her the Kuko that my Amazon had found after she hit level 62 or so.

That Razor Bow was nice, but the Eth bug made it a non starter, once I got better info on just what it did from my RBD friends.

If you don't find a Cryptic Sword, you can't make a rune word in it. :)
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
Reply
#15
Lol I was just joking back there.......

Your a very talented writer, keep it up....
"It burns because its burning!"
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#16
About the cryptic sword, fair enough :) . Also I never thought necromancers were evil, just dark, solitary, and unconcerned with what those foolish mortal types were interested in...

-Wapptor
"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true."
-- James Branch Cabell
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#17
Occhi.....a great read, from start to finish. Have you considered submitting it to Blizzard? I mean it's really good. Plus, I like the way you give your charaters backgrounds....I'm sure everybody has at least once in their life imagined a storyline for their characters. Please keep up the good work!
"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. At least you'll be a mile away from them and you'll have their shoes." ~?

Stonemaul - Sneakybast, 51 Rogue
Terenas - Sneaksmccoy, 1 Rogue

Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight!
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#18
Premezilla,Mar 20 2003, 01:57 AM Wrote:I'm sure everybody has at least once in their life imagined a storyline for their characters
Yes, many times :D

-Wapptor
"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true."
-- James Branch Cabell
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#19
Now that a three year break has passed, it is time to take up, once again, the story of Angeleyes and Mikal, the pursuit of Orthas the Vile Necromancer, and Natalya's Zucchini Garden. Of course, being a bit deranged by the caffeine, I wrote the last chapter of this tale a few days ago, and must now fill in the blanks. Small wonder Paolini published before I did, or likely ever will. :lol:
==================================================================
Burlap and Hammers and Guards, Oh My!

Fara's hammering settled into a slow, steady rhythm as she became absorbed in her task. Mikal squirmed, his impatience with this new game growing as his aunt lay curled around him. The burlap sacks they were hiding under made his nose itch.

"Are we playing a new game or not, Aunt Occhi? You didn't make anyone count to ten, or a hundred. Is something wrong?" The disappointment in his voice washed over her, but she bit her lip to prevent a hasty reply.

What amazed her was the resliance of children. Here was a boy who, until yesterday (the day before?) had been captive of a necromancer, marched about by his dead and reanimated father and grandmother, rescued from a closet where he was held prisoner, then held by Greiz' guards after he saw his rescuer knocked out and dragged away to a dungeon. Mikal's main concern? Playing a game of Hide and Seek.

"I am sorry about the game, Mikal, but we are in some trouble. Orthas kidnapped you, someone thinks I killed a guard, and I just escaped from prison before Jehryn was done with me." She stopped to let these facts settle in. "I have no money, a knife, and Aliza doesn't know where I am. My dearest friend has been trying to arrange my freedom. She is unaware of the trouble she is in, and of the bodies in the dungeon cell where I was held captive. She is my only way out of town, and thus your only way out of town."

She stopped, her thinking aloud likely confusing him with detail while she organized her problems as a way to find a solution. Shadow would be little help until her own mana was restored by rest. The key to her continued freedom was the rogue, but locating her and sending her a discrete message was not going to be simple.

"If you want to leave town, Aunt Occhi, use the magic squares. They are fun." Mikal's suggestion made no sense. Magic squares? Did he mean a magic carpet?

"Mikal, what magic squares have you used? Did your father teach you Paladin magic?" Groping for a hint, Angeleyes dug back into her education and training on magic arts, trying to recall what magic a Paladin had to transport or fly with. Square? She drew a blank, and hit the burlap bags in frustration.

Fara's hammering continued, its loud metallic rhythm oddly comforting. Abruptly, the sharp blast of a tin whistle exploded neear her head, and the sound of booted feet thundered along the street just outside the tent's wall adjacent to the sack pile. A thrill of fear shot up her spine as her illusion of security was shattered by the whistle's blast, and the reply blast from the other side of the tent, out in the square facing Fara's open tent flap.

"The magic --" began Mikal, but she put her fingers to his lips and quietly shushed him. In a hoarse whisper, she warned, "Shhhh, Mikal, we can't talk when the guards are hunting. Think of it as the game."

The heavy tramp of booted feet approached Fara's tent. Ominously, the hammering stopped. Angeleyes sensed more than saw the shadow fall into the tent's interior as the tall guard seargent stepped into Fara's shop.

"Mistress Fara, we are looking for an escaped prisoner who has now kidnapped a young boy. He's blond, about 8 or 9. She is black haired, wearing little, and armed. Have you seen them?"

Fara's voice flowed out in a controlled alto.

"Sergeant Chalan, as you can see I'm in the middle of some work. I pay a tax each week for the "security" you spear pulling mercenaries supposedly provide. For this, my work, my means of income is interrupted as you ask me to help you do your job?" Her voice implied obvious disbelief.

"Ma'am, each citizen is to assist the guards in pursuit of criminals, you know the Lords edict --"

"I've no time to waste on you, Sergeant, so please let me get back to my work. I've been in my tent all morning. No, I went fishing at dawn to catch breakfast. If you see any fugitives in here," here she paused, and Angeleyes imagined Fara gesturing about the dark interior of the tent, "you are welcomed to arrest them." An unintelligible response from the man was abruptly interrupted.

Fara's voice came out harder than her anvil. "As you can see, Sergeant, this isn't a kidnapper's lair but a working woman's tent. If you leave now, I'll forget you came by. If you want to harass me further, I'll be happy to provide Sergeant Sarissa with the name of who actually bent the standard's pole last Moonfest. Do I make myself clear?"

Chalan's voice came back dry and thin. "Perfectly."

Bootsteps moved away from the tent, followed by the general shuffle when the patrol moved out into the general throng of the marketplace.

Angeleyes breathed out and hugged Mikal to her fiercely. How ever was she to repay Fara for this immense favor? The answer would have to wait, as Fara resumed her hammering with a will. Patience, Occhi, she thought to herself, patience before payback.

To be continued . . .










Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
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#20
:blink:

I had completely forgotten this existed. Glad to see it revived - with a new chapter too! Good job, you haven't lost your edge yet. I'll be happy to hear more of it in another 3 years.

Cheers,

Munk
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