It is a man, old and scraggy. He wears a jacket that lays over the red plaid button shirt and blue jeans. He wears an old baseball cap and a pair of glasses. He yelled something to Dad, holding his hands up like he was pleading, although we couldn’t hear it over the truck engine. They talked, but we couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“Hey, what are they saying”, I asked, while petting Matt’s hair, calming him. The old man then put his hands down and came close to Dad in a cautious way. They seem to start having some kind of conversation.
“I don’t really know, hopefully, something good”, Mom answered. They talked for a little while, with daylight beginning to disappear, giving us a sense of dread, and making me more worried about what weird creature was going to show up. Eventually, the old man turned and pointed toward what I think is the northeast. They then shook hands and walked back to their respective vehicles. “What’s going on”, Mom asked as Dad got into the truck.
“Well, our new friend here invited us to dinner at his farm”, Dad replied.
“Does he have supplies?”
“Well, he says has supplies for us to make the journey.”
“Should we even trust him? We just met h-”
“Relax, he’s just an old man, living alone at his farm, feeding his cows. What could go wrong”, Dad countered. The old man then entered the truck that was running and drove slowly, expecting us to follow him.
“Alrighty then, but we have to be cautious”, Mom said, with her suspicions of the old man. We then followed the old truck along the dark, frozen road. It just feels like something is going to show up along the road, but nothing happened. Matt did eventually stop crying, but he is still upset about the Joe escape thing.
“Where are we going”, Matt lamented, with the prior series of events in mind.
“I guess somebody is offering us dinner”, I answered.
“Why can’t we just go home?”
“It’s only going to be a stop, like a hotel. After that, we go to our new home, I guess”, I said, taking another look at Matt and cradling to comfort him. “It’s going to be okay.” I stared out into the darkness. I looked to the sky from the window and I faintly saw something in the clear, dark sky, lit up by the waning moon. They were brilliant, green auroras that defy the bright moon, dancing across the sky like ribbons in the wind. The truck eventually took a right-hand turn into another road, with us following suit. I can see a bright, orange light emerging from a patch of tree. When we passed by, it seemed it was a house, at a farm, burning in a massive flame.
“I guess those people aren’t so, uh, lucky”, Dad said, taking a quick look at it before looking at the road. Passing by, we went on and continued to follow the old man’s truck. We passed onto another intersection until he turned into a driveway to what I believe to be his farm. Going into the driveway, I can see an old house, along with a dilapidated farm further away, barely visible by the headlights. The old man parked by the house, where there were a few other trucks there. We parked alongside the truck and we got out into the cold, near-silent night.
“Welcome to sanctuary, where all are welcome”, the old man bellowed. This is the first time I’ve heard his voice. Matt was the last to get out of the truck, slowly and clumsily climbing out of the truck.
“What’s your name”, my Mom politely asked the old man.
“Oh, I guess your husband didn’t tell ya. My name is Steven, but you can call me Steve”, the old man said, with some crackling in his voice. “I am very proud to host a dinner for you and your family”, he continued. “What’s your name, ma’am?”
“Oh, my name is Janice”, Mom replied, quite pleased at his politeness.
“Hello, Janice, and what are their names”, Steven asked, pointing to me and Matt.
“That’s my daughter Kate and my son Matt”, Dad said to Mom.
“Oh, what wonderful names for a couple of beautiful children you have”, Steve grinned. “Come, it is dangerous out here.” We followed him to the house, which looked like it had seen better days. He entered through the double-set door, the first a solid door and a screen door behind. Entering the house, it smelled like what you’d expect, old man. Looking onto the floor is made of glossy wood and walls with cracks, likely caused by the earthquake. It is dark in there, lit by candlelight from many candles, yet it’s fairly warm here. I don’t know why we went into the house, but Dad was right, Steve is just a lonely, old man. Matter of fact, there seems to be nothing wrong here, other than the cracks in the walls. “Sorry, the power went out. Had to resort to the candles. I knew my wife would come in handy”, Steve explained as he took his coat off. “Oh, supper will be ready right away. Had to use the fireplace to cook. Also, can you take your boots off?” We took our boots and set them aside. We went into what seemed to be a living room, with dusty old-style furniture.
“So, where do we sit”, Mom asked.
“Oh, well, follow me”, Steve commanded, leading us to the dining room, with a long, wooden table and six wooden chairs, along with their corresponding old-fashioned plates, glasses and cutlery, lit up in the candlelight. We noticed that everything on the table was covered in a thin veil of dust. “My apologies, the recent shocks dropped a bit of dust on the table”, he explained as he noticed us looking at the plates and moved into another room nearby. “Take your seats if you like.” We all settled onto the chairs, and blew off our plates of the dust settled there.
“When will we eat”, Matt impatiently said.
“Once Steve comes out with the food”, Mom answered. Matt sat there with a tired look on his face. Dad seemed to be in a better mood than before and it looked like he wanted to start a conversation.
“Hey, should we talk about something”, Dad asked. I then see Steve with a bowl and a silver plate.
“Here we go, may not be much, but at least it’ll fulfil the soul”, Steve said, smiling when he served us mashed potatoes and meatloaf. “So, shall we pray?” That came unexpectedly, as we are not too religious, but we were in his house and gave us shelter and food.
“Sure, we can do that”, Mom said and we all bowed our heads and put our hands together. Steve cleared his throat
“Thank you, Lord, for this good food to feed the soul in these hard times. I shall pray, in the name of the Lord and Jesus Christ, that these hard times shall be over, so we can get on with our lives. Amen.” We raised our heads and grabbed whatever food there was onto our plates. “Oh, there’s no gravy, so we have to deal with bare potaters and meatloaf.”
“Oh, not to worry. Thank you for the food”, Dad thanked Steve. We began to eat the food once we got it sorted.
“So, what brings you here”, Steve asked.
“Well, there is an evacuation order in effect for this area, so we had to go to Regina”, Dad explained, with Steve taking in every word. “So, we came from Strasbourg, we tried going south towards Regina, but we hit an obstacle in the way and we had to take another route, leading us here.”
“And we encountered a few odd things along the way”, Mom added.
“Huh, interesting. What do you guys think is going on”, Steve inquired.
“By the things we saw, we have no idea. Dinosaurs, devil dogs, hell pigs, the whole deal. I shouldn’t forget the earthquake. They told us a pipeline leak caused by the earthquake”, Dad clarified to Steve.
“Hmm… is that so”, Steve wondered. “Wonder what I think is happening? The Rapture is happening. Do you know how the Bible tells us of the end times? Good people sent to be with God and his kingdom, the rest here to suffer the Hell unleashed by Satan.” By this point, he was beginning to rant, but we couldn't stop it as we all began to feel tired and powerless. “So, the Devil will send his demons in the form of these illusions so that they can torment the sinners. It is happening, it is-” Steve manically continued as I drew towards blackness and his voice becoming less coherent. My vision is now all black.
I saw those same lights, but more rapidly than before. I then emerged onto the same clear sky, but something felt different. I can smell something in the air. I can smell what seems to be chemicals in the air. Looking down, I was terrified. Dark, grey rock in the shape of ropes and folds, similar to those I saw of lava flows on a volcano in pictures. This went on as far as the eye could see. I can see no tree this time, just the cooled lava everywhere. I then walked, feeling every bump and crag. I thought I walked forever until I heard a rumbling sound and woke up.
I am in total darkness. It is cold and it smells like cow manure. I tried to move my hand, but it seemed to be bonded behind my back by a rope. I tried to move my feet, but they were also bound by rope to the legs I tried to speak, only to realise my mouth was agape by a cloth in my mouth. I heard shuffling nearby but I could not see. It was then shone in light when Steve entered the door, holding a candle, revealing all of us in the same situation. I then can see what we are in. We are in that same wooden dilapidated barn we saw earlier and seems to be more damaged than the house, wood creaking can be heard.
“These sedatives are more effective than I thought. Maybe I should use them more often”, Steve smoothly explained, like he’s some kind of agent and began pacing. “Wonder why you are here? Well, I wondered the same thing to myself, why didn’t God take me to his heaven? When I first heard of the government telling us of those evacuation plans, I thought it was that, a leaking pipe. I began to notice things I couldn’t believe myself, at least at first. Earthquakes, weird creatures showing up, people disappearing, the whole spiel. I connected the dots. The Rapture is happening, for sure, but why me? Why was I the one left here on this Earth”, Steve calmly ranted, pacing around the barn, but it seemed to sound crazier and angrier the more he paced. “I thought I had lost my way. I’ve been unfaithful to God and his son. But, I realised that God always has a plan and he left me on this Earth to serve a purpose. I wondered what my purpose was until I had a moment.” He then stopped in place and calmed down. He turned to look at Mom with accusing yet crazed eyes.
“I’m supposed to keep the sinners here in line, to earn a place in God’s kingdom, or suffer in Hell. I know you are a sweet woman, Janice, but your treachery with Satan is over and I am going to do what’s right.” Mom then looked at all of us, with assuring eyes like that of an innocent yet caring mother we all know knew. I began crying and trying to speak through the cloth, but I was helpless to watch by. “Forgive me, Father, for what I am going to do.” He then pulled a knife from his pocket and plunged it into Mom’s neck with no mercy. I looked away once he did that, trembling, with tears pouring out and my vision glazed and I fell limp. I could see my brother tearing up, but he did not look away. I can hear Dad behind me, with his screams of agony and anger covered by the cloth. It felt like I was in slow motion, taking in every moment.
I then heard the chair, screeching as Steve dragged the chair containing Mom’s lifeless body towards the door, leaving behind a trail of blood. I couldn’t bear to see my mother like this. I shut my eyes very hard and hoped it would go away. The door then shut, leaving us alone with a candle, fearing what would come next. I stared at the candle, seeing it dance in the flames like a woman dancing in the darkness. Is this how it’ll end, I thought. End up dying to this sick man? My Mom was killed in front of me. I sobbed with that thought, then I began to think about the inevitable death of me. I hope there’s something after I die. Maybe I’ll see Mom again.
It was silent for a while, nearly no sound other than our moans. Dad seems to be fidgeting at the back of his chair, rocking it slowly. Looking past him, I shuddered at the glistening pool of blood, where Mom was last alive, could be my fate. I then see Dad release his arms from the back of the chair and remove the cloth from his mouth. He silently stood up and bent down to untie his legs from the chair legs. He then went to me and removed my cloth.
“H-h-how did you do that”, I silently wept, fearing that Steve would show up at the door and kill us all.
“My binding is loose. The old man probably took a liking to me”, Dad whispered. “I should remove your binds.” He untied them, releasing me, doing the same for Matt. “Now, we need to be quiet.” We then walked, quietly, along the painfully creaking wood in the near dark, following the blood trail, glistening in the candlelight. We cringed and dreaded each sound we made and watched the door in case it began to creak open. A few silent steps later, we made it to the door and we slowly opened it so as not to make any noise. What was revealed to us is nothing new, other than the blood trail continuing in the snow directing towards the back of the barn. “Okay, Kate, Matt, you guys run to the truck.”
“What about you”, I sobbed.
“Don’t worry about me”, Dad responded, giving me his keys and forcing them into my hand. “If I’m not back in a few minutes, leave. Don’t look back, take care of your brother, okay? I love you, no matter what happens.” He then kissed me on the head and ran to follow the blood trail. We quickly walked towards the black truck, stranded there for maybe hours. Getting closer, freedom is getting closer. When we got to a fair distance to the truck, I heard footsteps behind me and, the next thing I knew, I was knocked over to the ground into the hard snow on my face. A hand turned me over to give me a glimpse of a crazed Steve, his eyes wilder than before.
“Oh, yes, trying to escape”, he bragged. I looked at him, frozen in fear, like a deer in headlights and he caressed my face with his bloodied blade. “You do have a pretty face, but I’m afraid you are just one of Satan's creations, made to pull me to lust.” He then raised his knife in the air when a familiar side emerged, out of the blue.
Joe came and bit him in the arm that was holding the knife. Steve screamed in agony the moment he realised what happened. He shook Joe off and stood up to stand his ground. I stood up as Joe hissed and walked around the crazed being he wounded, not in fear but in aggressiveness. “Is this one of your pets, demon”, Steve screamed as Joe came in for another attack, but Steve countered that with a slash to the snout. Joe then ran away, whining, into the darkness. This sequence of events gave me the chance to enter the truck on the driver’s side. I had some trouble starting it, besides this is my first time driving a truck.
Steve menacelily walked towards the when Dad came barreling and tackled him to the ground. Dad was on top when he went limp. I finally put the keys in the engine turned it on and backed out, with memory serving me the instructions on such a vehicle. Steve pushed Dad’s body and stood up, but by that time, we left the farm.
“Turn back, we have to get Dad”, Matt cried, but I was very emotional, accepting what happened. I felt that, without my parents, I feel… useless.
“Dad’s dead”, I screamed at Matt and he began gagging uncontrollably in tears. I began to feel sorry for him. “Sorry, I, I don’t know.”
“It’s okay”, Matt sniffled. “I guess Mom and Dad are dead anyways.” It was silence for a few more minutes, tears welling in our eyes.
“Hey, our parents are in a better place”, I said, trying to make the situation positive.
“But we are stuck here, without them? Don’t we deserve to go to a better place?”
“Don’t say that”, I huffed and I paused for a bit. “I know we are in the, uh, right place now. Let me tell you something, once we get to Regina, I will take care of you, no matter what life throws at us.”
“What about Joe”, Matt asked.
“He’ll be fine. He probably found his girlfriend already.”
“Hey, don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“I, uh, I don’t have one. That I know of”, I spoke, bringing me back to Sam, remembering that she’s the only friend that I ever knew, and I left her. Without her, I felt alone, no one would ever relate. I began to tear up. “I don’t have any friends. I am alone,” I sobbed.
“What do you mean? I’m your brother!” I looked at Matt, and smiled, happy that he acknowledged that we were in this together.
“Thank you”, I thanked him. I slowly stopped on the road, just to hug Matt hard, crying my eyes out. We then heard what sounded like an elephant in front of us. We looked up to see a walking snow-covered brown fur wall with four pillar-like legs in front of us. Its curved tusks gleaned in the light and the eyes reflected in the light. The furry trunk waved around like a searching snake from a tree. We both knew what it was.
“Hey, look at that, a woolly mammoth”, Matt said, excitement running through him. At this point, we weren’t surprised.
“Yep, that is a woolly mammoth”, I added. The mammoth turned to us on the road, seemingly confused about where it was. It looked at our truck and seemed to growl, like an elephant. We are starting to realise this thing is becoming aggressive.
“Uh, should we move”, Matt asked. I remembered hearing something about standing your ground in case of an encounter with an elephant. I hoped it would work for a bigger, furrier version of one.
“No, we have to stand our ground.”
“But, it’ll attack u-”
“Trust me!” I then honked my horn and it backed up. It then rushed, then stopped, a mock charge. Eventually, it moved out of the road, disappearing into the darkness. We sighed in relief.
“That was close”, Matt sighed. I then continued to drive in the night, headlights leading the way. The road is bumpy, as noticed by every ditch and peak we hit, but surprisingly, Matt was fast asleep. I began to get comfortable driving and used to the road by that point. It was silent for a while until we hit a smaller intersection. That is when the truck shut down, completely and stopped. I tried the gas many times but with no effect. There is no light, nothing. It is near-darkness here, shone only by the moonlight.
“Shit”, I yelled, desperate to turn the truck on without much success. Matt woke up, confused.
“What happened”, he yawned.
“The truck turned itself off. I can’t get it back on”, I fretted and at that moment, Matt was just as panicked as I am.
“Why?”
“I-I don’t know. One moment, we were driving, another it just-”, I quavered, when I heard something rustle in the distance. We stood still, hoping whatever it was didn’t find us. I looked around, hoping to see something in the moonlight. I then see a long, walking animal. It looked like some sort of alligator at first, except for a dinosaur-like head. Once I strained my eyes to the darkness, my fear levels rose as I could see it walk on its hind limbs, with its forelimbs dangling nearly touching the ground.
It was wandering around on the road when I heard a near-crocodilian growl at Matt’s side of the truck. Another of those creatures appeared, seemingly looking into the window like a hungry bear, giving us a chance to see its scaly head. Its exposed alligator teeth gleaned in the light like knives, but more terrifying was the eye. Its serpentine pupil shone brilliantly in the light like eyes in the dark. It then ducked down, gave a hiss, and moved towards the other one. A few more showed up and formed a group.
“What should we do”, Matt asked. “Should we stay?” I looked around, hoping for another way to escape them without them noticing. I further strained my eyes and mentally mapped out the area. There is a cemetery on my right-hand side, a grain bin storage yard on my left and a series of trailers on the other side of the highway, which is ahead of us, from the storage area. There, I see a series of white, storage buildings, something we can go to and wait it out inside.
“Okay, so slowly open the door”, I instructed Matt. The click of the doors opening cringed us. We looked at the group, but there was no response from them. We then, as slowly as we could, opened the door and stepped out. Still no response. Matt then quietly ran to the other side, towards me. “Okay, we are going into the storage yard and go to the other entrance”, I said, pointing to the other right-hand corner. I wanted to get as far away from these things as possible before making a safe crossing. “Then, we cross the highway on the other side, run into the buildings and stay there for the night. Are you ready?”
“I guess”, he whispered, looking at me in fearful doubt.
“We are going to do this”, I whispered back. We then silently ran over, having to rely on our night-adapted eyes, to the corner, walking past the bins. We made it and nothing behind us so far. “We’re good so far.” We then crossed the road and noticed nothing. We noticed a tanker truck, leaking some sort of fluid across the road. I easily recognized it as fuel, based on its distinctive, sickly smell. I wouldn’t be worried about it if it weren’t for a collapsed light pole that is somehow still flickering with electricity near the area where the fuel would be flowing. We quickly avoided the fluid when I froze to see the group of the walking alligators, running towards us. “Run!” Matt tried to run, but one of those things appeared and clamped its jaws at the back of his neck. He yelped in pain and it took him down to the ground. “Matt”, I yelled, helplessly watching as the creature tore into him.
Matt reached out his arm before the others came to him, then a flash of fire came. At this point, I knew what happened, but I couldn’t even think before it exploded. It blew me towards the building, far away. I was knocked out for a few seconds before I regained consciousness, groaning in pain on the ice. I noticed something especially painful just below my chest. I reached towards the area with my hand. I pressed on it, more painful than ever and raised my hand, only to see blood, brightened by the fire. I realised I was wounded, maybe by shrapnel made by the explosion.
I looked toward where the truck was and all I saw was a blaze. Those things weren’t there, at least. I also noticed something else, too, there’s no Matt. I tried to look around for something, some sort of sign of my brother within the fire, but I saw none. I then wept, realising I had failed. I have failed to keep him safe. I have failed to give him a better life. I failed him as a sister. I could’ve done better. The thoughts poured in as tears glazed my eyes. At that moment, I failed to look around me.
I noticed a dark thing beside the blaze. I thought it was Matt, preparing to greet him back, even though I knew he couldn’t survive the explosion. The image became clearer and clearer as I noticed it was one of the walking crocs that, glazed by the fire, was coming towards me.
“Just kill me”, I screamed, preparing to painfully die to meet my maker. The creature was about to attack me when something large, silent as the wind, came charging and clamped down its massive jaws, filled with conical teeth on the hapless creature and raised it. The crocodile struggled before going limp with a crunch within its strong jaws. The big, dark and scaly monster that it is towered over me and is as long as a bus, possibly longer. Its large legs are a contradiction to its small arms that hide beneath its scarred, bulky body.
It turned to look at me with an oddly bird-like expression, revealing in the firelight numerous scars from battles I could never know and looked at me with its beady bird-like eyes, breathing out wisps from its nostrils like a dragon in the cool air. I recognized it as a creature I know too well, a T. Rex. I breathed heavily and sickly, looking at the thing, nearly expecting me to drop the body and go after me. Instead, it simply walked away, carrying its bloody prize with it, and steadily retreated into the darkness.
I then lay down in agonizing exhaustion on my back, thinking of the next step of action like I'm on a suicide mission I would never come back from. I looked in the direction of the graveyard and had one thought. I guess I am dying. a graveyard will do. I struggled to stand up, noticing my blood-soaked clothes and felt a broken left leg. I grasped my wound, limping step by step and enduring the sharp pain while shaking in the cold. Every step I took, I remembered all the memories, good or bad, that I had with my parents. My brother. My friends. My family. I eventually reached the cemetery and slouched at a tree.
“Guess I’m joining you, guys”, I said, speaking to the snow-covered gravestones, only to hear something. A familiar sound of chirping emerged and, lit by the blaze, it was a sight I can hope for. “Joe, what are you doing here”, I depressingly cheered as Joe went to me and curled up in my lap as if he were a cat. I noticed the new-found scar he had on his little snout, but I paid no mind as I petted him. “I guess you came back. Thank you so much for what you did”, I thanked him, not expecting such a loyal creature would be with me, comforting me, to the end, like what my mother used to do when I was a newborn. I heard another noise, this time a deep rumble.
I thought it was another earthquake coming, but it got louder the closer it got to me, becoming more animalistic only felt small vibrations I barely felt. Joe stayed put, oddly enough, as T. Rex, different from the first one, came. It walked towards us until it stopped short of us. It began to produce a low-pitched, bird-like purring, attracting Joe. I realised something, that this T. Rex is Joe’s parent. He joined the rest like him, whom they showed up and all chirped around.
The grown Rex then brought its snout closer to me, not to kill me, but to look at me. It did not reveal its teeth and was still purring. I put my hand out and its nose came close to it. It rubbed it against my hand and started to pet its cold, scaly skin as it breathed through its nose and put it on my chest. I rested my head on it before it pulled away. It gave out a hiss, but I knew it wasn’t that of a threat, but more of a thank you for bringing its small, sometimes immature, child home.
That gave me relief, as it felt like I at least did something for once. They walked away, along with Joe, towards the darkness amongst the gravestones in the cemetery. I glimpsed one last desperate look at Joe before walking beside his parent. I looked up at the sky and I could see all the stars, twinkling, and the dancing green auroras. I began to feel limp and felt the cold embrace of death coming over me, tears pouring out of my eyes. The sky then grew brighter and brighter, the stars faded into the light and I could see my family welcoming me to a new home. It then slowly went black, darker than a cave.
You would think this is the end of me. It wasn’t, or else I wouldn’t be writing this right now. I eventually woke up in a hospital in Regina. I was told I was rescued by a team that transported me while I was in a coma. The doctors said I was very lucky to be alive, as the shrapnel narrowly avoided my vital organs. After that, I was adopted into a new family, but I was only with them for a couple of years before finding a new job and moving out.
As for Sam, I don’t know what happened to her. I would like to think she is safe, somewhere else. As for my family, I think of them all the time. I was in a depressive period right after that. Eventually, over the years, I accepted that they were gone and went to a better place. For Joe, I would like to think he is all grown up, like his parents, and becoming the king of the jungle. I hope we meet again.
As for the evacuated area, it wasn’t some pipeline rupture that caused an evaluation, but an anomaly, with the exact reason not known. There are excuses for the claims of weird stuff going on in there, from disease to chemicals, to eventually a previously unknown geological event, but I saw through it all.
You may ask how, it's because I've been there. Take it or leave it, this is the story I have. As the decade came by, cover-ups were made to hide it, even walls were put around it. Since the incident, the exclusion zone grew from a mere 80 kilometers in diameter to 460 kilometers in diameter, emptying entire cities of the likes of Regina and Saskatoon. I had to move to North Battleford, by the recommendation from the same government covering it up, making me think that time will tell before the floodgates of truth open.
The anomaly didn’t have a name initially, however, over the years, everyone agreed on one name in particular: The Saskatchewan Anomaly.

Kingmaker: A Game of Thrones in Brevoy
System: Dungeons & Dragons 5e
Format: Discord Text pbp
No. of Players: 5
[Notice: This is a 18+ campaign. It contains NSFW and adult elements.]

The same message has appeared on bounty boards and in taverns across Brevoy.
HEROES WANTED!
Those able of body and brave of heart are invited to the mansion of Lady Jamandi Aldori, Swordlord & Chief Defender of Restov, to embark on an expedition into the Stolen Lands.
Bandits and monsters have been allowed to infest our southern borders for far too long. Those selected will be divided into groups and given a charter to reopen old trade routes and secure the surrounding territory. The brave-hearted mercenaries and adventurers who choose to take on this quest will face unimaginable danger, but whomever succeeds shall receive honor, glory, and a noble title granting dominion over the lands they've claimed to pass on their children.

For generations, the Stolen Lands have spanned the southern border of Brevoy. Many attempts have been made to settle them, but to date, none have succeeded, making these 35,000 square miles of wilderness the largest swath of unclaimed land in the entire region. As tensions mount in Brevoy, one ambitious swordlord hopes to change that fact.
Lady Jamandi Aldori is issuing charters to several groups of adventurers, sending them south into the Stolen Lands to reopen old trade routes and defeat the bandits and monsters who have made them too dangerous to use. By sending free agents south, this swordlord of Rostland hopes to alter the political balance of power in Brevoy without sacrificing her own position or forces. Yet, as with most complex and brilliant plans, the future holds plenty of opportunities for disaster.

"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground."

Hello! I'm a longtime DM and a huge fan of A Song of Ice & Fire. I'm looking to run a campaign that's heavily influenced by the series I hold so dear. If you're a casual fan who's only seen Game of Thrones or House or the Dragon, you're more than welcome! The main things I'm looking for here are quality roleplay and enthusiasm. If you've got that, I promise we can have a good game together.

"Winter is coming."

Kingmaker is an Adventure Path originally designed by Paizo for the Pathfinder RPG but has been converted to be compatible with the 5th edition D&D ruleset. I'm taking so serious liberties with it but the bones of the adventure remain the same. Kingmaker is a high fantasy campaign that thrusts the player characters into a unique situation of building their own kingdom and carving out their own niche upon the world. You may be a scion of a lesser branch of the great families with ambitions that can't be hindered by your place in the succession. You could be a commoner whose witnessed your humble community suffer at the hands of the lawless bandits pillaging the countryside and will take on this great challenge so your family can live free. Perhaps you are a bastard child of a powerful figure and now seek to carve out your own kingdom knowing that you stand to inherit nothing you don't build for yourself.

"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."

I've got a couple of expectations for the characters that will be brought into the adventure. I am looking for characters with reasons to have a desire to venture into hostile territory and work as a team to build a kingdom. Good or evil doesn't matter but chaos doesn't serve to further the group. So, no chaotic alignment will be allowed. This is not the campaign for chaotic evil players looking to betray the other players, loners or free-spirited vagabonds.

"Backstabbing doesn't prepare you for a fight, and that's all the realm is now. Backstabbing and scheming and arse-licking and money-grubbing."

Political intrigue is a pillar of the series inspiring this and a big part of my plans, but in order to keep charisma from being everyone's primary stat I will be using a reputation system to even the playing field when dealing with individuals of consequence. In certain circles, a knight renowned for their honor and bravery is going to be as respected and influential, if not more, as a traditional face will be anywhere else. I think this will do a lot to allow the party to have a proper balance of classes with no one feeling handicapped in the social aspects.

"Let me give you some counsel, bastard. Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you."

You may have noticed the tag, and the catch is: This is an adult only game, featuring erotic roleplay where characters can engage in sexual activities with no fade-to-black, etc. Lewd events, plans, consequences, and more are all on the table in this campaign. If you've watched either of the shows on HBO, this probably isn't much of a surprise to you. I'd like to be clear that just because it's on the table, this game will not become a raunchy, never ending orgy. There is usually meaning behind how sex is used in the series and that's what I'm looking to emulate.

"Distrusting me was the wisest thing you've done since you climbed off your horse."

GRRM often uses the intimate scenes to peel back layers to a character. Sometimes to paint them in a different light, other times to drive them further into the role he wishes to present them to the reader in. Some examples would be Tyrion's lingering trauma and emotional vulnerability, driving him to purchase the closest thing he believes he can have to real love being a way to earn Tyrion the reader's sympathy. Contrast that with Cersei's narcissism making her seek lovers, she can view as idealized male versions of herself, the only match worthy in her deranged mind. Or how Littlefinger justifies his pitiless ambition, being something forced on him by a cruel and unfair world that's kept him and his one true love apart by no fault of their own.

"Love is the death of duty."

PCs are encouraged to find and nurture romantic relationships with other characters or NPCs. Weddings are considered the truest way of sealing alliances, after all. Beyond the love lives of the characters, there are many other scenarios. A corrupt noble might be willing to trade information to carry on an affair on their spouse. A sex scandal could undermine the legitimacy of a claimant in a contested succession. Barbarian raiders may attack a village under your protection and take the women as slaves. Spies might attempt to seduce you in order to secure a position in your court and feed information to a rival house. A neighboring tyrant might earn your ire when reports of him abusing his authority to take advantage of an unfortunate captive or innocent reaches you.

"The things I do for love."

Because I'm sure it needs to be said. ERP will not be my main focus while running this; it may or may not even happen on my end. I'll already be responsible for the story, so trying to match everyone's taste in smut on top of that might be biting off more than I can chew. That being said, I'm all for your characters sharing a tent during the long weeks of adventuring because I think a good amount of sexual tension adds player investment and fun to the story. While I'm not promising anything, I'm not firmly ruling things out on my end either. You all could charm your way into a few NPC's pants to loosen a secret from their lips or secure a favor down the road. You might decide to blow your coins on prostitutes while visiting the capital. If the scene serves the story (or I'm just feeling horny that day), I may indulge you! Just wanted to make sure you're aware that just because I am open to ERP does not mean I'm making a commitment to provide it to everyone, expecting all players to take part in it, or putting it ahead of the actual campaign in any capacity.

"There are no other men like me. Only me."

If it's not apparent by now, I'm very serious about making this game something great. I love the ASOIAF books; I love the adventure path; I love the cRPG, and I desperately want to do justice by all three influences. Expect a bit of gritty realism and tragedy in this story. Your triumphs will be hard fought. Your holdings will face constant peril. Your enemies will always be lurking with their knives out for the moment you drop your guard. However, the rewards for your success in this campaign are unlike any other. I truly don't think there is another adventure that matches the sense of accomplishment that comes from taking a stretch of hostile wilderness and carving your own thriving kingdom from it.

"Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less."

A little bit on my approach to DMing this. I plan on running this very differently from traditional D&D 5e. Combat is obviously what the system does the most of, but if you've ever watched GoT or HotD you'd see the main characters don't draw their swords all that often. In fact, a lot of the main cast never have their own fight scenes. I like this less is more approach a great deal and think it'll bring a lot to the pbp experience. Outside of encounters with a named enemy, I won't be using initiative. This is so the RP isn't held up by any individual's schedule. I'll also be utilizing the minion rule from 4e where all the monsters have 1 HP. Their AC remains the same, so if you have trouble hitting them, the danger remains but low damage rolls won't cause encounters to drag unnecessarily.

"Hard truths cut both ways."

Matching the tone of the books this campaign is inspired by will take collaboration. I want the heroes of this story to have lives that involve more than their swords and spells. If you’re just looking to roleplay a non-stop fantasy porno, this isn't the game for you. But if you are interested in writing a character who is enriched by getting to explore their desires, be influenced by lusts, make compromises out of attraction, and maybe even experience heartbreak if their trust and affection wound up in the wrong hands-- then you're exactly who I'm looking for!

"If I do not press my claim, my claim will be forgotten. I will not become a page in someone else's history book."

If you can't be bothered to respond to the RP for days at a time, I'm going to kick you out! Plain and simple. I won't be reaching out. I won't be constantly giving you reminders. There will be no stoppages for you to get your shit together. It's a big world, and I'm not going to hesitate to find someone else interested in actively participating in the adventure if you go ghost. I understand that IRL always comes first, so if you have the common courtesy to reach out and explain your circumstances that prevent you from putting together a couple paragraphs every day, then I will still be replacing you, but I will move your character out of the story for you to pick up later on when you can. If you can't manage to let me know what's going on, then I'm just going to forget about you and move right along so everyone else can continue the fun!

"I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards and broken things."

My plan is to be pretty rules-light with this campaign since while I run a lot of D&D, I haven't run that many text games. I'm still confident I can handle it, but I'm just throwing it out there in case there are bumps along the road. If you're more experienced in the pbp arena than I am, I'd greatly appreciate your advice as things are coming together. We will be using dndbeyond and the standard discord bots. In my experience, these games work a lot better when the story is put above mechanics, so keeping things to PHB races and PHB/XgtE subclasses. If you're looking to do some awesome game-breaker build you've theory crafted for months. This may not be the game for it. I don't plan on meticulously tracking things to make sure you get your sentinel feat trigger each turn.

“Oh, my sweet summer child, what do you know about fear?”

Alright! That's my pitch. Sorry you had to read all that, but hopefully you're still interested and can see I don't have a problem handing out paragraphs, so this game ought to be in good hands. I look forward to reading your applications and will be leaving the form open for the next week while I work on the discord server.

“The night is dark and full of terrors.”

I'll looking forward to playing with you. As well as hopefully some fun debates about who we're rooting for in HotD season 2 as it airs.
The application link is down below! I'm going to leave it open for a week so folks don't miss out. I will be checking it regularly, so if I find a bunch of folks I like over the first couple days, I'll reach out to them, but I'm sure we all know how these sorts of games go. People may drop out or prove unreachable, so even if you're not someone who hears back from me immediately, we might be writing together soon!
The Stolen Lands await you!
https://forms.gle/bnmHsUt2Qmq5D1jK8

“There is only one god, and His name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: 'not today'.”

It's time for our first look at life on Earth! I hope everyone has been enjoying the story so far. As always, let me know your thoughts on the story so far. It's been a joy sharing it with you all.
[First] [Previous] [Next]
Memory transcription subject: UN Secretary-General Elias Meier Date [standardized human time]: July 13, 2136
Sometimes I wondered what Earth would be like had the Skalgans not landed here hundreds of years ago. Every UN summit these days seemed to involve settling some kind of dispute involving them. Whether it be accusations of resource theft, threats in response to those accusations, or disputes over succession, there was always something to resolve. There was rarely any actual conflict that occurred nowadays, but security had been required to break up a few squabbles in the past, often ones involving delegates charging each other.
Despite how rowdy they could be, they were stalwart allies. That stubbornness made them dependable to follow through with their alliances. Whether it was war, work, or simply having a dependable friend, it was hard to go wrong with them. They proved themselves early on in the history of their arrival.
I reminded myself of that as I listened to the leader of the Garian nation petitioning other nations for aid in their efforts to assemble yet another space shipyard. I was certain we had more than enough, but the Garian leader wouldn’t have anything less than ‘overwhelming force against potential threats’. An aspect of Skalgan culture that carried on since their arrival was their concern over the calamity that had brought them to Earth appearing once more from the heavens. It’d created a divide among the people, from those that felt we should isolate ourselves from the wider galaxy, to those that felt we should either find allies or track down this great threat to eliminate it. The exploratory mission we’ve sent out has certainly riled up the xenophobes, who felt we needed to prepare a grand fleet if we were gonna announce ourselves to the galactic stage.
An aid came and tapped me on my shoulder, pulling me from my thoughts. “Sir.” She whispered. “I need you to come with me.”
If I was being called away, then it must have been an emergency. Nodding, I stood and followed here, my security detail trailing behind. We were only just walking up to the briefing room doors when I started hearing a very loud conversation. “-could be them! We need to start assembling ships immediately in case they-” I open the doors, interrupting whoever it was that was shouting. Scanning the room quickly, I saw that most of the people assembled were from several different space agencies, though there were also individuals from historical institutes and national militaries.
“Right, might I ask what has folks so riled up?” I asked.“The Odyssey crew made contact with extraterrestrials.” A short-haired woman in a leather jacket said, passing me a folder. I managed to catch her nametag, which read Dr. Kuemper, SETI. “They call themselves the Venlil, and going by appearances alone, seem to be related to the Skalgan. Not only that, but they’re a part of a Federation of hundreds of other species. Certainly more than we ever theorized.”
This news came as a shock. I flipped through the various pages and photos in the folder, taking in everything that's been gathered so far. There was a photo of one of the Skalgan astronauts next to a Venlil. Side by side, it was easy to see how one could assume they shared a similar lineage, despite some of their physical differences. If these were truly aliens related to the Skalgan, then their kind has survived the attack on their homeworld or at least escaped to a separate planet.
We’ve known that life existed at some point beyond our star system, but that was only known through the existence of the Skalgan. Even then, the nature of their origin took generations to fully understand. They crashed on earth during an age where we were still using muskets, a time when we didn’t even have a concept of electricity. They may have brought a technological boost with them, but without the means to reproduce or maintain it, much had deteriorated away, and that included the electronic data their ship carried. For all we knew, the Skalgan and their attackers were the only other life in the galaxy. They may have even gone extinct in the time it took us to achieve FTL flight.
“So we might have ourselves the Skalgan home planet and their long lost cousins. I hope that the presence of so many generals in this meeting isn’t a suggestion to invade.” I looked over all the individuals in military attire that were present.
Dr. Kuemper frowned. “The issue isn’t with the Venlil. It’s the Federation and their enemies. It’s a complicated mess. To start, the Federation is made up entirely of herbivores who are extremely xenophobic towards any meat consuming species.”
I look back down at the folder, leafing to a page about the Venlil society. It only took me a moment to spot the bold letters highlighting the fear and distrust they have towards, as they label them, predatory species. “Well, we must have done something right if we got far enough to exchange knowledge.”
“You can thank us for being there.” One of the Skalgan in the room spoke up, a general by the name of Ledric from the nation Rerig that sat on the western coast of North America. “The fact that we had a Skalgan among the crew made it easier for the Venlil to accept the human. They may have just shot the ship down had astronaut Noah not been there, or taken them prisoner, or done all sorts of horrible things!”
“I think it would be best if we did not worry about the what-ifs and instead think about the now.” I said, finally taking a seat at the table. “So the Skalgan look-alikes have a fear of meat eaters. Does this extend to the rest of their federation?”
“I’m afraid so.” The doctor said. “It seems like it’s actually a founding pillar of the Federation’s doctrine. The Arxur, the enemies of the federation, have been on a campaign of terror against them for several centuries. They’re responsible for the destruction of at least 62 planets and billions of lives.”
“Jesus Christ, please tell me you’re kidding.”
“I wish, sir. There’s a full brief on the page labeled ‘Arxur’ in your file. There’s also footage of them committing every war crime in the book. I mean, they literally eat children.”
“Well shit.” I sighed, barely having a moment to think before the Rerig general Ledric spoke up again. “These monsters eat sentient beings and keep people as livestock! They have to be the ones responsible for the original attack on our homeworld. It makes sense that the ‘wrath of the galaxy’ told in Skalgan mythos refers to them.”
“Can we be certain?” I asked Ledric. “I don’t doubt that this species is monstrous in nature, but I don’t know if any of the original records from the ships you arrived in have survived to this day to confirm that.”
“You’re right about that.” Another Skalgan spoke up, a historian from Rerig. “Surviving records are little more than fragments at best. Even electronic records can’t survive the decay that hundreds of years of time would bring. Without the proper understanding of how to properly preserve digital records, they broke down into little more than scrap metal over the centuries. We have no idea who those ships originally belonged to, where they came from, or how my people got ahold of them. Hell, we don’t even know if it was one or multiple species responsible for the attack on Skalga.”
I lightly nodded, thinking about the possible explanations. “What about the Federation? How do they play into this?”
“According to the records the Venlil provided, they had only just made initial contact with the Federation around the time the Skalgan landed on Earth.” Dr. Kuemper said. “It's a bit difficult to line up our timelines without exact dates. At best we can estimate by about a decade or so. It’s possible that the Skalgan acquired ships from the Federation. There’s also the possibility that the ships were Arxur cattle vessels that they managed to commandeer. There is also the possibility of an unknown group being involved, but so far there’s no evidence of that.”
There were a lot of hypotheticals being given, but no solid narrative so far. “I’d rather not make any major decisions till we know for certain what we’re dealing with. There’s also the matter of these physical differences between the Skalgan and Venlil, and the matter of the Federation's potential hostility to us humans. Are they aware of us?”
“Not yet.” Dr. Kuemper said. “Only the Venlil know of humans. The Federation only knows of the Skalgan for now.”
“Right… Well if they’re as hostile towards meat eaters as this report leads us to believe, we’re gonna have to figure out a way to break the news to them gently.”
“Why should we bother?” Ledric asked. “If the Federation was there when Skalga was attacked yet did nothing, why should we even try being friendly? Do they fear the Arxur so much that they wouldn’t intervene?”
“We shouldn’t be making assumptions like that.” I said. “We don’t know what happened all those centuries ago, and the last thing we want is to go accusing people of wrongdoings that they didn’t commit. I’d rather we make allies than enemies. And speaking of such matters, I believe the Venlil will be a good place to start. Their governor was willing to risk her position to keep us hidden. She and her people may be able to speak on our behalf, and their potential ties to Skalgan may further secure their trust. Not to mention that our best chance of learning about the origin of the Skalgan race would be in cooperation with them.”
“What of the Arxur?” Ledric spoke once more. “They’re clearly a threat to both their Federation and us. We should strike some of these livestock worlds as a show of our allegiance with the Venlil. That would also show this Federation that humans are an ally.”
I grimaced. We'd only just discovered life beyond our system and already we were talking war. Announcing a potential war with extraterrestrials would cause the divide between those for and against alien contact to widen even further. However, we couldn’t share the potential discovery of the Skalgan’s ancestors without including the threat that not just the Arxur posed, but the danger humans would be in if we made a mistake with introducing ourselves to the Federation. This whole situation was a minefield, and we were having to carefully pick our way through it.
“Lets start by releasing the findings and then judge our next course of action based on the public’s feedback. We need to be united on whatever decision we make, as this will affect all of us, both Humans and Skalgans. If the people just want to make allies, that’s what we’ll do. But if they want us to show we’re willing to fight for the Venlil and the Federation, then we’ll fight.”
An outside threat and long lost family would be powerful motivators to bring people together. I was fairly certain I knew already what the Skalgan’s position on this would be, but they weren’t on the potential firing line for their biology.
[First] [Previous] [Next]

First: https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/14vo5lb/troublemakers_deaths_pity/
*previous:* https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/1cqxbp3/troublemakers_triple_cross/
......
Caz didn't remember blacking out as she smashed through the wall, Valkyrie armor absorbing most of the blow. All she knew is that when she opened her eyes, she was moving faster than ever, throwing herself over obstacles and around corners as that massive emitter slung blinding pulses of light at her, but she wasn't stupid, it could hit her anytime it chose; They were herding her like livestock. Caz kicked off one wall of an alleyway, then the other and landed on the roof, never breaking stride as she leapt from crumbling rooftop to crumbling rooftop like she had wings, one arm protectively clutched to her chest to protect the remote. Jumping down a level she sprinted across the lower roofs, circling back around to try and retrieve her Huntress, When a Block-90 sailed through the air towards her. She caught it, Barely registering the name Dahlia engraved on the slide. She didn't need to see the troublemaker's guardian specter as a weighted chain sailed through the air from nothing to knock aside the emitter of a Geknosian spec ops' laser rifle. Caz instinctually aimed, and fired Dahlia, The soldier reeling back as a .30 caliber Durasteel slug slammed through their faceplate.
A soldier appeared in front of her, swinging a war gauntlet at her face. Sliding between their legs she put a round through their taint at point blank range to bring them to their knees before putting another round in the back of their helmet as she stood, never breaking stride.
Her muscles stung like hornets and her breath burned like fire, but she couldn't help but let loose a feral laugh as she slid, jumped, and vaulted through the rubble of the ruined village. The Dahlia barked, a spec ops soldier crumpling or flinching to swing their rifle from the shimmer in the air right in front of them so Cassius could drive a Kama into their throat. She didn't see charlotte anywhere, and despite the betrayal and stabbing of Remin, she couldn't help but be concerned for the girl. Another spec ops appeared in front of her, she slid around them, putting five rounds in their back armor, only for them to turn around and deliver a haymaker straight into her mask.
She felt her nose break as she slammed into the roof, momentum halted by the brutal hit as the remote flew from her hand. He reyes watched it sail through the air and fall.
Fall.
Fall into the waiting, ring bedecked hand of Drake. A shiver ran through the air as Drake pocketed the remote, a black, tattered spartan's cape flowing about his shoulders. But unlike every other time he'd lost consciousness and returned, it was like he had lost power this time, in a matter of fact, it was like he'd been drained of it. But the way he held himself was so much different, there was a sparkle in his eyes as he drew his sword, helmet flying into his palm as he snugged it on. The rings glimmered even as they absorbed so much of the light that hit them that they appeared as silhouettes.
There was a sudden change in the spec ops as they focused on Drake, she watched them gather into small groups, forming fire teams as the metal buzzards above turned to focus on the lone man. The words that fell from Drake's lips were like the first rumbles of thunder before a deadly monsoon.
"I haven't felt this scared since I was in the arena... And you have no idea how excited that makes me!"
...
Charlotte would not let the darkness of her mind claim her again. She tugged and pulled at the threads of her consciousness, fighting her older sister for control of her own body. But her older sister pulled back harder, tugging the knife taut against someone's throat. A shock of pain, a shock of cold and she was forced to let go. For a moment, she and her older sister were one. She could feel her older sister's fear, fear of punishment and reprisal. A tough mask hid the fragile being beneath that so desperately cried for freedom but feared what it could mean. All Charlotte could do, was push in her determination to be free again to her older sister before they separated again.
But this time she was not alone in the darkness, The soft sound of penny whistles and old war drums followed a man in furs and carrying an odd metal tube attached to a stock. His presence felt like an open field under a night full of stars that stretched on forever, or an endless calm ocean where you stood on a steady boat, the world as your oyster. But there was also something scary about it, like the ability to do anything was both curse and blessing. But when the man softly set himself down beside her, he also sat with her sister, letting them face each other, speaking with a soft twang she could only describe as old country, the man chuckled.
"I reckon you girls both want the same thing, and with the lord as my witness, I'm here to grant you that wish."
He held out his hands to either of us.
"Let us pray to the lord our god that he may deliver you from the lands of egypt and into the promised land."
They both took his hand, and bowed their heads as he recited a few ancient prayers. Charlotte felt a burning in her soul, a lightness that replaced the oppressive dark with a field of beautiful flowers, just like home. Looking to big sister sylva, she could see the fearful, broken look in her eyes, but also a spark of determination as the man picked up his percussion cap rifle and walked away, the sound of pennywhistles and drums following him as she tearfully, but strongly took her older sisters hand.
"Do the right thing."
As she pulled her hands away, the remote was left in her hand. Charlotte could feel the smile behind Sylva's mask as she tossed the remote, watching it turn into a swallow that flitted off as fast as it could.
...
Death slammed a palm against the wooden doors, bursting them open like they were old and rotten as he stormed into Conquest's throne room, scythe slamming against the stony floor as Drake stood off to the side. He felt an odd sensation, like he was only as strong as a human could be, like he had no power left.
And it was like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He moved slower, hit softer, and got hit harder now, he knew that, but it excited him to actually be able to fight!
Death stopped a few paces from conquest, who was lacksadaisically sipping from a clear goblet as servants played soft music from a corner and served her wine, either chained to their instruments, or dragging a heavy weight by their ankle or equivalent. Drake looked on in grinning anger, teeth grinding together as he observed the degrading spectacle. Death collected himself slightly, no expression visible on his skull face as he spoke in a voice like nails on a chalkboard.
"I heard that you used a soultrap, Conquest. Those were banned during the eight thousandth pantheonal convention, but I heard you used one on my chosen here."
Conquest snorted into her goblet before spotting drake and tensing so hard the goblet shattered.
"So what?! your little monster breaks more rules than I could dream of breaking!"
Death glanced back at Drake as the swordsman leaned casually against a pillar, gripping two rings menacingly with a manic grin of rage directed at conquest. The god couldn't look the mere mortal in the eyes as Death raised a calming skeletal hand.
"He breaks universal rules, supposedly unbreakable ones... and admittedly, I'm not sure how the fuck he does it. But we all agreed that soul traps are both inhumane, unfair, and straight up bullshit. It says that in the fuckin rulebook, Verbatim. If you want to fight my chosen, you'll do it in Yovun's arena, per the five thousandth convention. I don't want a war amongst the gods Gul'vak, but it seems you do..."
Conquest straightened upon the utterance of her true name, a low growl coming from her throat.
"You know nothing about what you speak of Human! Do not lecture me about rules!"
Heat mirage appeared around Death before he took a deep breath and simply said.
"Drake, if Conquest wants to break agreed upon rules... I guess I can turn a blind eye just this once. Go wild."
The room rumbled as two rings hit the ground, disappearing into black smoke so they could be summoned back without issue. Conquest stood, grabbing her hammer from thin air. But then two more rings clinked against the ground as Drake exploded with power, surging forth on black wings wreathed in pale flame. Conquest flinched and screamed.
"ALRIGHT!"
Drake stopped the lethal thrust inches away from Conquests fearful face, the hammer tumbling to the ground as Drake summoned the rings back onto his hands. He'd wanted to drive alexandros through her heart. But he could wait, as he turned around, rage broiling in his heart as he forcefully cooled it, this was not his world, it was the world of gods and primordials. It would be wise to follow their rules. Conquests voice was faux-strong as she shakily snarled.
"I'll follow the godsdamned rules... just keep that Thing away from me."
Drake felt a smile come to his face, pride swelling in his chest, this was a different kind of power he felt as he joined Death's side fearlessly. At the drop of a hat, he could make the greatest enemy of his people grovel at his feet. But, taking a deep breath, he pushed the feeling away, knowing now how the high priest felt every time he cracked that whip against a young Drake's raw back. How dangerous getting addicted to that feeling could be. He'd enjoy it for now, but he also made a solemn promise to hold back any chance he could. To show the mercy he never received.
Death swept around, beckoning Drake.
"Come, young warrior, I sense that your friends need you."
Drake was shaken from his thoughts as he rapidly joined Death's side.
"How do you know?"
"Old john brown has finally selected a chosen. For a god of liberty he has a lot of deference to the big G."
"Who's the big G?"
"God, used to be kind of a pompous bastard really, but he's grown on me."
"Nothing you just said makes sense to me."
"To You."
Death clarified confusingly.
...
Drake looked over the gathered Geknosian spec ops, noticing Charlotte's pummeled form leaning against a pile of rubble, chest weakly rising and falling. Cataclysmic rage burned in his heart as a blaster bolt burnt across his chest with his first step forward. He wouldn't need to remove a ring for this, he wanted to kick ass old school style. He took each bolt as they came his way, burning his flesh and charring his armor. But the pain was like a drug, his blood running hot with battle-lust as he called out.
"Take a breather guys! they're all mine!"
Drake picked up speed, charging through the flashes of laser bolts even as they burned his skin and charred his flesh. As his foot hit the ground, he felt them running with him, the warriors that made up the liquid iron in his blood. From the first Hoplite to his father the Warmonger. A million souls crying out for revenge as he planted a flying double footed kick to a spec ops soldier's breastplate, bringing them to the ground and sliding the blade of his sword into the gap between their neck and chest armor, purple blood spilling out as he brought the sweeping cut up, striking the chin of another's helmet before driving the point of his sword directly into their throat. He dove out of the way as a laser bolt obliterated the ground where he'd been standing, herding him into a ring of the spec ops.
Good, just where he wanted to be, up close and personal. He danced through the circle of death, blaster bolts intended to harm or kill splashing against other Geknosians in blinding flashes as Drake carried himself through the barrage on dancer's feet, the steps he'd practice with Cassius allowing him to strike freely. Each strike flowing into another, seamlessly switching between single handed and two handed grips as he leapt up, monkeying onto a spec ops soldier and stabbing his sword's blade into the gap between neck and shoulder all the way to the hilt. Leaping towards another with a manic grin as he saw fear in the eyes behind the visor before the helmet went flying with the head still inside it. Suddenly a Geknosian in ornate armor appeared in front of him, thrusting a saber for his throat.
Drake let the blade skitter off his helmet's faceplate, returning a slash that was parried with a strong low block. Steel rang, clashing and clamoring as the two danced back and forth. One thinking they were meeting their prey in honorable battle, the other fighting like a rabid, enraged beast that had been backed into a corner. The saber snapped under a particularly vicious blow, the Geknosian general just able to register surprise before Drake separated his head from his shoulders. Blood pumping, skin burning as the headless corpse slumped down by his feet. He looked around at the spec ops who still had their guns raised and trained on Drake.
"Grack this! I don't wanna die here!"
One shouted, Drawing Drake's attention as they threw their blaster to the ground and slammed down on their knees, putting their hands on the back of their heads. Drake looked around at the clearly hesitating spec ops and through his manic, uncontrollable grin he called out.
"Anyone else not want to die?!"
Slowly, ever so slowly the remaining blasters were lowered, then tossed to the ground as the two metal buzzards hummed frantically away. Seeing Caz limp to his side with her railgun, he put his hand on her forearm as she tried to raise it to point at the fleeing aircraft.
"Let em go."
"But they just tried to-"
"Some must live to spread the word."
Caz looked up at him for a moment, confused, before a spark of realization lit up her pain filled crystalline eyes as she looked at the surrendering spec ops.
"Prisoners..."
Drake nodded and flicked the blood from his swordblade before wiping it clean on the dead general's crotch flap.
"Prisoners."
He confirmed, looking to charlotte as she slowly clambered to her feet, swaying weekly as she clutched her head. Drake let his smile fall and fade before saying.
"who else needs medical attention."
"everybody but Cassius and Destrier as far as I know, including yourself dumbass."
Drake chuckled and nodded, getting an odd look from Caz as he stated.
"I'll be fine, I'll just pop off a pinkie ring for an hour when we get home."
Caz sighed and helped Drake support the badly wounded Charlotte to the forge building.
"somethings changed about you, and it's not the lack of power."
Drake chuckled and simply responded.
"I don't know, I just feel... better, all of a sudden. Fightings fun again."
"I'm not sure that's a good thing, Drake."
Drake chuckled softly and helped get Charlotte into the forge building without responding.
......
Part 107: will be linked here upon release.

This is a detailed post, so bear with me. The following doesn't entail the entirety of me, but is a close approximation.
Age: 27 female
Height: 5 2"
Weight: 61 kgs
Caste: Kashmiri Butt
Sunni, practicing Muslims
Single, never married or engaged
City: Lahore.
Whether you’re in Pakistan or reside abroad, I’d prefer if you’re originally from (primarily) Lahore (or Islamabad), so the family meetups are much easier and there’s a cultural similarity too.
Education: BS (Honors) in Applied Psychology and Master's in Clinical Psychology.
Profession: Mental Health Counsellor
Family: We're 3 siblings including me. One brother, one sister. Mother is housewife. Father is retired from work.
Do you want kids? – Yes of course. But I’d like to wait at least a year and half (minimum) or more to settle into the marriage first, develop a bond with my spouse, understand each other and then get into the role of a parent, which is a huge responsibility as is.
Religiosity – I’m a practicing Muslim. Although I’m clearly not perfect, I do pray at least 4 times, do obligatory fasts, do hijab, dress modestly, listen to lectures of Mufti Menk, Dr. Omar Sulieman, Ustad Nouman Ali Khan, Youth Club, Dr. Yasir Qadhi and many others to become a better Muslim and a better human everyday. I’m modest but not an extremist/conservative by any means and like to stay open-minded.
I’m a Sunni Muslim. We don’t celebrate Milaad, khatam or any other bid’ah or shirk etc. I want someone with similar Aqeedah.
Deal Breakers:

• Poor personal hygiene
• Taller than 6 feet (too tall for me). But this one is still negotiable for the right person.
• Being younger than me
• Drinking, smoking or any kind of substance use in the past or present.
• Me having to live with in-laws after marriage
• Celebrating milad, khatams, and other bid'ah or shirk, etc.
• Controlling personality, anger management issues. Any paranoid or suspicious tendencies.
• Someone who’s not willing to help his wife at all in the house (for whatever reason)
• Not respecting women and treating them like house maids or mere babymakers.
• Not concerned with whether you earn halal or haram.
• Bringing trauma-responses, dysfunctional coping mechanisms/ baggage from previous relationships.
• Forcing wife to work after marriage or stay home.

Ideal marriage timeline – Around 1 ish year, but that can be mutually decided.
Important characteristics in a prospect
· Education: At least BS Honors or higher
· Age: somebody older than me
· Good personal hygiene and discipline – It should go without saying, but I want someone who takes good care of his personal hygiene, is organized and disciplined in life.
· Self-sufficient – I acknowledge that women are nurturers. Having said that, I’d highly value a spouse who is not shy to help around in house chores and is able to manage himself well. I’ve seen many husbands being “dependent” on their wives for the smallest things, and it doesn’t sit well with me. He should be able to take care of his own self and personal tasks if need be. Yes, women are carers, but everything in moderation, including moderation!
· Balance of Deen and Duniya – I’d really like my spouse praying daily, being God-fearing and trying to learn more about Deen in general. Bottom line, the basic pillars of Islam should be there. I’m not looking for perfection, (I’m far from it myself), but he should prioritize religious and moral values in his life and have a strong moral compass in general. I don’t want the typical molvi kind, rather someone educated on true Islam. Nothing extreme or conservative. I’d also want my partner to have good Ikhlaaq; so he’s easy to talk to and has good relationships with people around him. Humility is the greatest virtue, and I believe that true Deen is always reflected in one’s good character, not the obligatory prayer or fasts.
· Having Perspective and being far-sighted - Someone who values character, meaningful connection and personality compatibility more than running solely after typical appearance ideals. Those things fade and marriage is for the long haul anyways.
· Sense of emotional safety – There should be a sense of emotional safety with my spouse. That is, he respects mine and others’ opinions, is open-minded, is patient and tolerates a difference of opinion. Someone with whom I can feel truly heard and express myself without fear of judgement. Someone who is kind, compassionate, honest and doesn’t have anger issues or conservative thinking.
· Clear communication – There are few things I value more than good communication skills. He should be able to communicate in English or can at least reciprocate me (No, I’m not Shakespeare). More importantly, someone who is able to articulate his thoughts and feelings openly and is willing to have difficult conversations without stonewalling.
· Freedom – Freedom is my strongest core value. I want to feel free and autonomous around my spouse, i.e. to feel a sense of psychological safety around him and not feel caged. I’d really appreciate the freedom to work or choose to stay at home.
· Nuclear family - I'm a strong proponent of a nuclear family, i.e. husband, wife and their kids, which is conducive to mental health of all parties involved (as supported by our religion as well). I’ve personally seen and heard enough horror stories. Joint family system is the breeding ground for many domestic problems and inevitable conflicts. So, I’d really appreciate someone who understands this (without being offended) and can provide a nuclear family setup. Rented house is okay, so long as it's separate.
· Emotional availability – That is, he is able to listen to others, empathize, reciprocate love and care as well as express his own feelings and not afraid to lend a shoulder to cry on or compliment others. In other words, I want an Emotionally Intelligent person.
· Financial stability - Not being materialistic or unrealistic, but a man should be ambitious and have goals for future growth to sustain his family in the long run.
· Generosity - Someone who is generous (while staying within reason and means, of course) and not stingy with spending.
· A simple wedding - I'd prefer a relatively simple wedding.

This is a sketch of an ideal person for me, but anyone who’s somewhere along these lines is good.
Hobbies:
I’m pretty boring by regular standards, but here we go :)
I love to watch English movies, series, anime (AOT anyone? IYKYK), listen to audiobooks (I don’t prefer to read them, unless required professionally), watch documentaries and video essays on social, cultural issues, psychology, psychiatry, health, nutrition, fitness, true crime, etc. I’m keen on learning about nutrition and health and try to work on it myself as much as is practical for me. I enjoy instrumental compositions, especially piano and orchestra. I’m mesmerized by space/ universe. I also listen to various podcasts on plethora of topics from religion to medicine, mental health, relationships and social trends/evils, etc. I believe that YouTube is the greatest learning and leisure resource; I personally can’t go a day without it.
Interesting things about you:
I’m an ambivert (selectively social) and keep a very small but valuable circle. I love my “me time.” I am confident but like to keep to myself. I’m detail-oriented, like discipline, routine and order in life. I’m a Type-A personality and an ISTJ (if that matters to you). Not materialistic and generally low maintenance. I’m a bronze medalist and also a published researcher in Clinical Psychology discipline. I highly value my privacy, in real life and especially online.
I grew up in the Middle East. I live a simple life and prioritize self-care. I’m family-oriented and have a vision for my future parenting practices.
I’m a bubbly, energetic and very fun-loving person in general. I’m told that I’m compassionate and generous with appreciating others. The smallest things give me joy. I'm also firm with my boundaries in life.
I absolutely love animals and have a few pets myself (a cat and birds). Still wish I could have many more :( I cherish quality family time and hangouts. Definitely not brand conscious and I don’t watch the brain-numbing news (I do stay updated on world events though). Personally, I live and let live and expect the same from my spouse. I’m inclined towards rationality and logic; so not an idealist. I’m not much interested in politics. I’m less of an outdoorsy person and enjoy indoor activities much more. Nevertheless, I would love to travel with my spouse and explore new places for sure.
All in all, I’m a desi girl at heart, with a mix of western touch of course. I lean a little more towards traditional values (while keeping a balance) and don’t identify with radical feminism of today (things have gone so wrong there!), but rather “true” feminism that Islam so beautifully and rationally embodies.
In interpersonal relations, I always communicate and discuss things that bother me and never sweep things under the rug or pretend nothing happened. It’s only fair that I expect the same openness from my spouse.
I can’t stand people who don’t keep their word (in personal lives or professionally), i.e. they tell you they’ll do something and then they don’t.
To sum up, I’m looking for an easy-going, humble, self-aware, responsible, respectful and emotionally available man. Someone with whom I can make bad jokes and laugh at memes together; a best friend for life. Hopefully, someone who loves animals as much as I do. And of course, I’ll also be all those things I mentioned above without question.
P.S. No description can completely acquaint you with a person. Nevertheless, I tried to cover all the major points.
Nobody is perfect, and neither am I. It can be overwhelming, but don’t hesitate to reach out if you think we can click.
If you message, please get to the point straight away with your profile mentioned. I can’t do small talk and please DON’T message if you’re not looking to settle down or intend to ghost or just have poor online social etiquette, i.e. being inconsistent in the talking stage.
With a profound decision like marriage, I believe in vetting each other first. Once it’s apparent that we’re a good match, parents will definitely be involved for sure.
Thanks for having the patience to read through it :) :) :)
May Allah make it easy for all of us. Ameen.

Seriously, don't even attempt to trivialize it. It's not about waking you up at 3:00 am for mundane reasons like running out of milk or needing your Wi-Fi password. This entity, whatever it may be, operates outside our reality's bounds, and its motives are far from benign. I learned this the hard way recently, which is why I'm cautioning you all against making light of it. But before delving into specifics, let me offer some context, as sleep paralysis is a recent phenomenon for me.
One of my earliest memories of sleep disruption traces back to my grade school days. With my mother on an early shift unable to drive me to school for its 8:00 am start, she would drop me off at my aunt's house. Here, she ensured I was fed, dressed, and ready for school. Most mornings, I had just about an hour left to sleep before needing to rise. Often, I'd find myself in a half-asleep state from the moment my mom roused me until she tucked me into my aunt's spare bedroom.
On one of those mornings, as I lay down, teetering between wakefulness and sleep, I experienced a peculiar sensation. It felt as though my body began to rise, hovering about two feet above the bed, before swiftly plummeting back down. Startled awake, I assumed my mother had thrown me back onto the bed, only to find the room empty upon opening my eyes.
I hadn't encountered any other experiences quite like that, but it was during this time that I distinctly recall a notable surge in the frequency of the nightmares I was experiencing. The nightmares were generally the same, some cloaked being hiding in the recesses of my vision, always there, always watching. I felt as though each passing night terror that it got closer and closer to me, but always just out of reach. At times, I found myself trapped in a dark room, enveloped by an overwhelming sense of malevolence that seemed to saturate the air—and a fear entirely foreign to my waking experiences.
Then I experienced sleep paralysis for the first time.
It occurred at my mother's house, marking the initial instance where I experienced the sensation of my body being effectively immobilized while my mind remained active. I recall attempting to move my eyes and then my body, but all efforts were futile. As I struggled to regain autonomy, it sounded as though a gathering had convened in my kitchen, voices carrying in muted tones. None of the which resembled those of my parents; I even detected snickering and laughter at one point. The conversation seemed to be aimed at me, as my name was uttered several times, yet the other words remained indecipherable. The episode concluded with me returning to sleep without any further disturbances.
As the instances of sleep paralysis became more frequent, they culminated in another peculiar experience. Shortly after moving into my first apartment, still in the midst of unpacking and assembling furniture, the second incident occurred. I lay on a mattress on the floor, surrounded by unassembled bedframe pieces, when I awoke to find myself imprisoned within my own body once more. In the darkness, I heard a faint sound—a presence moving softly over each piece of furniture. Panic gripped me as I strained to turn my head towards the noise, but every effort proved futile. With each passing moment, the unseen entity drew closer until it reached the bedside. Helpless, I closed my eyes, bracing myself for whatever awaited.
Meow?
Relief washed over me as I realized it was just my generously proportioned feline friend making his way around the room. I could hear him moving about, stepping on more furniture and emitting a few disgruntled meows, presumably chastising my laziness for not assembling it yet. As I began to drift back to sleep, I was abruptly startled awake by a chilling sound.
Snnn-orrrff
A primal, guttural snarl pierced the silence, its menacing resonance echoing through the room like a thunderous roar. I struggled desperately to move my limbs, silently screaming in my mind, yet only managing a feeble whimper as I sensed the beast drawing near. Despite my efforts, my body only twitched, while in my imagination, I leapt up and fled. As a mischievous chuckle erupted, I felt hot, pungent breath on the back of my neck. I suddenly awoke, screaming, kicking and punching. I jerked my head to the side and was met only with darkness. I jumped up and turned the light on, a quick scan of the room revealed there was nothing there. Exhausted and recognizing my inability to function effectively, I reluctantly resigned myself to lying back down with the light on until morning. I called into work, knowing that in my current state, I wouldn't be of much use to anyone.
Days passed and soon, it was that time of the month again for my regular check-in from mom. I hesitantly answered the call. After a few minutes of conversation, we eventually broached the topic of my sleep paralysis.
"Honey, it's probably all the stress." she reasoned.
My job had me grinding away tirelessly, but despite my efforts, all I got was a tiny bump in pay. To add to the mix, my landlord decided it was the perfect time to raise the rent. It's safe to say, the stress was really getting to me. "I don't know, it's been happening my whole life, Dad ever had any issues with sleep?"
There was a noticeable pause as she contemplated her reply. "He's definitely had his share of nightmares, he'd wake me up a lot of the times, poor thing would be in tears."
"Jeez, I never knew, but Mom I gotta…" I endeavored to conclude the conversation, as my allotted chat time was expiring, however my mother promptly interrupted me.
"Sweetie, why won't you join us at church? It might help?"
I released a sigh. I staunchly opposed the notion of going to church; I'd rather watch a documentary on the history of paperclips. "Thanks, but I'm not feeling that right now."
"Please, just do it for me?" She pleaded.
Eager to bring the call to a close. "I'll think about, but, alright I'm going to go ahead a hop off here."
"Alright, I miss you, call me later okay?"
"I will, love you, bye."
I concluded the call with a sigh of relief, grateful for its conclusion.
For a stretch, life seemed to fall into place: My job noticed the disparity between my increased workload and pay and offered me a new position that significantly improved my financial situation. Thanks to this new position, I crossed paths with my wife, and we swiftly eloped. She was one of the top account managers, earning a substantial income, which enabled us to afford a nice house together. During this period, the night terrors and bouts of sleep paralysis took a hiatus, granting me a reprieve. Yet amidst the tranquility, a gnawing sense of foreboding lingered, as if a tempest loomed on the horizon, urging me to savor the calm while it lasted.
During this period, my wife and I had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of our first child. We were overjoyed as she reached the sixth month of her pregnancy, carrying our long-awaited daughter. However, my suspicions proved tragically correct. I'll never forget the heart-wrenching phone call from my wife, her voice choked with tears, informing me of the terrifying sight of blood. Hastening to the emergency room, we raced against time, but our efforts proved futile. We lost our precious daughter that day. The journey back home was a blur, engulfed in a suffocating sense of loss that seemed to consume us both. It felt as though a part of me had died alongside our daughter, and the profound grief only served to widen the chasm between us as time passed, transforming our once intimate bond into a hollow semblance of what it once was.
Sleep paralysis and nightmares began to resurface, as if some malevolent force was exploiting my already troubled state, and my ability to sleep dwindled. Additionally, minor habits and disparities in the early stages of our marriage, once insignificant, began escalating into cataclysmic arguments. By now, I'm certain even my breathing would agitate my wife. Despite experimenting with various medications, none proved effective. Even vigorous physical exercise failed to exhaust me enough for uninterrupted sleep. The situation escalated to the point where my wife banished me from the bedroom due to my incessant tossing and turning, disrupting her rest. Consequently, I found myself relegated to the couch. Resorting to alcohol became a regular occurrence, partly to numb the discomfort of the couch but also as a means of coping with my grief.
We barely conversed, even though she mentioned marriage counseling, I rebuffed the idea, convinced it wouldn't benefit us. Frequently, I'd discover her in tears, cradling the sonogram of our daughter, yet I would quietly withdraw, allowing her solitary moments of sorrow. She had her unique methods of grieving, just as I had mine.
"I can't keep doing this, we're drowning in debt, and you're just pushing us further into it with every bottle." She pointed to the glass in my hand.
"Oh, come on! I work hard for us, I deserve to unwind a bit!" In a moment of animated expression, I inadvertently spilled some of my beverage onto the floor.
"Unwind? You call draining our savings and neglecting our future 'unwinding'!?"
"Look, just let me sleep in my own bed tonight."
She crossed her arms, and for a moment, silence enveloped us before she finally spoke.
"I just—I feel like I'm living with a stranger." Her eyes begin to shimmer with emotion.
"I'm here, aren't I? What more do you want from me?!" My voice rising in volume.
She attempted to delicately take my drink away, her touch then shifting to gently grasp my hand. "I want us to be a team again, not just two people sharing a bed."
But the moment I felt her touch, I instinctively shoved her hands away from me. "We haven't been a 'team' since we lost—" My voice quivered, then exploded into rage. "You pushed me out! You did this! You don't talk to me about anything anymore! Just get the hell out!" I pointed to the door.
I stood in the open doorway, watching her car pull out of the driveway. With a final sip, I closed the door behind me. Met with silence, I sensed the weight of tension hanging heavy in the air. Deciding one more bourbon was in order, I made my way to the kitchen, intent on pouring myself one last drink. In a bid to ensure a restful night, I opted to accompany my indulgence in alcohol with a hefty dosage of sleeping pills. A reckless choice, I'm aware, but perhaps death was in fact the ultimate form of slumber. I settled onto the couch, flicking through channels until my libation was drained. Feeling sufficiently relaxed, I decided it was time for bed. Ascending the stairs, I stumbled and collapsed onto the master bedroom's mattress. Sleep enveloped me swiftly that night, yet trouble was never far behind.
I recall waking during the night and noticing that the hallway light remained illuminated. It struck me as odd since I distinctly remember switching it off before retiring to bed. However, given my inebriated state from the copious amounts of alcohol I had consumed, I surmised that I must have simply forgotten. I'd just get up and switch it off, but a wave of unease washed over me. Despite my intentions, I found myself paralyzed, trapped within my own body once again. I found myself transfixed on the door, illuminated by the soft glow seeping in from the hallway. In that moment, I discerned a shadowy figure lurking behind the door.
I hoped it was my wife, but a gut feeling told me otherwise; this time felt different, suffocated by an eerie malevolence. The doorknob rattled violently, as if something were struggling to open it. Yet, amidst the noise I caught a sinister snicker. The relentless jiggling of the doorknob reached a fever pitch, threatening to wrench it free from its socket at any instant. Then, as abruptly as it began, the tumult ceased, leaving an ominous silence hanging in the air. The door then creaked open with a slow, foreboding motion.
A sinister, shapeless presence loomed in the doorway, defying gravity as it hovered above the ground, its shadowy form exaggerated by the eerie glow seeping in from the hallway. I whimpered, struggling to stir my limbs in a futile attempt to awaken my body, but they responded only with slight twitches. My gaze remained fixed on the form before me, immobilized by fear. Suddenly, a sinuous appendage extended from the specter's face, resembling a long, black tentacle. It elongated and snaked toward me, prompting me to instinctively shut my eyes. Sensing its proximity, I remained frozen, an icy chill grazed my forehead, jolting me awake in an instant. Sleep eluded me for the rest of the night, so I opted for an early morning, brewing a pot of coffee to chase away the lingering unease.
For the following weeks, my routine remained monotonous: work, microwave dinner, then numbness induced by sleeping pills and bourbon until I could no longer keep my eyes open. I received a text from my mother-in-law stating that my wife wanted to reconcile, but insisted on therapy and my attendance at AA meetings. I refused, firmly convinced that all I desired was to reclaim my bed, and that her reaction was excessive. I contended that the alcohol provided comfort, a gesture I hadn't received from her in quite some time. My mother-in-law and wife were both displeased with my response; it became apparent that divorce was now the inevitable solution.
At this juncture, I experienced sleep paralysis on a daily basis, even in the absence of the entity. Each night, I would awaken multiple times, unable to move, only freeing myself to find dread awaiting the next episode upon returning to sleep. There was one rare night when I slept soundly, only to be abruptly awakened by a late-night call from an old friend. We had a bond stretching back to our middle school days, and were inseparable back then. However, this call wasn't one of nostalgia; it was about money. He needed a bailout for his mortgage, promising a swift repayment.
I moved to the edge of my bed, frustration mounting as I started to rub my forehead. "I can't, I just can't right now, I need to get back to sleep good—"
He interrupted me. "Please, I don't want to lose the house."
I found myself raising my voice in frustration as irritation crept in. It appeared he was wholly incapable of learning from his mistakes. "Look, it isn't my responsibility to bail you out every time you're in trouble!"
"I know, I know, please, at least do it for Eli, Chelsea left me all alone and it's been hard man." His voice starting to crack.
My voice raising to a near scream; "He isn't my responsibility either! You should have been careful! I told you she wasn't good for you and you didn't listen! Sort your own shit out from now on!"
I ended the call and slammed the phone onto my nightstand. So much for a good night's rest, thanks a lot, friend.
As my life spiraled further into chaos, I realized I needed to explore solutions beyond relying on alcohol and sleeping pills to combat sleep paralysis. Perhaps a spiritual approach was necessary. While I knew my mother would be pleased with this consideration, I'm certain what I had in mind would be vehemently discouraged. My mother firmly believed in the existence of demons, warning against interacting with them outside of 'God's protection'. Perhaps she was right, but I grew desperate for a solution. At this stage, I was willing to do anything for peace of mind, regardless of the consequences. So, I concocted a masterful plan:
I'd simply ask it what it would take to make it stop.
Each morning was fraught with dread, pondering whether the entity would manifest itself. I ensured to kickstart my day with a potent drink, maintaining a steady buzz throughout, perhaps to stave off any wavering doubts about my decision. My patience bore fruit one fateful night as I found myself immobilized once more.
This marked the initial instance when the entity directly addressed me, and its words seared into my memory with chilling permanence. It uttered abhorrent, repulsive, unfathomable insults about me, branding me a failure, devoid of worth, as insignificant as a microbe. It dissected my existence, critiquing my choices, appearance, and demeanor with a cruelty I had never encountered. It seemed to possess an uncanny ability to strike at the core of my being, as if it wielded a weapon honed to annihilate my spirit. And then, its merciless laughter echoed relentlessly.
In that moment, I recognized it as my opportunity to retort. However, the barrage of insults stoked a fire within me, igniting a fury that overpowered my intentions. What did this entity presume to know about me? It was entirely mistaken, and that infuriated me. Against my better judgment, fueled by indignation, I deviated from my plan and impulsively blurted out: "What's so damn funny?!"
As the words echoed in my mind, the laughter abruptly ceased, leaving behind an eerie silence. Relief flooded through me as I dared to hope that I had put an end to the ordeal. Yet, my premature celebration was cut short when an indescribable dread enveloped me. A black ichor oozed onto the floor beside my bed, signaling the beginning of a hellish spectacle. From the viscous sludge, a dark figure emerged, coated in sticky tar, yet defying gravity as it ascended, hovering above the ground.
Above me, it loomed, its weighty presence palpable as thick sludge cascaded onto the bed, it halted directly over me. Its head inclined, scrutinizing me with unseen gaze. Tears welled in my eyes, hot and unrestrained, as I braced for the inevitable embrace of death. The figure gradually descended, its feet pressing into my chest with an icy chill coursing through me. As its waist aligned with my sternum, a frigid sensation enveloped me. With a swift motion, it plunged its hand into my chest, seizing my heart, and darkness consumed my senses.
I felt a terrifying pull downward, as if gravity itself had gone haywire. My stomach churned with a sickening weightlessness, reminiscent of a plummeting elevator. As my descent abruptly halted, the sound of wind rushing in my ears gave way to a sudden explosion—a resounding burst, resembling the opening of a parachute. That's when I sensed something coiling around my waist, though invisible to my eyes. Desperate to break free, I reached out, only to recoil in horror as my fingers brushed against scaly, rough skin.
Simultaneously, the air filled with the echoing beat of what seemed like enormous wings, while I experienced the unsettling sensation of being lifted and dropped. Though I had a suspicion about what gripped me, disbelief held me back from fully acknowledging it. So, resigned, I surrendered to my captor's will, allowing them to transport me to an unknown destination. As the darkness yielded, a faint glow emerged beneath us—a jagged line emanating an eerie orange-red light. The creature descended, revealing a sight that churned my stomach: bubbling lava. Its faint glow barely illuminated what seemed to be a cavern.
As I descended further into the cavern's depths, the beast veered close enough for me to sense the searing warmth of the lava beneath my feet. Gradually, our descent stabilized, and my gaze shifted forward, revealing a massive door-like structure. Its design echoed the grandeur of ancient Gothic architecture, adorned with pointed arches and intricate buttresses. The edifice appeared crafted from a peculiar variety of marble, possessing a beauty tinged with an unsettling aura. Its construction defied convention, evoking a sense of unease; never before had anything been wrought in such a manner.
As the creature descended once more, carrying me firmly, we passed through the doorway, revealing the true scale of the chamber. Beyond the threshold, a vast expanse unfolded, illuminated by a solitary spherical light source, casting an unsettlingly dim glow upon a colossal, otherworldly mechanism. It resembled a colossal pillar, stretching upward into the darkness of the cavern, its details obscured by the dim light. Within its intricate workings, gears, wheels, and chains rotated at a languid pace. Amidst this mechanical labyrinth, my attention was drawn to a swirling mass of gray at the base of the mechanism, slowly undulating. The beast appeared to be steering us directly toward it.
As we drew nearer, we sailed past what appeared to be a platform, upon which perched a colossal beast. Its form resembled that of a massive reptilian creature, akin to what one might envision as a dinosaur. Yet, it stood upright on two legs, its powerful limbs chained firmly to the platform. With each short, sharp inhalation, it unleashed a deafening roar that reverberated through every fiber of my being. I couldn't help but notice the protrusion of its jugular vein, roughly the size of my upper thigh, expanding with each thunderous cry. As we approached the swirling mass of gray, a sudden wave of horror washed over me as I comprehended its true nature.
A sea of people.
I observed that they were all bound together by chains, encircling their arms, legs, and necks. These chains converged at the towering pillar, linking each individual to the mechanism. The mass of people moved in a circular motion, driving the turning of the cogs. Their pallid complexion suggested an absence of life, as if all vitality had been drained from them. Their agonized screams pierced the air, mouths devoid of tongues. I witnessed an individual collapse to their knees, only to be forcefully yanked upright by some unseen power, rest was an elusive notion in this place. To my horror, amidst the throng of young adults and the elderly, I saw children swept along by the relentless current of the crowd.
As the creature positioned me amidst the multitude, I pleaded desperately, but it was futile; the chains had already ensnared me. With each movement of the mass of people, I felt the tug on my own chain, pressed in on all sides without an inch of space to spare. The towering figures around me obscured any view beyond their heads, leaving me engulfed in a sea of bodies.
My voice pierced the chaotic symphony of screams, rising in a desperate plea for escape.
"Please! I don't belong here! I just wanted to sleep, this is a mistake!"
As I cried out, the orb of light began to shift, seemingly in response to my desperate appeals. As it drew closer and closer, a sense of dread gripped me. Hovering ominously above, it revealed itself as a grotesque monstrosity, casting a sickly glow that chilled me to the bone. I fought the overwhelming urge to collapse, my knees weakening with each passing moment. What loomed overhead defied any attempt at human description; it resembled a cluster of intertwining tubes, swirling and spiraling in a mesmerizing dance that transcended the bounds of reality. Bathed in a sickly blue light that pulsed like molten lava beneath its tendrils.
The light wrought a profound transformation within me, granting a clarity of self-awareness unlike anything I had ever known. In its piercing illumination, I was confronted with the raw truth of my being, stripped of illusion or denial. It was a sobering revelation, an awakening to the most authentic understanding of myself I had ever experienced.
I belonged here.
I had systematically driven away my friends, neglecting their presence and refusing to open up to them. Even my own mother's attempts at connection felt burdensome, our conversations reduced to mere obligations. But perhaps the greatest tragedy lay in the chasm that had formed between my wife and me—a divide entirely of my own making. I was the architect of my own downfall, responsible for the ruin of my life, with no one else to blame but myself. Every word the entity had uttered about me held a painful truth.
From this vantage point, my life appeared almost sweet in retrospect, bathed in the stark light of self-awareness. Yet, any semblance of hope quickly dissolved, for in this desolate realm, hope found no foothold, no sanctuary to thrive.
With my head bowed low, I trudged forward, the weight of my chain pulling me inexorably onward. In a moment of unprecedented vulnerability, I found myself offering a prayer. Despite my awareness that it would likely go unanswered, I embraced the grim reality of my fate, accepting it with a heavy heart.
God, have mercy on me…
Suddenly the sound of chains breaking shattered the air as I was yanked upward with astonishing velocity. In a sudden blur, the scene below shrank rapidly beneath me. The rush of wind buffeted me, and I sensed another presence, an arm wrapped around my waist. Clutching onto it tightly, I braced myself as the cavern's light faded into absolute darkness, squeezing my eyes shut against the unknown.
With a jolt, my rapid ascent came to an abrupt halt, my back colliding with something soft. Gradually, I realized I was back in the familiarity of my own bed. At the foot of the bed stood a figure, its features obscured by a radiant glow emanating from its form, resembling molten glass. The brilliance bathed the entire room in an ethereal light. For a fleeting moment, we locked gazes, suspended in a silent exchange. Then, as swiftly as it had appeared, the figure began to ascend, leaving my room cloaked once more in shadows.
I sat in silence for a while, grappling with the enormity of my experience. To dismiss it as a mere nightmare or hallucination would be a gross understatement; whatever transpired felt hauntingly more vivid and tangible than my current reality. It would take me months of introspection and contemplation to begin to make sense of it all, to reconcile the surreal with the mundane, and to find a semblance of peace within myself.
Although the experience didn't trigger an immediate transformation, its impact lingered, nudging me towards a path of change. Despite my ongoing struggle with alcohol addiction, I made a conscious decision to seek help. I began prioritizing regular hangouts with my best friend and even accompanied my mom to a few church visits. While I remained uncertain about my own connection to religion, witnessing her joy brought a sense of fulfillment that warmed my heart. In making her happy, I found a newfound source of happiness within myself.
As time passed, a sense of progress gradually infused my life. Achieving a year of sobriety marked a significant milestone on my journey, celebrated amidst the supportive community of AA. Even my wife took notice of my efforts towards self-improvement, leading us to embark on marriage counseling together. Before long, her return to our home signaled a hopeful new chapter in our relationship.
Not a trace of sleep paralysis had haunted me since that fateful night when I was guided from the depths of despair. I'm not entirely sure if it was an angel, or God, but whatever it was, it spared me, and for that, I'm grateful. And now, the most joyous news of all: my wife and I are expecting our first child next week. The doctors assure us of her perfect health, filling us with anticipation and gratitude. As for her name, I already have the perfect one in mind:
Grace

I was talking to a friend of mine on what I think a good raid in Warframe could look like and he thought I should share the idea here so I would like to hear what you guys think.
ALTHOUGH I DON’T THINK I WENT INTO ANY SPOILER TERRITORY I STILL WANT TO WARN THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE NOT DONE THE DEADLOCK PROTOCOL NOR CALL OF THE TEMPESTARII. I WILL TALK ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE REVEALED IN THESE QUESTS. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE NOT MAJOR SPOILERS, SOME MAY CONSIDER IT SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Assault on Parvo Granum's Ship

Tenno, we have located Parvo Granum ship's in the Neptune Proxima Sector. Your mission is to infiltrate his ship and eliminate Parvo Granum. Be cautious, he has armed his forces with all the military equipment money can buy. This may be your most challenging assignment yet; you will need reinforcements from your fellow Tenno. - Lotus
Pre-Raid
To unlock the raid, you will need to have completed all nodes in steel path, completed the quests The New War, and Call of the Tempestarii. There will be a solo quest to unlock it called "Locating Parvos Granum" where you will do a "light" version of the raid to understand how the raid will work. After you finish it, a new node will be unlocked, a Relay which serves as the Hub to the raid which has the market for the raid and a leaderboard.
The quest will be a solo quest, the normal version will be a 1 squad 4 player raid, then the true raid (Steel Path) will be a 4 squad 16 player raid. Steel Path Raid will only unlock when you have completed the normal raid at least once.

Phase 0: Raid Prep

• On the Normal Raid you will select one player to be the host for the Railjack (host for the raid will be the one with the best overall connection).
• On Steel Path Raid you will have 4 teams (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta) to pick from. Each team will select 1 player to be the host for the Railjack (host for the raid will be the one with the best overall connection across all 16 players).
  • A new chat box will also open called "Raid Team" which includes all 16 players
  • When a player types there, a [A], [B], [C], or [D] will appear near their name to show what team they are on
• On both raids you will see what gear each player is bringing into the raid and are able to edit your gear prior to starting the raid.

Phase 1: Railjack Assault

Tenno, there it is, the Creator of Enormous Opportunities (C.E.O.). It is more heavily guarded then we expected. You will need to destroy the surrounding ships to create an opening. Be careful, they have already spotted you. - Lotus
The mission will start in your Railjack. Your objective is similar to Railjack missions in which you will have to destroy Fighter Crafts, Crewships, and board the Corpus Capital Ships to destroy the shield that guards the C.E.O.

• In the story mission you will be provided with Warframe specters instead of crew members if you do not have crew members for your Railjack.
• In the story mission, there will be 1 Pillar, the normal raid there will be 2 Stanchion, and the Steel Path will have 8 Obelisk.
• The objective is to destroy the Corpus Capital Ships while not letting any of the Railjacks get destroyed nor running out of lives.
• As the mission progresses, more Fighter Crafts and Crewships will spawn trying to destroy the Railjacks.
• Inside each of the Corpus Capital Ships you will fight a Spector Warframe that will drop part of a key to disable the shields protecting the core of the ship.
• When you destroy the core, the ship will start to blow up and you need to leave before the counter reaches zero. Along the way, the doors will be sealed and you need to hack some doors, blow up doors, or kill Spector Warframes to unlock the doors. Failure to leave in time will cause the core to explode and you to lose a life
• Once all the Capital Ships are destroyed, the C.E.O. is exposed and you can now board it

Phase 2: Infiltrate

Tenno, this C.E.O. is different, it is using an adaptive firewall that cannot be hacked the conventional way. We must stop its adaptation before I can hack into the systems to disable the... Oh no, life support systems are down and multiple reinforcements are on the way! Hack into the systems, keep the oxygen flowing, and stop the reinforcement before it is too late! - Lotus
Phase 2 will have you start at a central point with 5 doors.

• The main door in the middle (Door 5) will have multiple layers of lasers (aka the Adaptive Firewall).
• Door 1 will be an endless survival mission.
  • All oxygen gain in this survival mission will be applied to all squads across the raid
    • Solo Story depletes 1/2 as fast
    • Normal Raid will deplete as normal
    • Steel path will deplete twice as fast
  • At random moments a Special Corpus unit will spawn and will deplete the oxygen faster (like the thrax on Lua)
• Door 2 will be an endless defense mission.
  • At the center there will be the C.E.O. Mainframe Computer
    • Solo Story will have 1 wave of defense sometimes towards the middle of phase 2
    • Normal Raid will have random waves that spawn and will alert the players when they are about to happen
    • Steel Path Raid will always have enemies spawning
  • Lotus will be focused on using it to hack the Firewall while the Corpus will try to destroy it to prevent you from breaking in
  • At random moments a Special Corpus unit will spawn that will either do more damage to the Mainframe, implant a virus that will cause a D.O.T. on the Mainframe, or undo some of your progress if they either get to the Mainframe or successfully use a terminal (like how the murmurs spawn the Necramechs)
• Door 3 will be an endless disruption mission.
  • Each successful terminal will give lotus data to be able to hack the Mainframe
    • Solo Story will have a fast-hacking progress
    • Normal Raid will have a medium hacking progress
    • Steel path will have a slow hacking progress
  • Each failed terminal will give less data to lotus
    • If all 4 fails, the hacking stops and the progress goes down as the Adaptive Firewall recuperates
    • At 3 fails, it slowly recuperates
    • At 2 fails it stagnates
    • At 1 fail it goes up slowly
    • At 0 fails it goes up quickly
  • At random moments a Special Corpus unit will spawn (not the Demolysts, they spawn as normal) that can only be taken down by a Necramech
    • They will head towards a terminal and destroy it even if the key was not placed on it
    • Unlike Demolysts, they do not blow themselves up but instead will move on to the next terminal
    • Unlike normal disruption, the 4 terminals will be in different rooms to prevent this special unit from destroying two terminals in rapid succession
• Door 4 will be an endless exterminate mission
  • Unlike the survival mission, this one does not drop oxygen
  • What this does though is spawn reinforcements for the other 3 doors
  • If enemies are not killed fast enough here, they will overflow into the other missions making them harder
    • Solo Story will alert you when the spawns have increased once
    • Normal Raid will spawn waves at random and you need to go there to decrease the spawns temporarily
    • Steel path will constantly spawn enemies
  • At random moments a Special Corpus unit will spawn that will cause the corpus to invade one door instead of evenly spread across the 3 doors
    • As long as this unit is alive, that chosen door will continuously get an increase in spawn, level, and have more special units spawn
    • Randomly an Elite Special Corpus unit will spawn that will apply this to all doors instead of just 1
• The mission succeeds if Lotus is able to finish hacking the Mainframe
• The mission fails if 1. The oxygen runs out
  • 2) The main frame computer is destroyed
  • 3) All player's lives are exhausted
• All 4 doors will have an extraction point unlocked from the start so you can leave and chose a different door at any time
• If a team is in a door (let’s say the exterminate door) and a second team goes in it, they join the other team in the mission

After going back and forth between these 4 doors, door 5 will open and you will move on to the last pahse.

Phase 3: Parvos Granum

Tenno. What an honor for you to join me in this important business meeting. I was about to show these investors what true power my new creations have brought except, we did not have test subjects. Thank you for investing your bodies to the Corpus cause. - Parvos Granum
Tenno. Be careful, my scanners are [static] up an [static]high energy [static]. It [static]unlike anything [long static] seen before. This [static] mistake, retreat now! - Lotus
Too late Lotus - Parvos Granum
Phase 3 is a boss battle with Parvos Granum, The Sisters of Parvos, and his new MOA, Corpus' Tenno Obliterator (C.T.O.)

• Parvos Granum will cause random debuffs such as energy drain, nullification field (aka no Warframe abilities), toxic gas, etc.
  • When you spawn in the room, a debuff will be triggered
  • Solo Story will have a long cooldown between effects
  • Normal Raid will have medium cooldown
  • Steel path will have a short cooldown and multiple debuffs can be triggered at the same time
• The Sisters of Parvos will be there to get in the way of the Tennos
  • Solo Story will spawn 1
  • Normal Raid will spawn 4
  • Steel path will spawn 4 at once but will rotate between 10 random sisters
  • Each sister will spawn with a random Tenet gun (Steel path will spawn with all 10 guns)
  • When you down a sister, one of them (picked at random) will drop a key
  • After collecting the key, you can neutralize the debuff for a short time
  • After a certain amount of time has passed, they will pick themselves up and start fighting again
• The C.T.O. will be in the center of the arena shooting the Tennos
  • It is initially immune to damage
  • To damage it, you need to hack a terminal that will dispense canisters of coolant which will cause the shields to disable for a few seconds
    • Solo Story will last for 10 seconds
    • Normal Raid will last for 5 seconds
    • Steel path will last for 2 seconds
  • If it takes a certain amount of damage in a short time frame, it goes into overclock mode
    • Overclock increases damage, increases attack speed, and becomes immune to damage
    • To stop overclock mode, coolant canisters need to be thrown at it
• The mission succeeds after the C.T.O. is destroyed
• The mission fails if every Tenno loses all their lives

After killing everything, exhausted the Tenno approaches Parvos Gran who is on the verge of death only to find out it is a specter.
So these new specters were able to fool even the Lotus. Imagine how our companies will be if we can always be there, watching over them. - Investor A
I agree, we can essentially live forever without the same drawbacks as the Queens had with Kuva. - Investor B
Though it is still in its early stages, I am excited to see how you will improve this Parvos - Investor C
Thank you. Now onto our next agenda. Oh, and Tenno, thank you too for investing in the Corpus cause - Parvos Granum
Once all that is done, we find out that Parvos left some of his investments in the ship (aka our loot). We collect it and extract

Reward

This is the part that I do not really know the best way to handle but I do have some general ideas

1. The reward here needs to be exclusive. Even if D.E. makes a new raid in the future, these rewards cannot be shared to keep each raid valuable
2. On that same note, they cannot be traded, only earned
3. The different tires will give you different rewards
   1. Solo Story will unlock the raid
   2. Normal Raid will reveille 4 rewards and you pick 1 (like how relics work)
   3. Steel path will reveille 16 rewards and you pick 4 (like how relics work)
4. The rewards are drawn from a pool of rewards
   1. The common pool will include a "Corpus Coin" which can be used to buy common rewards in the raid relay
   2. The uncommon pool will include a "Corpus Void Infuser" which can crack open a relic without you having to run void fissures
   3. The rare pool will include exclusive weapons and by getting the weapons, you unlock their skins to be used in weapons of the same category
   4. An exclusive skin for the Warframe you used in the raid (only available in the Steel Path Raid) that you automatically get when you finish the raid
5. You get a certain amount of rewards from the reward pool per week (let’s say 5 like now the Netracells are) and after that you only get "Corpus Coin" as a reward
6. In the relay shop, you can buy evergreen items like relic packs, arcanes, endo, credits, kuva, universal medallions, etc... I don't know where would be fair to draw the line but there needs to be a reason to run the raid even after you have done your weekly runs

Conclusion

Thank you for joining my Ted Talk, and I would love to hear your suggestions on how to make this better. Any edits I do I will include the old version below as a record of how it has changed (if this post gets a lot of views/comments)
Edit 1: Grammar
Edit 2: Changed the sister spawn in Steel path from 10 to 4 at once
Edit 3: Changed the ending from:
After the C.T.O. is destroyed, I can see a few different scenarios depending on how D.E. wants the story to progress

1. We find out that the Parvos Granum we fought was a new, more intelligent specter, and the real Parvos is on another C.E.O. ship collecting data for the next C.T.O./Spector
2. The investors are not happy with the C.T.O. and decide not to invest and Parvos furious escapes
3. We harm Parvos leaving him with some kind of skar and he swears he will return with an improved C.T.O.

First Issue!

• Author's Note: Hello! Yes I am not dead, yet! And so we march on with the series! I still have more college work to do until I'm done, but we're getting near that. Also I'd like to officially say that Issue #61 can be considered as an official end OF a BOOK 1 for Beast World. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!! I SAID end of book 1 NOT the series! We shall continue on, soon enough. So, relax, enjoy the read and if you like what you see, you can support me on my ko-fi page! This is also where I post art drawn by me of various characters from Beast World or other series or one shots I write!

The night before Michael's departure was one of various mixed emotions, that melded into a concoction of both cheer and anxiousness. The human and his tribe of tuskir would share food as they aided their newest member in his preparations.
Woh and Oinna worked carefully together to prepare several vials of poison, diluted with water, as well as a few herbal medicines.
Zurra and Azhul would work the forge, daughter and mother stoking the fires of their smithy's hearth to finish up a steel knuckle duster that the older woman had been preparing to forge from before. After replacing the metal rods on his leather bracers with steel and studding the leather for extra reinforcement, the two put forward their creations for Michael to dawn, to which he was greatful.
Urla and Runhar would share more of what they know about the Rock Backs or what to expect of their leader, but the discussions from before already covered most of that information.
After all that could be done had been finished, a fresh leather backpack of supplies was provided to the human with a few extra tools, besides his own belongings, and then all that remained to do was for them to steel themselves.
Maybe not everyone realized the implications of this separating venture, but one knot that could build in their throats would be at the realization that their newest tribe member was about to leave and depending on how things would fare... he might come back unharmed and with stories plentiful in detail of what happened, he might not return to them at all or, at worst... he'd be befallen by a fate they'd not know of.
A final meal together was being held, most of the people of the tribe awake, decided to remain as such and hold out this white night with Michael, waiting with a discomfort that was palpable in the air. As the time of reckoning was slowly coming upon them, the relaxed attitudes of all involved began to stifle and die down.
Vodra and Nushii were situated closest by him, the latter curled up in a half asleep ball next to Michael, rather than sitting. Runhar, Ghura and Azhul, sat further to his sides, their sitting positions, curving around the fire they all encircled, with Oinna, Zurra and Urla being on the other side of the slowly dying flame. And of course, Woh, unlikely to leave herself out from this gathered vigil, was sat atop Michael's hair, camouflaged partially by his thickened curly locks. Nobody knew what to say, there was nothing easy to bring up, but doubt and uneasiness in one's heart might lead them to speak their mind, out of a compassionate worry.
Zurra was the one bearing a heavy seed of doubt and fear in her breast. As she held tightly onto a metal mug full of steaming broth, she took a brief sip of it as her gaze lifted to look at the grouping around the fire. "We certain this be the correct choice? We coulda 'bandon de Hay-yen group, the whol' allyin' with 'em plan... it is too risky to... well, to do this!" The elderly sow spoke, her voice not showing her usual furious anger derived from passion, but instead upset, born of frustration, fear and uncertainty.
"It might be, but I want to do it. I've been thinking why am I doing this to basically save a group of people with whom we were basically at war a month ago. Their upbringing by their leading shaman and elders is not an excuse for their actions, but wouldn't it be nice to get them a chance? A chance that they are also willing to take, even if they feel skeptical about our intentions and us about their?" Michael looked at Nushii who slept and then exchanged a glance with Vodra who gave a slow nod and blink back.
"Bah! These two's exceptions an' ya kno' that." Zurra said as she then sat her mug down on a crate forcefully, spilling a bit of the contents.
"There ain' no point in arguin'. The deal was struck an' backin' out now will jus' give us headaches with the Rock Backs." Gharna said with a snort which vocalized better than any words that she wasn't thrilled either about this.
"Aye, ma'. Ya kno' already when he makes up 'is mind ta do somethin' he sticks to it worse than blood stains on cloth. Heh... same type-a stubborness that got 'im stuck fer hours keepin' yer forge stoked." Azhul added with a chuckle as she looked at her mother than at Michael, who smiled and laughed with a tired tone.
"Even if we don' like it, we have already all agreed to help make this happen. Otherwise I don' think we'd have put the efforts we did towards preparin' Michael fer da trip." Runhar interjected as well as he sipped his own broth from a bowl.
As the consensus from before had been reaffirmed verbally, the group had fallen quiet once more, in a silence that showed the stewing emotions that bubbled below it. Michael felt it too, he knew what these situations were like from having to deal with them with his own family.
"Well, while I'm gone, hopefully not long, I thought it would be good to get some things done, even if not everything gets finished, I'm thinking that we should keep to a... hm... how to word this? A time line?" The human said uncertain on how to properly put his thoughts in words. Certainly would seem unlike him to struggle with this, but only when his guard was down. In this moment there was no immediate threat, so he was as true to the real him as he could be.
"Oh? Afraid things will stagnate while you are gone due to some of us being uncertain of the situation? Although I certainly appreciate yer concern, none shall remain still while I am here. What have you been thinking of?" Urla asked from her seated position, her inquisitive questioning being as cold as her usual tone.
"Well. I believe there's two things that are need to get done. Integrating the remaining Hay-yen and starting up with trading goods. We still have hos-... injured refugees that are being treated, due to their... shakey condition, right? We need to see that they can adapt to their situation like Nushii and Vodra did. Maintain aid and contact with the Hay-yen settlement, I think this would be best done by working together on things you and they need, maybe repairs and expanding a bit." Michael would say certain of his thoughts on the matter.
"I wasn't going to wait for you to ask, but we'll try to help with that as well. I believe it will be... emboldening to see us work along Tuskir for the others." Vodra said while looking at Nushii. Soon after she'd meet Michael's gaze, with a glint of important purpose in them. "And hence we know not what happened with the old shaman, we could also focus on geting a better grasp on that, as well, since we've been discussing about it."
Michael nodded in agreement, his expression showing that he was pleased with Vodra's additions to his points.
Urla would nod as she listened before clearing her throat. "I see the point. We'll be doing our best here, so make sure you return to us in one piece. That is an order from me to you, as your den mother, Michael." The old sow spoke with utmost seriousness in her tone.
"Understood, Elder Urla." He replied with a cheeky tone, a faint smirk creeping up on his lips.
Soon after the human's reply, the slow steps of Yenna approaching could be herd in the crisp silence of the night. The young Tuskir moved with stuttered and tired steps as he came about closer, holding Michael's phone in one hand and a carving of wood in the other.
"Got your fill of references?" Michael asked with a soft smile as Yenna handed him his phone, tucking it into his leather backpack.
"Aye, but tis ain't based on 'em... keepin' those in me workshop. Drew a few sketches in coal based on 'em, too." The young tuskir said with a tired huff. He then held up the tiny wooden statue that depicted an elderly scars covered tuskir, with a billowing cloak and two handaxes.
Michael looked at it as his heart knotted with a renewed sorrowful melancholy. He held up his hand as his expression asked wordlessly if he could hold it to which Yenna handed it. The human looked at it closely. The carved tuskir struck a pose of on guard and ready to attack, the expression although hard to read for Michael, the eyes were shown with a guardian's battle focus carved into them.
"It looks just like the old man... you have an amazing hand Yenna." Michael said while looking the statue of Spek from all angles possible. Unknown if by accident or if by unconcious choice, Michael ran his digits under the statue's base, feeling it to have been carved up.
Turning it upside down he glanced at carved letters in the Tuskir's written tongue, which to him looked akin to unreadable scratches. Before he could even ask about their meaning Yenna spoke, almost solemnly.
"Tough Hide Spek, The Forever Guardian." The young tuskir said as he sniffled while seating himself near Michael.
"Looks like a good piece, brother." Gharna said from the side with a soft proudness to her voice.
"Indeed. Where are you thinking of putting it?" Michael confirmed his own feelings of admiration towards the small sculpture.
"Thought ya could hold onto it, a reminder o' us fer while yer gone. I was useless in that fight, hidin' with the younger piglets an' guardin' 'em... actin' as if it got to it I could protect them... while you all were layin' yer lives down, fightin'. This is the only thing I'm good at... you were close to 'im so I thought it would be only natural that he look over ya for us." Yenna said with a pain of his own in his words as he verbally flagellated himself over his helplessness.
"Yenna. Don't be harsh on yourself, everyone's got their talents. Yours will be most important." Michael then stood up in a very official manner and he put a hand on the young tuskir's shoulder. "You'll actually make yourself invaluable. You'll be pretty much carving all the handles for the steel peelers we will be selling. And to make the sales go better I recommend making them with engraved designs in the wood or even carving random names into them, since some people love buying stuff like that."
At that point Yenna looked back at Michael, the previous glint of emotionally charged energy dissapearing from his gaze while the unhearable echo of a mute glass crack seemed to make the young tuskir wince. "I'll be what?!"
"Yes." Michael said with a small proud smile as he nodded and patted Yenna on the back.
Gharna couldn't help herself, so she let out snorts, chuckles and short squeals as she giggled. "W-well hah! Ahem... pft... blood brother, you always did say you liked to carve things daintier than plain handaxes..." she added in a teasing tone.
"By the Hunt Father, that sucks for ya Yen-yen." Azhul said trying and succeeding a bit better at masking her chuckles. Still, the large tuskir woman's giggles would be interrupted by a slap on her furred nape from her own mother who seemed to hear her. "AGH! What was that fer?!"
"Who do ya fink is gon' be makin' the blades?" The older buff sow asked while looking at her daughter with mild dissapointment.
Azhul took half a minute longer than she should have to spit out an answer. "Us?" She said while Zurra stared at her with mild dissapointment, giving a single solemn confirming nod. "Oh-... ohhh.... Uughhhhhh... us..." she said with a premptively exhausted tone, as she came to this realization, with a deflating snort and groan while facepalming.
Azhul's reaction managed to rip chuckles and hearty laughs from most of those around, Michael laughing hard enough to nearly keel over from it. As the human took a moment to calm down, the corner of his eye would be greeted by the first wisps of light presenting themselves on the horizon. The moment he saw them, his jovial laugh seemed to drop, his eyes looking at the slowly crawling rays of light as if they were telling him something.
"Well... it seems like my time has expired. I'll... uhm... check my shack once over and make sure I didn't forget anything." The human said as he took a glance into his leathet backpack and then slung it over his shoulders.
"Ah-... alright. We'll start cleaning up here and when we're all done, we'll see you at the gate." Runhar said as he finished his broth, his tone betraying his own insecurities despite supporting this final plan.
Michael nodded back to the captain before taking a few moments to grasp a half asleep Woh and untangle her from the curls at the top of his head. Although he tried not to wake her, the amphoran woke up blinking lazily one eye at a time before her gaze focused on Michael's face.
"Aaagh~... is the borin' talking done, yet?" She asked while stretching relaxed inbetween Michael's digits, then groaning and going limp much like a sibling would when carried by the older one.
"Yeah. And I'm also preparing to leave. Sun's about to come up so I need to get to the Rock Backs." The human replied with a chuckle at the display before leaning down to set Woh on the seat he previously occupied.
The little amphibian humanoid held onto his digits as if to protest the release. "You promise yer comin' back, ye? I've got years o' hugs and cuddle naps I gotta make up for and I'm needin' ya for that." She said while slowly letting go and curling up on the seat, her gullet inflating as she croaked with exhaustion.
"Mhm. Don't worry. I'll come back and that's a promise I intend to keep." Michael said giving Woh a few scritches onto her back, at which the amphoran let a few low and quick croaks akin to a cat's pur.
"Good... an-... don't take too long... otherwise I'm latchin' myself to your face and never letting go, kero..." Woh said while struggling to stay awake, her conciousness fading as she'd doze off.
Michael smile as he laughed silently responding with a nod before making his way to the shack he called a home for the past while. Inside the ex-storage hut, he'd give the place one final cursory glance, making sure to pack a few clothes he nearly forgot thrown about. Once that was done with, as he was about to turn and exit, the door would creak behind him.
Vodra, together with a half awake Nushii, waltzed in slowly. Michael, unsurprised, would turn and smile as he rubbed one of his eyes. "Eh? Going to sleep already? And here I thought you'd see me off at the gate."
"Nushii's about to keel over asleep again, so I thought it'd be good if she was at least in our beds. I for one am not a fan of things such as seeing someone off in a group." Vodra said while leaning against a creaky wooden wall.
Nushii would stumble a bit before flopping herself onto Michael, who, despite being startled, manages to hold himself and the half asleep Hay-yen up. "Why ya need to go? Who are we going to listen to music with as we sleep, eh? Screw the others... my cousin is a doo doo head anyways..." she mumbled and groaned while nuzzling her head into Michael's hair while closing her half open tired eyes.
"Ay... don't say that. Sigh... I know what it is like to have toxic family members... there's no excuse for the things they did, but that doesn't mean some of them can change, ya know? She was really fired up back at camp. She at least seems to want to have you around. Give it a go and see how you feel about it, then decide if YOU want her in your life, ok?" Michael would say while scratching one of Nushii's ears with a hand and petting her shoulder with the other. "Also... please get off... I feel like my bacl or my knees will give out... p-please." He groaned.
Nushii would let out an affirmative yawned yap like noise, although hard to tell what exactly she was agreeing to. She'd push herself off of Michael and then flop onto one of the beds, sniffing about and crawling her way into a curled up position, smack in the middle of Michael's bed.
The human giggled at the sight as he began making his way to the door, where Vodra stood leaned against the wall. "I uhm... wanted to thank you... for everything." He'd say looking at Vodra as he whispered his words.
"Thank me? I should be the one doing that." Vodra replied in the same low tone.
"Well... I wanted to thank you for all the help you've given around, for trusting me, for co-operating in the beginning... for not slitting my throat in my sleep once you two were out of holding, heh." Michael said with a clearly jesting tone towards the end.
Vodra listened silently as her ears would lower, her head turning to look at him. "I see. I feel like I am the one that owes you... thinking about it... it sounds foolish, but getting taken hostage was the best thing that happened to me. Before that I found myself not really caring about much... I just wanted to do what I had to do and sleep... because at least when I was asleep I didn't feel miserable. Now... I'm actually relatively eager to see what I'm doing when I'm awake."
The Hay-yen woman took a moment to glance at Nushii, who had settled in and appeared to be asleep, as she then gazed back at the human and with a rather stiff and awkward motion she's lean forward her massive and hunched frame, pressing her forehead against the side of his face and her snout into his neck. "When we talked about The Devourer... before that... I never even considered if it was not true or fake or at least... not my truth... not what I wanted to believe in. I just accepted it and resigned myself to the fate I was preached to end up with... if not for you... I'd still see each day as a bleak and empty moment of a pointless existence." Vodra said as small whines escaped at times between her words, a wetness taking to her eyes, that Michael felt against the side of his face.
The human would acknowledge Vodra's subtle burst of emotions by wrapping an around her neck, rubbing the top of her head between the ears. "I struggled with something like that to... the feeling of living for no reason only to know you'll die and that the end might be horrible. The faith of my specific tribe of people back home preached of their beliefs in a bleak and depressing manner, too. I hated it and 'cause of it... I still fear death now, but I've been getting better, you will too. No true Gods would want their mortal children to be miserable, instead they'd want them to learn to live satisfied and enlightened lives and... if there's no Gods that await us when it is all done... at least we know we lived in a good honest way, that we deemed fit and that made us happy."
Vodra didn't reply as she shook lightly against Michael, instead listening content. She'd pull her head back to look at the human, half his face covered in a mix of stray fur hairs mixed with a wetness produced by her tears. As if by instinct she'd give his mug a few licks to clean up the mess before pulling back. "Well... y-yeah. That's what I'm thankful for." She'd say as her usual collected self would start showing again. "Now, get going. Don't want those Rock Backs to go back on their deal 'cause you're arriving late. I need to catch a bit of rest anyways..." The Hay-yen would say as she went past Michael and then curled up on her own bed.
"Sleep well." The human replied as one last faint smile rested upon his lips as he exited the hut, the door creaking as he left.
His lonesome steps made the mix of grass and dirt bemeath his boots to crackle and slosh as he walked. Still, Michael didn't hear them as his mind thought of the situation that was awaiting him. Nobody he could trust would be by his side, he'd have to fake his true self for the purpose of apperances and maintaing their ruse.
'Heh... and here I thought I'd never be the type of person to pretend to be someone he isn't, for the sake of gaining something. Sigh... there's a first for everything, I guess. I said the same thing when I was younger about smoking, yet I fell into that myself. Eeeeh... I could go for a smoke... if I had any left.' Michael thought as he then bumped into something akin to a soft pillar.
Taking half a second to recover from his broken focus, Michael looked at the obstacle he bumped, quickly realizing it was actually Azhul. Confused, his mind quickly came to a possible conclusion to her sudden appearance near his old hut. "Oh- Sorry for taking a moment longer to linger! Was saying goodnight to Vodra and Nushii. Took a second longer than I thought."
"Heh. Aye, yer spot on an' no worries. I just wondered if yer reconsidering this whol' thing. Wouldn't blame ya if you just wanted us to fight it out wif the Rock Backs. It'd make things easier honestly." The large young sow said with a clearly jovial tone, albeit with a tinge of exhaustion to it.
"Heh. I couldn't ask that of you all. We barely made it through that ordeal and not without paying hefty prices... all of us." Michael said in a easy tone that tried and failed to hide a bitterness he still held in himself.
"... Michael. Spek wouldn't blame ya fer his death, truly... Ya kno' that, right?" Azhul said in a softened tone as her ears flopped slightly, a small huff leaving her flat snout.
"I know. I discussed this before. I just... it's not wether he blames me or not... it is wether I can stop blaming myself for it." Michael said with a strained face, his expression seeming to tense, his nostrils flared as he pressed his lips together tight, his eyes shining from the moon light with the glaze of tears that coated them, still and unshed. "So, I'll do my best to care for you all... like Spek would have."
Azhul looked Michael in the eye and after he took a moment to release the tension in his body, the large Tuskir woman, went on to wrap her arms around him and embrace him. He'd pull the human's head into her chest as a three fingered hand grasped his back, the other resting onto the crest of his head.
"Eh?! Azhul?! Didn't you say this is somethi-" Michael yelped muffled from the embrance, his previous sombre mood entirely changing, simply from how sudden the hug yhay enveloped him was.
"Aye. Somethin' ya don' just do with anyone, for tuskir that is. Ya hoomans do it for multiple reasons, ain't that about right? Consoling someone, sounds about right as one o' 'em." The built sow said while slightly tensing her arms around him, as if afraid he'll slip from her grasp. She rested her head on top of his, taking a second to sniff his hair lightly.
"Ah-... yeah... that'd be a reason. Heh... thank you... this... does help." Michael said as he wrapped his own arms around the tuskir woman, although unable to fully wrap them around her.
Azhul huffed repeatedly quick and short as her flat nose nuzzled into Michael's curls, before she looked up, staring at the starry sky while still holding him. "Oi. Ya make sure you come back in one piece, ya hear? And don' go dying, getting nabbed, fallin' fer some ditzy nobody's schemes or anythin' that'll keep ya from coming back to... to... to us, ye?"
"Heh. Don't worry. I'll make sure as soon as I'm done there, I'm coming back ASAP... ah... you'd not know what 'ASAP' means..." Michael said from the hug with an awkward laugh.
"Eh. Presume it's some word that's supposed to mean that you'll come quick or as soon as possible. So don' worry. I getcha." Azhul said as she seemed to take a few moments longer before letting go of Michael, the hand that wrapped to the human's back, now lagged behind a moment longer before letting go with a twitch in the tuskir woman's digits.
Michael realizing it wasn't the time to explain acronyms, nodded as she smiled with a relaxed exhale. "Yeah. Just about that. Well. Let's go then. Don' wanna make the others have second thoughts as well." He'd say while starting to walk in the direction of the gate. Still, Michael stopped immediately as he noticed Azhul was still turned back and unmoving. "Ah... you're not coming?"
The large sow seemed frozen for a few moments, her previous hand still semi outstretched forward, as if reaching for something in the air. After her digits twitched once more and a louder sligtly snotty sounding huff escaped her flat nose, Azhul stretched and let out a yawn. "Ah-... w-well... huff ...I already said my piece. Gonna go ahead an' get some sleep." She replied as she then began heading in the opposing direction at a slow pace.
"Oh, right. Rest well and take care! I'll miss ya and your mother! Hope we can forge more stuff together when I'm back!" Michael replied with his spirits properly uplifted.
Azhul staggered her steps at his words, as if from exhaustion. "... C-Can't wait. Come back already." She said as she waved with the back of her hand, still going her way to rest.
Michael nodded despite knowing she couldn't see him as he then headed to the gate. There more words, encouragements and goodbyes were exchanged by all members of the tribe to their departing pink member. After a last awkward moment of half muttered sentences, Runhar had the gates opened, Michael stepping out towards the darkened forest.
Before he got too far and the rest of his tribe closed up their little safe haven, the human turned to them and in the dim light of the few torches around, he said: "I'll miss you all! See you soon!"
From there his departure felt as quick as the wind, as his form faded into the black nothingness of the forest at night. All of a sudden, the time this stranger turned friend spent in this little settlement, in the middle of nowhere, felt a little shorter than before, but not any less important to all involved.

“It’s a nice place, isn’t it?” Memoria heard her partner say sarcastically.
Byrgenwerth, or what was left of it, lay in front of him and his partner. The abandoned college sat nestled by the side of Scorpion Lake, and it was clear it used to be a place of immense knowledge and beauty. Tall, orderly stone walls held the place up, a domed observatory on the roof. There was a balcony on the back facing the lake, which held a rocking chair to which Provost Willem had taken a liking. The exterior of the college was covered with cracks and vines, a testament to the age of the institution. Once well-kempt gardens surrounded the sturdy walls, and the many unique types of flora had long since escaped their pots and plots. The moons were low tonight, two crescents and one gibbous, against the dark night sky. Gray clouds covered the rest of the sky, giving a sort of ominous look to the old college.
“Aye,” Memoria replied. “And you think there’s the key to the beast cure here?”
Ludwig nodded. “Willem researched the blood before his disappearance. All of his notes and studies will be here unless someone destroyed them. Which is very likely.”
Memoria nearly jumped as an owl’s call broke the night’s silence
The Byrgenwerth scholars. What was it Laurence said about them? He said they had good intentions, but were “ineffective”, whatever that means.
“Let’s not spend any more time than needed here. This place is creepy, and I remember hearing stories of scholars going mad here. If we do find anything, shall we bring it back to Laurence?” Memoria asked. She exhaled a sigh of frostbreath, and she saw Ludwig shiver out of the corner of her eye.
“Yep. He was Willem’s best student, after all. Before he left the college. I really do need to ask him about that sometime.” Ludwig placed a claw on the top of the hilt of his holy silver sword, and Memoria put her wing around him.
“If anything happens, know I love you.” She whispered in his ear, and Ludwig couldn’t help but smile.
“We’ll be fine. We’ve fought worse than whatever could be in there.” She looked at him expectantly. “I love you too,” He added quickly. She kissed his cheek quickly before pulling away.
“Lead the way, Hunter,” Memoria called, and Ludwig blushed.
“Yes. Right. Follow me.” Ludwig drew his sword, and let it rest on his shoulder. Memoria similarly drew her own weapon, a sharp white katana forged in the blue fire of an Icewing forge. Passed down for generations, it was merely ornamental for hundreds of years.
But Memoria had found a use for it: hunting beasts. And furthermore, she found she could strengthen it with her own diseased, corrupted blood.
The looming shadow of Byrgenwerth threatened to blot out what little light the moons gave off.
Such a shadow brought back… unpleasant memories from Memoria’s dragonethood.
It’s in the past now. I’m safe from her now.
She steeled herself and brought her focus forward to the abandoned college. Ludwig was ahead of her on the beaten path. The savanna grasses around them rustled in the eerie winds.
“You alright?” Ludwig called back, noticing something was wrong without even having to look. Memoria wiped away a single tear before responding.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just… was thinking about my mother.”
Ludwig winced slightly. “I’m here for you, you know.”
“I know. I’ll talk about it later. We’re busy right now.”
As soon as she finished that sentence, she thought she heard a loud crash from inside the building. Ludwig stopped walking and raised a talon to motion for Memoria to stop as well.
“There’s a beast in there. A big one. Should I?” He asked, gesturing to his sword. He was asking if he should transform it.
“No. Save your strength.” Memoria told him, and he nodded.
“Alright. Get ready, I’ll draw it out.” Memoria wasted no time, quickly hiding behind a large rock as cover. She held her blade out in front of her, ready to fight to her very last breath.
She peered out from her cover and saw Ludwig standing outside the large wooden doors that served as the entrance to the institution. She spied a brave look on his Nightwing face, and he carefully pulled open one of them.
He quickly darted to the side as a massive beast lunged at him.
It was three times the height of a dragon. It stood on two legs, like a human, and remnants of what used to be wings dangled from its back. Its haunches were bent unnaturally from the awkward position, and its two arms were long and bare. A mix of both fur and orange-black scales covered its body, and it had a mane of grayish fur around its head. Its body was very slim, and one could see its ribcage jutting out at just a glance. Its right arm was massive compared to its left, and what used to be its claws had been replaced by long curling fur. Blood stained its beastly hide.
Its face was wolf-like in shape; covered in fur, shaped like a canine, and blank, bare eyes. Two antlers, similar to a deer, protruded from the top of its head, and it had the most horrible, blood-curdling screech. The remains of a tattered white cloak hung from its back, and Memoria realized this fearsome beast was once a Hunter of the Sun.
The beast slammed its larger arm where Ludwig once stood, cracking the stone beneath. The agile Nightwing was already behind the beast, and he sliced at the beast’s left leg. His sword didn’t go all the way through, but it did draw a fair amount of blood. The beast staggered and fell to the ground in a lump. Memoria launched herself into the air, twisting her wings and tail to give herself more speed, and readied her katana. With the force of a falling meteor, she brought the blade down on the cut that Ludwig had made on the beast’s leg.
The sharp edge went straight through, severing from above the knee and crippling the beast. The beast screamed before flailing its massive arm around in the direction of Memoria. She swiftly backstepped and countered with a punishing blow. Her sword whistled through the air and planted itself in the tricep. It didn’t cut completely, and Memoria blew a gust of frostbreath across the wound, freezing it solid. Ludwig stomped on it, and the arm broke off. The pair took turns hacking at what was left of the beast until it fell silent. Its mangled, bloody corpse sat still on the stone ground, and the stars twinkled overhead.
Ludwig rested his sword on his shoulder. “That wasn’t too bad. I wonder what else lies in this wretched place.” He said coldly, and Memoria wiped some of the blood on her face away.
“I’ll be ready for it, whatever it is. The adrenaline is pumping now.” She said, flexing her claws. She held her katana out in front of her as she followed Ludwig into the building.
The entrance room of Byrgenwerth had clearly seen better days; it was a large circular room made from both stone and treestuff, and stray papers littered the floor. Scattered about were pools of blood and bones. In the center of the room, a silver chandelier had fallen. It lay sideways, half of it collapsed. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and round tables had been knocked over. The only light source in the room came from the windows above the bookshelves, dim moonlight pouring through. In front of them, on the far side of the room, were two stairways leading to a raised second floor. Pure mahogany pillars provided support for the second floor.
“Charming,” Memoria noted.
“Indeed. I pray Willem organized his studies, else this will take forever.” Ludwig sighed, taking in the sights of books and papers scattered everywhere.
“Look here,” Memoria called. She was standing next to a seemingly ordinary bookshelf, but she had spied a gold plaque labeled The Holy Blood resting proudly above it.
“This is it? Just one shelf? There has to be more.” Ludwig exclaimed and eagerly pulled a book from the shelf. It was covered in dust, and he shook it. A bookmark fell out, and Memoria felt the need to sneeze. He opened it to that page.
“The Byrgenwerth spider hides all manner of rituals from us. A terrible shame. It makes my head shudder uncontrollably.” Ludwig read aloud. “It was scrawled on a note.”
“The Byrgenwerth Spider? The hell is that?” Memoria asked. She hated spiders. Vile creatures.
“I don’t know. Let’s keep looking around.” He put the book back on the shelf.
“You don’t think we should take it with us? It might be important.” Memoria asked. He tilted it sideways so that it hung out of the shelf slightly.
“We’ll come back for it. Maybe. Depends on what else we find.” He turned to the next shelf and scoured for anything interesting. “I’ll try to find something else about the ‘Byrgenwerth Spider’.”
Memoria pulled a random book from the first shelf, and read the title. “The Holy Blood: The key to ascension?”
She turned to the first page and felt her eyes strain to read in the dim light.
The holy blood. Discovered in A.S. 5123. Taken from the corpse of what we now call “Great Ones”.
The first Great One was discovered washed up on the southern shore of Pantala. It was a queer being, one unlike anything any other dragon had seen before. Unfortunately, I was never able to see the body myself; but a few of my colleagues were. They described it as being a mix between human and fish. Its lower half was white in color and strongly resembled a flounder. Its top half shared similar features to that of a female human, except for the lack of a face.
Indeed, one of the most interesting reports was that a few individuals weren’t able to see the corpse at all; they were only able to perceive it after more knowledgeable scientists described it to them.
“Ludwig? What do you remember about the origins of the blood?” She called to her partner, who had lost himself in a tattered book.
“Uh… it came from some sort of monster that washed up near the remnants of Bloodworm, before the rebuilding process,” Memoria saw him rub his head. “And… I think a few scientists wanted to test how the blood would affect their bodies.”
“I found a book on that, look here.” She saw Ludwig fold the corner of the book he was reading, and walk over to her. “Look here: There was a strange group of scientists that wanted to test the physical tissues and blood of the corpse. Strange, I had thought at the time. But that was before we knew the power that the blood held.” She read.
“Is there a page about me?” Ludwig asked mischievously.
“I don’t know. I think this book was published before the outbreak… but I’ll look anyway.” Memoria flipped to the table of contents, and… yep. There it was. Page 320: Ludwig, The Holy Blade. “Page 320. Moons above, I pray there’s nothing here to stoke your ego even more.” Memoria muttered under her breath. She felt Ludwig’s wing over her, and she leaned into her lover. “Ludwig, The Holy Blade. Ludwig is an associate of Laurence, and is widely considered to be Gehrman’s best student.” Memoria sighed. She saw a smirk on his face, and she kept reading. “However, he isn’t known for his combat skill as much as he is known for his Holy Blade. Indeed, during the A.S. 5123 expeditions into the Abyss (see page 140), Ludwig, one of the Abyss Divers, discovered a strange greatsword. It was roughly half the length of a full-grown dragon and forged from a strange metal that looked similar to silver. He claimed the sword ‘called to him’ and that it ‘talked to him’.” Memoria glanced over at him. “Does it actually?”
Ludwig nodded. “It used to. It hasn’t in a while. A month or two.”
“Wait, it actually did? I thought you just said it did. For the press, or for your reputation.” Memoria looked a little surprised.
“It whispers to me. Grants me the courage to keep fighting. Remember the Battle of the Crimson Grasses? How do you think I kept fighting for so long?” He asked her.
“I… I never thought about that. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m telling you right now, dear. What else does the book say?” He asked. Memoria turned her attention back to the book.
“While in battle, some say that the blade takes a different form. Glowing with a light not unlike the Aurora Borealis in the Ice Kingdom, the blade grows in shape, and intricate patterns and markings appear on the magical surface. While it may be animus-touched, it is also very likely that this magic could be something else entirely.” She finished the paragraph, and then promptly closed the book. “We’re getting distracted. Let’s keep looking for actually important stuff. Don’t forget why we came here. Why don’t we go to Willem’s study?” She suggested, and Ludwig sighed.
“My sword isn’t animus-touched. It's special.” He grumbled, and Memoria suppressed a laugh. She put the book back in its place.
“Come. It’s on the second floor, right? It would make sense.”
“I think it is. It’s been a while since I asked Laurence about this place, and even longer since I’ve visited. I think the last time was… it was before I had found my blade.” He said.
The pair flew up to the second floor, and much like the first, stray papers and books littered the floor. Ahead, there was a rather ominous-looking door centered in the wall.
“I think that would be Willem’s study. Don’t know what else it could be.” Ludwig opened the door carefully, and the hinges creaked loudly.
Willem’s study was circular in shape, with a single desk in the middle. Strangely enough, the room was almost completely barren otherwise, besides a few neat stacks of books on the ground and a sheet of paper on Willem’s desk. There was something hastily scrawled on it, and Memoria couldn’t help but wonder why Willem’s room was so orderly after all this time.
Ludwig stepped forward, and read the note. Memoria studied the stacks of books. Most of them had something to do with the blood, and a small few were about beasts.
“Memoria? What is ‘paleblood’?” He asked, and Memoria read the note.
Willem was right. Paleblood is the key.
The handwriting was very messy, and a splatter of blood marked the bottom corner of the paper.
“Paleblood… I’ve never heard of it.” Memoria said, and Ludwig turned the note over.
Three third cords.
Once again, Memoria had no clue as to what ‘three-third cords’ meant.
“Strange. Keep it, maybe it’ll be useful later.” Memoria told Ludwig, and he shoved it into a leather pouch.
“Three third cords. Paleblood. Maybe those books mention it.” Ludwig said and pointed to the neat stacks of books. Just from a quick glance at the titles, none mentioned anything about paleblood or cords.
“Nothing in the titles. Did Laurence ever mention anything about Paleblood? He was Blood Minister, he would surely know of all the types of blood there are.” Memoria asked her partner.
“I don’t recall. Paleblood sounds new to me, so probably not. I’ll ask anyway. He’s probably second best to Willem himself. No, third best. The second best would be these books.” He picked up one and flipped to the table of contents. “Nothing in this one. This one’s about the ‘changes in a Hivewing’s homeostatic system under the effects of blood’. Rubbish. What do these big words even mean?” He asked rhetorically.
“Well. It looks like we have the rest of the night carved out for us.” Memoria sat down on the floor, curling up against the wall and flipping through one of the more promising books. Ludwig sat beside her, and she rested her head on his shoulder as they read together. It was a moment of comfort; a moment of love. Such moments were rare in these times. Rarer than one would think.
…
Memoria lay against a cliff face on the shoreline. It was a little after dusk, and they were about halfway to the designated meeting spot. They were about to settle in for the night, to get some sleep that they both desperately needed. It had been days since they last slept, and Memoria’s eyes were so very tired from the night of reading yesterday.
“Shame we didn’t get that much information. But we do have something to look out for: Paleblood, and three-third cords.” Ludwig said from across camp, and he stoked the flames of a campfire with his own breath. His black scales threatened to disappear in the dark of the night.
“More than we started with. And that’s all that matters, right? Our journey wasn’t wasted.” The Hive-Icewing stretched her four white wings and yawned.
“Oh, I know it wasn’t wasted. All of these damn books, they’re so heavy.”
“Are you ready for the attack?” Memoria asked him. He glanced at his holy blade, which was resting on a nearby rock. He paused for a moment, and Memoria saw a shadow of uncertainty on his face.
“I… I’m not sure. It sounded great at first, but… I’m worried. We’ll lose a lot of Hunters that day… I hope it works.” He said quietly, and Memoria heard a tinge of pain in his voice.
“I think I might go to sleep now. I’m tired.” Memoria sighed, lying down on the soft dirt. She closed her eyes, and she felt someone sit next to her. Ludwig touched her back softly, and Memoria felt herself drifting off.
“Have I ever sung what used to be my mother’s favorite song for you?” He asked, and Memoria shook her head.
“No, I don’t think so. I would love to hear it, though.”
Ludwig cleared his throat before singing in a soft, gentle voice.
“Well come and well met, my brave little spark.” His voice soothed her worries, any fears she had.
“How long you’ve wandered, burned bright as a star.
Oh, I have awaited you patiently all this time.
Past every fate
Now sing with me once more, share of your life.” Memoria couldn’t help but move a little closer to her partner’s warmth.
“Far greater than memory, its loss and love words cannot hold
Boundless the tale overflows.” Ludwig whispered softly, and Memoria could feel herself slipping away, into the realm of dreams.
“And carries your light out to sea…”
May the good blood guide your way.
Ultima_8

Isaiah 64, this is the our generation remembering the days of glory before the Lord got angry and hid himself away:
"Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins.
Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look on us, we pray, for we are all your people. Your sacred cities have become a wasteland; even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and glorious temple, where our ancestors praised you, has been burned with fire, and all that we treasured lies in ruins. After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back? Will you keep silent and punish us beyond measure?"
Isaiah 65, the Lord explaining why he has been hiding away, and why he is angry:
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations— a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick; who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of impure meat; who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me, for I am too sacred for you!’ Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day.
“See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps— both your sins and the sins of your ancestors,” says the Lord. “Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains and defied me on the hills, I will measure into their laps the full payment for their former deeds.”
This is what the Lord says:
“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it, there is still a blessing in it,’ so will I do in behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all. I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live. Sharon will become a pasture for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for my people who seek me.
“But as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will fall in the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”
Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit. You will leave your name for my chosen ones to use in their curses; the Sovereign Lord will put you to death, but to his servants he will give another name. Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the one true God; whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the one true God. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.
“Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach^\)^a\) a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord."
Isaiah 66, these are like final messages on what the Lord wants from his children:
"This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord.
“These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word. But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a person, and whoever offers a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig’s blood, and whoever burns memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations; so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”
Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word: “Your own people who hate you, and exclude you because of my name, have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy!’ Yet they will be put to shame. Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies all they deserve.
“Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God. “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.”
For this is what the Lord says:
“I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes. See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by the Lord.
“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things—they will meet their end together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.
“And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.
“I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels. And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the Lord.
“As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,” says the Lord. “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
The End of the books of Isaiah.
Revelations 21, the end:
"Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” - Revelations 21: 1-8.
Book of Enoch, the end:
"And I stood up to see till they folded up that old house; and carried off all the pillars, and all the beams and ornaments of the house were at the same time folded up with it, and they carried it off and laid it in a place in the south of the land. And I saw till the Lord of the sheep brought a new house greater and loftier than that first, and set it up in the place of the first which had been folded up: all its pillars were new, and its ornaments were new and larger than those of the first, the old one which He had taken away, and all the sheep were within it.
And I saw all the sheep which had been left, and all the beasts on the earth, and all the birds of the heaven, falling down and doing homage to those sheep and making petition to and obeying them in every thing. And thereafter those three who were clothed in white and had seized me by my hand[who had taken me up before], and the hand of that ram also seizing hold of me, they took me up and set me down in the midst of those sheep before the judgement took place†. And those sheep were all white, and their wool was abundant and clean. And all that had been destroyed and dispersed, and all the beasts of the field, and all the birds of the heaven, assembled in that house, and the Lord of the sheep rejoiced with great joy because they were all good and had returned to His house. And I saw till they laid down that sword, which had been given to the sheep, and they brought it back into the house, and it was sealed before the presence of the Lord, and all the sheep were invited into that house, but it held them not. And the eyes of them all were opened, and they saw the good, and there was not one among them that did not see. And I saw that that house was large and broad and very full.
And I saw that a white bull was born, with large horns and all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air feared him and made petition to him all the time. And I saw till all their generations were transformed, and they all became white bulls; and the first among them became a lamb, and that lamb became a great animal and had great black horns on its head; and the Lord of the sheep rejoiced over it and over all the oxen. And I slept in their midst: and I awoke and saw everything. This is the vision which I saw while I slept, and I awoke and blessed the Lord of righteousness and gave Him glory. Then I wept with a great weeping and my tears stayed not till I could no longer endure it: when I saw, they flowed on account of what I had seen; for everything shall come and be fulfilled, and all the deeds of men in their order were shown to me. On that night I remembered the first dream, and because of it I wept and was troubled--because I had seen that vision."

There's something up here with me.
Since I returned to the world of the living, I've been doing my best to become an active member of society again and to try and earn my ticket to heaven in the meantime.
Even though I can't afford this luxury right now, I always donate a portion of my salary to charity, do volunteer work on weekends, and help out at a community kitchen on Thursdays after work.
All of this is to avoid going back there.
But I don't know how well this can work, nor do I know if by gaining this new life, I also received a new chance.
There's something I haven't told you.
If none of this makes sense to you, it´s good to take a look at my first post.
If you missed the last update, I recommend reading it before continuing.
The truth is that my torment hasn't completely stopped. Since I returned from the dead, my nights are filled with agony and terror.
The nightmares are terrible, but when I wake up shrouded in the darkness of my room, I can sometimes discern things in the shadows.
Arachnid-like forms with dozens of eyes and mouths that sing profanities.
Throughout the day, I can still see them, in the corner of my eye almost like a permanent silhouette, a reminder that they're watching me, just waiting for my last breath to take me back via the VIP express lane.
I think Samael didn't like being deceived one bit.
Now, however, it's not the time to recount my escape. There are still many dangers I've yet to warn you about.
And if after your death you find yourselves wandering through the infernal circles, surely at some point you'll come across the Silver City.
The last vestige of community in hell.
Gehenna is like a living structure, a fabric composed of buildings, streets, and alleys that stretches vertically through the 9 circles that compose the abyss.
When I died, I arose just like many others in Lust, the third circle of Hell, contrary to what Alighieri claimed.
The real order of the circles would be: Limbo, Greed, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Heresy, Violence, Treachery, and finally, Pride.
The goal of the Collectors was set like a jewel in the center of Limbo.
It's funny, in Dante's work, the city is portrayed as a paradise away from heaven for those with good hearts who never accepted Jesus into their lives. Their only punishment would be to never glimpse the face of God.
Damn, I wish it were like that.
I woke up with the mettalic taste of blood still on my mouth.
A gentle voice was saying something, but with my ears ringing, I couldn't make out anything. I could tell there was something in front of me, the smell was good, my stomach reminded me I was yet to eat anything.
Without much choice, I accepted the charity and ate. The taste was surprisingly good, if I were to describe it, it's something close to pork.
I spent some time just eating and recovering. I was also given a canteen of warm water; it tasted weird, but It was not like I was gonna complain.
As my senses returned, I could understand what the young man in front of me was saying.
I still remember his face, without any bruises,shallow beard and a glimmer of hope that didn't match that place at all.
"Feeling better now ?"
" I guess.. where are we now, Is that thing still here ? "
I tried sitting but a sharp pain on my chest stopped me from moving.
"Hey take it easy now. You're so skinny you look like a twig. When was the last time you ate?"
"About 10 seconds ago "
He smiled a bit.
"Well at least now you´re good enough to enjoy the ride"
With that, I felt prompted to look around, and finally noticed that we were on the back of a strange pickup truck.
Not only that, some sort of locomotive seemed to form around us. In total, there were four vehicles.
Our pickup stood at the center, with metal plaques around its frame and sharp grates on the ends confining us.
On our left, an old mustang suffered to keep itself close traveling on such uneven terrain.
On our right I could see Mice on top of an old motocicle gigling to himself, I silently wished he crashed.
Leading the group ahead, I could see the rear of a black van, and finally, following behind, I saw what appeared to be a Honda with smashed windows and covered in dents.
"Where are they taking us?"
"I have no idea, but anything must be better than these fucking fields."
Recalling Mice's delusions, I wasn't so sure about that.
"Who are you? Are you with them too?"
"I think we're in the same boat, buddy."
"The last guy who called me 'buddy' tied me up and dragged me into the clutches of a monster."
"I don't like them one bit, but from what I saw when we arrived, he was trying to protect you."
"So you really are one of them!"
"I already said we're in the same shit-hole. I got caught by the masked one while trying to hunt dinner." he said, pointing out the window towards the driver of the pickup, a tall, muscular man wearing a strange wooden mask.
"Sorry, the past few days have been so... God If you only knew what I've been through."
The young man chuckled sincerely. "Friend, I'm sure whatever you've been through, I've lived it dozens of times already. The name's John, nice to meet you."
"Well, John, you can call me Nate. I would shake your hand, but..." I nudged towards the wires on my hands. "
"Could be worse" He gestured towards his feet.
They where chopped off.
"Holy shit! I´m sorry John, these guys are insane!"
"Don´t be, They will be back once I die, but I have a feeling they will not let that happen so soon."
We could already see the spire slowly coming into view on the horizon.
"You sound used to all of this."
"Don't tell me, you're new?"
" I...still can´t believe this is all real"
"You better come to terms with it fast; this place doesn't take pity on the weak."
We didn't feel like chatting after that.
I wanted to ask about what I was given to eat, but something told me I would be better off not knowing. We traveled far towards the Spire, Gehenna slowly embracing us again with its dark skies.
From up close, I was able to see an opening in the base of the Spire.
The twisted terrain of the fields gave way to broken roads and dusted buildings, screams of despair found their way back to my ears as we passed near the tar pits.
Haunted by memories of my arrival, I couldn't help but search for the beasts that mauled me in the confusing streets of the city. I don't know if it was because of the sound of the engines or the size of our group, but I didn't see them among the wreckage and alleyways.
As we approached the Spire, a strange icy breeze embraced us. The shock was so intense that I lost my breath, trembling as I noticed a thin layer of ice forming rapidly on the pickup truck.
"Try to control your breathing, it'll pass soon."
"What is this now?"
"Specters."
As we finally reached the center of Lust, I realized we were not alone.
The base of the Spire held an immense arched opening, from which a dark interior was barely visible. Above the entrance, crucified on the wall, I saw a man; the slight movement of his head and his blue eyes made my stomach churn.
The culprits for the sudden cold gathered below the man in desperation. There were dozens of them, humanoid beings emitting a faint glow and seeming to levitate; their cries echoed through the city, spreading along with their icy presence.
The man only watched them, one by one, but said nothing.
He seemed to be judging them.
The engines shut off, and one by one the collectors descended from the vehicles.
Mice was the first to approach; the specters recoiled from him like cockroaches fleeing from light.
He then looked the man in the eyes, bowed, and said:
"Oh Aeacus! King of Aegina, my heart is not pure for rest, my eyes are blind to injustice, and my fists only weigh for my desires. From dust I came and to dust I return, my soul judged to forever burn, so I beg you to open the doors to my torment."
The Man's eyes locked onto Mice for a moment, then his lips whispered something in an elaborate tongue, and the darkness of the entrance turned into a scarlet mass.
I didn't knew about the kings back then. Aeacus is the easiest to convince; he oversees the higher circles. They say if you're under Minos's gaze, however, I hope you enjoy the lower circles because he's unlikely to grant you passage. And if you're a special kind of unlucky, I suggest you don't even try to approach Rhadamantus unless you want a one-way ticket to Pride.
The collectors then pulled us out of the cars, displaying us like trophies in an organized line. I had to support John on my shoulders; otherwise, they would have made him crawl the rest of the way.
From the other cars, a few more people emerged, other unfortunate souls with the same destination as mine. I saw a beautiful woman with short red hair and brown eyes; she was injured with several cuts on her back. The collector taking her out of the van seemed pleased; I tried not to dwell on it too much. She stared at me intensely, looking scared.
A man had to be forcibly removed from the Honda by two collectors. He was big and strong, dark-skinned with furious eyes, long braids cascading from his head to the middle of his back, a terrible scar showing on his left arm.
To this day, I have no idea how they managed to capture that bastard; later, he would tell me that they didn't got him until after he'd taken down some of them.
Finally, an old man with a band over his eyes was pushed into line; he looked so worn down that I thought I would see him turning to dust at any moment.
Mice then made his way to the entrance and was swallowed by the mass.
The collectors forced us to enter, one by one I saw everyone being pushed into the unknown, looking around I tried to think of something, some escape route.
"Don't do anything stupid," John whispered in my ear. "It won't work."
I thought about throwing him at them and running for my life. I didn't know him, didn't know a damn thing about him except his name. A glance at the collectors' weapons made me change my mind; I wouldn't get far even if I did find an opening.
Finally, my turn came. With the weight of John still on my shoulders, I walked to the entrance with my heart pounding in fear.
The mass that filled it seemed to react to me, stretching to cover my body, the scarlet glow blinding me as the collectors urged me to hurry.
I reached out my hand and felt a slight resistance, almost like touching cold gelatin. I felt it pulling me, and before my head was completely swallowed, I held my breath.
My body was warm; it was like being bathed in soup, every exposed inch of my skin burning, but the agony was only beginning.
I felt that strange mass invading me, entering through my nose, ears, eyes.
It hurt.
I tried to scream but my lungs were filled with the alien substance that forced its way through my organs; I felt like I was about to lose consciousness.
A shockwave ran through my body; I felt as if I was being torn into a thousand pieces and reformed, my consciousness used as a child's toy.
And then I was spat out.
I barfed on the gray grass that solemnly clung to me; John lay beside me, eyes rolled back, red fluid still trickling from his mouth.
I didn't have time to worry about him.
Before me, proudly stood what can only be described as a monument of sin.
Far from the light of hope it once was, now taken and calloused, abused and defiled by the filthy ideals of the damned scum.
Its golden streets don't shine.
Its security only harbors hate.
Its cracked walls don't protect, they only confine.
Even though I didn't knew much about hell, didn't knew its history or care about its purpose, I could see in that moment that I was looking at the greatest disrespect to the sacred that could exist.
An empire built with blood and erected by desire.
The Silver City opened its gates to me.
With the intention of never letting me go again.
The other collectors arrived, and one by one we were introduced to the next 40 years of our lives.
The memories of this city are painful. I tried to ditch this shit given the purpose of it all, but a drag is necessary if I'm really going to recall the decades I spent under that tyrant's rule.
Passing through the rusty gates, the lower city is the first thing you see. Jack leaves this region of the Silver City for his merchants to sell their findings in the lower circles, where everywhere you look, prostitutes and slaves accompany the more fortunate. Jack's personal guard takes advantage of his authority to get everything they want without spending a penny, of course.
Linked to the lower city by a rudimentary elevator, the Pleasure Zone casts its glow over those below, a neighborhood where the best drinks, drugs, and alterations can easily be found. Hunters and collectors usually walk around there, spending their earnings to calm their vices and complaining about their King's insane demands.
But by far, the most striking sight is a castle covered in soot, built at the highest level of the city, where only Jack's personal circle can tread without being summoned.
That's exactly where we were being taken.
John was still unconscious, being carried by our captors.
As we walked under the guns, naked and defenseless, the malicious glares of the vendors assessed us as new merchandise.
My feet ached, full of blisters; I couldn't feel my hands anymore. Looking at a toothless man being pulled by a chain around his neck, I wondered if that would be my fate.
Desperation was beginning to consume me.
We ascended to the Pleasure Zone by elevator, the same one powered by the brute force of several slaves harnessed to the wall, their hands raw from continuous and repetitive effort.
The hallucinogenic fumes from the laboratories filled the street of the neighborhood. I felt my heart race, my skin tingle, and a sweet smell invading my mind. The woman accompanying us seemed to recognize the substance as she lunged towards the source of the vapors. Mice kicked her in the stomach, making her kneel, grabbed her by the hair, and laughed.
"You fucking addict! You've used this shit before, haven't you? Look at the way you're trembling, hahaha! If they don't send you to the brothel, I might have an idea of what to do with you!"
She didn't seem to understand, or care, drooling from her mouth and experiencing small spasms as the drug filled her lungs.
Wish I could say I avoided it, but this shit is strong; within a few minutes, I was almost as high as when the Succubus attacked.
We then walked through the alleyways towards a staircase carved in marble; a sinner was overdosing against the steps.
Mice shot him in the head and threw him aside.
One moment he was alive, and the next, the remnants of his brain adorned the ground.
I gasped for air, my vision darkening; I meant nothing to them, they could dispose of me whenever they wanted.
I felt like I was going to die. I felt like I was going back to the tar pits, seeing myself suffering and being devoured for ages, running only to be captured, no rest, no warning.
What kind of being would create such a rotten place? Why did he have the right to read my soul and throw me towards this flaming lake? It's not fair, it's sick.
As I climbed the stairs, stepping on the remnants of the sinner's mind, I wondered if God was watching me at that moment.
Maybe he was having fun.
The biblical hell holds a king.
It shelters demons and powerful beings born from darkness itself.
And as you already know, beings made by the Creator's own hand.
It wouldn't be at that moment that I would meet Samael, but alongside the self-proclaimed human King, I met his right-hand beast.
When the doors of the castle opened, I fell to my knees on the ground.
An angelic figure, with the aura of pure evil.
A feminine body, dressed in white adorned with jade, three pairs of long and golden wings kept her hovering a few meters above the ground.
On her face, a twisted helmet, with an eternal black flame at its peak, portraying what was, what is, and what will come.
The base of her helmet completely covers her eyes, squeezing them with such force that blood constantly drips to the ground. Her face constantly changes—a slender young woman, a frightened child, an irritated elder, a black goat, a hungry tarantula, an unnamed beast, an indescribable void.
In her hands, a chain hangs a clock, which constantly moves, which moves constantly. It tries to guess the hour, the hour that only He knows, constantly wrong, corrects itself, recoils, recalculates, wrong, corrects itself, recoils, recalculates, wrong.
Such a beautiful creature, fell alongside the morning star, with a third of the stars, to forever hate us, to extinguish everything and everyone.
Who was I compared to such perfection?
Who was I compared to such obscenity?
I felt broken.
I felt complete.
Terrified.
Emancipated.
A thousand mouths sang in a thousand languages in my mind, all equally correct, all equally wrong.
The duality that leads to madness.
In my heart, he introduced himself, Astaroth, the Grand Duke of Hell.
With a flick of his hand, he disappeared, but I still felt him watching us, assessing us.
Seated on a broken throne, there was the face of control.
Almost as tall and robust as my captured companion, a short, defined beard adorned a ruthless face marked by battles.
Gray hair and a leather cloak, a silver medallion around his neck, and a shining red ring on his left hand, eating grapes like a Greek emperor.
Jack graced us with his presence.
Mice once again took the initiative.
"My lord, we have found fresh meat of the highest quality to expand your empire, mostly young and strong, and the old one is wise and knows the ancient rituals."
Jack looked at us as if we were worms, evaluating us like a spoiled child receiving gifts at Christmas.
"You bring me trash and expect gratitude. If this is what you consider good quality, perhaps it's time to revoke your position."
Jack's ring began to glow, and I felt Astaroth's strong presence growing. Mice quickly knelt and spoke again.
"My king! One of them appears to be marked." Mice then looked at me with a malicious smile, sending a shiver down my spine.
Jack observed me, the disdain in his eyes palpable.
He seemed to notice something at that moment, scratched his beard, and smiled.
"Mice! I can always count on you to keep me entertained. Take him to the pit, send the others to the dungeon. There may be something useful in this batch after all.
Before I could protest, I was struck on the head with the butt of a gun, and I lost consciousness.
Sorry, I need a moment. Just remembering the terrible nights I spent in that place makes me feel sick.
Man, I hope smoking doesn't count as too big of a sin.
When I woke up, I was chained to a wooden pillar by the neck, with several other sinners chained around me.
The place was poorly lit, and I could smell feces and urine. They didn't even release us to go to the bathroom.
In front of me, Jack stood with two guards.
"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. I'm sorry to disturb your rest, but I have some questions, and if you cooperate, you may find yourself involved in something much bigger and more important than your miserable afterlife."
"Screw you! I've seen the things your people do, you're all crazy. I don't want anything to do with you!"
Jack's ring began to glow, and Astaroth's silhouette became visible even in the deep darkness.
"For your own good, I hope you learn to have good manners. Now tell me, where is he?"
"What?"
The ring glowed, and Astaroth entered my mind.
The concept of emptiness is terrifying.
Non-existence is dreadful.
Emptiness occupied existence before everything existed; in the beginning, there was nothing, and then there was God.
My consciousness faded away, I felt the void corrupting my flesh prison; it's not a lack of senses, it's Nothing.
Sounds didn't vanish; they turned into nothingness. Along with sensations, memories, my existence.
I was completely devoured. I wanted to scream, but there was no voice, no will.
I wanted to exist, but there was never an "I."
I vanished completely, and then I was catapulted back into existence, where I could feel everything.
The infinite, it destroys.
Through Astaroth's eyes, I saw, I understood, not even in a thousand and one lives could I touch one percent of the truth.
My brain burned, flooded with everything that was, everything that would come. I cried, I screamed, agony drove me to madness; time made no sense anymore.
And then everything stopped. In despair, I screamed, I cried like a child. Jack embraced me with the tenderness of a mother as I collapsed into his chest. He gently stroked my head while speaking softly.
"Poor thing, so much suffering, so much lamentation. Pain is a choice, and I don't want it for you. I love you; I love all my possessions from the bottom of my heart. I only want what's best for you, but for that, I need your help. I want your pain to stop, help me make it stop! You just need to tell me, Where. is. he?"
I didn't want to return to nothingness; I didn't want to suffer with knowledge. Desperately, I lied; I said I knew where whoever he was looking for was, I would show him, he just had to let me go.
Jack acquired a sad expression, gently lifted my face, and said.
"Oh, child, why do you lie to me?"
With the scarlet glow of the ring, once again, I ceased to exist, catapulted between two extremes, blood streaming from my ears, I laughed, cried, begged.
All to make it stop, for him to remove that being from the room, I just wanted peace.
I felt my cells giving up, exploding and restructuring; memories were erased and returned, lived a thousand times per second.
My wife, my daughter, the drugs, the betrayal, the accident, the body, the hospital, the fall.
Once again, everything stopped.
I spat blood on Jack's cloak, who asked me again.
"Where is he, come on, damn it, just tell me! He marked you, he touched you, come on, where the hell is Samael, tell me and I'll leave you alone!"
I pleaded, I tried to tell him that I didn't know who he was talking about, I promised obedience, my life, anything for mercy.
Once again, he sent me to the void. For countless nights, the cycle repeated itself, I have no idea how long I was tortured in that place.
Eventually, Jack began to use me in other ways.
My days were divided between slave labor in the lower city and nights of torment in Jack's palace.
At the time, I didn't understand how he couldn't see that he was wrong; clearly, there was nothing special about me, I couldn't lead him to Samael, I was just a damned soul who could barely endure the first days in the abyss.
I just hadn't realized that Jack already had the certainty that I was different. After all, how could I be a nobody if Astaroth couldn't extract the "truth" from me, and they had to resort to torture?
Hope vanished from my chest; I didn't know if I would ever escape from there, if I would see John again before my soul was corrupted by the Grand Duke.
The years dragged on, and Jack's fury only grew.
Fortunately for me, in my fourth year in the Silver City, I gained a new cellmate, the old man who had been brought in the same group as me.
Little did I know that he would be my first clue to the way out of there.
I'm tired of remembering those horrible years, so I think I will stop here for today.
Clinging to hope in hell is as useless as using petrol to put out a fire; you'll only end up dying either way. But in the realm of insanity, it might not be all that crazy to think there might be a way out of the suffering.

Yes I'm using the intro animation final shot, it's much better than the actual title screen.
Overview
Well first off, this game is a solid 8/10 and I will spoil this game, so be warned incase you ignore the other spoiler tags. Anyway, I got to say that this is a solid mobile game and good Sonic game in my opinion (great work by Hardlight, who developed this game with a big budget supplied by Apple (biggest sin is that this game is an apple arcade exclusive and tbh, a majority wouldn't pay a monthly subscription for this game). They made three mobile Sonic games - dash, speed battle, and jump so they are pretty experienced with the Sonic IP. They were given the budget by Apple to make a Sonic game to put on Apple arcade which is how Dream Team was made). I played this game through the apple arcade 1-3 month free trial and if you have the free trial, I recommend using it for this game if you're interested (don't pay the montly subscription, it's not worth it even for this game). I had a blast despite my problems that come with mobile game and Sonic jank. Anyway let's go into the specifics
Gameplay (didn't played tail challenges nor sweet dreams, this is just base game)

• speed and physics are pretty important in a Sonic game and I think they mostly nailed it. It feels good and despite the boost meter being heavily nerfed, it's a blast to blitz through the levels as you find & make shortcuts to the end goal while platforming & homing attack enemies. Physics feel mostly good (except in Nightmare Maze, god what a nightmare) and everyone's jumps & abilities feel mostly pretty good. Nightmare Maze sucks because whenever you transition into a different axis, the camera shifts and the physics are completely fucked during that transition with a pretty bad slow down (my least favorite stages to visit other than Dream Factory). Yeah not the biggest fan of flying, climbing, or the gliding but they're servicable (more on that with the characters).
  
• Characters are all great and despite having only three character types with 6 characters, I'm perfectly fine with that. It means no character is best (you can try them all and just appreciate the charm of animation, which I say is worth it) and can get used to the abilites each subtype has. All three subtypes have the boost but Sonic/Amy have the jump dash and lightspeed dash, Tails/Cream can fly, and Knuckles/Rouge can glide & climb specific walls. Sonic/Amy are great for doing the time trials and getting the S-ranks for most stages, they're my personal favorites because they feel the most reliable despite having no airborne mobility because the jump dash in this game feels great and cuts a lot of corners for speedrunning/platforming. Tails/Cream have fly which isn't that good in my opinion, the snails pace you move & short ascend for how short you fly is not worth it (it's better to spam the jump button to descend and speedrun their specific levels), they're probaby the worst feeling characters in my opinion despite how cool it is to see Cream back in a Sonic game (no matter how minor it is). Rouge and Knuckles are a mixed bag, they're techinally the 2nd best feeling characters but at the same time, they're also pretty bad. Glide is fine but a bit slow and the descend is way too fast for it to be useful 50% of the time. Climb is alright, it's again pretty slow but the jank of jumping off the wall is just really bad (Sonic Frontiers pre-fixed Knuckles type of jank). Ranking them best from worst in terms of game feel, Sonic/Amy > Knuckles/Rouge > Tails/Cream. All characters are function and the levels they accommodate do remedy the jank of the other characters. Might as well add the camera into the mix and yeah it sucks. It's fine until you have to back track, accidently go off screen, or use it for exploration (more on that with controls).
  
• Level design is solid. There are 4 settings for the 12 main levels/acts, 72 side objectives, and the 4 bosses (not including the intro). Those being Scrambled Shores, Dream Factory, Nightmare Maze, and Ego City. Ranking them in terms of general level design (Ego City ≥ Nightmare Maze > Dream Factory > Scrambled Shores). Personal Ranks (in terms of enjoyment) are (Ego City > Scrambled Shores > Nightmare Maze > Dream Factory). While the level design is rather simple, it's filled to the brim for exploration, pathways, and speedrunning. If you truly want to play this game, go for everything (objectives, s-ranks, and pathways) but if not, it's fine to just progress doing just the main levels. 5 Red rings and 30 blue coins are scattered around the main stages/act 1, red rings give dream orbs (progression for the story and other zones) while blue coins give optional extras (statues akin the Smash Bros collection). This game rewards exploration with more pathways and the collectiables, I encourage to do it because these levels are dense and make the playthrough much more fun (and longer which is a bonus). Each setting has a gimmick to them associated to them (each harder than the last one and some reoccuring gimmicks). Scrambled Shores gives the basic level design with no gimmicks (at least no prominent ones I think). Dream Factory has the ooze, the rising/descending pillars, conveyor belts, and the lasers. Nightmare Maze has water tunnels and gravity traversal gimmick (think Mario Galaxy but worst). Ego City has a bit of everything from each setting along with disappearing platforms and tons of projectiles. All of them are solid and are good fun.
  
• Objectives are fine, they get the job done. Checkpoint missions are simple speed runs, dream orbs/portals are as simple as getting to the end, dream shards are fun for exploration, and race is pretty self exploratory. However, the real challenge from them (aside from the main acts with their collectables) is getting an S-rank on them. They are pretty tight because of how short each side objective is and I'd argued where I got the most enjoyment and hatred from this game. For one, they are purely optional and also reveal jank of this game because it being made for mobile and general Sonic jank. But at the same time, the thrill of getting an easy S-rank or cutting it close more than makes up for it. These objectives are fine but I recommend getting an S-rank on all of them to get the most time and enjoyable out of the game. Hardest are dream shards as you figure out a path to collect all of 6 of them while everything else is just race related.
  
• The bosses are fine. Dr. Crabulous, Factory Fourmen, Guardian Hunter, and Nightmare Eggman are all just fine and probably the weakest part of the game in terms of gameplay. They are very simple and very easy to beat. Each relies on a gimmick but they're basically all the same (except Eggman). Let it go through an attack cycle and hit it's exposed weakpoint. Ranking them is whatever but Nightmare Eggman is undoubtly the best simply for being just a stage instead of a boss. You never interact with Nightmare Eggman and he's more of a obstacle to overcome during the same. Since the stages and level design are pretty solid, it makes the ending really good as you use everyone to progress through the level and it's a pretty damn good one. Yeah it's not a boss but a good final stage, so yeah it's probably the best boss out of all three of them. Ranking them is Nightmare Eggman (not a boss, but a stage. However it's' a really good stage, probably the best/most challenging/longest stage in the game) > Factory Fourmen (2 phases and it's fairly fun) > Guardian Hunter (take those boost bosses and make them mini, that's Guardian Hunter. It's fine and his 2nd phase is fine but too basic for a 3rd boss) > Dr. Crabulous (1st boss fight and the most basic. He performs shockwaves and as you damage him, he deflates which means he loses an attack. Pretty funny but not that challenging, but pretty good Sonic cutscene and the final hitpoint is pretty funny too).
  
• there are 2 types of controls, touch screen and controller. Yeah go for controller, touch screen fucking sucks. The camera in this game is fine if not a bit wonky/slow at timesbut it really sucks trying to go back or off screen on touch screen since you have to manually move the camera so much later after the action. Touch screen is fine but unintuitive compared to controller. Controller is the best way to play this game as it just ports the basic Sonic control scheme onto the controller you're using. It's pretty smooth all things consider aside from a few input delays here and there.
  

Yeah that's all for gameplay. It's pretty good aside from a few quirks here and there. Some are major and some are just nitpicks, but overall, a solid gameplay experience.
Music/Animation(also art direction)/Story (also characterization) (putting them all here since they ain't that important and base game only for now)

• Music is good but not my type of good I expect out of Sonic. It's like 50/50. Menu theme is pretty fun and the intro/ending sequence theme fucking slaps. Scrambled shores and Nightmare Maze are really solid, but Dream Factory and Ego City didn't click with me. Ambient themes are relaxing bop and boss themes are pretty good (Nightmare Eggman and Factory Fourmen were standouts).
  
• Animation is a standout in this game. The intro animation is amazing and so beautiful, I recommend watching it on youtube because it's great. In game cutscenes are great too, very expressive and full of character (yet again go on Youtube and watch it because this is the best 3d Sonic has ever been animated since Unleashed). The characters eyelids aren't the only thing emoting, the hands and eyebrows actually move in an organic and bouncy way (crazy how good these more than a decade models look when they use cartoonish animation). I recommend looking at the Dr. Crabulous intro with Sonic because it looks fantastic and one of the best looking cutscenes in the game. Unfortunately, they only make up barely a portion of the cutscenes and the cutscenes we get with the standstill comic designs are awful. They lack any character and remove any tention/emtion behind the scene. But art style and aesthetics wise? It's yet again fantasic, beauitful and graphically amazing considering I played on a Iphone (idk how it looks on PC or TV, but I bet it would look even better). Every setting is a reinvetion of a previous setting with a dream like twist to them, which makes all of them look so good. Ego city and Nightmare Maze are tiedd for best aesthetics, then Dream Factory, and Scrambled Shores. Gameplay animation is pretty good, good use of squash and stretch along with snappy timing makes the gameplay feel really smooth. Oh the phase transitions for bosses are fantastic, all of them are really good (that's the only time where I feel like all of them are equal in my opinion). Ariem and the bosses are a standout in terms of designs.
  
• Finally, story and characterization. It's aight and probably the quickest part to get through. Not offensive but simple and effective. Just look up cutscene movie on Youtube, you'll get the gist. Bringing back Cream for this game was a great choice and the development of Ariem was fine (wish there was more honestly, I feel like she could be great in Sonic canon). Eggman controlling dreams to build the Eggman Empire is a pretty cool idea, I just wish I saw more of him (even his brief moments at the start, Ego City, and as Nightmare Eggman were great). I do like how Factory Fourmen was technically a fodder boss for Guardian Hunter to roam free where we'll meet it again and defeat it as Knuckles/Rouge (it's a nice way to transition into the next stage and boss). Final stage where the characters had to fight Nightmare Eggman and keep Ariem safe while progressing to the Reverie had some solid moments and cool final hurrah as Eggman almost beats you until you blast through as Sonic. Characterization is mostly fine (carried by the animation) and the voice acting is fine (generations/lost world/forces/colors type of characterization and voice acting). The way that dream orbs were used to explain why and how we can unlock the characters is pretty cool way to explain why we don't get all the characters right off the bat (that's simple yet effective way to incorporate game design into the story). And I do like that Sonic and crew got their woos, ohs, and yeahs back (brings back a flavor of their personality back in gameplay). Ariem and Knuckles carry this game tbh in terms of characterization and banter.
  

Holy this was long and unnecessary but I feel like the game sort of deserves it. So what do you think of the game? Do you like, dislike, love, or hate this game (ignoring the apple exclusivity) and do you agree or disagree with my take of the game? Love the critism and praise since it brings good discussion. Have a nice day :)

Can you beat monster hunter world's iceborne expansion without hitting monsters? lets find out
It's me! im back! the challenge run man with such an extensive and longstanding history of doing monster hunter challenge runs (please suggest more for me to do i beg of you) returning with the sequal to my entire challenge run catalog.
This is the iceborne video and will be continuing directly where the base game video left off, so go watch that and come back if you want the full context
as a refresher, the rules for this challenge run are as such:
the victory condition is to beat shara ishvalda.
our rules for the run include: no damaging the monster with my weapon
no clutch claw
no bombs
no co-op or mods
there is one more rule that puts an asterisk on the previous rules however. This run is about utilizing as much of the environmental traps and oft forgotten mechanics and items as possible, and as such if a environmental trap requires me to break a rule, I am allowed to do so in order to trigger that trap using the minimum necessary force
this applies to exactly 3 things across this run: If I'm near a grymalkyn ivy trap that requires I mount a monster to trigger it, I'm allowed to jump attack for the mount, but not allowed to stab with the knife or do any mounting finisher. I can only ride the monster around. I'm allowed exactly 2 flinch shots in phase 1 of shara ishvalda in order to utilize the falling boulders that require it, and in phase 2 of shara I'm allowed to trigger the falling boulders in that phase using (jiggle but) bounce bombs so long as i dont hit shara with them
with all that out of the way, Mantra Man and Chad McMillis dust off their boots and get ready to enter a whole new challenge
our first opponent is beotodus, the snowy fish boy. one of the coolest things about the hoarfrost reach for this kind of run is that there is SO MUCH in the environment for you to use against the monster. the sheer amount of environmental traps available to use is even greater than that of the elders reccess, and we'll get to that. However, you would never guess this from the beotodus fight. even the landslide is not available to us yet as currently the underground portion of the map is off limits. In the base game, great jagras was legitimately one of the hardest fights in the run amd a huge wall we needed to clear at that early point in the game where we didn't have our tools.
this is not the case with beo however, and this first hunt is more devoid of interesting content than dharman videos. Beotodus cheats on its husband, what happens next will shock you: I spammed torch pods and meowcanos, and it died. (subscribe). One noteworthy thing for beo is that you can knock the snow off his body using water pods, which enables my cat to do more damage per hit, but that's pretty much it. we absolutely will have to attain new gear and strategies to make it through this DLC, but one thing that is for god damn sure is that we don't need to do it for beotodus. Although the lack of a tail raider ally was very noticible and the increased HP pool were definitely felt.
with beo gone we get access to the master rank smithy. The first thing I did was craft the rose basket for my kitty cat using the festival tickets. this weapon is head and shoulders above every other possible weapon I can make at this point and would become my standard go to weapon all the way until the very end of the game, it's just that good. Kill them with kindness has never been so literal, just look at those weapon stats. and speaking of weapon stats, lets talk about a mistake I made in understanding palico stats back in base world.
nobody gives a shit about how numbers work like you do just move o-
shut the fuck up post production bison gaming I can do whatever the fuck I want, just look at the numbers they're so cool!!
OK so I had mentioned in the great jagras fight in the base world video that with the base weapon having an attack stat of 2, I had no idea whether or not increasing by 15% damage using the attack up hunting horn song actually did anything with numbers that small. However this isn't actually how palicos work. Unlike us, the players, who are entirely dependent on our gear to provide any stats, palicos do actually have a base damage stat. most players have gone blind do it, but your cat gains XP with every hunt you complete just like you do with hunter rank. however, your cat leveling up doesn't just raise its HP, it also raises it's attack. it turns out that palicos have a base damage that is simply ADDED TO by equiping them with a weapon. so even though the weapon only had a damage stat of 2, its quite possible the palico had a base stat of 10 or 20 which became 12 or 22 by adding the weapon to it. as such the attack up melody was doing A LOT MORE than i realized back at the beggining of world. it's also why the meowcano and cocktail, which scale based off range attack, don't actually change much in damage output even when doubling the ranged attack stat of your weapon, because the weapon you have equiped is only a portion of your cats damage stat. real interesting stuff
the priority for my gear is to just get the higher defense allotted by having master rank gear over high rank. I still need to prioritize having all 5 points in palico rally however so hunting those monsters is our next step. I did make this fun veil that gives me 3 points in wide range, allowing me to heal him at will, lowering my cats and any tailraider's downtime and making them functionally immoral as long as I'm paying attention... something I am very very good at doing. This skill I got better at the further I went into the expansion and it became more and more central to my loadout
In high and low rank, the monsters that gave me palico rally were great jagras and great girros, so I hunt one of each of those to look at their armor sets and... oh... they don't have any... So fun fact, palico rally is a stupidly hard still to come by in master rank, and that means that until I upgrade my rally charm to level 5, I'm required to keep 1 piece of high rank gear, the great girros vambraces, in order to maintain my level 5 in the skill.
a more subtle difference I began to feel more as I went after banbaro is the steadily increasing involvement of my player character. It's not enough to fully rely on just my palico for damage anymore, and I need to contribute through more frequent slinger usage by this point in the game. the hunt times are also getting longer and longer and that makes me somewhat scared considering just how early in the DLC I am by this point.
starting with banbaro I'm finally allowed to use the landslide! it doesn't do as much damage as other traps, but its a hell of a lot more than zero, and it just looks fucking cool as shit. also, the landslide moves monsters to a zone with 2 falling boulders, so this is actually a VERY lucrative zone
with banbaro capped, more of seliana opens up and I get access to the steamworks. Since I didn't spend much time in high rank and am short on decoration variety, the steamworks is invaluble as a source of decorations to fill in some of the things I'm missing. Fingers crossed especially in the hopes I might land a palico rally gem. okay these look pretty good so far, though some are useless like this expert jewel and... what?
excuse me? what is this? what the fuck is this? WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!?!?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? i HAVE PLAYED THIS GAME FOR THOUSANDS OF HOURS AND NEVER GOTTEN AN ATTACK UP JEWEL OUTSIDE THE 2 THAT ARE GARUNTEED, AND AFTER ALL THIS TIME i GET IT ON MY THROWAWAY CHALLENGE RUN CHARACTER WHO ISN'T ALLOWED TO USE A FUCKING WEAPON?!?!?! WHYYYYYYY???????
I um... feel I may have gotten a little passionate there... don't worry, I'm fine. It's something I can solve by crying myself to sleep tonight.
okay... deep breaths. in... out... in.., WHAT THE FU-
anyways, it's now time to finally get a new piece of gear to add to our repatoir that changes our gameplay significantly. I took a break from master rank here to quickly complete the red and blue crew to unlock the challenger mantle. This mantle allows you to lure monsters to different areas, and many times you can get them to go to areas they would never go to on their own. this is useful for fighting near traps or forcing turf wars and adds a lot of damage. in all honesty, after using this mantle throughout the run, I am kicking myself for having never used it before, as it is SO GOOD, as you'll soon see. However, it is not morgan freeman. it is not all powerful. monster's have certain areas they are not allowed to go to whatsoever and can only be lured so far. for example, I would not be able to lure beo all the way to the shrieking legiana nest. he just wasn't built for that mechanically, so the game steps in to say no. still, this mantle would prove invaluble for what it CAN do, and I'm going to give this mantle more attention from my other profiles from now on
viper tobi kadachi was fairly easy, but is noteworthy as the first hunt I used poisonlanterns for. whats a poisonlantern? its the azure rathalos of poisoncups. a reskin thats slightly more airborne. tobi is down for the count, and with him gone I can FINALLY engage with the boaboa quest and earn myself a new slave army.
doing this involves hunting a monster in an expedition while the boaboa gather and watch. this is to establish myself as the dom in the relationship and show that I am capable of inflictng slow painful death to whoever defies me via torch pods and meowcanos. Once I'm done swinging my giant hunter cock in front of them and they accept me as their general, I further establish their dependence on me by flying to their camp and taking command of a large scale opperation to hunt a tempered beotodus with the entire boaboa military. This is genuinely one of my favorite quests in this game and one you only ever get to experience once per character, so I highly recomend doing it. It involves scaring a popo away from its heard to use as live bait and ambushing the beo lured by the free snack. in addition, throughout the hunt, the beo army will pin the monster down and use volley tactics against the beo. and as someone who is ALSO just letting all my cat do the work, I really got to sit back and enjoy being a tactical commander for a bunch of troops. genuinely a quest to remember.
this unlocks me a friend to fight with on the hoarfrost reach, and a fantastic new palico tool: the smoke signal. doing this will send me a tailraider and tamed animal ally to my position on any map. this allows us to save a LOT of time as many of the grimalkyn camps are well out of the way and require significant time investments to recruit, especialy the troupers and boaboa. not the case anymore however. I can only use it once per hunt, but as long as I continually heal them with wide range there will be no issues!!
with this we can finaly continue with the main story. up next is... oh... these two...
we were going to hit it eventually, but welcome to the first wall of iceborne. base world had 4 walls to overcome throughout my run, great jagras, radobaan, nergi, and xeno jivia. likewise, there are 4 walls in iceborne, and the first 2 are this particular pair of coral pukei pukei and nightshade paolumu. these 2 monsters give me nightmares. it gives me conniptions. These 2 monsters almost made me quit the run. If this challenge run were in dark souls I almost would have turned hollow, and NOBODY wants to look like that. (disgusted shivering)
both of these monsters mark a notable jump in hp pools, and from this point on, every new monster will have more HP than xeno-jivia. in addition, they have a few extra problems with them. coral pukei pukei is the tankier of the 2, and is also fought at the coral highlands. the highlands have a major issue ascociated with them, being that they have NOTHING in the way of environmental traps that do damage. sure you can get a stagger on the blue cusion things, bit that doesn't do damage, and as I can't hit monsters its functionally unavailable to me anyways. the ONLY damaging environmental traps are these 2 poisoncups which are way far away from any area coral pukei visits and is generally unfeasible to get him towards. however, with the raised HP, using slinger ammo tailraiders and meowcanos simply won't cut it. additionally, coral pukei was proving to be problematic damage-wise as well, as being stuck with high rank armor on my arms was finally coming to bite me in the ass, and this monster was more than capable of tripple carting me if I wasn't careful.
nightshade paolumu was less deadly to me directly, but the sleep gas made getting my cats to deal damage a huge pain in the ass and much of my time was spend shooting my cats to wake them up instead of the monster. using the challenger mantle I was able to repetedly lure him to these poison cups in the forest zone, but still found myself timing out without even getting a red pod to drop from either of these 2 monsters, and i was poisoning nightshade like 6 times a hunt. If i were going to beat these, upgrades needed to be made and new strategies tested.
The first thing I did was solve my armor issue by completing the boaboa kill quest and farming a pure crystal to finally cap my rally charm at level 5, negating the need for high rank great girros armor or any rally decorations in the future. I also played around with placing a snowman on top of the meowcano, a bug which allows the meowcano to do vastly more damage. it's normally done using a snowman and 2 bombs, but since we can't use the bombs, snowman it is. this, as it turns out, did not work too well. coral pukei is a small target with very wide coverage when shooting liquids (obligatory coral pukei dick joke) and the snowman would often be destroyed the instant I placed it down, I rarely got any significant or noteworthy extra damage out of doing this. same story with nightshade really. I am also purposely limiting my max benefit from this bug so as to not break the game even if I do get good damage out of it. the bonus damage is higher the higher your framerate is, and although my PC could play this game at pretty much whatever framerate i could dream of, I opted to keep it locked to 60 for the purpose of making it a moderate and useful, but tricky damage boost.
ultimately, the experiment failed however and snowmen would be scrapped until FAAARRR later into this run. after, I kid you not, 2 weeks, I finally decided to resort to poison smoke bombs again like I did xeno jivia. I have known this entire time that at some point poison smoke bombs would be a requirement in order to progress, but I wanted to hold off on it for as long as humanly possible to see just how car I could take the game with cats and environment alone. to be honest, I hit the barrier far sooner than I anticipated, I thought barioth would be the monster to force my hand and make me use smokes. but I've already failed nightshades quest multiple times despite having poisoned him around 6 times a hunt, so what could smoke bombs really add? well, the answer is that we also need to bring back the 3 piece pink rathian high rank armor set bonus we used for xeno. 3 piece high rank pink rathian has a set bonus that doubles the duration and therefore total damage output of poison. the catch obviously being that now instead of having only 1 piece of high rank gear i had 3, meaning I was going to take A LOT of damage, even after fully upgrading all 3 pieces with armor spheres. by this point I was much more confident and comfortable avoiding their attacks however, so I figured I could probably get away with it
with all this comes a requirement of having lots of smoke bomb supplies however. I can only carry 5 smoke bombs and 10 of each of the supplies, 15 smokes total, at maximum capacity, and we would need A LOT more than 15 on every hunt. in other words, farming needed to be done, both for poison smokes and farcasters. now let me introduce you to the main skill I used throughout this run to help with said farm: pro transporter. little used and oft forgotten, pro transporter is a severely underrated skill that allows you to move faster while carrying heavy items like cannonballs or eggs. how much faster? well... *dejavu* this skill is fucking incredible. you straight up might as well not be carrying anything for how fast you run with this skill equiped. you run fast enough you can complete the entire ancient forest wyvern egg delivery quest with both eggs with a single use of your ghillie mantle. this is relevent, because to buy some time for my farm to merit me enough smokes to attempt these monsters, I figured I might as well run through all the ingredient delivery quests, and the herbavore eggs on the wildspire waste would end up being a regularly done quest of mine, as it is the single fastest quest I can complete with my challenge run rules. expeditions require you to be on the map a certain amount of time before it counts towards your farm, but completing a quest always gives progress, and with the pro transporter skill, not only can I completely outrun the apceros, but I can complete the quest consistently under 3 minutes. I'm just saying, by the end of my playthrough, the egg stockpiles of the meowsculer chef probably looked a lot like the nuclear waste barrels in the winden caves.
The only thing is that you can't get a jem or charm for this skill, and it only comes from kulu ya ku, something I did not kill in either master or high rank, meaning that when I'm farming, I'm using unupgraded low rank kulu ya ku armor and no this will not come up later
*sometimes, forshadowing is relatively obvious*
With this, I tried nightshade paolumu once again, putting everything together. turf wars, the sand pit, challenger mantle, poison cups and poison smoke bombs. and the result... *massive sigh of relief*
thank god. its possible. the run is saved
but wait, nightshade went down, but what about coral? the highlands don't have anything damaging to monsters, even in regards to turf wars. the most likely monster pukei can encounter is just tzitzi ya ku who doesn't do any damage. is poison really going to be enough to... oh wait coral is 3 star weak to poison? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA he ended up going down even faster than nightshade. this does pose a problem however, in that I will be in big danger should I encounter a monster on the highlands that ISN'T 3 star weak to poison, especially since the HP bars are only going to get bigger. At this point I did a mental checklist of every story required monster fought in the coral highlands. there are only 3 in total. coral pukei, ebony odogaron, and namiele. now just a quick google search to check their weaknessess and... wait seriously?
yeah by purely lucky hapenstance, the only 3 required monsters needing to be killed in the highlands are actually all 3 star weak to poison, so even without any traps, we'll be perfectly fine. how convenient!! thanks game
but all this said, I can't continue without upgrading to master rank pink rathian set. luckily I only need 2 pieces this time instead of 3. it does mean however farming pink rathian and anjanath in master rank, after the initial capture, the second kill of both these monsters is made significantly easier by taking place in the special arena. The kulu ya ku armor is worth the low armor so long as I just avoid being hit, and makes loading the cannons a breeze, combined with 2 points in the heavy artillery skill to double the damage of cannons and balistae and I have a reliable way to fight monsters without having to resort to poison smoke bombs, which is good because I found out during this time that the game doesn't allow you to use farcasters in the special arena. I had no idea. the more ya know.
I also picked up the astral gloves at this time for 2 points in divine blessing. seeing as damage skills are nearly all useless, my build skillwise is based around wide range, palico rally, tool specialist which I get from pink rathian, and as many defensive skills as I can cram into my build, and thats really all we need. As an aside, the apothecary mantle would not be a good fit for this build, if any of you were wondering. I am not sure whether it actually affects smoke bombs or not, but if it did it would actually lower the poison output from them. how status affects work in world is that every time you hit a monster with a status weapon, you have a 1 in 3 chance to apply your status build up to the monster. the apothecary mantle changes this to garuntee status build up on every hit, however in exchange, lowers the status build up you do on hit by either 33% or 50% depending on the status. this is to keep it from breaking the game obviously, and it still provides a VERY solid bonus to overall status output. however, smoke bombs ALREADY are garunteed to apply status on every hit, so if it DID affect them, all it would do is hurt the build up without giving me any benefit, in the end doing nothing for the user... kind of like an inurance company
the 3 stars are up next, starting with barioth. Barioth went down just like the rest using all of the strategies available to the hoarfrost reach, however, I also noticed during this hunt that in this zone, some of these ice clumps have jagged rocks in them. all the ice clumps can be destroyed, but if one with jagged rocks gets destroyed, the shrapnel does a little bit of damage to you and the monster. not much, but hey, damage is damage. Barioth, although not particularly noteworthy in this video, is a particular source of pride for me, as when I first played iceborne my very first time all those years ago, barioth was my biggest wall as a newbie player. I tried and failed and tripple carted several times against him, and after I stopped tripple carting, I was still timing out. it wasn't until my 6th try against him or so that I finally beat him with only 13 seconds left on the clock, and its incredible both to see how far I've come as a player and how much freedom the game gives you to really push its extra mechanics to the limits that I am now able to beat him on my first try in only 35 minutes without using a weapon or bombs or flinch shot. I'll probably remember this particular hunt from this challenge run more than most others for a very very long time.
nargacuga was notable only for the fact that it was good enough at being a crack adict that it dodged all my poison and timed me out once, but with a little extra agression it went down just like the rest. tigrex made me realize that the boulders on the top of the rotten vale are a joke more than anything else, I would have never guessed their damage was so low when they LOOK so intimidating. I had been using it before now, but now is a good time as any to mention that I've also picked up poisoned meat as a way to create poison build up. It's just noteworthy with tigrex because he's super easy to convince to eat things. but yeah, he and glavenous and brachy all went down with no real notes. Brachy was actually insanely easy, due to the simple fact that you fight him in the elders recess. any monster fought here is a joke. between 2 falling boulders in the center, lava geyser, and 4 nitrotoads that are reusable, and all the dangerous powerful monsters that live here that ALL have turf wars with each other, quests here are a vacation.
the first meeting with velkhana is up next, and well... it takes place in the recess in the area with 2 falling boulders, so the fights over after just 3 poisons. onto 4 star monsters!!! shrieking legiana an ebony odogaron are both 3 star weak to poison, but this is ESPECIALLY true for shrieking legiana. I did not know this beforehand, but legiana has a special animation when poison where it'll cough and chock and hack a lung up, giving you an extra stagger whenever its poisoned. and not only that, its tolerance is PATHETICALLY low, even at max tolerance never taking more than 4 smoke bombs to repoison. this is easily the weakest monster to poison in the game, matched only by normal legiana. I swear I almost killed both of them in the quest, and even with normal legiana never leaving shriekings fucking side this was the easiest shrieking kill I've ever had in my life. There are also new environmental traps up at the top of the reach available for use. 2 falling boulders which both missed their target in this hunt, and the hot spring zone, which will send water geysers up damaging monsters if you convince them to destroy the big rocks sitting on top of them. yeah, this quest was easy
I alluded to this before, but ebony odogaron is equally weak to poison as coral pukei, and I didn't even realize it was close to death. It's at this point where I must admit I have failed you, my dear audience. a fun fact is that poison and your palico cannot actually kill monsters, it always leaves them at 1 HP and requires the hunter to get the final hit. normally, I capture because its faster, but ocasionally a monster will get to 1 HP before I know it and I instead kill them with slinger ammo. perfectly fine, nobody gives a shit. this time against odogaron however, he got to 1 HP without me realizing it, and jumped into my hunting horn swing while I was trying to apply a buff and died. oviously this triggered the quest complete so I couldn't abandon quest and restart. However, this means in this situation that I could have killed him simply by shooting a rock at him, which in my head is proof enough that its doable and not worth completely replaying the quest in optional format for. so imma take this victory and move on. if you wanna declare run invalid, go ahead. i dont give a shit. ive still proven its totally doable and did it in practice, dealing more damage than his full HP bar following the rules. cheerio, moving on.
acidic glavenous was acidic glavenous, what more do you want from me? captured.
aahhh yes, the repel quest from velkhana. a favorite of mine. roaming balistae are always cool and nobody can tell me otherwise. and with 2 points in heavvy artillery, the balistae and cannons are enough with just 2 poisonings to once again just trounce the game. honestly, the 4 stars and the repel quest were the easiest point in this run. by far.
however, this is where the easy part of the journey stops, and the difficulty picks back up again, starting with velkhana proper in the hoarfrost reach. this quest, and velkhana in general, are dicks
to sum up my playing style, I have 4 main sources of damage. my cat, poison, environmental traps, and monsters fighting each other. However, all the assigned quests for the elder dragons spawn zero other monsters on the map, which lowers it down to 3. well thats fine, there are a lot of environmental traps in the hoarfrost reach, such as those boulders. but velkhana won't go to any of those on its own, so we'll need to use the challenger mantle to lure him there... and here's where the problems start to stack. in addition to no access to turf wars, velkhana is specially programed like most monsters to have certain areas he just refuses to go to. and it just to happens that velkhana is one of, if not the most, restricted monster in iceborne. Not only am I not able to take him to the falling boulders RIGHT NEXT TO HIS NEST, I also can't take him to the spiked ice pillars, I can't take him underground to the poisoncups or falling boulders, and I also can't take him to the landslide. the ONLY trap I can use are the water geysers at the hot springs, the weakest of all the traps on the map with a max damage potential of only 750 if I'm lucky, because unfortunately velkhana moves around a lot and in all my attempts, I only only got a few successful geyser hits. He's also very agile and refuses to sit still, making him difficult to poison. and now my 4 damage sources have turned into 2, realistically 1 and a half. vekhana timed me out twice
but by the third attempt I had caught onto the fact that he takes A LOT of damage from torch pods, and used my challenger mantle to keep him engaged only in locations with torch pods, spamming them on the ground and making him walk around in them. fighting velkhana felt very reminicinst of fighting the armored bore in dark souls, but... you know... a lot longer. velkhana was defintely the monster that took the most damage from my slinger throughout the game, by a wide margin. I mean just look at this, with 6 torches per set thanks to slinger capacity, this is like 65 damage a tick. once velkhana gets low enough to limp, he returns to the nest. something special about the assigned quest however is that once he goes to the nest, his programing changes and he will not leave the nest area for the rest of the duration of the quest, even when I'm using the challenger mantle, and the moment you're not in the area with him, he'll go back to sleep. additionally, there are no slinger ammo in the nest, as such. at this point in the quest, my strategy was to take the frieren approach and play tag with the dragon. I would wake it up and poison it as fast as I can, empy 25 rocks at it seeing if it was weak enough to die, and then facaster out, resupply, and repeat. took a while, but we did eventually get there. the iceborne wyvern slayed frieren style. thats what im talking about
seething baselguese could be best described as... *roar
...
a monster in the elders recess *montage* he also marked the first appearence of savage deviljho, and the turf warred twice, so he was REALLY fucked. a nice palet cleanser before the biggest disapointment of the run
blackveil vaal is, unfortunately, where things go from bad to worse. He is the third wall. As its an elder dragon assigned quest, there is still the issue of not having any other monsters on the field, and once again its in an area with little in the way of environmental traps, having poisoncups and 1 falling boulder. the poison cups could potentially carry me, if however blackveil wasn't highly resistent to poison. not only does it take an insane amount of buildup, often 10-11 smoke bombs to poison him once at max tolerance, but he only takes at base 160 damage from poison, 320 with the pink rathian set bonus, so not only is it difficult and slow to poison him, you get next to nothing out of it. to make matters worse he is a slow moving ranged monster making him a time wasting hassel to lure around with the challenger mantle and more likely to just get sniped, and taking next to no damage from torch pods, and blackveil almost perfectly counters every single option I have as a player. there are still some things I can do however, and I will go over them. I brought back the snowman to boost meowcanos, but, while easier to land on blackveil compared to coral and nightshade, it wasn't enough to completely carry the run. I also continually reloaded the quest and only did proper attempts when I got a map spawn with gajalaka allies and 2 gajalaka shellshocks on the map, or the same thing but with boaboa. I boosted all my allies continually using not just the hunting horn, but also with mega demon drug and might seed through the wide range skill, which is capped now using gems instead of just at level 3. it all still wasn't enough, so I went online, scouring ideas and made a community post on my channel asking for new ideas. someone suggested the geralt set and spamming the flame rune, but that would require clearing the witcher quest as geralt without swinging a weapon and also without my stache of smoke bombs, against the leshion which already takes a while to kill. it clearly just wasn't a possibility mathematically. it would probably be easier to slay vaal than it would be to slay leshion. another comment suggested using the challenger mantle to get vaal to the damn in the rathalos nest at the top of the map. I wasn't sure if elder dragons could be affected by landslides or not, so I gave it a try in an experimental run to see if it was possible only to find out that it doesnt matter because the rathalos nest is like the singuar area in the entire ancient forest that is off limits for vaal, so there goes that option too. I struggled with this for a few days, had no more feasible ideas, and came to the conclusion that I don't think it's mathematically possible to slay vaal in this assigned quest in 50 minutes.
in an official manor, the run technincally ends here. But i felt unsatisfied with this, as I wanted to at least see if the rest of the monsters were possible, especially when I was so close to the end. so officially, the run is over and the answer is no. but I'm going to make another attempt using barrrel bombs, and then continue without bombs again to see if he is the only impossible monster, for my own sake and for a more satisfying ending to the video.
with bombs and snowmen, the meowcano shreds, and 3 points in bombradier allows for much more damage, and even with all of this, it took until there were only a few minutes left to slay him, since he is so god damn tanky. man is it cool and fun to see bright explosions though :)
after that unhapy moment of defeat, we press on against namiele! once again bombs are not allowed, but as mentioned before, this monster is 3 star weak to poison, and the jellyfish dragon goes down on my second attempt with about 5 minutes to spare, with just poison smoke bombs and the meowcano
with that we approach the final 2 monsters, starting with ruiner nergigante
what can I say about ruiner nergigante... who would have thought that of all monsters, low, high, AND master rank, that ruiner nerigante would be my fastest kill time. I'm not joking. ruiner is so agressive and straight forward, even being more resistant than namiele he was a dream to poison. I just pinned myself against a wall at the edge of the arena, kept all my palico buffs active, meowcano'd (without snowmen i might add) and smoke bombed and he NEVER moved away or forced me to move away as long as I just repetedly spammed superman dives in the corner. it was a close of a direct fight and slugfest as is possible in this kind of run, and I felt my blood pumping throughout the entire hunt as I tried not to get hit while maintaining all the buffs I could. this was not only the fastest, but the most fun and most unique hunt in this entire run thanks to the small arena that ensured he never ran away. he went down in just 23 minutes, 23 MINUTES, and I was already at shara ishvalda

It’s been a while. I don’t know why it took so long for me to post. How long has it been? A year? A year and a half? And I have gained plenty of stories to share - while I’ve neglected you, dear friend.
But right now, you’re my catharsis. You, who might listen to me.
I still can’t believe what I witnessed this winter. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t spoken of it sooner. Perhaps that’s why I’m pretending it never happened.
I suppose though, it’s less that I can’t believe it and more that I don’t want to.
Because time can’t alter. Time doesn’t change. Time is time, right? Some missing time is normal, but not for… days. Right? But I have to believe because everyone else says it’s true. Everyone else says that’s how long I was gone, even as the sun hung still in the sky.
This winter in Alaska has been aggressive. Like last year we had record breaking snowfall and cold. Which I loved and adored. The white mountains touching dark skies. The trees bending with the weight of snow. And of course the mounds the plows would make at the end of my street.
I had missed Alaska.
Granted where I stay isn’t the village anymore. I’m in Anchorage. Or near it. You probably don’t know of the tiny towns along the highways. But if you did… well I don’t particularly want you to find me, now do I?
I’ve finally finished processing what happened. Now that I understand what I went through - after a stern tongue lashing from my grandmothers for my carelessness - I can talk about that day I heard a whisper. I wasn’t sure where it came from but it was ancient and spoke to me in Koyukon.
I can confidently tell you, dear friend, that not all monsters are large and hulking. Some monsters are small and spritely. With sharp teeth. And pointy weapons. And an uncanny ability to make the days pass while the sun stays high.
Everyone believes me. Except my father. My father can’t.
Do you know what comes with freezing temps and mounds of snow? Ice. Beautiful, solid, blue blue, blue ice. The beautiful frozen waterfalls that call to me every year.
Every winter I can’t help but be drawn to these natural wonders.
And every year I never fail to climb at least one. No matter how painful the cold is to my scar covered body, it will happen.
It was a normal day for me, all set for my adventure. Well, mostly normal. I woke with that nagging feeling in the back of my skull, as if something is watching, and you can maybe see it out of the corner of your eye. I attributed it to staying up late searching for and preparing my gear.
I was up and raring to go with breakfast and lunch ready to assemble. It was a process I’ve done many times and by the time I was throwing my backpack on my sister came out of her room, yawning. Lazy bum.
“Where ya goin this time?”
“Hatcher Pass. Checking out Hillside Pillars.”
She thought and gave a wave. “Six hours round trip and you’ll probably be out there on the falls with as much daylight as you can possibly suck out.” She stared at me expectantly. “So… see ya at 8 tonight?”
I gave a quick nod. “Yes.”
“Did you check the avalanche warnings?”
“Yup. Things are calm today. And with that, I’m going ‘mom.’”
She shot me a sharp look and stumbled past me to the kitchen. I gave one last grin before running out the door, ignoring the shiver that ran up my spine as I stepped out. It was cold. Very cold. That’s all, right?
The drive was peaceful, I was out well before the annoying traffic that bottles up at those special points along the Glenn Highway and in Palmer. Up the road to Hatcher Pass, getting little spikes of adrenaline as I got closer and closer to my destination.
Once there I chewed on my breakfast, and as soon as the sun rose I was out of the truck, beginning the long trek to the waterfalls. A hike, a river crossing, and a 20-30 ft step climb and I’d be at the main event.
Why am I telling you all this? Because it was the start of a beautiful day. The start of what would be a fun day. A day where I’d conquer a piece of the world in a way very few do.
As I climbed I felt the wind and listened to its gentle whistle through the trees. The shush of snow falling off with every gentle caress. The sound of small animals rushing about to find food or shelter.
A slow ascent, one foot above the other, one axe pull at a time. It was exhilarating. It’s hard to explain the satisfaction of knowing you’re one step closer to a view you can only find during this time of year.
I finished my climb and stood at the top of the WI4 rated beauty and enjoyed the view just long enough to curse the short days. The breeze picked up my loose hair and tickled my nose. It almost felt like it was congratulating me on a job well done. Even as the hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I shivered. I was just cold, right?
Unloading my pack, I sat down and chewed on a sandwich, taking in the sights. The mountain. The pure white snow. The small movements of life. The skiers and snowmobilers in the distance. As I was wiping the crumbs off my now freezing fingers I heard a sound I had become familiar with. One that would always give me pause. The screech of a hawk came from high above.
I couldn’t help but shudder. It’s the wrong time of year for one to be attracting a mate. What danger was it warning others of? I bit my lip and eyed the surroundings. What would scare a hawk in the middle of the day? Nothing pleasant. Never.
I looked up the frozen river, into the trees and to the foot of the waterfall when I heard a quiet whisper. I swallowed the thickening lump in my throat. I don’t fluently speak Koyukon. Never have I had the desire to. But I knew. I knew what the wind whispered. And it whispered in a rushed manner.
“Run, little flower.”
With that there was deafening silence and as I stood in confusion I felt a shiver that turned into a pain that radiated from the scars covering my body.
I didn’t even give the pain building in me a second thought as I began to see movement out of the corner of my eye.
As I reached for my gear, I heard a giggle like a mischievous child. One giggle turned to two. Two turned to four until I could no longer count as they surrounded me in the wind. I worked faster, gathering my things as the shadows began to move inside the trees.
“Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.” I repeated over and over.
I didn’t have much time, the darkness in the corner of my eye was growing. I made sure my bag was shut tight and secure before tossing it over the edge of the waterfall, hoping nothing in it would break. As I tied myself in I looked up the river and the breath was stolen from my chest.
They looked completely harmless. Child-like. But they were wrong. Out of time. I felt every hair on my body stand on end as if the static in the air concentrated. A group of seven came out of the trees, their giggles and smiles almost infectious. Their clothing were winter parkas and pants straight out of a museum and on a couple seemed comically oversized. You’d almost think they were cute. Harmless.
But their smiles were threatening as they bared their sharp teeth and their eyes shone mercilessly black. Their skin would be as white as the snow surrounding us if it weren’t for the gray undertone.
I practically threw myself at my line and clipped in, barely holding onto my axes as I swiftly threw myself over the edge, beginning my descent.
I felt the wind gust through the trees and I shivered at the implications. What else could I do?
I moved faster and faster, beginning to breathe heavily before my feet were on solid ground. Looking up I realized that the sun had begun to darken sooner than I had expected.
I swallowed back the built up fear and realized a freak storm was building. My brain raced through the only thing it could think. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…”
I shoved the remaining gear in hand into my bag, without regard for how secure my picks were outside of it.
And in the oncoming darkness I heard another screech… quickly cut off. But I heard its final word, a voice that I swore should have been long lost and dead.
It screamed part of a name that it didn’t even have to finish for me to almost lose my stomach. Because its name wasn’t just a warning, it was a promise.
Bringing my attention back to the solid land I now stood on I suddenly felt the wind knocked out of me. I stumbled forward and fell to my knees. Catching my breath, I looked over my shoulder to see a vicious face. As the stars receded from my eyes I noticed the movement out of the corner of them slowly gather nearer. I stumbled to my feet, staring at the little monster.
The monster kept its eyes on me as it tilted its head and snickered. It pointed a spear at me and I shuddered. It had begun to toy with me.
“Well shit. Why do you have to do this to me today?” I uselessly asked.
Slowly raising into a crouch I began backing away. My heel caught on my bag and I reached awkwardly for it, hoisting it onto my shoulder as the small creatures moved in. They began giggling, drowning out any of the calming sounds that had been present in the morning.
Suddenly I felt a shock to the back of my head. I saw stars once again and fell forward. More giggling.
One came forward and pulled off my hat.
Another ran up and pulled my hair.
I heard a rip and turned in time to see my pack sliced open.
That could have been my back, adding more badges of honor to my body.
As I was distracted one of them came and dropped snow on my head.
The group continued giggling all the while.
I shivered as the snow melted down my neck and into my jacket. And the horrifying thought passed through my mind. “They’re toying with me.”
Suddenly I felt pain in my right hand. One had smashed the back of their spear onto it.
Just as quickly I was hit in the side, knocking me off balance. I caught myself just in time before another ran up and pulled on my hair until I hit the ground.
I grit my teeth and fought back as it tormented me. I heard a rip and felt my pack shift as one of my straps was cut.
Then I heard it and felt it all at once. It hurt. It hurt more than you could imagine or understand. I fell back when my hair suddenly released. As one of their knives sliced through it. I stared at the ragged end of one of my braids.
Then I screamed.
Then I cried.
Then I felt pain. I was hit across the face by a spear, busting my nose. It was almost as if they were telling me the old line “I’ll give you something to cry about.”
Their giggle cracked into a cackle. Then one walked up to me, their pitch black eyes staring directly into mine. I shuddered and forced myself not to look away.
I cautiously rolled up onto my feet and they simply watched. My pack swung awkwardly on one arm and I held back a growing gag as blood ran down the back of my throat.
It tilted its head and through its gnashing sharp teeth it told me, “Run.”
I could only feel relief that the sun was still high. Though overcast, I wouldn’t be running through the woods in the darkness. I turned heel and ran past the few behind me, barely dodging the stabs of their spears. They shouted as I began running, their giggles turning into a sound so wicked it echoed in my skull.
Now I was being hunted.
I ran awkwardly through the snow and ice, down the route I had taken just hours before. The high knee hop through the snow that has just been obliterating Alaska recently. As I ran the wind gusted and I would get blown off my feet, or the disturbed snow would fly into my face. Still I ran. I couldn’t quite see them when I looked back but I could sense it. They were behind me. They were next to me. They were above me in the trees.
Every time I tripped I cried out and I realized the voice was still with me. Still whispering “Run. Run. Run little flower or you’ll wilt and die.” I felt like it was mocking me. Mocking my name.
Shuddering, I felt the cooling beads of water on my forehead and cursed. Water means death. It means the minute I slow down hypothermia will kick in. And in the meantime I may frostbite because of the accumulated moisture in my gear.
But I couldn’t care about that. What would frostbite matter if I didn’t live? I’ve fought for my life before, I wouldn’t die this time.
My neck grew sore and I could feel that sense of impending doom. And I ran even harder, them watching my struggle and floundering about. I heard a thud near me and chanced a glance back to see a spear sticking out of the snow.
Gritting my teeth I pushed harder. The wind stroked the back of my neck and brought a sharp assault down the scars on my back. They began feasting on my fear.
But I could see it, the last stretch. I don’t know how I got through the steps but when I finally found the river and came to a pitching halt. I gasped and panted, tired and weighed down, muscles sore, bones slowly getting cold.
I made it to the river. I was safe. I was safe from the ones the hawk warned me of.
Until I wasn’t.
Until I heard a hoot, quickly turn into a screech.
I cursed. “Dena, why do you do this to me? What did I ever do?”
I heard the hoot again and shivered. I screamed at it. “Don’t you dare give me three.”
I didn’t wait for the third as once again they snickered at me.
I gritted my teeth and sprinted across the frozen river. I kept my legs pumping and moving until I tumbled over the other side. The other side and into my father with a shocked look on his face.
“Rosemary?”
I grabbed onto him. Felt him. Squeezed his arms tightly as I caught my breath.
“Ha… Ha ha. I made it.” I laughed out, shock taking hold. My laugh was short lived as I began coughing the blood that had pooled in my lungs from running in the cold.
I watched shadows cross my father’s face. Surprise, shock, relief, and finally something I hadn’t seen since I was a child. Fear.
He squeezed my face between his hands. “Stay with me. Don’t pass out.”
I continued laughing. “Me? Pass out? Never.” I stepped out of reach and bent over to vomit the blood that had built in my stomach from my broken nose.
My father shouted and I heard others come running from down the trail. “Calm down.”
Looking at him I grinned. “I made it.”
But then I heard it. It came through the trees. From all around. A swarm of giggles.
I watched my father pale. I heard the running footsteps from down the trail slow.
I shoved my father in the opposite direction. “RUN!”
And he listened. Bless the man, he listened.
He hurtled down the trail and when he saw the others in front of him he screamed at them to run. I came to a stuttering halt as I herded the others in front of me while the giggles came closer. Grew louder. Began swimming in my head again. I heard the swishing of snow falling as they ran by.
“Keep going!” I shouted at their backs until we got to the trail head, falling into the road. I screamed at the others to get in their cars. Luckily my family knows to listen without question. Their friends not so much. More corralling. More giggles. More movement in the corners of my eyes. At one point… a tug on my hair.
I got to my truck, hurtling into the side of it. Without pause I tossed my gear into the back and jumped inside. It felt like the old truck couldn’t turn on fast enough. All the while the wind swept through the trees and bullied it.
“Fuck fuck fuck fuck.” My mantra of the day.
My head began to feel cold while the blood on my face became even more annoying. I threw my car into first and I practically screamed when I heard a knock on my window. My sister Leah was on the other side. “GET YOUR ASS IN DUMBASS!” The movement in the trees behind her was too close.
I watched the final few people get into their cars and I peeled out. Skipping from first straight into third on the dangerously snowy road. I tried to clench my busted hand around the wheel only to be blasted with pain. Still, I continued driving as quickly as the roads would allow.
I was a mile down the long road when I heard the whisper.
“Shhh… shhh… shhh… shhh…”
And the sound of it grew louder. Slow at first then it became all consuming. I heard the crumbling and rumbling of the mountainside.
I looked toward the sound coming from the east and my jaw dropped as I saw the mountainside sliding in real time. Something told me I was safe. Just a faint whisper in the back of my head and the fact that the pain had receded.
With some remaining trepidation I stopped my truck and stepped out. I watched in terror and awe as the mountain fell… and fell… and crossed the river. I swallowed and shook my head and heard another raptor scream in the distance.
I got in my truck, turned the heat on as high as I could. I was shaking. Clearly from the cold, right? With a shiver I threw my truck into gear again and we made our way back to town. All the while the wind mockingly laughed behind me.
“Where have you been?” Leah asked after several miles.
“At the Pillars.” I whispered through my scratchy throat.
She looked at me, pale. “You left two days ago.”
I frowned. “I left this morning.”
“It’s been a day and a half.”
I didn’t respond. Even after her many pestering questions I didn’t answer. We drove the rest of the way home in silence as my brain tumbled.
Once we were home I stumbled to the bathroom. I stared at my busted nose in the mirror before climbing into the shower. Bruises covered my body and my hand began swelling, broken.
I wasn’t even allowed rest after that though. As I ate a well earned dinner my father sat me down and grilled me on where I’d been. Why I had been gone so long.
I learned a few things from our conversation - that I had been gone more than a day. That I hadn’t been seen on the mountain at all. That supposedly I shouldn’t have been alone with others having climbed the same time as me.
It was as I was chewed out I told my father I saw them. That I had seen the little people of legends. What the Athabascans give no real name to beyond “small ones.” What the Yup’ik call the Ircenrraat. What westerners call fae.
As I explained that I had been caught in a hunt my father’s face grew more and more incredulous. Before finally admitting he didn’t believe me. He dismissed me with few words after that statement. It hurt, but I understood.
I was gone only a day. That’s why my father can’t believe.
They’ve never allowed anyone gone less than a year.

Well I just finished the campaign of Homeworld 3 today and I have to say I am massively dissatisfied with the presented story. I feel utterly disappointed that after 20 years of waiting for a sequel to one of my favorite game franchises; we got something like this.
I feel like this game's story and narrative direction went in a direction that goes counter to the fundamental experience the first 2-3 games delivered that made them memorable so many decades after the fact. I honestly think it is the worst/weakest game of the franchise narratively speaking. All the other aspects of HW3 are fantastic. I 1000% understand what Rob and the rest of the folks at BBI were trying to accomplish here when they said the tech wasn't available 20 years ago with HW2. This game is beautiful and it shows. Visuals, Audio, ship design, UI, are fantastic. Gameplay and mechanical issues are fixable so I'm not going to fault them for that being a bit rough at launch.
I'll try to explain as best I can, but I'm not the best at fully expressing my thoughts out into text, so (BRING SAJUUK TO BEAR) with me.
For context, I've been in the Homeworld community for a LONG TIME. Since the Relicnews days. Not as long as Uber, Shin, or some of the other folks, but long enough to have made many friends from this community I still know to this day, and also I am one of the moderators on the HWU Discord server. So I have spent the better part of my entire life a part of this community in some way.
Here we go... (quote shameless stolen borrowed from The Way of Kings)

Journey Before Destination

The ancient code of the Knights Radiant says “journey before destination.” Some may call it a simple platitude, but it is far more. A journey will have pain and failure. It is not only the steps forward that we must accept. It is the stumbles. The trials. The knowledge that we will fail. That we will hurt those around us.
But if we stop, if we accept the person we are when we fall, the journey ends. That failure becomes our destination.

Why do people love HW1/HWC to this day? What about those games made them so well loved by the community that they are widely considered the de-facto games of the series when it comes to their story telling? But what about it was good that made it that way?
DanVanCrone wrote a fantastic piece on the old Relicnews forums that the entire forum base loved to referenced for many years of how heartfelt and masterful the story connected with its audience.
For me and many others. it was the experience of the story; the journey that took place within those games that gave us the player something to connect with; to relate with. The story of Homeworld presented a simple premise. A people on a planet who discovered their home was not their own. Their true home was out somewhere among the stars. The reasons how they got here or why lost to time and ancient memories turned to myth and legends. Their struggle to survive, their rise out of near extinction to climb into the heavens and stumble upon a lost secret that would transform their entire society in such a way that would drive them across the galaxy.
So we set out on this journey not as a third party viewing Commander Shepard do his thing, or as a specific character; but as someone who had their place right along side the entire Kharakian people as they set out to find their home. Sure we had Fleet Command/Intel, as they were voiced and spoke, but their agency as a character was done in such a way presented them moreso as proxies or acted as a voice for the entirety of the Kharakian (Kushan) people. Karan did have her own voice due to the nature of her linkage to the Mothership and so she had a sort of duality with her position. But both her and Fleet Intelligence were able to act as a means to deliver the emotions for moments of pain, grief, anger, sadness, revenge, hope and everything we experienced as we played the campaign.
We experienced the journey to Hiigara along with the entire crew of the Mothership. We had the welling of anger and sadness when Kharak burned. The anxiousness and anticipation at the Bridge of Sighs as we gained entry to the Hiigaran system. Panic, concern, worry as we fought to survive in orbit around our Homeworld.
The story of Homeworld was never about a character or about chasing 'a thing' but moreso the exploration and experience of an idea that resonated with everyone; to find your home. In doing so, the story unfolded naturally of uncovering the history of what happened in their past of how they came to be on Kharak, experiencing loss, exacting revenge, hope for the future and eventually tears of joy at the accomplishment that the did in fact find Hiigara. And we were there along the way as an active participant to experience all of it along the way as if we were there with them.
The glorious vistas of the galaxy as we jumped from mission to mission. We cried at the end NIS as we saw the epilogue of our journey. The lives lost from the conflict of the fight to gain our Homeworld. The awe and wonder of seeing a lush world to those who knew only endless sands, and especially when we saw Karan insisting that she be the last person to disembark and set foot on the Homeworld.
The agency we had as a player was not viewed through the lens of one person; but through the eyes of an entire people and the journey they took. The universe had enough backstory written within the manual to lay the foundational ground work just enough that you didn't need a lot of technical exposition dumps, or have to have things blatantly explained to you right to your face. So in a sense, you were like part of the crew going on the journey along with them, as part of them.

Homeworld Catacylsm

HWC worked much the same way within its own twist. For this game, the focus was much smaller in scope and placed you with the crew of the Kiith Somtaaw mining vessel.
Here HWC built upon the foundations that HW1 put in place with the lore of the Kiiths, the fallout of returning to Hiigara, and touched upon and provided interested world building elements about the universe. From the aspects of Kiith politics; and the explorations of galactic geopolitics resulting from the Return of the Kushan people.
It was an underdog tale and also one that mirrors and parallels aspects of a Hero's Journey. Only again the hero here is not a person but a group of people. The story aspect of The Beast acted as narrative driving force to drive those concepts of the growth and journey of the Kuun-Lan and her crew as they had that Hero's journey.
You fight alongside the Kuun-Lann, you feel and hear the fear in their voices of the ship engineers as they struggle to understand the Beast when it captures and subverts ships. The tension as the story progresses as the circumstances get more dire. The interactions with the Bentusi and seeing a culture so powerful be shook to their core was a fantastic element of exploring who the Bentusi were as a people. We saw the horrors of the Imperialist experiments and their alliance with the Beast. We got the the thrill of victory with the Siege cannon working as we fought back in the last mission. And lastly at the end of the epilogue sequence where the Somtaww fought, died, and earned their place among the great martial Kiith; the naming of their children as Beastslayers. Truly it was fantastic story telling under the guise of using science fiction and some space horror.
All of the gameplay, and the emotions come out as the story and narrative is experienced. Everything that is told within the game, works within the confines of the established lore of the game, and the prior game. Nothing is over explained, nothing is just hand-waved away. We saw them grow as a crew, saw their fear, stumbles falls, and triumphs along the way. All this while exploring and growing the established lore of the Homeworld universe.
In my view those two stories worked so well for so many people because fundamentally, they were a story of the Journey; not the destination. We lived through those experiences as if we were there with them; we experienced the ups and downs of the emotions of the stories told about the people and their growth within those stories. We were able to connect and relate to those experiences in our own way. And in my view, the ability to connect to those stories made them so fantastic.

“And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong from carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived.”

The Stumble

"What you saw belongs to you. A story doesn't live until it is imagined in someone's mind."
"What does the story mean, then?"
"It means what you want it to mean," Hoid said. "The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think , but to give you questions to think upon. Too often, we forget that.”

In my view Homeworld 2 is where things started to have problems.
Many of us in the community know of the development of Homeworld 2, its cancellation, its rushed story and development. However the story of HW2 mostly throws out the concepts mentioned before. While the story and gameplay is presented in the same way as the prior two games; in my view it fails to present the user a story and experience they can truly and fundamentally connect with and is more 'generic science fiction'.
The driving force of the story is some prophecy we've never seen or heard of before this game in any of the lore. And the main reason for all of it is the now retconned nature of the hyperspace cores. Throw on top of this heavy leaning into the religious themes and mysticism focusing on Karan and Makaan who now and take the stage as the primary protagonists and antagonists of the story.
The character motivations of the Makaan/Vaygr, Karan, and the Bentusi are in my view mostly shallow or very hollow to the point its basically cookie cutter tropes without a lot of nuance to it. The story becomes and is less about the people and more about a MacGuffin game of Hide and Seek. The prior exploration and expansion of the HW universe is entirely ignored in favor of this hide-and-seek of the cores that the entire game has driving it forward. There's no understanding of the growth of the world, of the Kushan people, geopolitics, or anything like that. Just lots of woo-woo mysticism about the Cores and the Progenitors.
With regards to the plot; we're mainly just told 'hey the bad guys are coming, keep the cores away and go find the others'. The Bentusi are unceremoniously killed off without any real build up or explanation. Why are they the last? What happened to them? None of that is explored in a way that gives us any sort of satisfying reason to why this makes sense when they detonate their Harbour Ship to give us their Magic Space Core.
To me there's no personal emotional connection to the story. Why should I care about a magic space prophecy I've never heard of until now? Why are the Vaygr the way they are? None of that is given time to breathe or has enough depth to make me care beyond superficially. The narrative doesn't make you feel less of an active participant in the journey you are going through, and makes you more of a passive viewer of a conflict that has little explanation as to why you should care or understand the importance of said driving forces. The reasons for getting to and through the the game feel rushed so much that the narrative doesn't have a lot of depth or time to breathe in my view.
While the backstory in the manual does give context to the pre-exile events and how it does relate to the events in game which helps with overall universe world building; it's done so in such a way that is retconning the fundamental established soft-rules of the universe that HW1 and HWC laid the ground work on which further compounds or allows the weak story of HW2 to take place, and undercuts the accomplishments of the Kushan people as I will explain shortly.

The Fall - Homeworld 3

However the worse crime is what was squandered with the ending of the HW2. The epilogue of Homeworld 2 put forth a massive chance for some incredible story options to take place with the opening of the Hyperspace Gate Network across the galaxy. A chance for exploring stories that can connect with the player on that personal level like HW1 and HWC and the explorations of what could be explored in this new open universe. What will the Hiigarans do now, what about the Taiidan, the other Inner Rim species, what now will the galaxy look like with the Bentusi gone, why were the gates closed in the first place?! So many fantastic ideas were possible with scopes as large or as small as possible. The discovery, exploration of the Homeworld Galaxy would have been tremendous.
Instead we got the story of Homeworld 3.
Now I don't want to be unnecessary harsh or mean to the writers or the team at BBI/Gearbox for the effort they put into the work for Homeworld 3. This game is a niche title and not anywhere near popular like COD, or Warcraft or Zelda. But to be frank, I really truly feel that y'all need to have some direct constructive criticism of this story's campaign. I don't know what the motivation was for putting this story together, or what was attempting to be told here, but whatever story you were trying to tell did not land well.
I backed this game on fig at the Admiral level, so I threw down hard for this and am truly grateful we got the game at all. I truly want BBI and Gearbox to take this to heart in a way this is not demeaning, but a cold bucket of water that I feel needs to be throw.
The best way I can succinctly put this is that the story of Homeworld 3 lacks the fundamental soul that made Homeworld 1 and Homeworld Cataclysm the absolutely best in the franchise. This game makes Homeworld 2's rushed narrative and slight stumbles look somehow not that bad by comparison. Those on the HWU discord know my passionate dislike of the overall story of HW2 and the retcons that introduced that were further compounded by HWDOK. The story of HW3 makes HW2 look polished and well thought out by comparison.
So I'll be straight with my gripes on this.

• More and worse of the same that came from Homeworld 2. Retcons of established lore, de-emphasizing and diminishment of the motivations of the persons and people's in the prior games. Putting the Progenitor hyperspace cores as the singular driving force of the entire franchise
  
• Everything is now about KARAN SJET. Karan saved the Kushan people. Karan lead the revenge against the Taiidan, Karan found the magic space cores. Karan opened the hyperspace gate network, Karan tries to stop the anomaly. Karan probably cured cancer and saved JFK from assassination for all I know.
  
• The compounding of the Progenitor hyperspace SpaceMagic and making Karan the primary protagonist of the series continues to massively undercut the accomplishments of the Kharakian people off at the knees. The entire back story of HW1 that details their struggle and clawing up the tech tree, the struggle to survive on the harsh conditions of Kharak, how the discovery of the Guidestone and the goal of Hiigara the singular unifying goal of reaching their lost Homeworld uniting their entire population. Everything the HW1 manual details and gloriously shows the accomplishments of their PEOPLE to get to where they were at the start of HW1. All of that is diminished because 'magic hyperspace core'. I could go on but you get the gist. (I won't get into the further compounding retcons of HWDOK, but this just furthers that same narrative direction.) In my view, the Homeworld series has and never been about a person, but the story and journey of a group or people whose plight or experience is something that can be emotionally and personally related to by anyone.
  
• Karan was only a small person out of her entire population and only ONE person of the entire crew of the mothership. She was not some messianic figure, but someone who sacrificed for her people. Now I get the messianic implications of that, but the first game was never about her.
  
• HW2 already crossed over the line of making the story about a person rather than about the people. HW3 takes that and makes it worse. Gone is a story about the Hiigaran people and how their place in the Inner Rim has taken hold a century after landing back home. No explaination of how the inner rim has changed since the gates opened. Nothing about the Galactic Council. Nothing about other species or factions.
  
• The world building of HW3 is basically non-existent or is very poorly done as compared to the last games. No real understanding of the world at large since the ending of the last game or how the events have unfolded and affected the universe as we have come to understand it. Unless you go on the HWU website to get some level of backstory to get an idea of what's going on leading into HW3, you'll have no idea what the hell is happening.
  
• The antagonist of HW3 makes the life-size cardboard cutout of Makaan win the Oscar for best actor in a science fiction video game. They are bad and lack any sort of depth at all as a character. They instead come off at worst as cringe at and best cliché trope-y bad. Throughout the entire campaign we have no idea how/why/what they are doing the things they are doing. Nothing is explained that makes any sense. They just monologue at us with some over the top badguy speeches without any real understanding of what they are after or what their motivations are. Seriously, the the cut scenes from Homeworld 1 with Emperor Riesstiu IV the Second or Makaan from HW2 had more narrative depth and in universe understanding of their motivations than the antagonist of HW3. I have seriously no idea how this Incarnate Queen got the power she did, or why she was doing what she was attempting. No reasons why beyond I AM BADGUY WITH ULTIMATE POWER. JOIN ME OR DIE. It was the equivalent of 'Somehow Palpatine has returned levels of bad. How did she get the Progenitor tech she did, how did she live as long as she does, how does she have magic hyperspace cores that let her go into the Magic Hyperspace Navigator Mind Realm?? No idea Something the OG Homeworld games did very well was of show don't tell, and telling just enough for it to make sense without having to go into crazy techno battle or massive mystical assumptions of how things worked. This is one of those moments I feel like it did the opposite of that. We're shown a WHOLE LOT OF STUFF, but have no way to reconcile it in game in a way that narratively makes sense or resonates with the playeuniverse.
  
• The massive in-universe violations of established lore regarding hyperspace. Holy shit this is so bad I don't even know how this came about. The Progenitor hyperspace cores and their special spacemagic look mostly normal by comparison. There is no lore or story elements that help explain how any of this is possible. It's never explained at all beyond 'it happened just go with it'. Absolutely nothing, nada, not a bit of information is explained or made attempts to understand at how the Incarnate Queen is using hyperspace as a weapon. The violation of the mass override safety interrupts or gravity blocking or interfering with hyperspace is never explained at all. Nothing to show how she is THROWING PLANETS AT OTHER PLANETS. This is the equivalent of the Holdo Manuver from 'The Force Awakens'; massively cool to see on screen; but holy shit this violates so many in-universe conventions of how FTL travel works that it fundamentally causes problems.
  
• MASSIVELY more leaning into the mysticism aspects and moreso science fantasy side of storytelling are done within this game than the prior four games. I am not sure on the motivations here, but I feel like it was done in such a way that that leaves much to be desired for HOW/WHY. I get that they may have been trying to lean more into the nature of the Unbound and how the Navigators of the mothership class vessels are connected to their ships and have a much more profound view of the universe (similar to what the Bentusi alluded to). But this just felt very out of place and didn't make a lot of sense to me why it was presented in this way. I feel like it could have been done better or in such a way that helped it link up better to the ideas of the Unbound, but this was not it.
  
• The way HW3 story plays feels like someone only had a cursory understanding of the Homeworld lore and just did their own thing with it irrespective of the established lore and world building that was previously done. Shutting down the gate network??? WHY. This just takes the ending of HW2 and throws all those chances I mentioned and just throws it in the trash.
  
• No explanation of why the Incarnate Queen thinks she can make a new race of Unbound?? Why is this important? Don't know! Why are Karan and Imogen somehow special and able to stop her within the Hyperspace Mental universe? No idea and it really pushes things way into Science fantasy.
  
• Imogen as a character I feel is 'okay'. I am not sure if its the relationships she has with the other characters in the game, or if its just the story as a whole doesn't give her a lot to work with. To me it feels like there some aspect of her story and character I feel is missing from the game. Again its probably my displeasure of the game focusing on individual characters instead of larger abstractions of people like the prior games before HW2.
  

Final Thoughts

Fundamentally I know this is a personal opinion of mine and not everyone will agree with it. That's fine, but for me I have so many issues with the story and many of the pillars that are supposed to hold it up that at a certain point I can only say that the story is for me very bad and goes against the grain of what the foundational games to me setup for the franchise. It does nothing to grow or expand the HW universe lore in any interesting ways. I say this as someone who's been in and grown up with the Homeworld community for the last 26 years.
Story-wise; it's disappointing, bland, and generic at the very least and doesn't live up to the GOAT levels of quality the originals of HW1 and HWC (and to an extent HW2) put forth; to being insultingly bad at worst. I don't mean this as an slight to the writing staff as I know that a LOT of the OG folks involved with the first games were involved, but I really feel like there was a misstep here. It plays well and the pacing is kinda faster than I'd have wanted within a Homeworld game. However the core story ideas that make up the game are poorly explained, weak, or are so counter the established lore that for me it doesn't hold up well. This is magnified by the antagonist motivations and actions being poorly explained which in turn doesn't give the story or world to grow in any meaningful way.
I honestly don't know where or how the path the franchise has taken can be corrected. In my personal opinion, its gone off in a direction that gave the first games their unique style that made them attractive in the first place. Without doing massive retcons to entirely course correct to bring the game to where I personally think would be more akin to the original games I don't know where they'll try to take the game. This recent game I feel it has pushed more into the generic bland science fantasy genre with this newest entry into the franchise; rather than taking the careful slow burn, grounded science fiction based abstract story approach that connects with a player on a deeply personal level.
For me, while may it may have the gameplay mechanics and RTS genre DNA of seasoned devs in the industry that have been involved with Homeworld and other games over the years, it lacks the soul that made the first games who they were and is Homeworld game in name only.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

He spins around right 'round, baby, right 'round. Like a record, baby, right round, 'round, 'round
Previous part: 6.
Like always, I've missed some sort of controversy happening in the FNAF community. But this time I had something to say about it as it relates to the lore side of things!
A week ago... Before Scott came and revealed that The Talbert Files were all fake and he had never seen nor written them. I was late to the party this time but next to I'll be on time!
But to boil down what I said, The Talbert Files has outdated information and is unusable to us theorists. Do not use anything in this book to make a point in the current story of the games.
Oh and of course, this controversy came from Twitter or X or whatever. If these past few games have told me anything, it's that being connected to a network for any long periods of time is very bad for your mental health and safety~
And basically, that was the gist of what would've been probably the longest intro ever.
For those new to this series or who have lost which part or place they're on, check out The Jonsie Burrows: Help Wanted 2: Tables of contents to find where you want to go! If you haven't seen any of my stuff before then...
Hello, this is something you might have missed in Help Wanted 2.
Previously Post Interesting things:

1. Our main character, HW Jeremy, Cassie's dad, is already wearing the Security Mask before we even start the game. This means Glitchtrap has access to his mind and body. As for what that entails...
2. Help Wanted 2's AMask-on version of the FNAF6 Pizzaria might be based on Micheal's canonical look for it near the end of Pizzaria Simulator.
3. After completing each minigame, a party hat, plate, and cup will appear on the table next to you. Whose party are we attending as a guest?
4. The protagonist of Help Wanted 2 is HW Jeremy, discovered through the color blue items which are prominent in the game and used for his name and shirt in Ruin. Jeremy was a former employee of Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental and may have been present during the events of Sister Location.
5. In the First Aid minigame of Help Wanted 2, the "GET WELL SOON!" drawings depict Baby's life as seen through Vanny's eyes, hinting towards the game's secret ending. These drawings also reveal that Baby's data card from Sister Location was inside Helpy in Pizzeria Simulator and survived the fire. As a result, her programming was eventually absorbed into the Pizzaplex's Network, leading to her appearance in Help Wanted 2.
6. Glitchtrap may have collected the souls and memories of the original dead kids into the Pizzaplex's Network and in this game, Jeremy is going into Glitchtrap's memories.
7. Help Wanted 2's Fizz Faz minigame's location is the same but different location in Security Breach. They both have identical objects placed in the exact place as each other, giving evidence to the fact that Jeremy is physically moving to certain locations in the Pizzaplex when clicking on the minigames.
8. Helpi in this game is indeed Glitchtrap in disguise. Unlike Ruin, Helpi is not his own entity in this game because we're not connected to the V.A.N.N.I. network due to being in the FNAF6 pizzeria. The V.A.N.N.I. network only covers the entire Pizzaplex but doesn't go past the door to the underground in Roxy Raceway. Glitchtrap has a preference for using proxies and decoys to communicate with the unsuspected to get them to do what he wants.
   Now back to our unregularly scheduled series!
   

​
"The carousel is broken. Fix it!" That was what greeted you in the void along with a pictograph of a carousel. It sounded very simple but you knew better now.
"Fix all the broken fuses, then replace any broken switches and turn on the power."
"Repair the circuit board. Don't forget to solder in new wires with the soldering gun." Were the rest of the instructions given to you for this task, hovered over the "START" button but before you pressed it, a new sound reverberated in the void.
There was always a noise, a certain ambiance in this place of darkness. Whether it be the sound of blowing air or some distant jingle, there was always something to occupy the ears. But this was different.
It was like the noise of someone pulling a wire along a corner very fast, like the sound of something struggling to play out of a static radio, a blare of a machine in motion that started malfunctioning. Whatever description one wanted to use, it didn't change the fact that it was getting increasingly louder.
But before you hear more of it or even figure out what it was. Your hand betrayed you and completed the motion of pressing the "START" button. Whisking you off to your next destination over the cover of darkness.
​
Okay, that's it! I've got to find this ambiance in the Help Wanted 2 soundtrack! It's driving me nuts! Alright, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that I found the exact track that plays in the void! It's called Main Menu Ambiance or as its file name refers to it, ambience_main_menu. The bad news is that this sound I'm hearing is not there.
This means one of two things, this track has a different variant of it somewhere in the soundtrack, or the sound belongs to some animatronic or creature in the game.
Personally, I hoping for the former as that's much, much easier to find as the latter requires me to rip open the game for the sound. What makes this even more difficult is that it might be randomized to play while in the void and pretty much everyone doesn't stay in the void any longer than to read the instructions, claim their prizes from the claws, or press the "RESTART" button in the "GAME OVER" void.
(Although I haven't gone over the "GAME OVER" void yet in this series, I have heard it play in there too on my searching through other people's playthroughs of the game.)
Time to go back to searching for this mysterious sound.
I can't find it. I've searched YouTube but there aren't a lot of people uploading the entire soundtrack to this game and the one who has doesn't have it listed in their playlist of 769 videos. Oh, joy! It looks like we have our first Help Wanted 2 mystery! What a coincidence considering my last post.
So for now, I'm going to leave the research for this until I write out Help Wanted 2 Mysteries: The Mysterious Sound in the Void. But to leave you all hanging and confused about what exactly I'm hearing, I'll give you the timestamp of the walkthrough I heard it from right here.
Now, let's see what awaits us at the Carousel.
"Attention, This Carousel is out of service and will require repairs before we open tomorrow."
The Daycare Attendant, Sun, spoke from somewhere close by in this new environment you found yourself in. You were standing inside a Carousel in a dark room, the only light source seemed to be a light from above as you faced an open panel on the central pillar in the middle of it. Inside the panel, live currents of electricity crackled and popped as they ran across and through yellow wires into two out of six fuses that the wire ran through.
The fuses were in two vertical parallel rows, and the yellow wire ran in and out of one row and went back through in the next until the very last row where it came out of the last bulb and disappeared into the side of the panel. Judging by how the two fuses were lit as the electric current went through and the other four were unlit with no visible electric current going through them, you bet a greasy pizza that you'll need to replace those four fuses.
"That is the end of my instruction. If I had been programmed with the knowledge to fix it, it would have already been done." That would've been nice, but you think they would've just gotten another broken carousel for you to fix.
During your listening to his speech, you figure that "Sun" was only just a recording as his voice had a sort of radio-like quality to it that sounded much like it was recorded at an earlier date.
To your left was a stand with three hatches opened, showing off items within them while what looked to be colorful wires sat on a small divot in the stand.
To your right, was an interesting set of items that seemed very out of place to you. There was a small rectangular haystack that sat on the right side of the pillar, with a skinny pumpkin and an oil lantern. What are they doing here? (What indeed, but perhaps there's a clue around here.)
A brief look around showed you that the area outside the carousel was blindingly dark, but grabbing the flashlight that sat on the tool cabinet-like stand on your left and flicking it on, revealed what was hidden in the darkness.
Further from you, were the carousel seats that took after the appearances of some of the classic Freddy's animatronics. You see with the help of your flashlight, you see a classic (FNAF1) Bonnie seat, a classic (FNAF1) Chica seat, a classic (FNAF1) Mr. Cupcake, Toy Freddy, and Toy Foxy? Weird, you've usually seen Toy Foxy in their mangle variant rather than their fixed state.
(Despite the darkness and the unmangled form of this white foxy, you can actually tell which of the closely resembling Foxys it represents. While Scott did make Funtime Foxy, (From Sister Location, not FNAF World) very similar to Mangle/Toy Foxy. He did make them slightly distinct from each other in the coloring department besides their different structures.
The official model of Funtime Foxy(Sister location) actually has dark pink cheeks while Mangle/Toy Foxy has rosy-red cheeks just like the rest of their Toy companions. So this carousel is really repping FNAF 2-era, I wonder why...)
You thought you saw balloons at the edge of your flashlight, but before you could verify it, something spoke close by from where you were standing.
"The merry-go-round broke down." The slightly hoarse, raspy voice ended with a snicker as you struggled to find the source of it. Something was definitely in the dark room with you. (Hey Moon!)
You the source continued to elude you before you gave up and focused on the problem in front of you. Waisting time to find the voice was a fool's game, your best bet was to quickly fix this problem within the panel before the voice became a problem for you.
Still, you felt that you knew that voice.
Out you pulled the broken fuses and set them on the side, in went the new fuses you took from the hatch in the stand one by one as they came out of the hatch. Once you put the final new fuses, the pillar in front began to spin, and dozens of mini yellow lightbulbs lit up on its side.
Lights in the distance flickered on and music from the carousel started playing. (Carousel: Doomsday Ride Phase 1.) The pillar came to a stop on its next side but the outer ring full of rides of the carousel continued to spin clockwise around you. It's there where you spotted the one behind the voice and finally put a name to the foggy figure in your memory, Moon, the Daycare Attendant's other personality.
And the most difficult one to deal with. But you knew how to deter this side of him, you thought as you pointed your flashlight at his face as he rode a Bonnie seat in the outer ring of the carousel.
"What makes you so special?"
You heard him say as he started to shake his head from the brightness of the light, but you handled your flashlight well to keep the light on his face before he fell off the Bonnie seat with a frustrated and agony-filled growl from overexposure.
​
And there it is! The most important line in this game! This line is a hint at the hidden ongoings within Help Wanted 2, a hint towards our mysterious protagonist's identity, and a hint that things are not what they seem in this game.
Or at least that's the excitement I would've felt when we finally got to this line in the game if I hadn't already spoiled everything during the Circus Baby and Helpi discoveries in the First Aid minigames!
Now, I really don't have much to say regarding the "What makes you so special?" line or any new thoughts about it. Maybe that'll change in the future, but for now, let's focus on another unexpected return in the form of the villainous side of the Daycare Attendant.
Yep, that's right. Just like Circus Baby, this is the actual Moon from Security Breach and Ruin! Unlike Circus Baby though, we have a precedent from Ruin for the Daycare Attendant to be able to appear in the Network, which this "game" is connected to, even in the FNAF6 pizzeria.
Honestly, I probably wouldn't I gotten that far in uncovering as much as did in Help Wanted 2 if I hadn't discovered that little hidden tidbit about Sun and Moon's network switched mechanic thing they have going on.
But for those who don't remember or don't know what I'm talking about you can read where I first talked about it in the fourth section of my "Roxy's true purpose" post. But to summarize it for those who don't want to click the link and go more in-depth about it for those who do, one of the oddest and unexplained moments that occurs in Ruin, is Sun talking to Cassie in the AR world while Moon speaking in the real world.
Back then, It always puzzled me when Sun said "Not me! The other me!" when approached by Cassie with the mask on to reboot him. And afterward, when the Daycare Attendant has been rebooted into Eclipse, Cassie could hear Sun say "thank you" in the real world after Eclipse left her outside of the daycare, even though he should've been gone with the reboot.
But the missing pieces to figure out this Daycare Attendant puzzle come in three, the Security Mask, the Faz-Wrench, and the Network. It is very important to remember what the first two actually do in Ruin and to not forget how the AR world exists.
The Security Mask lets you view the Pizzaplex through Augmented Reality, a digitally altered perception of reality influenced and dictated by Fazbear Entertainment (and Glitchtrap) and by the sub-network of the main network of the Pizzaplex.
That mask also has another function it, which is hinted in the name of its sub-network, V.A.N.N.I. or Virtual Augmented Neural Network Integration Unit. The Security Mask, with your consent under normal circumstances I presume, implants your brain with an occipital transponder. This implant allows you to retain some visual perks of V.A.N.N.I. like Helpi the onboard assistant who could still show up to assist you without the mask.
But this implant is a double-edged sword in truth. This implant is permanently attached to your brain and is constantly feeding information from and to your brain to the network. The Pizzaplex's Network holds a lot of information, like guest profiles for those who enter the Pizzaplex, the security system that safeguards and watches over everything, the various data collection regarding each location within the Pizzaplex, and is connected to every single animatronic/bot within the Pizzaplex.
The Network is a valuable tool for the employees and Fazbear Entertainment, providing plentiful assistance in various tasks. However, the situation regarding the implant would not have been grave had there not been a sinister entity lurking within the network. Glitchtrap now has complete access to a person's brain without their knowledge, posing a significant unknown threat to those who have it.
If you want to know what Glitchtrap is capable of doing to someone implanted with the occipital transponder, just read my Security Mask and Cassie being controlled post.
This leaves us with the unassuming Faz-Wrench, a tool that almost goes unnoticed by practically everyone. But like any tool, it will shine best when used for its purpose. That is besides being used as a simple tool for the simple conduit puzzle, it's a powerful tool to connect, activate, and deactivate everything connected to the Network.
So applying everything I've said to the Daycare Attendant situation in Ruin, then you can figure out many secret things about him that were unsaid.

1. When one of the Daycare Attendant's personalities is dominant or in the foreground, the subservient one will still be active in the background and is still aware of what's happening around him. Yes, this means that Sun knows about Vanny, Moon, and Glitchtrap, and what happens to Moon's victims. I still wouldn't label him a villain, just complacent, because he still hasn't hurt or harmed anyone even with all the information we've gained from the books and games.
2. If Cassie had used the Faz-Wrench while wearing the mask, she would have deactivated the Sun persona and disconnected the Daycare Attendant from the Network. This might've led to him completely shutting down and deactivating as The Daycare Attendant is connected to a lot of things within the network. If not, it would just leave Moon as the dominant personality. (For those thinking this would be a good thing for the villains, remember that Moon would still be severely sensitive to light and useless in any lit environments. Eclipse was the best option for villains regarding the Daycare Attendant.)
3. The Daycare Attendant is active in the Network at all times when functional. In fact, I believe that the Sun and Moon weren't exactly removed from the Daycare Attendant's data once Eclipse was made the dominant personality from the reboot as the fact that Sun can still communicate with Cassie even after Eclipse takes over backs this up. I'll even go as far as to say that Sun and Moon are still around but can only interact with anyone through the network.

This brings us back to Help Wanted 2's carousel minigame and Moon's presence within it. If you had no doubt guess with all the information above about how Moon here, is actually Moon, then let me spell it out for those struggle to make sense of what I'm saying.
The Moon that's appearing here is the same Moon we first met in Security Breach. As for how? The Daycare Attendant is much more connected to the Network than all other animatronics as he is the only one who can actually talk to someone through it rather than playing past voice lines as we see from the other Glamrocks in the AR world.
And it's here in Help Wanted 2 that it's revealed that he's fully conscious enough to travel through the networks and sub-networks and interact with anyone and anything integrated into it, i.e. Vanny, Cassie, Jeremy, and Glitchtrap.
Oh, and as for why he has a physical body here, this is just a digital form created by whatever program that "Help Wanted 2" is in-universe as Ruin showed us through the M.X.E.S. Entity and M.X.E.S. program that digital entities can appear to have a physical form through their programs and can be viewed the Security Mask.
If Moon didn't the "Help Wanted 2" program to help create a digital body, he would most likely appear as a motionless digital creation like that Giant endo in Fazbear Theator or probably wouldn't even have a form and be like an invisible ghost that you can only hear. (That sounds like a great idea for an enemy in a future game. Steel Wool if you're reading this, I have no ownership over this idea, so it's free to use!)
However, I don't think before the reboot into Eclipse, that both Sun and Moon could be in the Network at the same time. One of them has to occupy their physical body while the other waits for their turn in the network.
In Ruin, Moon was occupying the body most of the time while Sun was stuck and talking to Cassie through the network, and at no point did we hear Moon talking through it.
So since Help Wanted 2 is a prequel to Ruin and in turn pre-Eclipse. The opposite must be happening here with the Daycare Attendant in regards to who occupies the body and whose in the Network, because from what I remember from the entire game, Sun gives not a single hint that he's the real one rather than a simple digital recreation.
This means that during the entirety of Help Wanted 2, Sun is presently occupying the Daycare Attendant's body while Moon is present in the Network and interacting with/observing Jeremy while following Glitchtrap's, and secretly Vanny's, orders.
Which then begs the question, is this Moon in the carousel minigame the same one in the Arts and Crafts and Foxy Log Ride minigames? Or to rephrase it, are the other minigames' Moons just digital recreations?
I'm not sure, but it's something to look out for in the future when we get to those minigames. But for now, I'm going to hold off on making any Moon "Prove it!" post until we cover those minigames. Now, let's finish this minigame.
​
The Pillar had stopped to show a new panel for you to solve that had three dial knobs and a missing one from top to bottom, alternating from side to side with three wires running through all of them.
Already having an idea of what to do, you quickly turn the first two dial knobs and watch electricity flow through them. But when you got to the third one it came off as soon as you touched it, falling to the ground and out of sight.
Oh no! What could you do now?! Panic started to creep in as Moon's laughter reached your ears. This time sounding a lot closer than before. Quickly looking around for both Moon and another way to fix the panel, you spotted a spare dial knob in one of three hatches on the stand beside you. Grabbing it and another for the knob-less fourth one, you speedily attached them and turned them for the electric current to go through all of them.
Snatching up your flashlight, you desperately searched for Moon as more of the carousel ride became alive with more moving seats, more lights, and more energetic music to accompany it. FF(Carousel: Doomsday Ride Phase 2.)
You even saw more of the seats that were obscure in the darkness before. There was a Toy Bonnie seat, a Toy Chica seat, a Classic (FNAF1) Freddy seat, and finally balloons in a barrel seat which is where you found Moon ridding before you flashed your light at him, causing him to scream and fall off it.
(Hmm... No FNAF1 Foxy. Oh! And just to clarify, I'm referring to these seats as 'classic' because they are likely modeled after the original withered animatronics, rather than the restored ones we met in FNAF1.")
Returning to face the new problem panel on a different side of the pillar, you were met with a circuit board with frayed wires, with a small display screen on top of it and a big red button underneath it. There was also some kind of blue gun beneath all of that, in a holster built into this side of the central pillar.
Luckily, it seems that someone thought to help you out on what you were supposed to do here as there was a clipboard board hanging on the side of the pillar with a paper attached to it. The paper titled "SOLDERING INSTRUCTIONS" was exactly as the title said, showing what you want to do with the circuit board.
It didn't look like you could use the one on the pillar, so you took it off and grabbed a new one that you spotted in the third hatch and put that on the pillar swiftly. You grabbed a couple of wires that were sitting on the stand and pulled out what you previously thought was a blue gun that was actually the smoldering gun and quickly went to work as Moon ominously snickered from somewhere very close around you.
"Naughty Naughty."
One, two. Only two wires you managed to solder onto the circuit board before you pushed your luck to your breaking point and grabbed the flashlight in one smooth motion as turned around and looked for Moon. The goodness you found him immediately, the bad news is he's just one seat away from where you're standing.
Acting quickly before he could move close and bring death along with him, you flashed your light at him, sending him over the seat in agony. Not even bothering to see him completely go over the seat, you finished soldering the last wire and smacked the big red button underneath it.
And loud alarm sounded throughout the area as the pillar stayed put this time, but the closest seats around you started to spin with the rest of the carousel and the music became jumbled. (Carousel: Doomsday Ride Phase 3.) A timer lit up and started counting down from 1 minute on the screen above the circuit board along with the following words: Time Until Reset.
Let like you need to survive until the reset happens as there is nothing else for you to fix. So grabbing your flashlight again, you prepared yourself as could be to last 1 minute of Moon's onslaught. During this terrifying minute, sparks shot out from beneath the ceiling of the carousel as all the lights inside it turned all. But if Moon wasn't enough to deal with, a fire appeared at the farthest end of the area you were in as the lights flickered off and on while the carousel continued to dangerously spark from different places on the machine.
(Hmm... Could this be the event that gave the Daycare Attendant his Ruined appearance?! This actually might be it!)
As machinery grind and screeched, the fire multiplied, the sparks became numerous, and Moon was relentless, but eventually... The carousel came to a stop after you repelled Moon with your light once again as another alarm sound rang out. Turning around you saw the timer was at zero, meaning your work here was finally done. The last thing you heard was another Sun recording shouting "Ho, ho!" before darkness whisked you away and dropped you into the "GAME WON!" void.
Immediately, under the usual children's congratulations scream, your ears picked up that mysterious sound you heard earlier. The unknown sound, similar to that of an old radio distortion, lingered in the void until it faded away, leaving the usual ambiance of the void.
(What. Is. IT?!)
With no answer for the mysterious sound and no way to discover it, you pushed its existence to the back of your mind and pressed the claw machine button to claim your hard-earned prize. But before you grabbed your capsules out of the machine you heard a new sound... (What?)
It sounded like middle c on a Xylophone, maybe a bit deeper than that. It repeated itself in a quick 1, 2, beat in the same pitch then repeated itself an octave higher in the same pattern before disappearing.
(Am I being prank? Maybe there's something wrong with the video I'm watching, I don't remember hearing this anywhere else. Then again, the other YouTubers I'm watching talk a lot or just quickly move on when in the void. This requires further investigation. Okay, I've just checked a completely different Youtuber and found that, yes, this is a real sound in the game and not an edit. If you would like to hear this, I timestamped it here. It goes by very quick, so listen closely.
But on the sound itself. I don't why but I'm getting Daycare vibes from this. I might need to take another look at that place in Ruin and maybe even Security Breach for some kind of clue. After all, we do find Jeremy's shirt in the Daycare for some reason...)
The prize this time was a Carousel Toy which was fitting to you as you pressed the "RETURN TO HUB" button and were blinded by darkness and found yourself back at the restaurant. A quick survey of around you, showed that nothing has changed, except for something new sitting on the red-clothed table next to Mystic Hippo. It was your carousel toy that you've won.
You picked it up and gave it a once over, noticing Classic Freddy, Bonnie, and Freddy as the only seats to it and that it had a Sun & Moon theme appearance. (Not the Daycare Attendant but the actual Sun & Moon.)
You sat the toy back down, glanced at Mystic Hippo, and then returned to the computer in the middle of the room. (I'm still not sure about Mystic Hippo but I go over that at a later date.) You clicked the Ticket Booth folder and found that the last two files were unlocked for it. Captn. Foxy's Log Ride and another glitched and broken file.
What? I thought that there was another Carousel minigame! Well, I guess I'll talk about some of the other stuff I was going to research for now, instead of later. First, let's talk about the carousel itself, I can only remember one game that had a carousel in it and that's FNAF 2. And that's before I saw that the seats were making references to it too.
However, looking through all the locations in that game reveals that while there is a carousel in it, it's hilariously skinny compared to the one here. That's not even going into how it looks completely different. In fact, I think it might be a non-functional prop. So that's a dead-end.
And finally the haystack and the pumpkin, not much to say about it besides being another hint to this FALL FEST thing going on in the new era games. Now, the lantern on the other hand was something that stood out to me as there were a couple of lanterns that stood out to me in Ruin. The one in Vanny's room and the one in Roxy Raceway pt 2. Unfortunately, neither of them was a match for the lantern in the carousel minigame.
This leaves us with one last place to look for a match, Help Wanted: Dreadbear DLC. Oh? I think we might've found something! In the hub world for the DLC, the lamppost lanterns have a remarkably similar design to the lantern in Help Wanted 2. Of course, the Dreadbear lamppost lanterns are too far away to truly know if they're truly one and the same, but maybe we can find something else in this DLC.
I know exactly the one more place we can check to find a lantern, the secret basement containing the Vanny you unlock in the Corn Maze minigame. And "Ding, ding, ding ding!" We have a match! Now what it means for the carousel minigame is unknown to me at this date in time.
Possibly, there's a connection here to the Dreadbear DLC. Maybe this "game" was also a DLC to the original Help Wanted in-universe. Or maybe this scenario happened around the sametime as Dreadbear DLC depicts its FALL FEST in, 1983.
But like I said, I need to sit on this and see if I can find some other connections. Other than that, scoping through the Dreadbear DLC has given me some thoughts about certain things. I'll discuss it in the next part, so let's wrap this up.
So it's the only one available to do, you clicked on Capt. Foxy's Log Ride and saw what its pop-up window had to show you. "Set sail for adventure with Capt. Foxy! Pillage and plunder a town of Wild West landlubbers!"
What a mashup of settings were your thoughts before you clicked on TUTORIAL and were whisked away again by darkness and found yourself in the void.
Well, that unexpectedly took a while. But heads up, I'm going to be a bit busy with work so the next part is going to be slower to complete. Yet there are lots of interesting things going on here in this one to tie you all over, including a brand-new mystery for all of us to solve! Just goes to show that Help Wanted 2 just seems to have even more things for us to discover!

I am probably one of the biggest fans of V out there, I absolutely love the game and consider it one of my all time favourites, so the fact that Vengeance is essentially the same game but with a lot of improvements is good, and I am very hyped.
But I have some doubts.
The first one was unveiled at the games reveal I think, which is Save anywhere. I know this is probably controversial of me, but I think that Save anywhere isnt necessary. In the original game, Leyline Founts were everywhere and say you needed to leave the game cuz something real life came up, you could just return pillar and save. Or, if really necessary, they should have added suspend save like Nocturne HD. I suppose now I will just have to self impose the rule of only saving at leyline founts.
More then came after watching the complete guide.
Abcesses. It seems like now they dont obscure vision on the map? Why the actual fuck have they made that change? Now it seems like, other than the abcesses that block the critical path, you will easily be able to avoid them. Previously, you could avoid them, but it made the game harder as navigation was harder. While you still have an incentive to take down abcesses in the form of miracles, I feel like the fact they obscured parts of the map fed into the gameplay loop. It sucks because they have made so many other improvements to the maps, like being able to turn off icons and making it more clear when theres elevation differences.
Guest Characters seem really cool. But in the complete guide it stated "in the canon of vengeance", so we wont get guest characters in the canon of creation ig... It sucks because there were opportunities for them, like Yuzuru in the first area, Tao in the second (along with Yuzuru and Dazai at moments), and Dazai in the 3rd. At the absolute VERY least, if they didnt want to make any story adjustments at all, they could have had Tao as a guest character in the 2nd area. This makes me think other changes may not be in the Canon of Creation, like all of the new demon navis and some of the new sidequests where you get to play as a demon.
Last one is a bit nitpicky but Estoma? It seems like now its just switched on and off. At first it seemed like it slowly drained your magatsuhi but it doesnt seem that way as they said it stays on until you turn it off, instead of using the moon cycle. This makes me think it might just freeze your magatsuhi gain? Its hard to tell, but at first I thought it was cool to use your magatsuhi, as it makes it an expensive skill to use, but if it doesnt drain your magatsuhi I think its a bit OP. I also still wish for Estoma to go back to being Estoma Sword, I think Estoma Sword was a bit rough in IV but in V the demons arent nearly as fast or surprising so I think requiring you to strike demons for Estoma would work well in V. It also makes me feel that the moon cycle will be even more inconsequential as it was in the original, I want them to bring back skills based on the moons cycle again.
In conclusion, I know I am probably controversial with my opinion on some of these, particularly save anywhere, and I imagine these gameplay changes were made after seeing feedback on the game. I just want to know who on earth complained about the abcesses.
Some positivity now tho.The coolest change in the Complete Guide for me was the ability to turn off individual map icons. I think it could make the game more enjoyable, particularly if you are able to switch off quest markers as I believe in the original the quest markers were too helpful and at points even made quests less immersive (like when you have to find the students at the start of the second area, youre told when Aogami detects that theyre nearby, but its pointless because their exact locations marked on your map anyway).

Joy
“Please don’t do this to me! I’ll die out there!” Tiffany crumpled to the floor, phone shaking against her ear.
A gruff voice crackled. “I’m sorry Tiffany, our runner in your area got caught on his latest delivery. My other guy barely made it back. He saw Jimmy get hauled into the van. They’ve probably torn him apart by now.”
“Please…I don’t have any food left in the house. I’ll never make it out there. They’ll spot me immediately.”
“Listen, listen Tiff. It’s going to be OK. Listen to me alright? There’s a shop one block away from you.”
“I can’t!”
“You have to! OK, all you have to do is get in and get out. Put on the darkest sunglasses you have. You have shades right?”
Tiffany glanced up to the cabinet. Her terrified face reflected at her through the polarized lenses. “Uh-huh”
“That’s good, that’s real good. Now you put those on and grab enough food for a week while I find a replacement runner OK?”
“O-OK”
“And Tiffany?”
“Remember to smile, smile as wide as you can and never drop it. You know what happens if they suspect…”
“I know, thanks Mark.”
Tiffany hung up the phone with a shuddering exhale. She stood up and looked herself over in the mirror. A terrified blonde woman stared back, eyes wide with fear.
She wiped her tears and smoothed out her locks. She grasped her oversized sunglasses with trembling hands and put them on. She bent over, adjusting them carefully to ensure no trace of her eyes could be seen.
Glancing down, she looked over her list of food. Enough for a week…get in, get out…and smile.
Before turning to leave, she smiled into the mirror. The upturned mouth seemed almost foreign to her; she hadn’t laughed since everyone had been Torn. There weren’t many of her left in the world; the Joyous reigned supreme.
She stretched her smile as wide as it could go, until her cheeks strained with the effort. Exhaling through her teeth, she grasped the handle. The doorknob shook from her grip. Get it together…in and out…
She twisted the knob and threw the door open.
An eyeless face sprang up to meet her.
Tiffany screamed and jumped back.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”
Tiffany clutched her heaving chest, trying to calm herself. The woman standing in on her stoop had no eyes, only dark, empty sockets each gleaming with a glowing pinprick of light. An enormous smile spread from ear to ear.
Tiffany forced words from her paralyzed mind. “Oh, it’s alright, I was just about to get some shopping done!”
The woman stared unblinking with her flickering pits. She lifted a newspaper. “I saw this blow over onto the street, so I thought I’d bring this little ol’ newsie inside!” She let out a raucous laugh.
Tiffany accepted the paper, praying she looked relaxed. She took a quick glimpse at the headline.
Joy! New York Mayor Declares City over 99% Pure on 1-Year Anniversary!
“Aww, I see you have just been Freed. Congratulations dear. How do you like the colors?” The woman bent her head closer to Tiffany’s face. Her heart hammered in her throat as her eyes were drawn to the woman’s scars. Black lines spider webbed all across her body, down her arms, over her face, and plunged down her low cut shirt. “Aw, I remember when I was freed; I didn’t really have scars either. I found a great doctor who touched me up; I can share his number with you!” She lifted her neck, showing off her scars wrapped around her throat.
“Yes, the colors they’re so…beautiful. Yeah…the doctors said I was one of the lucky ones, guess tough skin runs in the family.” Tiffany tried to laugh as she spoke.
The woman leaned back; her smile somehow widening even more. “Ah! Tragic! Stay safe y’hear? A naughty somebody escaped the hospital recently, ah, there he is now. Isn’t he silly?” She pointed to the distance.
Tiffany turned her head in the direction of her arm. Her heart sank to her stomach.
The street rose in an incline. The distant figure of a man climbed into sight at the crest of the hill. His sandy hair was unmistakable.
Tiffany lifted a trembling hand to her mouth. Jimmy?
Jimmy was naked with blood pouring in rivets all down the front of his torso. As she squinted, she realized that Jimmy’s body wasn't moving; it hung limp, limbs dangling in the air. Her darting eyes widened as she saw his legs hovered off the road.
Four thick tendrils pulsated out of Jimmy’s gaping mouth. The dark trunks spilled out onto the ground, suspending his frame in midair. The shadowy pillars supported his body like makeshift legs. Jimmy lolled back and forth as the inhuman limbs propelled him down the hill like a beast.
Tiffany’s stomach churned in knots as he careened down the street. He couldn’t speak but his bulging eyes darting all around spoke all that was needed. Her gaze adhered to the incomprehensible stalks that moved of their own accord. The tentacles shimmered and writhed all over, smaller tendrils branching off, thrashing independently of one another.
Right as he passed Tiffany, he tripped and skidded to the ground. The husks all around her burst into raucous laughter at the sight of it clamoring back up.
The woman doubled over in giggles. “Ooh, you silly goose, don’t even know what’s good for ya!”
Jimmy’s chest bloated and bubbled. The bulge traveled up his throat, extending it to an inhuman width. A horrid squelching erupted as two pink sacs attached to tubes slithered out of his mouth, traveling along the lengths of the trunks. Tiffany could barely support her own weight at the sight of Jimmy’s lungs pulsating in frantic breaths.
Her horrified gaze watched as the lungs enlarged in a deep breath, a gurgling crescendoing in pitch. They expanded to full size and hung still for an instant. Then exploded in desperate screams.
“HELP ME! PLEASE, I’M ALIVE LIKE YO-”
With the roar of an engine and the screech of tires, a vehicle slammed into Jimmy’s body. A spray of blood rained on Tiffany and the crowd. A white van screeched to a halt just as Jimmy flew through the air, all eight limbs flailing in the wind.
No amount of bracing could prepare Tiffany for the sound of bones crushing as Jimmy landed in a bloody mess on the asphalt. The crowd of husks whooped and hollered. The drivers clambered out of the vehicle and took deep bows, grinning broadly.
Wiping off blood, Tiffany inspected the logo on the van. It displayed two cartoon men each standing on the side of another person. The person was divided into two halves. One side was human with a smiling face while the other was a shadowy figure, screaming in agony. The smiling men each pulled on an arm as if separating the halves.
“Sorry folks! We had a feisty one here, we’ll take care of it from here!” He drew a syringe from his pocket.
“That’s OK! Need a hand?” The woman called back to enthusiastic nods from the crowd. The van driver waved his arm in the direction of Jimmy’s limb body.
Tiffany blinked back burning tears as she watched Jimmy twitch on the ground. The husks closed in around him, laughing as they surrounded him. She wanted nothing more than to just retreat inside and vomit. But an opportunity presented itself.
Streams of people poured out of the shop ahead, drawn to the spectacle on the street. The sidewalks leading up to the store cleared. Her path would never be this open again. Tearing her eyes from Jimmy, she walked as fast as possible to the market, her smile twitching in anguish.
After what felt like hours, she stood at the entrance to the food mart. She moved her jaw around to loosen it, almost flinching as it popped. OK…in and out…then you’re safe. Running over her mental list one last time, she barged inside.
A wave of frigid air washed over her. She scanned the shop, exhaling out a sigh of relief as she confirmed it was mostly empty. Only a mother pushing a stroller joined her in the market.
Tiffany whipped out a shopping cart and sped down aisle by aisle. Eyes darting, she grasped each item on her list as if it were manna from heaven. Her breathing eased as she made it to the other side of the store without incident. A small bit of happiness welled up within her as she looked over her bulging wagon. It was enough to last her two weeks, two blissful weeks of safety. All she had to do was get out.
She strolled to the checkout lane. The mother was in front of her, the groceries crinkling as they were bagged by the cheerful cashier. Tiffany’s knuckles gripped the cart so hard they turned white. Please…just pay and leave…
Tiffany’s heart skipped a beat as the mother twisted her neck to look at her. Empty sockets crinkled as the young woman’s smile widened. “Why hello there! Any idea what the ruckus is out there?” A collective cheer erupted outside in the distance.
Tiffany shook her head, trying to push Jimmy’s battered body out of her thoughts.
She glanced at Tiffany’s cart. “Big haul. You having a party?”
Tiffany nodded, almost forgetting to breathe.
“Am I invited? Where do you live?”
Tiffany gulped. The mother roared with laughter. “Oh dearie me, I’m just kidding you. I’d love to go but this little man down here takes up all my time. Wanna say hi?”
Tiffany nodded again, her cheeks screaming with the strain of her fake smile. The mother lifted the hood of the stroller and wheeled it around, facing Tiffany. An eyeless baby cooed up at her, its sockets nearly taking up half its face. Black scars lined its entire body, lashing its face that carved itself into a wide smile.
Tiffany screamed in terror, flinging herself back.
CLACK!
Light streamed into her eyes as they watered. Time almost stopped as she glanced down at her sunglasses. Shuddering, she looked back up. The mother, baby, and cashier stared at her.
Without taking his sockets off her, the cashier pressed a button on the counter. An intercom crackled to life. “Attention all employees. We have someone in pain over here. Please call the authorities while we restrain her.”
Tiffany threw the cart to the ground, sprinting to the glass double doors. Talon-like fingers dug into her shoulder right as she reached the exit. “NO! PLEASE LET ME GO! PLEASE!”
But the mother just giggled into her ear. “Now why would I do that, sweetie? Don’t worry, we’re going to help you. See? They’re already here to heal you!”
Tiffany’s heart sank into her stomach as she watched the same van that crashed into Jimmy park outside. Two men dressed in scrubs burst out the back, wheeling out a gurney. Her eyes bulged as she gazed at the restraints gleaming cruelly in the morning light.
The smiling men jaunted over to her. Tiffany ground her heel into the mother’s toes; the arms holding her released. She rushed forward to the man on the left, throwing a wild punch in desperation.
To her surprise, her knuckles connected, slamming the man’s head back to its side. Rough hands grabbed her arms by the elbows, jerking them behind her.
The man she’d punched twisted his head back, the unnatural smile still plastered on his face. “Now, now simmer down, young lady. He snatched her kicking feet and lifted her in tandem with the other man.
With inhuman strength, they slammed her onto the gurney. She flailed, straining her limbs against their grasp. Her shoulders popped in their sockets, her screams erupting in pain and fear.
CLICK!
Cold metal clamped down on her right wrist. Three more clicks restrained her completely.
“No, no, no, please! Just let me go! I’ll never bother you again!” Tiffany half screamed and half sobbed.
One man chuckled. “Oops! Gotta make some room!”
She wailed as she watched the men drag Jimmy’s corpse out of the back and toss it on the sidewalk. The doors slammed shut, and the vehicle sped off.
Desperation gave way to despair for Tiffany, she wept bitterly. She gasped as the men wiped away tears on each side of her face. They lifted their fingers to their eyeless pits, staring in wonder at the droplet forming, mouths parted and making soft cooing sounds.
“I remember my last tear, what about you Ted?” The man on her right whispered.
The man on the left nodded, sucking his finger. “Yeah…I almost miss the taste.” They both roared in laughter at the same time.
The van jolted to a halt. The men flung the doors open. “Don’t worry missy, it will all be over soon!”
She shook her head, pleading for anyone she passed to help her as she was wheeled into the hospital. All she received were condescending smiles, and pats on the hand. She was sped into an operating room. Her eyes widened in terror at the sight of the tearing chair.
A medical bed lay in the middle of the chamber. A bar of light hung at the bed’s foot. The bar crossed over the width of the bed, attached to a track that ran along the length from the bottom to the top. Her heart sank. She’d expected cutting instruments but the lack of them frightened her even more.
A grinning doctor finished washing her hands in the nearby sink, pulling latex gloves on. “Oh dearie me, look at this poor soul. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten freed one so large! The gals will take it from here, boys!” The men giggled as they left the room.
Masked women in scrubs burst from the doors to assist. Even behind the masks, their smiles were visible. They all carried scissors. Within seconds, they snipped off all of her clothes leaving her naked in the gurney.
The doctor lifted a syringe, the end dripping with sedative. “Now we need you to be still for this next part sweetie!” She rammed the needle into her hip and thumbed the plunger down. She gasped as the burning liquid clouded into her bloodstream. At once, her extremities deadened, all feeling and control gone.
A pair of arms gripped each of her limbs as she was lifted off the gurney and thrown onto the medical bed. The doctor looked down at her at the foot of the bed, grasping the bar of light. It pulsated in waves of color as she clinked it into place over Tiffany’s feet so that the luminescence only hovered an inch over her skin.
The soles of her feet writhed in agony in the light’s presence. Tiffany screamed at the burning tendrils within her feet. A horrific thought pierced her torment in a single moment of clarity. Something is moving inside me. Using the last vestiges of motor control left, she lifted her head an inch, eyes glued to her feet.
Various ridges rolled around on the tops of her feet, almost as if something flailed to get away from the brilliant light. The doctor traced a finger over the thrashing bulges. “Yes, the time for your last pain draws near, little one. No longer will you torment this young woman. No longer.” She placed both hands on the instrument bar. “Now, I must warn you. This will hurt…more than anything you’ve ever felt in your life. But what awaits you on the other side is…” She laughed.
“Please…” Tiffany whimpered, but the doctor pushed the bar of light up her legs.
Torture. Pure agony. Tiffany screamed to the point she thought her jaw might pop off its hinges. The writhing in her feet intensified, pulling and tearing at her skin…
A spurt of blood spewed over the doctor’s face. “Ah, we’ve crowned!”
“WHAT IS THIS?!” Tiffany screeched as she looked down. Blackened tentacles whipped violently back and forth, sprouting from her feet.
“Oh, it’s the sickness my sweet…it must be purged. Deep breath and here we go!” She pushed the bar of light even further along its track, this time going up her legs.
Molten lines of agony traced themselves up her legs in tandem with the glow. Tiffany’s eyes rolled up into her head and then back down again, casting her world in revolving darkness and light. The skin at her legs tore, thicker tendrils bursting out in viscous spray.
The dark veins slapped at the doctor's face but a smiling nurse grasped the flailing trunks and pinned them down as the doctor pressed on above her knees and up her thighs. Her skin bubbled and burst as the bleeding mass on each limb fled from the light. Tiffany stared transfixed at the monster birthed from her, the spindly body, the erratic, desperate movement of a trapped beast.
The bar stopped just below her groin. “This is probably the worst part dearie, brace yourself.’ She yanked it forward, up to her abdomen.
Tiffany’s voice tore, her throat bleeding raw. She’s never given birth before; the monster springing out from her womanhood made a poor substitute for a child.
“There you go baby. You’re doing so well. Halfway done!”
The instrument slid up her stomach, passing over her arms. The sickness within gripped her organs in a vain attempt to resist being torn out. Strands of obsidian wrested themselves out of her torso only to be collected and restrained by the unflinching nurses. Up her body they all went, up her chest, her shoulders, and on to her neck.
Right at the base of her chin, the bar of light chinked as it came to the end of its track. The beast within Tiffany screeched, straining at the nurses restraints. Forgetting the pain for an instant, Tiffany croaked through torn vocal chords. “What is this thing?”
The doctor wiped blood out of her sockets. “It’s your parasite, what you thought you were. I know it hurts; this thing feeds off pain. Don’t worry. We’re almost done.”
She pivoted two smaller bars of lights up to Tiffany’s head, one on each side. They swung in such a way that they would meet in the middle. Her eyes swiveled independently of each other, as if they too feared the light. The doctor smiled at the erratic movement.
“Oh, yes.” She whispered. “Feel fear. It’s what you deserve; it’s all you deserve.” She grasped each bar and clamped them together.
Blinding pressure built up in Tiffany’s eardrums as if she were being stabbed in each ear with knives aching to meet in the middle. An incessant ringing tingled, building up pitch and intensity until it was all she could hear. Her brain lit aflame, seething at the burning from the sound. “MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!” Her mouth uttered the words, but she couldn’t hear her voice anymore.
Like a cord being unplugged from a speaker, her world fell silent one pull at a time. Black tendrils whipped in her sight as the beast fled from her ear canals. The lights passed in her vision.
The doctor spoke unheard words. She tried to close her eyes, but they weren’t hers anymore. They swiveled all about in their sockets, trying to escape her skull.
But there was no escape, not for a parasite. The lights slammed shut, meeting in the middle right over her. The kaleidoscope of luminescence overtook everything. Her world melded to an ever changing sea of merging lights.
Her thoughts, her consciousness, her very essence whirled in her brain. A dark hole sprouted in her psyche. Her being swirled around the murky depths of her existence spinning to the choreography of the lights pulse. Round and round it went until she thought her last words. Who am I? All grew dark.
—---------
The operating room light blinded Tiffany. She tried to close her eyes but found she had no lids.
She saw the metal tray she lay on.
She saw the black, spindly lengths of her body laying in a tangled heap in the tray.
She saw Tiffany laying on the medical table. What?
Her psyche ran stark with shock as she watched herself sit up from the medical table. Her eyes were gone, replaced with two glowing pits burning in deep sockets. Blood trails criss crossed all over her venous scars. Tears of crimson flowed from her pits as she sobbed into her hands.
No…that’s me? But then…who am I?
She glanced up and received her horrifying answer. An operating mirror hung on the ceiling above her. What she had once thought as herself was now nothing more than a pair of eyeballs attached to a spinal stem with nervous branches tangled and heaped in a small tray.
She was the parasite.
The real Tiffany sobbed, a wide smile stretching across her face. “Colors…so many colors…”
The doctor handed her a pair of sunglasses. “Here, put these on and keep them on for the next couple of weeks. The parasites could only see a thin spectrum of light. You can see all of it now, it’s a bit overwhelming at first but you get used to it.”
The real Tiffany placed the sunglasses on her face then clutched at her chest. “What….what is this feeling? It burns yet…it’s warm all over..”
The doctor knelt at the real Tiffany’s side. “It’s happiness…” She giggled. “Pure happiness, it’s what that parasite over there denied you.” The doctor shot a glare to the nerve bundle that used to be Tiffany.
The real Tiffany released her chest. “How long has it been inside of me?”
The doctor stood up. “We aren’t sure when these parasites fused with humans but it must have been millennia ago. They have been entwined with us so long we even once thought they were part of our bodies. The nervous system, what a cruel joke. These things thrive off of our happiness and only feed us pain in return.”
The doctor shot the nerve bundle a look. Even though she smiled, Tiffany could feel the doctor’s contempt radiating. “Look how pathetic it is. Can’t even move anymore. These things rely on our central brain systems to move. Once separated, they are immobile. It’s rather ironic that they only try to move as we cut into their feeding supply.”
The real Tiffany hugged the doctor who returned the embrace. “Thank you…for freeing me.” The doctor rubbed her back.
They released each other. The real Tiffany looked over at the nerve bundle that used to be her. “What do we do with…it?”
The doctor grasped the nerve bundle unceremoniously in her palm. Wait…no! I’m-I’m me!
“We will cast her into the depths to which she came from of course!” The doctor laughed as she brought the nerve bundle to a trash chute. The nerve bundle glanced down, recoiling in horror. No light graced her final destination.
“Good riddance.” The nerve bundle was released and cast into the void. It landed with a plop amongst the other writhing bundles, rueing the day it ever thought it truly existed.

The darkened throne
Britannia 537 AD

The kingdom was thriving under the rule of King Arthur and his roundtable knights, but in the shadows, two key figures plotted against his reign. One was the son of the king himself, Mordred, desperate for the power and fame of being king, and the other being the king’s lost sister, Morgan Le Fay, the only sorcerer skilled enough to challenge the king’s advisor and mentor, Merlin. Driven by the chance to become queen and make her name known, she joined with Mordred. If Arthur fell, Mordred would rise to the throne as the heir, but getting Arthur to fall would be a task no one living could succeed with brute force by one item that he would always keep with him, the sheath of excalibur. ‘Tch. Damn lady of the lake giving my father such an item. I doubt you can even steal it off of him without losing your head.’ Mordred mutters, sitting next to a fire within a damp cave. ‘Patience Mordred. Patience. When the time is right, all shall be sorted and the throne shall be yours. Everything is already in motion.’ Morgan says, sitting away from the fire and in a darkened corner. ‘Yeah yeah, just wait for your plan to come into practice, kill father, and I’ll get the throne and all the glory. Why do you even care so much about this plan? You tell me that it will work, but you get nothing from it, not even the fame from killing my father.’ ‘You doubt my plan? I take it you suspect me of betrayal.’ ‘Well, that’s the blunt way of putting it. You say your plan will make me king, but how do I know it won’t get me killed.’ Mordred’s blade slides out of its sheath, the point aimed at Morgan. The air grew cold as the fire died, the darkness of the cave the only thing visible. ‘It is unwise to question the one who can make you king. And I thought it would be obvious why I work with you. To put it simply, I want my brother dead. He was out in the light while I was forced to the shadows. He received countless divine blessings while I was shunned by the gods. That is why I want his head. Now, do you still doubt me? Or shall I do this by myself and take the throne?’ Mordred grunts as he sheaths his blade, the flame returning again. ‘Fine, have it your way. As long as I get the throne, I don’t care for your reasoning.’ Night fell, and the two left the cave, approaching Camelot. A single spy watched from the shadowed trees. ‘Remember the plan, you charge the palace and target Guinevere. My presence should be enough to draw out my brother.’ Morgan says, purposefully within earshot of the spy. ‘The knights are gone on quests, so you shall be fine to reach her. Once you reach her, you can decide what you do with her.’ Hearing this, the spy leaps into action and runs to the palace, only spotted by Morgan who smirked in response. ‘My King, horrible news!’ The spy yells as he bursts into the throne room. King Arthur stands from his throne, giving a nod to receive the news. ‘Morgan Le Fay and Mordred are approaching Camelot, and Mordred is targeting the queen herself!’ Arthur grits his teeth as he reaches for the hilt of excalibur, drawing the blade and removing the sheath from his hip. He hands the sheath to Guinevere with a bow. ‘I shall return once they are dealt with. Hold onto the sheath for until I return, it shall keep you safe from our son’s blade.’ He turns and leaves the throne room, walking through the dark streets of Camelot to meet the two traitors in the fields outside. ‘You two seek to end the age of peace this land is experiencing for your own gain? To think I share blood with you both.’ Arthur sighs as Mordred reaches for his blade. Morgan holds her hand out in front of Mordred, holding him back and then signalling for him to storm the castle. ‘Your fight is with me brother. We both know that your son is no match for either of us.’ ‘The time for words is over dear sister. You threaten both myself and my wife, this shall end with your head separated from your neck. I shall give you the honour of not holding back.’ ‘Very well brother. Let’s see if you are strong enough without your immortality.’ Arthur darts forward, swinging excalibur to kill. Morgan raises a wall of ice for defence. The blade cut through but Morgan was already out of its range. Arthur readies another swing as Morgan sends a wave of fire at the king. He drops his offensive stance and flicks his fingers to create an opposing wave of water. ‘So Merlin taught you some magic as well. Interesting.’ Morgan teases as she summons two stone walls around him. Arthur dives to the side to dodge as a ring of fire appears beneath him. A tall pillar of flames rises from beneath him, engulfing King Arthur. The flames dissipate revealing the burnt king, his feet still firmly on the ground. ‘You still stand? Why don’t you kneel for the future queen.’ ‘While I stand, you shall not achieve the throne.’ His breath was ragged as the blade of excalibur began to glow golden. ‘Letting you rise to the throne will bring despair to this land, and as its king, I cannot let that stand. We may be related by blood, but our ideals couldn’t be more different. Your ideals end here with you alongside them.’ Arthur raises excalibur up to the sky as the blade glows a heavenly gold. He swings it down and an arc of glowing gold shoots out and flies at Morgan. The blade cuts Morgan in twain as it passes through and Arthur’s body relaxes. However, the body fades away rather than fall like a corpse. A spike of ice shoots up from the ground behind Arthur, piercing his heart, red blood dripping down the cold spike. ‘I told you that I would be taking the throne. And Merlin may have taught you magic, but he taught you nowhere near the true limits of it.’ Morgan says, reappearing behind Arthur. ‘Resorting to such petty tricks. I shouldn’t have expected any less from you.’ Arthur softly says with his final breath. Excalibur drops to the ground as Arthur’s body goes limp. The ice sharply retracts and Arthur falls to the ground as a corpse. A year later, Mordred had been crowned king of Britannia, but the citizens remained in mourning for King Arthur. In comparison to his father, Mordred was the worst king to grace the land. Any who questioned his authority were slain on the spot for the smallest of trespasses. A wave of poverty and famine swept the wave and Mordred did nothing to help his people. This wave was treated as a sign from god that Mordred was not the true king, and instead was a curse to the land. A rebellion attempted to overtake the throne but were ruthlessly killed by Mordred’s army for daring to face the king. Morgan had disappeared from the country since the fall of Arthur, until exactly a year after Arthur’s death. A hooded figure strolled into the throne room, any guard who attempted to stop the figure dropped dead. Mordred looked down from his throne at the figure. ‘Who dares to enter the king’s throne room? This is as good as treason. Not only have you casually entered the king’s throne room, but you have killed the king’s guards.’ Mordred asks, looking down at the figure. ‘It has been a long time, Mordred. Do you remember my voice?’ ‘Have you come to congratulate me for achieving the throne you foul witch?’ ‘Such a harsh greeting. But I am not here to congratulate you. Instead, I’m here for your throne instead.’ Mordred laughs at Morgan’s words. ‘Challenge for my throne? Do you know how many I’ve killed for saying that? You shall be the next on the list.’ Mordred stands up from his throne and rushes down at Morgan who remains standing there. She clicks her fingers and one spike of ice shoots out from the ground, impaling Mordred’s stomach. ‘Your strength is nothing compared to your father’s.’ Another five spikes shoot out, each piercing Mordred from various angles. Morgan struts past Mordred’s suspended body before she clicks her fingers and it drops to the ground. She sits down on the throne and removes her cloak. ‘The true queen of Britannia is here.’ 

Valhalla arena

Morgan’s hand reforms and she clenches and opens her hand, feeling all sensation in it. ‘As good as new.’ ‘That damn witch didn't even use her full capabilities to kill me.’ Mordred scowls. ‘She’s not yet using the enhancements gained from her labour.’ Arthur mutters, standing next to Heracles. ‘She was capable of all this when facing me. The healing was just much slower.’ ‘Interesting…’ Heracles muses. ‘She has full mastery over its capabilities then. Natural strength capable of rivalling a god is impressive.’ ‘Look at him up there, acting like he’s better than us.’ Golena comments. ‘I believe it is time we begin to up the heat here Golena. Let us see how much your extra strength improves my spells.’ Morgan points her staff up to the angel above who prepared his scythe to retaliate. Air swirls around the tip of the staff and fires out as a blade as Azrael shoots down to attack. He dodges to the left to avoid. The blade flies past, a cloud of feathers and an entire wing joining it. The crowd watches in shock as Azrael plummets to the ground, his flight disrupted as his wing drops to the ground slowly. ‘Impressive. A nice clean cut and much faster.’ Morgan smugly says. ‘To lose a wing is a disgrace to any angel. To think a human could be so cruel to force one of us into shame.’ Gabriel says. Azrael remains laying on the ground for a bit causing murmurs to spread throughout the arena. ‘Is he dead? Has humanity gotten a win in ragnarok?’ Ares asks. ‘Wait no, look!’ Ishtar announces as Azrael’s remaining wing shifts. Azrael rises to his feet, his eyes wide as he stares down Morgan. Throughout the arena echoes a sound no one there expected to ever hear. Azrael’s lips parted as he began to maniacally laugh. ‘He’s finally lost it.’ Zeus mutters. ‘You filthy bitch.’ Azrael says, pointing his scythe at Morgan.