|
|
|
< Tape starts >
Matt: < continuing from a conversation > Well, this is such a surprise! I’m glad you agreed to this, Fel.
Felicia: < giggles, tapping on the table between them > Now don’t get all excited, alright? I can’t be here for long.
Matt: It’s not a problem. State your name for the recording please?
Felicia: < clears her throat; the sound of paper being shuffled is heard > My name is Felicia Alexandria Nightingale.
Matt: A very nice pleasure to meet you Felicia. Shall we begin with, say, your childhood?
Felicia: Alright, but I’m not one to reminisce. < the sound of water being poured is heard > My childhood was like any normal childhood. Full of wonder and amazement, along with horror and heartache.
M: I see… Is there anything specific that you want to discuss about your childhood?
F: Yes, and no… it’s complicated. < Felicia takes a drink of water, letting out a sigh of content > It’s not often that I get to drink such pure water. Now, since I already trust you, I’ll continue.
My childhood was perfectly fine until one particular day. Where I grew up was actually a ranch, so I had plenty of space to explore and have adventures. We had a reasonably large oak in the closest paddock to the house, the oak I would always hang out at. This day I was watching the clouds float by, when a spectacular bird flew down onto the grass.
M: It wasn’t a nightingale, was it? < chuckles a bit at the bad joke >
F: Well, aren’t we funny? < giggles at Matt > No, it was just a lorikeet. I was struck by such awe that it had decided to land near me, and so close too. I held my hand out and it flew over, whistling a sweet tune to me before taking off into the air. It was one of the most wonderful moments ever. Then…
My parents were in an argument. My father worked at the quarry, and he was taking on more hours which meant he wasn’t home much, and when he was he simply treated my mother and I with such distaste. That night was the worst, one of the shafts had closed in and he was getting the blame. My parents argued, my mother telling him she was fed up with excuse after excuse, and then..
M: He struck her, yes? < is heard offering a tissue to Felicia >
F: < takes the tissue; blows into it somewhat > Yes… all the while, I was cowering under the table against the wall. He had struck me earlier for breaking a vase on accident, so I had a bit of discolour in one of my cheeks. All I can remember hearing was the shouting and the crying.
M: I see… we can move on, if you’d rather? Do you want to discuss your teenage years? < shuffles through some papers; gives off a grunt of disapproval > No, we can skip that for now. Seems that was far worse, correct?
F: < takes a drink of water > Mmhm… perhaps the story of my meeting Lyn will suffice?
M: Yes indeed, that is when you were in college, correct?
F: Yes. My foster parents had helped me save the money towards it, and it would have been the first week in when I met her. Well, that’s the wrong way to put it. < giggles > We bumped into each other in a hallway. Books and papers everywhere, and because I needed glasses I couldn’t see very well, but when she placed them on my face…
M: Breath-taking?
F: Like you wouldn’t believe. She was incredibly nervous, as it was her first official day as a professor’s aide. After that, we just spent time together. But it got more serious over the weeks… in fact, there was a frat party we attended where the two of us were involved in a ménage troi.
M: A threesome?!
F: Yes, Mr Prude! < laughs > Although, given the circumstance, it wasn’t the man that took Lyn’s virgin-card… it was me. I had an old toy in my dorm room, and after taking care of our manly ‘guest’, we traversed back there and, well… you should be able to figure it out. < makes a motion with her fingers >
M: < chuckles; shuffles in his seat while pouring water into another cup > Love at first 'cup', correct?
F: Well, we fell in love before that. The situation happened because we were both incredibly drunk. A few months later, she just up and quit from the college. Said she was fed up with the staff, or something… I begged her to stay, but she didn’t want to be stuck there. So we parted, and to be honest I wasn’t sure if we had broken up or not.
M: Ah… so, from there you travelled, correct?
F: Yes, for good and bad reasons. I picked up a naughty habit of stealing, and because of it I had to move around a lot. I think it was about a few years later when I arrived in Durem on a word in the wind.
M: The Heartless attack…
F: Yes, odd little things. There was commotion a city over about strange black creatures attacking. Naturally I left so as not to get involved, and when I arrived in Durem it turns out they were present as well. I tracked a few towards what looked like a massive gathering, and a bunch of people stuck in the middle!
M: Which turned out to be our popular hunting gang, plus an extra?
F: < takes another sip of water > Yes. I rushed in with my work gear on, and created a diversion so the people could escape. But it sort of… backfired. The creatures swarmed me, and it felt like I was being pulled down into the darkness… when, this bright light emerged. The next thing I saw, after so long, was Lyn helping me up.
M: Reunited at last. Did she know it was you at first?
F: Heavens no… since my work gear consisted of a mask to hide my face, she didn’t know it was me. Until I removed it, and the rest of my gear. But even then, her reaction was sort of cold and… bitter.
M: But it worked out, right?
F: Yes, it did indeed. < beeping from pager > Oh shoot, my pager! I’m sorry sweetie, perhaps I can finish this off when I’m back in town?
M: Not to worry, we’ve all the time in the world.
F: Not with how things seem to be ending up, but I promise: perhaps next time you can shout me lunch! < the sound of bags being picked up and Felicia leaving > Taraah!
M: Yeah… wait, what?!
< Tape ends >
Lucian, the infamous and famous Demon Lord that resided under Durem's lands, had finally been called in.
It seemed that his time above his realm, with the 'Nephalems', had made him weak in the eyes of the Prime Evil himself... Diablo. With rule over all of Hell, it was he who decided which demons were allowed ruling of areas in his domain, and Lucian had been neglecting his role as one of his servants. Knowing he needed to be put back in place, given what Diablo had given Lucian at his time of 'rebirth', a small group of his Lesser Evils was sent out to remind Lucian who he was.
It was Belial that had lured him in the first place, and it was such of the Lord of Lies to pull it off elegantly. His brothers, Duriel and Azmodan, along with their sister Andariel, awaited the moment to arrive and give Lucian his choice: to continue his rule under Durem, and cause chaos and havoc under Diablo's orders, or he would be destroyed and his powers returned.
That did not sit with Lucian well. His first instinct was to run, but that proved bad in his case as the 'Lesser Evils' hunted him as if he were in fact, a human. But this did not mean he had been prepared for any kind of attack on him while he was gone. The worry was more to do with the fact these demons could physically hurt him more than any other adversary has tried. This was present when Duriel managed to crush his right arm without a bead of sweat, leading to Lucian's retreat through portal after portal to a safe haven, Azmodan's bolts of Sin having pierced his body with enough power to almost kill him completely.
Had he paid attention at the beginning, he would have known Belial was using his demonic powers to sway Lucian back to his original self, regardless of how he was struggling to stay sane. The Followers of the Angiris had sheltered Lucian's broken body under the radar, so the Lesser Evils could not find him. It was their kind care that brought him back to near full health, though his arm would take longer to heal, only steadied along thanks to a mystic plated mageweave arm casing, enchanted to give him use of his arm while healing the bones and damage slowly. After the months he spent resting and healing, the Followers ensured he would be hidden from Diablo's sight until the time came for him to stand up and fight, meaning he would be safe... for now.
His return to Durem came through another sub-route of portals, the last of which leading him streets away from Dante's shop, his feet heavy and almost burden-bearing as he stepped forward, tucking his overgrown hair over his shoulders, his eyes ached and tired, as he started his walk back.
 GentlemonMatt · Mon Jan 23, 2012 @ 04:38pm · 0 Comments |
|
|
|
|
|
