Warning: PS3 firmware 4.45 crashing consoles
Dragon's Prophet preview: how to catch your dragon
Report: Respawn Entertainment co-founder left due to personal conflict
Oculus Rift secures $16 million in venture capital
Max Payne 3 slowly dives onto Mac this week
Win a copy of Stay Awhile and Listen; Give us your Butcher stories
by John Keefer, Nov 02, 2012 9:00am PDTDiablo's random dungeon generator is a cruel master. On some occasions, players can inch their way through the second dungeon level without incident. But sometimes, a vindictive roll of the dice plants a square stone edifice on the second dungeon floor. Peering inside its transparent top reveals a scene straight out of a slasher movie--floors covered in blood, torn bodies hanging from meat hooks and skewered on spikes.
Wise players ignored the wooden door leading inside and lived to fight another day. The tragically curious peaked in and were immediately assaulted by the Butcher, a gargantuan demon clutching an axe as tall as a man and charging forward while bellowing an infamous battle cry now burned into the brains of millions of gamers: "Ah, fresh meat!"
The Butcher's lairEveryone who played the original Diablo has a Butcher story, and DM Press wants to hear yours. Did you just barely cut him down the first time you went up against him, or did you beg off and return later with bigger, heavier, sharper tools of destruction? Maybe you exploited a glitch or rounded up a Battle.net mob, only for the Butcher to chop your party into bits and serve you to the Lord of Terror as a delicacy.
To enter the Tales of Fresh Meat contest, register a Shacknews.com account and submit a story of up to 300 words describing your most memorable Butcher battle in the comments section below. All entries must be received before November 4th, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, and entry is limited to one story per participant. The winning entry will be included in Stay Awhile and Listen, and the winner will receive a free copy of the eBook on the Kindle, iTunes, or Nook eBook platform. Five runners-up will see their entries commemorated in the DM Press Hall of Heroes, an online gallery dedicated to the most campfire-worthy stories our readers have to offer. Please note that we will only consider Butcher stories from the first Diablo, not Diablo 3.
Check out the official rules on the DM Press site. If you enter, you agree that you have read them. Participants must be at least 18 years of age, and must submit stories in English. Start posting below, and have fun. If you missed any part of this week's Stay Awhile and Listen content, be sure to give it a read.
Comments
Win a copy of David Craddock's book, Stay Awhile and Listen. Just give us your best stories about your encounters with the Butcher in the original Diablo for our Tales of Fresh Meat contest. Check out the rules to participate.
Win a copy of David Craddock's book, Stay Awhile and Listen. Just give us your best stories about your encounters with the Butcher in the original Diablo for our Tales of Fresh Meat contest. Check out the rules to participate. : Shacknews
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 50 replies.
A dozen skeletons lay shattered behind me, this single door in front. I downed a red vial that closed my wounds.
I cracked open the door.
What I remember most was the whisper. Not the overwhelming stench of blood and excrement, not the sounds of chopping meat, not the beast that stood at its work. The whisper: "Please, kill me." Whoever on that hook didn't have long: their limbs were gone, and an oozing pile of flesh lay below.
Then the monster realized I was there, and turned, thrilled to see me. "Ah! Fresh meat!" it yelled through a yellow grin.
It was on me before I could react, swinging a gigantic cleaver. It carved right through my armor and into my shoulder, but I twisted aside in time.
I'm not ashamed to say I ran.
I sprinted across the basement, pulling doors shut behind me and knocking barrels into the beast's path. Finally, my legs limp and my breath raw, I bought a few seconds. I pulled out a scroll and let the words wash over me, invoking a blue portal ahead. I leapt through it and heard the giant cleaver crunch on the floor where I stood a moment before.
Maybe some day I'll vindicate myself and conquer that beast. Once I fix my gear and visit the healer, maybe I'll make another trip back into that basement.
And maybe, just maybe, I'll lay that whisper to rest.
You must be logged in to post.