IceBitch stood at the stairs that lead down from the Pandemonium Fortress to the dismal plain below. She stared at the faint movement in the distance, but couldn't quite make out exactly what it was.
"Are we going down THERE?" quavered Emilio, standing behind his mistress as usual.
IceBitch turned and scowled at her side kick. If it weren't for his occasionally useful combat abilities she would have left him for dead long ago. "Yes Emilio. Deckard says Diablo's lair lies somewhere beyond that plain, and Tyrael says there's a fallen angel that needs slaying out there as well." She stared once again across the shadowed land and muttered under her breath "Prophets and Angels. I don't know which is worse. Both are too damn pushy for my taste. Go there. Kill that. Get this. Find them. I think it's about time they found another errand girl."
"Well mistress, we have found some really nice treasure on our quest, and think of all the people we've helped!" Emilio was always giving his share of the loot to passing beggars and the poor.
IceBitch shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Well, I supposed we better get on with it. Time flies and all that." She drew forth Hexfire and raised it in invocation. Brilliant flames burst from the blade and swirled harmlessly around her hand. Without pause she turned to Emilio and his halberd lit up with searing flame as well. As she unslung her shield a wall of shimmering ice crystals formed around IceBitch's body, and a bubble of energy circled overhead.
"Come Emilio, let's get this over with." She began to descend the stairs and as she reached the bottom she muttered "Come on assholes. Show me what you got." Almost immediately she was answered. Four hulking creatures lurched from the edge of the darkness.
"What are THOSE?" cried Emilio.
"Let's find out," answered IceBitch, advancing towards the nearest. Thwack! Slice! The first beast fell. "Hmmm. They're not so tough. Come on Emilio, get your lazy butt in gear!" Emilio quickly ran forward and began to jab the next creature, which fell just as quickly. "Piece of ca.. HEY!" IceBitch barely dodged the flying corpse one of the hulking brutes spit towards her. "Oh, you REALLY didn't want to do that!" she cried. With gesture she disappeared and reappeared next to her assailant. "How you like THIS?" she cried as she drove Hexfire into the creature's guts, then twisted. "Hmmm. No answer."
The pair continued across the plain, encountering several other groups of the corpse-hurling creatures. There were also strange flying electrical spider creatures and a few undead knights wandering the area. But all fell before IceBitch's burning blade.
Pausing at the top of the stair leading down to a new region of the nether plains, IceBitch sniffed the mana winds. "Emilio, I don't think we're alone up here."
"What do you mean mistress? Something worse than these corpse horrors or undead knights?" Emilio looked nerviously over his shoulder at the trail of broken and oozing corpses in their wake.
"Yes Emilio, much worse. I think NecroKrem has stirred from his sleep. Look!"
Across the plain a small horde of skeletons and revived dead came towards the pair. An iron golem and barbarian lumbered near the back of the pack, and a palid human brought up the rear. "Why didn't you get me up?" panted NecroKrem as he trotted up, completely out of breath. "It took me hours to find you!"
"No time for sleep. Have some coffee and let's go! I smell demon spawn below." Without another word she turned and vanished, only to reappear at the bottom of the stairs with Emilio next to her. "I wish you would warn me when you're going to do that," muttered IceBitch's sidekick.
Ignoring Emilio (as usual) the sorceress turned towards the creatures crawling forth from the darkness. "Blast! Misshapen! I hate spitting dogs." As NecroKrem reached the bottom of the steps and cast his first curse IceBitch charged into the midst of the creatures. Emilio in tow. "Die maggots!" she screamed as Hexfire began to cut big chunks from the beasts around her. The skeletal horde quickly joined the pair in the fray and the group slowly advanced across the plain. More of the hideous globule spitting dogs crept out of the ruins and rockwork that dotted the plain, but between burning blade, skeletal magic, and flying spears of bone the creatures were easily slain.
Suddenly six bolts of elemental magic hammered IceBitch from across a chasm. "Shit that HURT!" She dodged behind a skeleton that had the courtesy to intercept the next volley of burning missiles. "Undead mages! We'll see about that! Come on Emilio, time for a trip!"
"Waai.." Zzzzblink!
The pair materialized in the midst of the group of undead mages. "Take the minions Emilio! I'm on the leader!" IceBitch rained blow after blow on the fallen knight's armor to no avail. "What the... Oh hells! What a time for an enchantment to fail!" She paused and gestured quickly at her blade which took fire once again. "Now we're cooking!" she cried and renewed her attack. Though the mage tried to summon up bone armor to protect himself from the fiercely burning blade, it was useless. He fell beneath the blows, just as Emilio laid low his last follower. "Good job Emilio! We'll make a real warrior out of you yet!"
"Thank you mistress, but I feel rather... AAAAGHH!"
"Ah, poison. Just a minute." IceBitch shuffled through her belongings and pulled out an antidote potion. "Here."
"Thanks!" quipped Emilio.
"I wish you'd learn to carry your own potions" muttered IceBitch as NecroKrem moved up to join the pair.
"Are you OK over here?" he asked.
"Sure, just trying to get my bearings back. Let's see. We've covered most of the area, Izual must be... There!" she pointed generally eastward. "The stairs onward must be there too. Let's go!"
Lars the barbarian grunted in agreement and began to move off eastward. The group followed and sure enough were quick to find Izual standing near the stairs to the city of the damned, almost as if he was expecting them. As she advanced IceBitch yelled "Yo! Izual! Tyrael sends his regards."
The angel sneered as it advanced, but was quickly yelping in pain. Between the burning weapons and bone spears Izual fell without a wimper, and the party congratulated itself on an easy victory. "Let's head back and see what Tyrael has to say Emilio." said IceBitch.
"Of course mistress. I'm also most interested in seeing what this weapon is that Izual dropped." Emilio eyed the yellow glowing bill hungrily.
Back at the fortress Tyreal was suitably grateful for the slaying of Izual, but the weapon turned out to be garbage "Typical" sneered IceBitch. After a brief pause to sell some loot, expand upon some skills and repair some equipment the party regrouped near the entrance to the lost city.
"Ready?" asked IceBitch. Without waiting for an answer she blinked to the bottom of the stairs where she was met by a horde of burning souls and a few minotaur-like blood lords.
"I wish you wouldn't do that." panted NecroKrem as he reached the bottom of the stairs, horde in tow.
"You and me both," moaned Emilio as a blood lord attempted to remove his head.
Lars just chuckled.
"Quit your whining and kill something!" shouted IceBitch, surrounded by three blood lords.
The fray at the bottom of the stairs degenerated into swirling mass of burning souls, blood lords and undead knights. The party was silent as they slowly crept further into the decaying city, beset on all sides by hordes of creatures, pausing only to gather loot or reenchant weapons. Hours later the group stood at the stairs leading down to the river of flame. All around them lay the corpses of the fallen. The group had come through without a single death (well, except for a few necromantic minions, and they didn't really count).
"More?" grinned IceBitch as Emilio and NecroKrem leaned against a dead trapped soul panting heavily.
"More?!?" groaned NecroKrem, "I can barely stand. Let's take a break!"
Lars just grinned and waved his flaming sword around.
IceBitch sighed. "Well I suppose a bit of coffee and a short break is worthwhile. My blade is pretty tattered. Stupid smiths."
The party returned to the Pandemonium Fortress and regrouped. Fresh coffee and a bite to eat quickly restored the group's desire for blood, and they gathered once again at the stairs down to the river of flame. "OK, let's do it!" IceBitch, as usual, charged down the stairs.
Below another swirling melee ensued as the party was quickly surrounded by storm casters, urdar and iron golems. "Which one is yours NecroKrem?" asked Emilio.
"How should I know?" answered the necromancer as he cast another curse on a group of iron golems. "Hit anything that tries to hit you!"
The fight continued without letup for a good half hour. The party crept along the causeways and islets of land that ran between the burning rivulets of lava. Finally they reached the hellforge and discovered a demonic being standing next to it, summoning one iron golem after another. "So that's where they come from!" quipped IceBitch as she moved in to start hacking on the creature. "Emilio! Cover my back! Lars! Kill some golems."
Emilio moaned but moved foward to do his mistress's bidding. Lars just grinned and began to mow down iron golems with precise strikes.
A short while later the area was clear and with the hellforge hammer in hand, IceBitch shattered Mephisto's soulstone. "Don't know what all the fuss was about" she muttered as the stone broke beneath the hammer.
The group paused only long enough to gather up a few gems and a rather nice blade for Lars. They could see the towers and battlements of the chaos sanctuary across the river to the west. "Come on," said NecroKrem, "let's get this over with."
"Now you've got the right attitude!" returned IceBitch.
Lars just grunted and moved off towards the towers in the distance.
As the party approached the entry to the chaos sanctuary IceBitch told NecroKrem of the horrors within. "I've heard tell of abyss knights that cast curses as you do, but some of the worse creatures are the succubi that throw a magic maiden curse. It won't bother me much, but if you're casting when under the curse you'll see your life drawn away by your magic.
NecroKrem nodded along as if he knew this all along. "Just watch out for the iron maiden curses. They are dangerous to a blade wielder, as you well know."
The party paused for a moment, and looked up. The towers now loomed overhead, and the entry stood just across a narrow bridge. They had been slaying the creatures along the bridges and passes that lead to the sanctuary without much thought, but were surprised how easily the entrance was gained. "Maybe this won't be so bad," muttered Emilio.
IceBitch laughed and said "Let's find out!" as she entered the gloomy halls.
Lars just grinned.
The party advanced slowly into the sanctuary and were quickly assaulted by a horde of succubi and abyss knights. "OW!" screamed IceBitch as iron maiden curse hit her. Again. "I've had enough of that!" She stared for a moment at the mages standing behind their horde of minions. "Think you're smart over there, don't you, hiding behind your buddies. We'll..." the curse faded around her "Emilio! Get ready."
"Ready for" Zzzzzblink "whaa!"
The pair stood in the midst of three oblivion mages. "Hi guys. How do you like THIS!" IceBitch buried Hexfire in the first mage's head. Emilio engaged the second, and as the third tried to cast a protective spell, the sorceress slashed him across the guts. "No bone armor there you moron!" she cried as the last of the pack behind her fell to a chorus of corpse explosions.
The party regrouped and looked around. "Hey. Where's Lars?" asked Emilio.
"Crap." muttered NecroKrem. "I warned him about that iron maiden curse. We even practiced avoiding it earlier." The palid man shrugged. "Let's go back so I can get him ressurected by Tyreal."
The party made a quick trip back to the Pandemonium Fortress to recover Lars, sell some loot, and repair equipment.
"Hey!" shouted IceBitch as she gazed at her stored gear. "I think" she lifted a winged helm from the depths of her stash. "I can wear this now." Almost reverently she slipped Guillaume's Face over her head. At once the energies of the helm flowed down over her, fusing with the energies of the other items she wore. "YES!" she cried as the full powers of Orphan's Call made themselves known to her. "Now I'm ready to kick some demon ass! Let's go guys!"
The others stared at the diminutive sorceress, almost buried in leather and steel. NecroKrem shook his head. Emilio winced slightly.
Lars just grinned.
As the party returned to the depths of the sanctuary, the powers of IceBitch's new garb quickly made themselves known. Abyss knights that used to take two or three swings fell in one blow, and elemental bolts seemed to slide off the sorceress's armor. "This is great!" she cried as another abyss mage fell to Hexfire.
The group circled the sanctuary and opened the seals one by one. Hephisto appeared when the first two seals were broken, but fell quickly to the party's combined might. Next Lord DeSeis and his minions appeared and though they put up a fight, once their leader fell the rest evaporated into nothingness. Finally the last seal was broken. The Grand Vizer appeared in a burst of fire, and quickly disappeared the same way.
The ground shook. Fire sprayed from the ground, and a vast sense of evil spread through the chaos sanctuary.
"Oh shit." said Emilio.
"NOT EVEN DEATH CAN SAVE YOU FROM ME!" intoned a deep, gravelly voice.
"Yeah yeah. I've heard that before." muttered IceBitch. "Are we all ready?" she asked.
"No." said Emilio.
"Just a second," said NecroKrem raising another storm caster from the fallen remains of the Vizer's minions. "OK, now I'm ready."
Lars just grinned.
"Death to Vermin!" cried IceBitch as she led the charge towards the waiting demon. Emilio sighed as he fell in behind his mistress. "This is gonna hurt." he muttered.
The party found the demon near the pentagram at the center of the sanctuary. He was quickly surrounded by IceBitch, Lars, and Emilio. "Damn!" cried NecroKrem "There go the skeletons!" Indeed the entire horde had fallen to a single burst of fire from the big lizard.
"Shut up and curse something already!" shouted IceBitch.
NecroKrem muttered something inaudible and cursed the demon, then started hammering him with spears of bone. The demon tried to fight back. He breathed fire and lightning, he summoned flames. he tried to freeze Emilio, but to no avail. The group whittled away at his life inch by inch.
"Too easy." muttered IceBitch under her breath as she sensed the demon's power waning.
"Ow ow ow ow ow." screamed Emilio as another fire and lightning hose of death hit him. IceBitch dropped him another rejuvination potion "These things don't grow on trees you know," she muttered.
Finally the demon gave a bellowing cry. Emilio cringed, expecting another attack, but IceBitch and Lars just grinned. They knew the sound of a defeated demon.
The lizard staggered once, twice, then fell. flames consumed his bones, leaving a few paltry remains scattered on the floor in the center of the chaos sanctuary.
"That my friends. Is that." said IceBitch as she sheathed Hexfire and moved to gather up the treasure left by the fallen demon. "Of course I'm sure Deckard and Tyreal will have dreamed up some new annoying errand for us by the time we get back."
"But mistress" said Emilio "Think of the experience!"
Lars just grinned.
A slightly fanciful version of this morning's quest. We played for about two hours and finished Act IV Normal using the Ancestral Recall mod. I hope you enjoyed it.