Civil Defense

This is actually the first part of the next chapter of a short piece I've been working on across the street at ff.net (so Alpha and Viga, this is a sneak peek), which I have sadly neglected lately as I've been putting a spit shine on Destiny. I fail multitasking forever, sadly. Enjoy!

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Gorish the orc had really been having an excellent evening. He’d smashed out the windows of a stuffy looking townhouse, helped himself to some choice looking pieces from a jeweler’s shop, and there were now four full-to-bursting wine skins bouncing against his sides as he jogged down the street back towards the square. Then the spell hit him, and he couldn’t move. His limbs went stiff as a Helmite’s neck, and he landed with a wet squelch, face first in a gutterside mud puddle.

“Better roll him over, Maera,” said the light voice of a human female. “Don’t want him to suffocate.”

A pair of hands grabbed him roughly by the shoulders, turning him over and setting his back against a wall. He could still blink at least, and he did, hard, looking at the three humans in front of him. The taller of the two females (Maera, he supposed) stretched her arms over her head, rolling her neck. “Damn, he’s heavier than he looks,” she said.

“Dead weight,” said the first speaker with a shrug. She was short and thin, even for a human, and her hair was a ridiculous color.

“Hard to avoid when you paralyze them, I suppose,” Maera replied. Gorish shivered, or would have, as her dark eyes focused on him. She wore a dress, like most normal human women, but something about the way she carried herself said she was not normal at all. He knew that posture, though he hardly ever saw it in the circles he moved in. Bandits rarely had time to get to the level marked by that easy, controlled carriage, and the ones who did didn’t stay bandits. Smiling in the overly friendly manner of a shark, she dropped into a crouch in front of him. “Hi there!” she said brightly. “Now, here in a few minutes, the spell my sister cast on you in gonna wear off, and we’ll have some questions for you. And I know what you’re thinking – we don’t look a thing alike. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

Gorish narrowed his eyes in a hopefully contemptuous fashion. Like he cared. One pink-skinned human was about the same as another. Maera’s smile sharpened and formed an edge. Suddenly, a chill of fear ran down his spine. Don’t let the dress fool you, said the smile.

“Don’t worry,” she said softly, almost as if she were soothing a nervous horse. “I’m not going to hurt you. Besides, it’s not me you need to be afraid of.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, back towards the male standing behind her. “It’s him.”

Gorish approached that idea cautiously. His first instinct was a snort of derision, but for one, he wasn’t sure how well he could snort in this condition, and for another, danger lurked in the corners of Maera’s continued smile. The man she’d indicated didn’t look dangerous – thin, redheaded, and not visibly armed. But this trio had just turned his perfectly enjoyable night on its ear, so it was probably a good idea to keep his opinions to himself. He wasn’t a simpleton, after all.

Maera leaned slightly to the left to catch his eye again. “Have you ever met a sorcerer, friend?” she asked. Gorish tried for a shrug. His eyebrows moved a little. “No? Well, let me clear up a few common misconceptions for you. For instance, a lot of people think that the big flashy stuff is what takes a lot of power. But really, any joker with a little talent can blow things up. You judge a sorcerer’s power by how well he handles the little things, the things that take a lot of fine control.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Like what he’s doing right now.”

The man was holding up his right hand, thumb and forefinger about three inches apart. Blue-white electricity arched between them like some alchemist’s apparatus, rhythmically, like a heartbeat. It was rather hypnotic.

“I’ll grant you…I’m biased. But I think it’s pretty impressive, don’t you?” She bobbed her head in time with the lightening’s rhythm. “Back and forth, and back and forth, and all he has to do is stop concentrating and BOOM.” She brought her hands together in a sharp, sudden clap; Gorish flinched violently. “Hey! You moved! Good for you!” she said, giving him a cheerful pat on the shoulder before resting her chin on her hand expectantly. “So when your tongue starts working again, why don’t you tell me what you and your friends are doing trashing my town?”

Gorish could feel sweat trickling down the back of his neck. The lightening seemed to be growing brighter. Was it just his imagination, or was the sorcerer not even paying attention to it? “Ughmph,” he tried.

The small woman Maera had called her sister seemingly materialized beside him. He had almost forgotten about her, but now she was unnervingly close to him, and her smile was every bit as pointed as her sister’s. They had that in common, at least. “No rush, buddy,” she said softly, “but remember: none of us have all night here.”

Gorish the orc had really been having an excellent evening. He’d smashed out the windows of a stuffy looking townhouse, helped himself to some choice looking pieces from a jeweler’s shop, and there were now four full-to-bursting wine skins bouncing against his sides as he jogged down the street back towards the square. Then the spell hit him, and he couldn’t move. His limbs went stiff as a Helmite’s neck, and he landed with a wet squelch, face first in a gutterside mud puddle.

Yeah, that'll put a dent in his evening...

“Hard to avoid when you paralyze them, I suppose,” Maera replied. Gorish shivered, or would have, as her dark eyes focused on him. She wore a dress, like most normal human women, but something about the way she carried herself said she was not normal at all. He knew that posture, though he hardly ever saw it in the circles he moved in. Bandits rarely had time to get to the level marked by the easy, controlled carriage, and the ones who did didn’t stay bandits. Smiling in the overly friendly manner of a shark, she dropped into a crouch in front of him. “Hi there!” she said brightly. “Now, here in a few minutes, the spell my sister cast on you in gonna wear off, and we’ll have some questions for you. And I know what you’re thinking – we don’t look a thing alike. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

Go shark-Maera!

Maera leaned slightly to the left to catch his eye again. “Have you ever met a sorcerer, friend?” she asked. Gorish tried for a shrug. His eyebrows moved a little. “No? Well, let me clear up a few common misconceptions for you. For instance, a lot of people think that the big flashy stuff is what takes a lot of power. But really, any joker with a little talent can blow things up. You judge a sorcerer’s power by how well he handles the little things, the things that take a lot of fine control.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Like what he’s doing right now.”

The man was holding up his right hand, thumb and forefinger about three inches apart. Blue-white electricity arched between them like some alchemist’s apparatus, rhythmically, like a heartbeat. It was rather hypnotic.

Is this a little like casually paring down fingernails with the biggest, baddest, sharpest knife you can get your hands on?

Gorish could feel sweat trickling down the back of his neck. The lightening seemed to be growing brighter. Was it just his imagination, or was the sorcerer not even paying attention to it? “Ughmph,” he tried.

The small woman Maera had called her sister seemingly materialized beside him. He had almost forgotten about her, but now she was unnervingly close to him, and her smile was every bit as pointed as her sister’s. They had that in common, at least. “No rush, buddy,” she said softly, “but remember: none of us have all night here.”

They certainly have their intimidation tactics down pat!

Great story

Gorish the orc had really been having an excellent evening. He’d smashed out the windows of a stuffy looking townhouse, helped himself to some choice looking pieces from a jeweler’s shop, and there were now four full-to-bursting wine skins bouncing against his sides as he jogged down the street back towards the square. Then the spell hit him, and he couldn’t move. His limbs went stiff as a Helmite’s neck, and he landed with a wet squelch, face first in a gutterside mud puddle.

Yeah, that'll put a dent in his evening...

What is one to do when even a night's pillaging can't go uninterrupted?

“Hard to avoid when you paralyze them, I suppose,” Maera replied. Gorish shivered, or would have, as her dark eyes focused on him. She wore a dress, like most normal human women, but something about the way she carried herself said she was not normal at all. He knew that posture, though he hardly ever saw it in the circles he moved in. Bandits rarely had time to get to the level marked by the easy, controlled carriage, and the ones who did didn’t stay bandits. Smiling in the overly friendly manner of a shark, she dropped into a crouch in front of him. “Hi there!” she said brightly. “Now, here in a few minutes, the spell my sister cast on you in gonna wear off, and we’ll have some questions for you. And I know what you’re thinking – we don’t look a thing alike. You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

Go shark-Maera!

Maera: "I'd like to take this opportunity to mention that my teeth are perfectly normal, however."

Imoen: "I dunno about that, Mae..."

Maera: ... "And don't go hiding behind Kelsey - you think he's gonna protect you from me?"

Maera leaned slightly to the left to catch his eye again. “Have you ever met a sorcerer, friend?” she asked. Gorish tried for a shrug. His eyebrows moved a little. “No? Well, let me clear up a few common misconceptions for you. For instance, a lot of people think that the big flashy stuff is what takes a lot of power. But really, any joker with a little talent can blow things up. You judge a sorcerer’s power by how well he handles the little things, the things that take a lot of fine control.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Like what he’s doing right now.”

The man was holding up his right hand, thumb and forefinger about three inches apart. Blue-white electricity arched between them like some alchemist’s apparatus, rhythmically, like a heartbeat. It was rather hypnotic.

Is this a little like casually paring down fingernails with the biggest, baddest, sharpest knife you can get your hands on?

Exactly!

Gorish could feel sweat trickling down the back of his neck. The lightening seemed to be growing brighter. Was it just his imagination, or was the sorcerer not even paying attention to it? “Ughmph,” he tried.

The small woman Maera had called her sister seemingly materialized beside him. He had almost forgotten about her, but now she was unnervingly close to him, and her smile was every bit as pointed as her sister’s. They had that in common, at least. “No rush, buddy,” she said softly, “but remember: none of us have all night here.”

They certainly have their intimidation tactics down pat!

Great story

They've had plenty of practice. Glad you liked it!

This is actually the first part of the next chapter of a short piece I've been working on across the street at ff.net (so Alpha and Viga, this is a sneak peek), which I have sadly neglected lately as I've been putting a spit shine on Destiny. I fail multitasking forever, sadly. Enjoy!

Don't worry, I'm not terrifically good at it either, and you're not so bad that we've had to put a picture of your user name up at FAILBLOG (and if you haven't checked that out?.... FAIL!)

Gorish the orc had really been having an excellent evening. He’d smashed out the windows of a stuffy looking townhouse, helped himself to some choice looking pieces from a jeweler’s shop, and there were now four full-to-bursting wine skins bouncing against his sides as he jogged down the street back towards the square. Then the spell hit him, and he couldn’t move. His limbs went stiff as a Helmite’s neck, and he landed with a wet squelch, face first in a gutterside mud puddle.

And there goes a perfectly good day.

“Better roll him over, Maera,” said the light voice of a human female. “Don’t want him to suffocate.”

And you know, I'm suddenly seeing a new use for hold spells. Catching swimmers.

“Dead weight,” said the first speaker with a shrug. She was short and thin, even for a human, and her hair was a ridiculous color.

Bran: "That's our Immy."

Imoen: "My hair is not ridiculously colored."

Bran: "It's pink."

Imoen: "Perfectly normal color."

Bran: "And that's an orc."

Imoen: "They DEFINITELY shouldn't criticize. Have you seen the way they dress?"

Gorish narrowed his eyes in a hopefully contemptuous fashion. Like he cared. One pink-skinned human was about the same as another. Maera’s smile sharpened and formed an edge. Suddenly, a chill of fear ran down his spine. Don’t let the dress fool you, said the smile.

*snickers* In fact, the smile should be warning 1.

The man was holding up his right hand, thumb and forefinger about three inches apart. Blue-white electricity arched between them like some alchemist’s apparatus, rhythmically, like a heartbeat. It was rather hypnotic.

Okay, that's rather badass.

“I’ll grant you…I’m biased. But I think it’s pretty impressive, don’t you?” She bobbed her head in time with the lightening’s rhythm. “Back and forth, and back and forth, and all he has to do is stop concentrating and BOOM.” She brought her hands together in a sharp, sudden clap; Gorish flinched violently. “Hey! You moved! Good for you!” she said, giving him a cheerful pat on the shoulder before resting her chin on her hand expectantly. “So when your tongue starts working again, why don’t you tell me what you and your friends are doing trashing my town?”

And that's some great acting.

The small woman Maera had called her sister seemingly materialized beside him. He had almost forgotten about her, but now she was unnervingly close to him, and her smile was every bit as pointed as her sister’s. They had that in common, at least. “No rush, buddy,” she said softly, “but remember: none of us have all night here.”

Hehehehehe.

Great piece Nazlan.

VH

Don't worry, I'm not terrifically good at it either, and you're not so bad that we've had to put a picture of your user name up at FAILBLOG (and if you haven't checked that out?.... FAIL!)

My entry would be a screenshot of a taskbar with four open Word documents. FAIL.

And you know, I'm suddenly seeing a new use for hold spells. Catching swimmers.

Practical magic! Gotta love it.

Gorish narrowed his eyes in a hopefully contemptuous fashion. Like he cared. One pink-skinned human was about the same as another. Maera’s smile sharpened and formed an edge. Suddenly, a chill of fear ran down his spine. Don’t let the dress fool you, said the smile.

*snickers* In fact, the smile should be warning 1.

Bwa ha ha ha.

The man was holding up his right hand, thumb and forefinger about three inches apart. Blue-white electricity arched between them like some alchemist’s apparatus, rhythmically, like a heartbeat. It was rather hypnotic.

Okay, that's rather badass.

Imoen: "Yeah, it's pretty nifty when Red pulls stuff like that. Wish I could."

Maera: "It's safer for us all that you can't."

The small woman Maera had called her sister seemingly materialized beside him. He had almost forgotten about her, but now she was unnervingly close to him, and her smile was every bit as pointed as her sister’s. They had that in common, at least. “No rush, buddy,” she said softly, “but remember: none of us have all night here.”

Hehehehehe.

Great piece Nazlan.

VH

*bows* Now I just have to finish it!

This is actually the first part of the next chapter of a short piece I've been working on across the street at ff.net (so Alpha and Viga, this is a sneak peek), which I have sadly neglected lately as I've been putting a spit shine on Destiny. I fail multitasking forever, sadly. Enjoy!

Yeah, I fail worse. I haven't finished a piece in, what, a month and a half? I just can't seem to get anything done. Too much darned Left 4 Dead.

"Let's see, I'm Francis, and there's Grandpa Bill, and THERE'S ZOMBIES OUT HERE, OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!"

...

I love that game.

His limbs went stiff as a Helmite’s neck, and he landed with a wet squelch, face first in a gutterside mud puddle.

That's one hell of a simile. I doubt poor Anomen would appreciate it much, though. Heh.

She was short and thin, even for a human, and her hair was a ridiculous color.

As Guybrush Threepwood would say, "It's... pink."

The man was holding up his right hand, thumb and forefinger about three inches apart. Blue-white electricity arched between them like some alchemist’s apparatus, rhythmically, like a heartbeat. It was rather hypnotic.

(Snicker) Nice touch. Very nice touch. He loses concentration, and someone catches enough electricity to set the entire town on fire.

She brought her hands together in a sharp, sudden clap; Gorish flinched violently. “Hey! You moved! Good for you!”

Yeah, I know you're a Whedon fan, and it shows. There's a lot of this sort of cheerful banter in your writing, but you can also do the gravitas when it's necessary, and from what I've read so far, you also know when you need to switch back and forth between the two. Knowing when to switch modes, knowing -how- to switch modes, being able to -write- both... that takes skill.

Yeah, I fail worse. I haven't finished a piece in, what, a month and a half? I just can't seem to get anything done. Too much darned Left 4 Dead.

"Let's see, I'm Francis, and there's Grandpa Bill, and THERE'S ZOMBIES OUT HERE, OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!"

...

I love that game.

Let's face it. There's never a BAD time to kill zombies.

His limbs went stiff as a Helmite’s neck, and he landed with a wet squelch, face first in a gutterside mud puddle.

That's one hell of a simile. I doubt poor Anomen would appreciate it much, though. Heh.

Even Anomen would probably admit he needs to loosen up some. Just sayin'.

She was short and thin, even for a human, and her hair was a ridiculous color.

As Guybrush Threepwood would say, "It's... pink."

Speaking of which, I *totally* need to pick up the Secret of Monkey Island remake on Steam. When's payday again?

The man was holding up his right hand, thumb and forefinger about three inches apart. Blue-white electricity arched between them like some alchemist’s apparatus, rhythmically, like a heartbeat. It was rather hypnotic.

(Snicker) Nice touch. Very nice touch. He loses concentration, and someone catches enough electricity to set the entire town on fire.

Kelsey: "Only half the town! I think. I hope."

lol: Yeah, I know you're a Whedon fan, and it shows. There's a lot of this sort of cheerful banter in your writing, but you can also do the gravitas when it's necessary, and from what I've read so far, you also know when you need to switch back and forth between the two. Knowing when to switch modes, knowing -how- to switch modes, being able to -write- both... that takes skill.

*blush* Well, shucks.

Speaking of which, I *totally* need to pick up the Secret of Monkey Island remake on Steam. When's payday again?

The remake isn't out yet. Tales from Monkey Island, the "pseudo-Monkey Island 5" -is- out, though. Or, at least the first episode, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, is. If you get the package direct from the Telltale Games store, they'll give you a coupon code for a free episode of one of their other games. That's what I did. So I picked up Tales, and Episode One of Season 2 of Sam & Max for free. Tres bien!

(Edit)

Ok, I just flipped on my Steam, and... I guess the remake -is- out... yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna need this. Now to just convince certain people who've never played an M.I. game before to maybe get this one...

Speaking of which, I *totally* need to pick up the Secret of Monkey Island remake on Steam. When's payday again?

The remake isn't out yet. Tales from Monkey Island, the "pseudo-Monkey Island 5" -is- out, though. Or, at least the first episode, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, is. If you get the package direct from the Telltale Games store, they'll give you a coupon code for a free episode of one of their other games. That's what I did. So I picked up Tales, and Episode One of Season 2 of Sam & Max for free. Tres bien!

(Edit)

Ok, I just flipped on my Steam, and... I guess the remake -is- out... yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna need this. Now to just convince certain people who've never played an M.I. game before to maybe get this one...

People need convincing? To play Monkey Island? What sort of sad, uncultured people have you been keeping company with, Alpha?

(Though I'll out myself as an even bigger nerd by saying that what I'm really excited about is the fact that The Dig is on Steam now. I played the hell out of that game back in the day.)

Speaking of which, I *totally* need to pick up the Secret of Monkey Island remake on Steam. When's payday again?

The remake isn't out yet. Tales from Monkey Island, the "pseudo-Monkey Island 5" -is- out, though. Or, at least the first episode, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, is. If you get the package direct from the Telltale Games store, they'll give you a coupon code for a free episode of one of their other games. That's what I did. So I picked up Tales, and Episode One of Season 2 of Sam & Max for free. Tres bien!

(Edit)

Ok, I just flipped on my Steam, and... I guess the remake -is- out... yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna need this. Now to just convince certain people who've never played an M.I. game before to maybe get this one...

People need convincing? To play Monkey Island? What sort of sad, uncultured people have you been keeping company with, Alpha?

(Though I'll out myself as an even bigger nerd by saying that what I'm really excited about is the fact that The Dig is on Steam now. I played the hell out of that game back in the day.)

Viga has never played any of the Monkey Island games. Can you imagine? He really does need to get smacked.

And you know, I may just have to grab The Dig. I played the demo a long time ago, but I never actually played the full thing. I've played most of LucasArts' collection of adventure games, but that's one I never got into. Mostly because a lot of the reason why I liked the LA adventure games was because of "teh funny" and The Dig wasn't "teh funny."

Viga has never played any of the Monkey Island games. Can you imagine? He really does need to get smacked.

And you know, I may just have to grab The Dig. I played the demo a long time ago, but I never actually played the full thing. I've played most of LucasArts' collection of adventure games, but that's one I never got into. Mostly because a lot of the reason why I liked the LA adventure games was because of "teh funny" and The Dig wasn't "teh funny."

...Viga?... I...I feel like I don't know you anymore!

And yes, you should get The Dig. It is a more serious game, though it does have moments of sly humor. Man, I miss 90's adventure games! I'd love to see The Journeyman Project series rereleased, but that ain't never gonna happen, I'm sure.

...Viga?... I...I feel like I don't know you anymore!

And yes, you should get The Dig. It is a more serious game, though it does have moments of sly humor. Man, I miss 90's adventure games! I'd love to see The Journeyman Project series rereleased, but that ain't never gonna happen, I'm sure.

I tried to get him to play Curse of Monkey Island since it's my favorite, but while I'm pretty sure he even -has- a copy of it, and has seen a good deal of the funny bits on YouTube, he just hasn't actually gone and played through it. He'd much rather go play Civilization IV. Now I can kinda understand, because Civ 4 is the proverbial cat's pajamas, but... the man still needs to be doused with some spooky voodoo root beer and flogged about the face and neck with the flat of a mystical piratey cutlass.

And I'm ok with "serious" adventure games, (Longest Journey, anyone?) it's just, whenever I think LucasArts adventure games, I think Sam & Max, Monkey Island, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, and the rest. Lot of comedy. Still, I'll probably throw it on my list of games that I need to get and then finish. A list that is already pretty lengthy as it is. Yeek.

I tried to get him to play Curse of Monkey Island since it's my favorite, but while I'm pretty sure he even -has- a copy of it, and has seen a good deal of the funny bits on YouTube, he just hasn't actually gone and played through it. He'd much rather go play Civilization IV. Now I can kinda understand, because Civ 4 is the proverbial cat's pajamas, but... the man still needs to be doused with some spooky voodoo root beer and flogged about the face and neck with the flat of a mystical piratey cutlass.

He needs a talking skull. *nods seriously*

And I'm ok with "serious" adventure games, (Longest Journey, anyone?) it's just, whenever I think LucasArts adventure games, I think Sam & Max, Monkey Island, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, and the rest. Lot of comedy. Still, I'll probably throw it on my list of games that I need to get and then finish. A list that is already pretty lengthy as it is. Yeek.

Longest Journey! Oh, how I loved that game! I enjoyed Dreamfall too, except that it ended in THE WORST WAY EVER. Longest Journey at least had a fairly closed ending, but Dreamfall was all "Enjoy your sequel hook, suckers!"

He needs a talking skull. *nods seriously*

"You may call me 'Murray!' I am a powerful demonic force! And the forces of hell will applaud me as I stride through the gates of Hell carrying your head on a pike!"

"Stride?"

"All right, then! Roll! Roll through the gates of Hell! Must you take the fun out of everything?"

Murray is one of the reasons why Curse is my favorite of all the games.

I know he was in Escape, too, but he was... not as much fun in that one.

Longest Journey! Oh, how I loved that game! I enjoyed Dreamfall too, except that it ended in THE WORST WAY EVER. Longest Journey at least had a fairly closed ending, but Dreamfall was all "Enjoy your sequel hook, suckers!"

Yeah, I so hear you on that one. I'm... still "patiently" awaiting said sequel. I just don't really want to believe that Zoe ends up... how we're supposed to believe Zoe ends up. It's hardly fair.

And while April was cool, Zoe just had that really nifty accent. Which made it all the more -not right- what happened at the end of Dreamfall.

Yes, I am an uncultured and uncouth barbarian. Actually quite happy about it. And yes, I understand I need to play the Monkey Island games. I even have one of them on CDs around here somewhere.

But you see, there's Civ4, which eats up my very limited gaming time. Because conquering the world is fun. Even if it does include talking skulls.

That aside, I'll probably give it a spin at some point. It certainly has some rave reviews from you both.

"You may call me 'Murray!' I am a powerful demonic force! And the forces of hell will applaud me as I stride through the gates of Hell carrying your head on a pike!"

"Stride?"

"All right, then! Roll! Roll through the gates of Hell! Must you take the fun out of everything?"

"You know, you'd look great with a candle melting on your forehead."

"I get the feeling you're not taking me very seriously."

The "Can I call you Bob?" joke gets a lot funnier after reading The Dresden Files, too.

Yeah, I so hear you on that one. I'm... still "patiently" awaiting said sequel. I just don't really want to believe that Zoe ends up... how we're supposed to believe Zoe ends up. It's hardly fair.

Sitting around in what is apparently some kind of afterlife in her underwear. Yeah. Thanks, Funcom, that's...that's awesome.

*shakes fist* TORNQUIST!

And while April was cool, Zoe just had that really nifty accent. Which made it all the more -not right- what happened at the end of Dreamfall.

Aw, I love April. Though you can probably guess why. No, I don't have a thing for wise-cracking, genre savvy heroines. Not at all, not at all!

Edit:

Yes, I am an uncultured and uncouth barbarian. Actually quite happy about it.

The first step is admitting you have a problem, Viga.