🚀 go-pugleaf

"EvilBill" <quake2lives@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:4f8p97F1hetbiU1@individual.net...
> (Lag plagued me during today's play! Argh!)
>
> SWEETSPEARGIRL RETURNS: Chapter 11: The Fall Of Mephisto
> ========================================================
>
> Cast of Characters:
> - SweetSpearGirl, Who Needs No Introduction
> - Euyfura, Likewise
> - The Ubiquitous Decoy
>
> TAKE HEED AND BEAR WITNESS TO THE TRUTHS THAT LIE HEREIN, FOR THEY ARE THE
> LAST LEGACY OF THE HORADRIM...
>
> Seethe Fang (blowdart fetish, teleportation) awaited SweetSpearGirl and
> Euyfura as they left the relative safety of the Spider Forest waypoint and
> headed back into the jungle, but SweetSpearGirl's freshly re-acquired 
> Decoy
> distracted him long enough for well-placed arrows and spears to slay him 
> and
> his minions. Further on, through a few packs of Cloud Stalkers and
> straggling Suckers ("damn mosquitoes," SweetSpearGirl commented), and into
> the Flayer Jungle. Where, oddly enough, they met Flayers and their Shamen.
>
> Grey Maim the Jagged (flayer shaman, cursed) barred their way - but not 
> for
> long. Stumbling into a Flayer village, however, SweetSpearGirl fetched up
> against a pack of Champion Soul Killers backed up by blowdart flayers and
> Winged Nightmares, without time to cast a Decoy. A corpse-recovery run
> followed...
>
> "Bastards!" she muttered angrily. Euyfura agreed silently.
>
> Happily, the waypoint was just round the corner; they fragged their foes 
> and
> snagged it.
>
> More Flayers, more Shamen, more Winged Nightmares. SweetSpearGirl snagged 
> a
> Cathan's ring from someone for the extra life-steal (it was definitely 
> worth
> the loss of magic find from the Nagel!), boosting her life steal to 20%
> overall. Another Flayer village up ahead contained the Gidbinn altar (a
> single Champion Rat Man was its guardian, hmmm); she returned the magic
> dagger to Ormus, who told her, "This magic ring does me no good!"...
>
> "Storm Gyre"
> Required Level: 13
> +4 to Energy
> Cold Resist 13%
> Lightning Resist 6%
> Damage Reduced by 2
> Half Freeze Duration
> 5% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items
>
> OK, so it wasn't awful, and it would have been a keeper if it had had a 
> few
> percent of life steal, but at least for now SweetSpearGirl needed to stick
> with her dual Cathan's set-up, so she didn't don the gift. She did however
> hang onto it, in case she found some life leech on something else.
>
> Now it was on into the Flayer Dungeon to hunt down Khalim's Brain.
> SweetSpearGirl picked up combat and armour shrines as the intrepid pair
> (with liberally-placed Decoys) fought Dark Shapes and various kinds of
> Flayers (including Undead ones, who exploded and hurt). As they picked 
> their
> way through level 2 of the dungeon, these included Sin Crawler the Slayer
> (stone skin), whose pack was backed up by a couple of poison-spitting 
> Water
> Watchers. Unfortunately, SweetSpearGirl's weapon chose to break just when
> she didn't have enough gold for repairs, so in the end she did sell Ormus'
> gift to Hratli to cover the costs.
>
> Aside from a few Flayer-filled rooms, large parts of level 3 were errily
> empty. Until the Witch Doctor Endugu (magic resistant, fire enchanted)
> charged his buggers out on our intrepid adventurers! Fortunately, he 
> dropped
> some nice magical items which fetched a good price in town, and the 
> glowing
> chest coughed up Khalim's Brain.
>
> So it was time to have done with the jungle!
>
> Up the fetid river they went, smashing their way through Flayers and 
> Winged
> Nightmares, downing potions left and right. Both spearazon and rogue
> levelled to 25 on the way, prompting Euyfura to comment, "Say what you 
> like,
> these buggers give good exp!"
>
> "You give a better one," SweetSpearGirl smirked, evading Euyfura's bow 
> which
> the rogue suddenly decided to throw at her.
>
> "Watch it," Euyfura said, "or there won't be any more Rogue exp for you!"
>
> Both SweetSpearGirl and Euyfura were by now heartily sick of the Flayers,
> their Shamen and their jungle, so it was almost a relief when the remains 
> of
> the city of Kurast opened up before them and Stormtree (extra fast,
> lightning enchanted) and his Thrasher minions charged out at them. They 
> went
> down, and our heroes pressed onward.
>
> Lower Kurast was home to Tree Lurkers, cousins of those annoying Sand
> leapers from the desert, but they seemed to not hit so hard and were 
> easily
> dispatched. They also encountered Zakarumites (as well as Hell Buzzard
> minions led by Pulse Wolf - fire enchanted), who went down so wonderfully
> easily that SweetSpearGirl's depressed spirits were lifted and even the
> humidity seemed to matter far less. Every monster was just another
> opportunity for loot. Every boss (like Devil Bender - cold-enchanted
> zakarumite) was just more experience. A few Doom Apes showed up, went down
> easily, and then there was the Lower Kurast waypoint.
>
> "Onward and upward," said SweetSpearGirl with a grin as they entered the
> Kurast Bazaar. It was guarded by a pack of Champion Thrashers who dropped
> purples and gold; further on, they met more Zakarumites and normal
> Thrashers, as well as Faithful and lightning-shooting Sextons. Nothing was
> more than a minor problem and, well, onward and upward, another fight and
> another waypoint...
>
> They peeked into the Ruined Temple and - eeek! Stair trap! It was
> wall-to-wall Spider Magi and Flesh Hunters - not tough, but unexpected.
> *Stab* *Jab* *Poink!* Another step, a pair of Night Lords, and then
> Battlemaid Sarina (extra fast, spectral hit) and her multitude of minions
> charged out.
>
> The Black Book of Lam Esen was just in the next room. Alkor was overjoyed 
> to
> have it, and SweetSpearGirl was able to put 5 wisely-placed points into
> Strength. She also came up trumps with a Rainbow Amulet of the Sentinel 
> (+8
> to all resists and MDR +2) which she swapped for her previous rare ammy.
>
> Upper Kurast yielded packs of Zealots and Cantors, and oddly enough a boss
> pack of Winged Nightmares led by Stone Break the Hunter (fire enchanted).
> The only trouble came from Foul Maggot the Sharp (lightning-enchanted
> Cantor) and his Faithful minions, who required a hasty escape to town 
> before
> returning to beat the crap out of them.
>
> "Ouch!" was Euyfura's only comment.
>
> "Well keep back next time, silly Rogue!" SweetSpearGirl said.
>
> Euyfura muttered something rude which the Amazon didn't hear, as they
> approached the Kurast Causeway.
>
> To run into Zealot minions and their Hierophant boss Devil Call the Shade
> (extra strong), as well as other Hierophants. Eeeek...
>
> Finally, just before the Travincal waypoint, they encountered *another* 
> boss
> Hierophant. This one was Black Venom (multiple shot) and spewed lightning
> everywhere until SweetSpearGirl stuck him full of holes. His drop was
> typically nondescript, which sucked. Oh well... the High Council were next
> up, anyway, and they would be *evil*...
>
> First up was a minion, followed by Ismail Vilehand. He dropped Khalim's
> Flail, which SweetSpearGirl grabbed, throwing up another decoy. Another
> minion followed, then Geleb Flamefinger (extra strong, fire enchanted).
> Another decoy. Another minion. Finally Toorc Icefist (cold enchanted, 
> stone
> skin) went down. The Council were dead! Now all that remained was to go 
> into
> the Swers after Khalim's Heart, and then go after Mephisto!
>
> SweetSpearGirl and Euyfura entered the sewers via the Kurast Bazaar
> entrance. Euyfura's only comment was "Ick!", but a pack of Preserved Dead, 
> a
> few Undead Soul Killers and Icehawk Riftwing (gloombat, extra strong, cold
> enchanted) later, the way down to level 2 was in front of them. Which was
> small, stuffed full of loot-full chests, and guarded only by Stygian
> Watchers and Blood Wings ("damn mosquitoes" again...)
>
> And Khalim's Heart was in a glowing chest. SweetSpearGirl quickly 
> transmuted
> the bits, equipped Khalim's Will, and opened the way to Mephisto's 
> Durance!
> (There was a lone Council minion hanging around, which our heroes 
> wasted...)
>
> Their first encounter was Pulse Fester (mana burn), a boss Undead Stygian
> Doll, and friends. They still hurt when they exploded, but otherwise were 
> no
> trouble. SweetSpearGirl was very close to levelling, too, and Dark Lords 
> and
> Maulers crowded them as they worked their way down. She levelled shortly
> after saying a Dark Lord boss and a Champion Mauler, plugging another five
> points into Strength. Cadavers joined the usual suspects on level 2, as 
> did
> the waypoint. Then... it was down to meet Mephisto...
>
> Bremm Sparkfist (lightning enchanted, unholy fire aura) put up a fight. 
> But
> died. As did his minions and his Blood Lord friends. Then it was onwards.
> Unfortunately the Blood Lords were so thickly clustered, and did so much
> damage with their firewalls that Euyfura went down in seconds and
> SweetSpearGirl didn't have enough gold to revive her - or for repairs! A
> blue Horned Helm dropped by Bremm helped, though.
>
> Maffer Dragonhand (extra strong, extra fast) was a wuss by comparison. He
> went down easy, and then it was on - to Mephisto himself!
>
> "YOU'RE TOO LATE!" he howled as he spotted them, but SweetSpearGirl was
> already stabbing him as she yelled "Well it's too late for YOU!" Euyfura
> went down fast - but so did he. Hitting SweetSpearGirl hard and chilling 
> her
> during the fight, but he went down. SweetSpearGirl used his loot (four
> yellow items!) to revive Euyfura and make repairs, and finally - it was
> farewell to Kurast!
>
> "And good riddance," Euyfura muttered as they stepped through the Durance
> portal...
>
> TO BE CONTINUED...
>
>
bravo!  <sound of one hand clapping> pretty good :)  though I thought with 
ALL that stuff there shoulda been at least one picture!
McG.