Octo Rocked
Dr. Octorokapus BLAAAAAH!
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2009
- Location
- The American Midwest
Long time no see! Octo Rocked here!
So, some of you may have read the original "Urban Legacy," which I believe is still linked in my signature. I'll link it here when I have a bit more time. Anyway, fans of it may be wondering where it went and why I stopped working on it. Well, I've...been busy. Really busy. I sort of lost my momentum and couldn't really continue the story where I had left off after a month or two (or three?). But I've been slowly working on rewrites, and I'm proud to announce a completely redone version of Urban Legacy is being written. I'm a few chapters ahead, but there's a chance I may fall behind again, but let's not focus on the bad. Let's focus on the good.
First of all, this version will change things that I really wanted changed. Malon will be much less...forward, things will be more realistic, and the story will probably be quite a bit grittier. This is probably going to be a "watered down" version of the final product, which I expect to have quite a bit more language. Also, I'm still desperately trying to come up with a slightly different title.
Now for what you can anticipate. Since I actually know where I'm going (I've got the 1st part heavily planned, the 2nd part mostly planned, and the 3rd part is...well, it's mostly just concepts right now), it's going to be a lot better. I'm going to be showing, first of all, more character depth. Remember the one or two reference to Marin in the original? Well, you'll learn a LOT more about her now. Aryll and Colin have had their pasts expanded on. Ganondorf has been made a bit more sympathetic. Zant and Midna are playing a larger role. In addition, I have a much better idea what I want to do with the different races/cultures, and have a good idea of the world in general. Finally, there's a lot of background information, and the version I posted ended up being kind of an "abridged" version of what I had planned, so the parts have been expanded from ten chapters to fifteen.
I hope you enjoy the rewrite of Urban Legacy! Now, with no further ado, here's the prologue:
It was a perfect night. The air was cool, the moon was full, and Hyrule was sleeping. The night was disturbed only by the occasional noises from frogs, crickets, and various other small creatures scattered around Kakariko City.
The roar of a motorcycle engine split the silence and calm.
The young man driving it threw a glance over his shoulder. The enemy he was outrunning was falling further behind. With a relieved sigh, he looked forward once more, and promptly swore. More of the creatures had all but materialized ahead of him. He quickly reached to his back and drew his sword, desperately trying to maintain control of his bike. He spun a full 360 degrees, sword extended, managing to clumsily cleave a path through the wall of the approaching hellspawn.
Miraculously, he managed to keep the bike upright. Thankfully, it was the dead of night. No one else traveled these streets. No one else would look out their windows at him. It’s a good thing they didn’t, because it seemed like he was the only one who could see the creatures he was fighting. He didn’t need anyone looking at the reckless psycho of a driver waving a sword around.
Another wave of them emerged from a side alley. He gritted his teeth, exasperated at their tenacity. He quickly steered his bike down a different alley, whacking a garbage can over with his sword as they passed. Anything to slow them down just a little bit.
Dead end, he realized too late. Not good.
He desperately tried to brake, his tires screeching on the pavement until he and the bike were brought to a rough stop by a dumpster.
The man groaned as he pulled himself up. He seemed to be okay, just a bit battered. His bike was in a similar state. He dusted himself off, picking his sword off the ground. The sword, thankfully, was fine.
He gritted his teeth as the creatures approached. It was his first time getting a good look at them. They had been more solid, lately. More tangible. The only way he could describe them, seeing them well for the first time, was “boar men.” They were humanoid, though they had boarlike snouts and jowls, as well as prominent tusks. The hair that coated their bodies was greasy and matted. Their bodies seemed a bit deformed, and they hunched over a bit as they walked. Overall, not exactly pleasant creatures.
The man gripped his sword tightly and lunged at the creatures. They weren’t quite solid yet. Still just wisps of reality. He was able to cut through them easily. However, it was a bit less easy than the last time he had fought them. Eventually, it wouldn’t be so simple to hold them all off. Their sheer numbers would overwhelm him.
He twirled the blade expertly as he slashed through the mob. It took a while, but he held them back long enough that they either gave up or just lost interest and scattered.
Breathing heavily, the man sheathed the sword and checked the motorcycle. It was a bit dented, and would definitely need a tune-up, but it still ran fine. After starting it up, he cranked the throttle, heading back home as quickly as possible.
Nearing an hour later, he pulled into the garage of a small, run-down house. It really wasn’t much, but it was home. “He’s back!” came an enthusiastic voice from inside. There was a scuffling noise, and the door opened. A young boy, only six years old, threw himself at the man’s legs, latching on tightly.
“We were worried,” the boy said, looking up with a pout.
The man reached down and ruffled the boy’s hair with a grin. “That so, Colin? Well, I’m back now. No problem.”
“No problem?”
“Uh-oh,” Colin said quietly as a girl appeared in the door frame.
He grinned sheepishly at the girl. “Hey, Aryll,” he said. “I’m back.”
“Yeah, I noticed. What I’d like to know is where you’ve been.” She was short and young—just over seventeen—in a plain blue dress with her blonde hair pulled back into two braids. Still, despite the fact that he towered over her, she could really put him on edge sometimes. It wasn’t bad when her childlike, tender face was calm, but when she was angry, the normally gentle blue eyes gained a glare that was sharper than any sword. Unfortunately, unlike a sword, there was really no way to block it, much less counter it.
He sighed, looking down at Colin. “You better get to bed, buddy. I’m surprised Aryll let you stay up so late waiting.” Colin nodded and scampered off.
She raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t answered my question.”
He pushed past her, hanging his dark green trenchcoat and sword on the coatrack. “Does it matter where I’ve been?
You’re just going to berate me anyway. Why not just get it over with?”
“Colin and I have both been worried sick. It’s always like this when you go out. You never tell us where you’re going, you always stay out too long, and you always come back hurt.”
He pulled off the long green hat, revealing a head of dark blonde hair. “Look, sis, I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself, okay? Look, I’m fine. No injuries, no incidents—”
“Is that why I could hear you from three miles away?”
“I…was trying to get back as soon as possible. I mean, you’re pissed at me for being this late as it is. Any later, and—”
“Right, and that’s why your motorcycle’s all banged up. And why you’re bleeding.”
He looked down at his leg at the dark wet patch seeping through and swore. “Just a little accident. Look, it’s just skinned a bit. I’ll be fine.”
“And what about all the other times you’re back late or beat up?”
He tried finding words to explain, settling instead on yanking his glove off. “Aryll, do you see this mark?” he asked, holding up the back of his left hand, emblazoned with three triangles. She nodded. “And do you know what it means?”
She folder her arms. “No, I don’t. You refuse to tell me.”
“Exactly. Because you don’t need to know.”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “You don’t know what it means either, do you?”
He sighed. “Well…not exactly. But I know that it’s important. I means…it means that I’ve got a duty of some sort. It’s dangerous, but important. And I don’t want you and Colin getting wrapped up in it.”
She threw up her hands in exasperation. “You are so….”
“I know, I know,” he said. “Now you should probably go make sure that Colin gets tucked in okay. I need a…I need to catch a breath of fresh air.”
“Catch a breath of…what the hell are you talking about? You just got back!”
“Aryll. I need to go out.” He shot her a look.
She put her hand over her eyes. “Oh, no—no, you’re not. You promised me you would quit.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a gradual process,” he said grabbing his coat and hat. “I’ve been a bit stressed recently.”
“So have I, but you don’t see me smoking. Find another way to deal with it. You know how big of a double standard this is, don’t you?” He ignored her. “You know, Marin wouldn’t approve of this.”
He paused, hand on the doorknob. “I thought I told you never to mention that name again,” he growled at her.
“It’s true, you know.”
He stormed out, slamming the door behind him. He grasped for his cigarettes, hands trembling. Why the hell did Aryll have to bring Marin up again? He swore, fumbling as he tried to light up. He started breathing easily again as the nicotine entered his system, calming him.
He wandered around the yard, looking off to the street. His contact would be coming soon.
He glanced across the street. Out of the darkness, a robed figure materialized. Right on time. The figure approached quickly, the black cloak billowing behind. As it came closer, two slender hands reached up and removed the hood, revealing his contact’s face.
The woman’s face was gentle, but her gaze was stern and confident, creating an aura of power and elegance. He almost didn’t recognize her with her hair so unadorned; she usually wore a small, tiara-like headpiece and had two adorned braids draped over her ears. The cloak was different, too. They looked like her senatorial robes, but much simpler, and completely black.
“You’re the man I hired, yes?” she said.
The man nodded. “You’ve come to the right place, senator.”
“Good, good. Could you do me a favor before I present my proposition? Could you tell me your name, just once more?”
The man nodded. “My name,” he said, voice full of authority, “is Link.”
So, some of you may have read the original "Urban Legacy," which I believe is still linked in my signature. I'll link it here when I have a bit more time. Anyway, fans of it may be wondering where it went and why I stopped working on it. Well, I've...been busy. Really busy. I sort of lost my momentum and couldn't really continue the story where I had left off after a month or two (or three?). But I've been slowly working on rewrites, and I'm proud to announce a completely redone version of Urban Legacy is being written. I'm a few chapters ahead, but there's a chance I may fall behind again, but let's not focus on the bad. Let's focus on the good.
First of all, this version will change things that I really wanted changed. Malon will be much less...forward, things will be more realistic, and the story will probably be quite a bit grittier. This is probably going to be a "watered down" version of the final product, which I expect to have quite a bit more language. Also, I'm still desperately trying to come up with a slightly different title.
Now for what you can anticipate. Since I actually know where I'm going (I've got the 1st part heavily planned, the 2nd part mostly planned, and the 3rd part is...well, it's mostly just concepts right now), it's going to be a lot better. I'm going to be showing, first of all, more character depth. Remember the one or two reference to Marin in the original? Well, you'll learn a LOT more about her now. Aryll and Colin have had their pasts expanded on. Ganondorf has been made a bit more sympathetic. Zant and Midna are playing a larger role. In addition, I have a much better idea what I want to do with the different races/cultures, and have a good idea of the world in general. Finally, there's a lot of background information, and the version I posted ended up being kind of an "abridged" version of what I had planned, so the parts have been expanded from ten chapters to fifteen.
I hope you enjoy the rewrite of Urban Legacy! Now, with no further ado, here's the prologue:
It was a perfect night. The air was cool, the moon was full, and Hyrule was sleeping. The night was disturbed only by the occasional noises from frogs, crickets, and various other small creatures scattered around Kakariko City.
The roar of a motorcycle engine split the silence and calm.
The young man driving it threw a glance over his shoulder. The enemy he was outrunning was falling further behind. With a relieved sigh, he looked forward once more, and promptly swore. More of the creatures had all but materialized ahead of him. He quickly reached to his back and drew his sword, desperately trying to maintain control of his bike. He spun a full 360 degrees, sword extended, managing to clumsily cleave a path through the wall of the approaching hellspawn.
Miraculously, he managed to keep the bike upright. Thankfully, it was the dead of night. No one else traveled these streets. No one else would look out their windows at him. It’s a good thing they didn’t, because it seemed like he was the only one who could see the creatures he was fighting. He didn’t need anyone looking at the reckless psycho of a driver waving a sword around.
Another wave of them emerged from a side alley. He gritted his teeth, exasperated at their tenacity. He quickly steered his bike down a different alley, whacking a garbage can over with his sword as they passed. Anything to slow them down just a little bit.
Dead end, he realized too late. Not good.
He desperately tried to brake, his tires screeching on the pavement until he and the bike were brought to a rough stop by a dumpster.
The man groaned as he pulled himself up. He seemed to be okay, just a bit battered. His bike was in a similar state. He dusted himself off, picking his sword off the ground. The sword, thankfully, was fine.
He gritted his teeth as the creatures approached. It was his first time getting a good look at them. They had been more solid, lately. More tangible. The only way he could describe them, seeing them well for the first time, was “boar men.” They were humanoid, though they had boarlike snouts and jowls, as well as prominent tusks. The hair that coated their bodies was greasy and matted. Their bodies seemed a bit deformed, and they hunched over a bit as they walked. Overall, not exactly pleasant creatures.
The man gripped his sword tightly and lunged at the creatures. They weren’t quite solid yet. Still just wisps of reality. He was able to cut through them easily. However, it was a bit less easy than the last time he had fought them. Eventually, it wouldn’t be so simple to hold them all off. Their sheer numbers would overwhelm him.
He twirled the blade expertly as he slashed through the mob. It took a while, but he held them back long enough that they either gave up or just lost interest and scattered.
Breathing heavily, the man sheathed the sword and checked the motorcycle. It was a bit dented, and would definitely need a tune-up, but it still ran fine. After starting it up, he cranked the throttle, heading back home as quickly as possible.
Nearing an hour later, he pulled into the garage of a small, run-down house. It really wasn’t much, but it was home. “He’s back!” came an enthusiastic voice from inside. There was a scuffling noise, and the door opened. A young boy, only six years old, threw himself at the man’s legs, latching on tightly.
“We were worried,” the boy said, looking up with a pout.
The man reached down and ruffled the boy’s hair with a grin. “That so, Colin? Well, I’m back now. No problem.”
“No problem?”
“Uh-oh,” Colin said quietly as a girl appeared in the door frame.
He grinned sheepishly at the girl. “Hey, Aryll,” he said. “I’m back.”
“Yeah, I noticed. What I’d like to know is where you’ve been.” She was short and young—just over seventeen—in a plain blue dress with her blonde hair pulled back into two braids. Still, despite the fact that he towered over her, she could really put him on edge sometimes. It wasn’t bad when her childlike, tender face was calm, but when she was angry, the normally gentle blue eyes gained a glare that was sharper than any sword. Unfortunately, unlike a sword, there was really no way to block it, much less counter it.
He sighed, looking down at Colin. “You better get to bed, buddy. I’m surprised Aryll let you stay up so late waiting.” Colin nodded and scampered off.
She raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t answered my question.”
He pushed past her, hanging his dark green trenchcoat and sword on the coatrack. “Does it matter where I’ve been?
You’re just going to berate me anyway. Why not just get it over with?”
“Colin and I have both been worried sick. It’s always like this when you go out. You never tell us where you’re going, you always stay out too long, and you always come back hurt.”
He pulled off the long green hat, revealing a head of dark blonde hair. “Look, sis, I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself, okay? Look, I’m fine. No injuries, no incidents—”
“Is that why I could hear you from three miles away?”
“I…was trying to get back as soon as possible. I mean, you’re pissed at me for being this late as it is. Any later, and—”
“Right, and that’s why your motorcycle’s all banged up. And why you’re bleeding.”
He looked down at his leg at the dark wet patch seeping through and swore. “Just a little accident. Look, it’s just skinned a bit. I’ll be fine.”
“And what about all the other times you’re back late or beat up?”
He tried finding words to explain, settling instead on yanking his glove off. “Aryll, do you see this mark?” he asked, holding up the back of his left hand, emblazoned with three triangles. She nodded. “And do you know what it means?”
She folder her arms. “No, I don’t. You refuse to tell me.”
“Exactly. Because you don’t need to know.”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “You don’t know what it means either, do you?”
He sighed. “Well…not exactly. But I know that it’s important. I means…it means that I’ve got a duty of some sort. It’s dangerous, but important. And I don’t want you and Colin getting wrapped up in it.”
She threw up her hands in exasperation. “You are so….”
“I know, I know,” he said. “Now you should probably go make sure that Colin gets tucked in okay. I need a…I need to catch a breath of fresh air.”
“Catch a breath of…what the hell are you talking about? You just got back!”
“Aryll. I need to go out.” He shot her a look.
She put her hand over her eyes. “Oh, no—no, you’re not. You promised me you would quit.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a gradual process,” he said grabbing his coat and hat. “I’ve been a bit stressed recently.”
“So have I, but you don’t see me smoking. Find another way to deal with it. You know how big of a double standard this is, don’t you?” He ignored her. “You know, Marin wouldn’t approve of this.”
He paused, hand on the doorknob. “I thought I told you never to mention that name again,” he growled at her.
“It’s true, you know.”
He stormed out, slamming the door behind him. He grasped for his cigarettes, hands trembling. Why the hell did Aryll have to bring Marin up again? He swore, fumbling as he tried to light up. He started breathing easily again as the nicotine entered his system, calming him.
He wandered around the yard, looking off to the street. His contact would be coming soon.
He glanced across the street. Out of the darkness, a robed figure materialized. Right on time. The figure approached quickly, the black cloak billowing behind. As it came closer, two slender hands reached up and removed the hood, revealing his contact’s face.
The woman’s face was gentle, but her gaze was stern and confident, creating an aura of power and elegance. He almost didn’t recognize her with her hair so unadorned; she usually wore a small, tiara-like headpiece and had two adorned braids draped over her ears. The cloak was different, too. They looked like her senatorial robes, but much simpler, and completely black.
“You’re the man I hired, yes?” she said.
The man nodded. “You’ve come to the right place, senator.”
“Good, good. Could you do me a favor before I present my proposition? Could you tell me your name, just once more?”
The man nodded. “My name,” he said, voice full of authority, “is Link.”