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2024.05.15 18:39 Contactunderground Monterrey Mexico 1994, there a CE-5 contact team attracted a large craft which hovered on a mountainside. A blinding beam of light emanated from the UFO and the silhouettes of beings could be seen moving in front of the beam.
 | Shari Adamiak was a dedicated, disciplined volunteer contact worker who I had the honor to serve with as a fellow CE-5 Working Group Coordinator from 1992 till 1998. I honor her memory by posting her report describing an amazing encounter in Monterrey Mexico in 1994. submitted by Contactunderground to AnomalousEvidence [link] [comments] In the report posted below, a prolonged telepathic exchanges reportedly occurred with two types of non-human beings, very small ones and a larger humanoid being. Joseph Burkes MD 2024 https://preview.redd.it/3n19p6awbm0d1.jpg?width=344&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ab154ed65a2403a5660ab1f927065c2b7016ff9 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE FIFTH KIND IN MONTERREY, MEXICO - DECEMBER 1994 By Shari Adamiak ©1995, Executive Director of CSETI Introduction: The following is an account - from my point of view - of events that occurred during a CSETI investigative team activation to Monterrey, Mexico in December of 1994. While necessarily somewhat subjective based on my own experiences, every attempt has been made to present an accurate depiction of events that were experienced by myself and our team. CSETI Reacts to Flap in Mexico: After seeing a tape of a "Hard Copy" program showing an active wave of UFO activity in Monterrey, Mexico - the third largest metropolis in Mexico - we made an effort to contact the researcher who had taken those videos. Santiago Yturria is a thorough researcher and skilled videographer who, along with Diana Perla Chapa, the host of a popular live talk show on Mexican network television, has had a UFO group for over 20 years in the state of Nuevo Leone. Dr. Steven Greer, international director of CSETI, activated a CSETI Rapid Mobilization Investigative Team (RMIT) to Monterrey to investigate this current flap. Santiago, Diana, and the entire Ovni Club of N.L. assisted us, took us to sites, shared their evidence and graciously welcomed us to Monterrey. Dr. Greer, myself, a woman from New York and a man, also a videographer, from Minneapolis made up the CSETI team. (Names furnished upon request.) Consciousness Connections: Lucid dream activity played a significant role in the events that unfolded in Monterrey. Three of the team had dreams that proved to be portents of happenings on this project. I had a dream in the early hours of December 13th. In it, the extraterrestrials were showing us the spot where we should come in order to have a meeting with them. They showed me aerial views, in stop motion - each one closer to the ground - and marked the site with a strobing turquoise laser pattern. They showed me a view from the ground, looking up at some steep peaks, and showed it to me both in day and nighttime views. The night view revealed two stars in a particular configuration over one of the peaks. That very afternoon, Santiago and his friends drove us to Las Mitres mountains, well known as an area of many sightings of UFOs. As we approached, it dawned on me that it was identical to what I was shown in my dream. We decided to use the spot as our field research site that night. When we came to Las Mitres (so named because the mountain peaks resemble a bishop's miter hat) that night, the two stars were indeed in the sky in the same position as I had seen in my lucid dream. The Team Gets to Work: The CSETI team had observed some anomalous objects in the sky at two different sites on the nights of December 11th and 12th, but the next two nights, the 13th and 14th at the Las Mitres sites, proved to be exceptional. The Las Mitres mountains contain a large cave where the local investigators believe that spacecraft conceal themselves when coming to the Monterrey area. And, unusually dense low clouds were known to form over the cave and other parts of the peaks very quickly. On the night of December 13th, the entire CSETI team set up camp at the base of Las Mitres. We were joined by an American woman who was a friend of one of our teammates, who was married to a Mexican man and living in Monterrey. She had arranged our lodging and transportation for us. Around 10:30 pm, following our first Coherent Thought Sequencing (a CSETI protocol) session, we observed a very bright light that appeared in the zenith of the sky, traveling rapidly in an upward arc that terminated in the center of the constellation Orion. At 10:45 pm, very dense clouds materialized within a minute on parts of the sheer mountain cliffs. The Close Encounters Begin: At approximately 1:00 am, Dr. Greer and another team member were standing slightly down the gravel road when they observed a bright, strobe-like white light to appear at the edge of the mountain. At about the same time, I had gotten up and walked closer towards the brush at the base of the mountain. Dr. Greer looked for me to tell me of the strobe light and found me at the spot where it had appeared. As we stood there, another round light came rolling down the side of the steep slope. Just then, I felt some invisible energy that felt as if it were gently pulling me in deeper to the brush. Both Dr. Greer and I felt there was a presence nearby that, from past experience, led us to feel there was a spacecraft and extraterrestrial beings very nearby. Just then, I began to perceive small, square-shouldered beings in the brush around us. They could be sensed and dimly seen, but a clear view of them wasn't possible. The little beings were extremely shy and reticent. They would scurry close to us, then backtrack quickly into the brush. We could not hear any brush moving or footsteps but we could dimly see them. To me, they seemed to have on uniforms that covered their body and legs that were a dull orange-rust color. They were very short, just up to my knees (I am 5'7"). I became aware of a telepathic message - they were concerned about our video camera, behind me to the right. I turned my head and looked. Sure enough, unknown to me previously as I had not seen it in the dark, was our teammate's professional camera set up on a tripod. I send back the mental message to them not to worry, the camera wasn't on and we wouldn't let him touch it. They seemed to trust my assurance, as the event continued to unfold. I related this two-way communication to Dr. Greer, who went back to the other three people and instructed them to stay where they were unless he called them forward. These rich, rare exchanges with what appear to be extraterrestrial life forms are very delicate scenarios. Any sudden, rash or extreme emotion or movement can thwart the entire event and bring it to a screeching halt, and the extraterrestrials vanish. Sometimes our second-guessing of what is needed to allow an event to unfold in all its possible fullness is accurate; sometimes it is not. It is almost like hesitant dance partners, longing but afraid to get closer. Until we as a people are more accepting of close contact with extraterrestrials, our interactions are likely to continue in this way. I could mentally 'hear' concerned conversation going on amongst the small beings. They eventually conveyed to me the message, again mentally, that they were having difficulty adjusting our energies in preparation for a meeting because my physical energy was concentrated on my stomach, trying to digest some food. Just before all this began, I had eaten about a half of a Power Bar, a dense protein energy food. It was cold and hard from being in my gear bag for hours and I could feel it kind of just laying in my stomach. At this point, I sent a very deliberate message to the life forms: "I give you permission to take it out of my body". Suddenly, I felt as if someone were standing some distance away with a fishing line whose hook was inside my stomach. It felt as if someone were slowing reeling in the line as the food came back out the way it went in. Now, I detest vomiting more than almost anything and I was struck by the gentleness that was used in removing this food from my body. It was only mildly unpleasant. Dr. Greer, an emergency physician, asked me if I was alright. I told him that I was fine and that this was being done with my permission. After this little purging, the energy felt softer, with less intense vibration. Soon the little beings sent both Dr. Greer and I the message that if we removed our glasses, we would be able to see them better. Although I normally use contact lenses, glasses are preferable for field work when wind and dust often get blown into my eyes, plus the fact that we are often in the field until the wee hours of the morning. After receiving this message, we each removed our glasses. One last request from the little ETs - that we remove our hats (it had been a chilly night.) At this point, I could actually feel a harmonious flow of energy between us, the little beings, and some other unseen source. Another Being is Perceived: At this point, the small life forms disappeared. Shafts of golden light began to come from an unknown, unseen source and lay across the bushes in front of us. We learned later that the three other team members behind us could see this as well, although they had not been able to perceive the small beings. I could feel one of these shafts of light approach me and fill my torso with a warm, golden glow. After the light rays faded, a large oval of bluish fog began to form about ten feet in front of us. As the blue mist began to coalesce, Dr. Greer and I became aware of a being within it. Although again we could see him only dimly, he appeared very humanoid, tall, with long and straight silverish hair. He appeared to be clothed in a light blue and silver uniform. We learned later that one team member saw a tendril of the blue fog travel along the ground towards her. It frightened her a little until the mist reached her foot and began to send wisps around her feet. She later told us that there was a gentle kindness about the fog and all misgivings vanished. However, our American friend who was not an actual team member became very frightened by the golden light and blue fog. We learned later that it was all too much for her - something the extraterrestrial would tell us. For as we stood there facing one another, the tall being sent us a message that they would very much like to manifest more fully in the physical to meet with us, but that if they did so, one of our team members would be dangerously frightened. Their caution and concern were touching. And a far cry from the crying wolf that goes on so often when extraterrestrials are said to be heartless, devoid of feeling, and out to harm human beings. We in CSETI feel that this type of encounter points up the absolute need and appropriateness of doing real-time field work in our efforts to learn exactly what these beings are all about. It is important, and interesting, to note that both Dr. Greer and myself received nearly identical mental messages each time there was a communication from the extraterrestrial. Dr. Greer and I consulted one another and decided to send a joint message. We told the tall being that if they could not come to us, it was okay with us if they could take us to where they were. We could sense this was being discussed with a 'central command control', or his more senior team members. Dr. Greer and I saw a copper-gold sphere, ten to twelve feet in diameter, begin to coalesce to the left of the tall being. It never reached material solidity but soon began to disperse. The tall being then sent us a message that it would frighten our teammates just as much to see us disappear in front of their eyes as it would for the ETs to manifest right there. At this time, we had no idea that any member of our team was having difficulty coping with these events. Soon Again, Soon Again: Finally, after what seemed like a few moments, the tall being sent us a message that they would not be able to manifest fully in the physical this night. But they sent a message: "soon again; soon again". At this point, Dr. Greer went back to speak with the other team members and I stayed put. For the next five minutes, the being and I exchanged blessings to each other, to our teams. It was poignant and lovely. I cannot recall any of the actual 'words' or specific communications; it was not a left-brained exchange, but was beyond the bounds of linear thought. Their Reluctance is Proven Out: When I joined the others, I learned that our American friend had become extremely frightened, so much so that she had taken refuge in our vehicle. We had designated the big Suburban as the 'safe area". We do this on all our field research - setting aside a specific enclosure that any team member can go to if unfolding events prove fearful to them. In fact, it is our policy to send a 'buddy' along, who remains with them the entire time they wish to stay in the safe area. We divide into buddies at the beginning of our field session so that each team member is accounted for, and accountable, at all times. She told us that if she had seen anything more from the ETs, she would have run screaming down the mountainside. Preparation is Key: Her reactions impressed upon us the importance of training for each team member. It served as a strong reminder to us to be more stringent in adherence to our policies regarding untrained guests who wanted to join our field work. Much to my surprise, Dr. Greer and I learned from our teammates that we had been standing there, exchanging communication with the extraterrestrials, for nearly two hours. We both thought no more than thirty minutes had elapsed. By this time, it was nearly 3:00 am, so we broke camp and went home. The Encounters Continue: The following day was a busy one with an appearance on Diana Chapa's live TV show in the morning, a field trip to another site in the afternoon, and a talk at the Ovni Club that evening. It was about 11:30 pm by the time we were driving up the narrow road to our Las Mitres site. Interestingly, our videographer teammate was absent from field work. He had decided to stay in the city to visit his friend and her son. As the Suburban headed up the gravel lane, Dr. Greer and I simultaneously observed a small, bright light on the side of Las Mitres. We knew from the previous night that there was no light normally in that area. Tonight we also had with us our American friend's Mexican husband. He and our driver assured us there were no houses, no power lines, no roads, nothing on the sheer cliffs of Las Mitres. As we came to the base of the mountain, Dr. Greer jumped from the Suburban while it was still rolling. The other woman and I jumped out and grabbed the bare necessities of field gear: a 500,000-candle power portable halogen light, our night vision scope, binoculars, a small camcorder, and a hand-held micro-cassette recorder. Because of the reaction by an untrained participant the previous night, we sent our driver and his friend down the road. We told them we could not afford any panic this night. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the men went to a spot at the bottom of the road where they could clearly see the events that unfolded. Are We in a Spielberg Movie?: Dr. Greer grabbed the halogen light and sent a signal to the star-like light on the hillside. Instantly, the light transformed into a gigantic, brilliant round beam that shot light down the entire mountainside! We were astonished. It came close to being the time we always joke about - when events are so incredible that we'll wish we had on "Depends" undergarments! We continued to have a Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind - a human-initiated or human-interactive experience - with this craft for the next two hours and fifteen minutes. An exchange like this, with a team in the field, is unprecedented. During the lengthy encounter, we sent light signals to the craft. The craft would signal back to us in the exact same sequence. Then its lights would extinguish. Within a few minutes, it would again illuminate and initiate a signal to us. This went on and on. Twice during this time period, we saw the shadows of beings walking in front of the blinding beam. At times, the beam would rotate upon itself, appearing to the left of its original position - then back where it was. Once the light seemed to turn over on itself, illuminating the sparsely forested slope behind it. This was one of the times when figures were seen to move in the beam. Hoaxability Ration - Low to Zero: It must be emphasized that this is a very remote area devoid of roads. For anyone to have hoaxed this event would have required something on the scale of a major motion picture crew. There was simply no way to have moved equipment like this onto these sheer slopes. It would have caused quite a commotion in the suburbs below if a crew of that magnitude had traversed those sheer cliffs that day. The area would have been swarming with lookie-loos. At the end of the two hours and fifteen minutes, the light, which by now had split into two candle-flame colored round lights, turned to brilliant red, shot out a lightning bolt of energy and vanished. We saw a golden streak shoot through the sky towards the direction of the ancient volcano, Topochico. And the energy was gone. It was not until this point that we fully appreciated that
As a side note, I want to report that when we first got out of the vehicle at the base of the mountain, I heard crickets chirping in stereophonic synchronicity. One would chirp on our right, then one would chirp on our left. The chirping was loud and distinct. When I heard it, I told my teammates that it was significant. I had heard similar chirping prior to another major encounter in the past. It was moments later that the gigantic craft illuminated before us. Eventful Trip Home: We signaled to our drivers to bring up the Suburban. When they arrived, we learned that the men had gone to a vantage point and had seen everything, giving us two independent witnesses. In fact, from their extra distance the light was not so blinding and they were able to discern the craft. They both reported seeing a very large disc-shaped craft with a domed top. The men were extremely excited. They said they felt bonded now, like brothers. The American's husband said that his life would never be the same again. As we were riding on our 30-minute drive home, Dr. Greer remarked that he felt the ETs would follow us. Within a minute, the man in front was exclaiming, "la luz, la luz!" (the light, the light!) We could then see that the gigantic light was visible from the road, showing itself to us on the opposite side of the mountain from where it had been at our field site! We stopped at a closed gas station, signaled and videoed (which came out fuzzy and blurred). You will recall that, of all nights, our videographer was not with us this night. Coincidence or orchestrated by the ETs? So many such things happen that we have to ponder the possibility. This time, the light was not appearing as two lights side by side. Instead, they were two lights stacked one on top the other. We continued to observe it on the remainder of the homeward ride, stopping twice more to observe. When we arrived home, we climbed up to our flat roof. We could still see it, even though the entire valley of the city of Monterrey was now between us, the back side of Las Mitres and the rest of the range. The lights were still there. They had changed position again and were now staggered, one atop the other. They had been so bright that we could see the rock face behind it illuminated. As we watched, the lights dimmed down to about half their luminosity. The Craft Revealed: At this point, we could clearly see the structure of the craft. It was indeed a large disc with a sloped dome on top. By measuring with fingers at arm's length, Dr. Greer determined that the craft was between one-half to one full city block in size. As the birds began to sing and the sky began to lighten, we bid goodbye and heartfelt thanks to our visitors for these remarkable experiences and went inside to sleep, and dream of them. Shari Adamiak, Executive Director, CSETI ________________________ Final Notes: I wish to advise that the three persons who interacted with the craft as described above included three very responsible and stable individuals. Dr. Greer is a practicing trauma physician, father of four, world-renowned expert on extraterrestrial intelligence. He is the founder of CSETI, and the visionary and guiding force of it. Our teammate from New York is cofounder of a research foundation and is personal friends with world leaders in both the political and private sectors. And I myself have been educated in the sciences and the law and worked for many years as a paralegal, which gives me a logical mind upon which to base my ongoing extraterrestrial experiences. - Shari Adamiak I describe how I first met Shari in 1992. It was an experience that I will never forget: https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/03/05/i-meet-shari-adamiak-the-first-ce-5-working-group-coordinato |
2024.05.15 18:37 JFalconerIV Food Fare staff attacked by suspect using brass knuckles
 | A teenage boy is facing charges after several employees at a Food Fare were assaulted by a suspect wielding brass knuckles on Tuesday evening. submitted by JFalconerIV to Winnipeg [link] [comments] The incident happened at about 6:40 p.m. at the grocery store at 905 Portage Ave. Three male employees, ages 19, 22 and 46, were transported to hospital and treated for various upper-body injuries. The suspect fled on foot before officers arrived, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Wednesday morning. The WPS said investigators have learned that staff members removed the suspect from the store earlier in the day after some sort of incident. The suspect later returned, produced brass knuckles and assaulted the three victims, the WPS said. A suspect was arrested at the rear of the 1000 block of Selkirk Avenue. The WPS said officers saw the suspect discard brass knuckles in a nearby yard and found the weapon. The Winnipeg teen is facing three counts of assault with a weapon and one count of possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon knowing its possession is unauthorized. He was released from custody on an undertaking. On Tuesday night, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs announced it would hold a news conference regarding the incident Wednesday morning. The event was cancelled Wednesday. The Food Fare store has been the site of a few incidents between staff members and suspected shoplifters. WPS spokesman Const. Claude Chancy said Tuesdayâs incident does not appear to be related to any incidents media have previously reported on. âThis would stand on its own as an unrelated incident,â he said. The WPS declined to reveal the circumstances that led to the suspect being escorted out of the store earlier in the day. Police deferred comment to Food Fare on that matter. âThis male returned as a direct response to what had happened,â Chancy said. âThe victims were the same people that were involved in the process of escorting him out during the earlier incident.â He said the victims suffered a range of injuries when they were struck with brass knuckles. One may have suffered a concussion. Store owners suspended a supervisor last month after an altercation with an Indigenous woman who was accused of stealing. Security video viewed by a Free Press reporter showed the employee pulling on the womanâs bag. The woman appears to swing her fist at the employee before the staff member appears to punch her in the face. In response, the AMC, which provides food orders and vouchers to clients under a federal government program, announced it had severed its relationship with the grocer but was willing to reconcile if an apology was forthcoming. The AMC said in the Tuesday news advisory that itâs âworking closely with the owners of Food Fare, who have expressed their sincere apologies for a previous incident where a woman was injured by security at their store. In response, the owners have agreed to implement cultural sensitivity training for their staff and to draft a comprehensive policy to address shoplifting.â The advisory stated the speakers at the now-cancelled news conference would include Grand Chief Cathy Merrick, Food Fare owner Munther Zeid, as well as Tarik Zeid and Wajih Zeid. A Winnipeg woman said she witnessed another incident involving an employee May 5. Gloria Enns was stopped at a red light at Portage Avenue and Arlington Street at about 3 p.m. when she saw two men fighting. One was wearing a red apron she recognized as a Food Fare uniform. Enns said she called the store and an employee confirmed a worker confronted a male after seeing him steal meat. Food Fare manager Tarik Zeid told the Free Press no one was physically hurt and the employee was âdefending the store and the merchandise.â Security footage from the store, which was viewed by the Free Press, appears to show a man take two packages of steaks and slip them into a reusable bag. The employee confronted him at the entrance of the store and tugged on the bag in his hand. fpcity@freepress.mb.ca |
2024.05.15 18:29 ChiefWamsutta Was this WiFi being jammed?
This was sent to me and my friends in a group text. For reference, this woman doesn't know too much about how technology works, and that seemed apparent in her comments about her cell phone not making calls. I don't believe WiFi jammers can do that. That is a completely separate thing, right? Is this a WiFi jammers or this woman being oblivious?
Any advice is appreciated.
submitted by ChiefWamsutta to cybersecurity_help [link] [comments]
Any advice is appreciated.
I am still shaken by this strange incident that happened to me when I was home alone yesterday afternoon. A supposed DoorDasher suddenly showed up at my side door (that is hidden from street view). She was weirdly wearing a heavy red jacket in this warm weather, a red ball cap, a blue face mask, and was carrying a large, empty canvas bag. Her hair was clearly a wig of long, curly brown hair (elbow-length). I don't know anything about wifi jammers, but she was able to walk past 3 wifi cams (placed at my front door, driveway, and side door) without getting detected. My dog didn't even sense her presence until she rang my doorbell. I wasn't expecting anyone so I tried to access my cams, but noticed it had gone offline with a notification that my internet connection was lost. I tried calling my husband from my cell phone (that uses mobile data), but my calls also weren't getting through. Therefore, I have no pictures or videos to share. After several doorbell rings, I went to answer without opening my door (half of my door is window), and I just spoke through it. She was oddly standing off to the extreme right of my door where it would swing in if I did open it. She announced that she was DoorDash. I told her I didn't order anything, but she lingered and continued speaking. It didn't feel right so I just walked away. I was only able to call the Westwood police after 10 minutes had past and my internet connection was back to normal.
2024.05.15 18:27 ModernNomad97 Support was competent and had my back for once
This happened a little bit ago. I go to Tuckerâs onion burgers to pick up an order. They handed me an empty cup, every once in a while I will just fill the drinks to avoid an awkward convo, but today I just did not feel like doing somebody elseâs job. So I do what I normally do and politely ask if they can fill it, and the lady was an immediate bi*ch and said no. I informed her that per the contract it is her job to fulfill the order and she responded with âI donât give a F, this is how we do it here if you donât like it, get the F outâ.
So I called DoorDash and told them that the restaurant was refusing to fulfill the drink. Agent seemed to know immediately what to do and rang the restaurant, I walked back inside to listen and an argument between DoorDash and the manager lady ensued. She was screaming at the support agent asking for another driver, because âthis driver is a douche that doesnât wanna do his jobâ, I could barely hear, but it sounded like the agent said âitâs actually your job and weâre not sending another driver. You either fulfill this order or we cancel it and report the restaurantâ
After a little bit more bickering between the two, the call ended and the agent picked up the on my end. He said that he was making a report because he heard the nasty names she was calling me and that this restaurant will be undergoing a review by DoorDash for violating the merchant contract.
For those of you that say itâs just a drink itâs not a big deal, I tend to agree. However, where do you draw the line? Soon we will be bagging the orders if we donât push back a little. And it seems support has our back on this!
submitted by ModernNomad97 to doordash_drivers [link] [comments]
So I called DoorDash and told them that the restaurant was refusing to fulfill the drink. Agent seemed to know immediately what to do and rang the restaurant, I walked back inside to listen and an argument between DoorDash and the manager lady ensued. She was screaming at the support agent asking for another driver, because âthis driver is a douche that doesnât wanna do his jobâ, I could barely hear, but it sounded like the agent said âitâs actually your job and weâre not sending another driver. You either fulfill this order or we cancel it and report the restaurantâ
After a little bit more bickering between the two, the call ended and the agent picked up the on my end. He said that he was making a report because he heard the nasty names she was calling me and that this restaurant will be undergoing a review by DoorDash for violating the merchant contract.
For those of you that say itâs just a drink itâs not a big deal, I tend to agree. However, where do you draw the line? Soon we will be bagging the orders if we donât push back a little. And it seems support has our back on this!
2024.05.15 18:09 DrDoritosMD [Stargate and GATE Inspired] Manifest Fantasy Chapter 16: Power Play (Part 2)
Authorâs Note:
Upvotes and comments go a long way in helping me reach a larger audience <3
First
Inside GB-2
âHuh, that wasnât there before,â Ron said, pointing to a new hole in the wall â another passageway.
Henry turned to look where Ron pointed. Sure enough, there was a new doorway. It mustâve been a section that opened after they restored the power. âHuh, yeah. Letâs check it out.â
He went through, finding a short hallway past it and another room just beyond. Henry signaled for his team to form up, preparing to breach. As they stepped in, they found themselves in a brightly lit room filled with various types of furniture â empty pedestals, comfortable-looking single couches, and empty desks with opened cabinets.
Henry stepped further into the room, eyeing the oddly arranged furniture. The single couches were lined up in neat rows, all facing the same direction â towards the empty desks. It was like some sort of waiting room, but for what?
âIs it just me, or are these couches set up weird?â Isaac asked, voicing the question on everyoneâs mind. âI mean, who lines up a bunch of single couches like this?â
âStrange, indeed,â Sera agreed. âThey seem arranged as though for spectators, yet naught lies before them to behold.â
Like a movie theater, Henry thought. However, there werenât any screens or holograms to watch. If there was a clue, it would probably be within the couches themselves.
Dr. Anderson approached one of the desks. âPerhaps this was some sort of office or workspace? The desks and cabinets certainly suggest that.â
Isaac then decided to touch one of the seats, eliciting no reaction. He pushed further, sitting down on one of them. At that point, the couch began to adjust its form to better suit Isaacâs envirosuit, as if able to optimize its comfort for the user. Then, a nozzle slowly stretched up from the seatâs headrest area, stopping just short of Isaacâs neck. âWoah!â Isaac bolted up as the nozzle bonked against his helmet.
âNeural interface, maybe?â Henry wondered. âI think we should leave this to the researchers⊠unless you wanna volunteer as a lab rat?â
âHell nah,â Isaac vigorously declined the offer. âHey, there isnât anything on my helmet is there?â
Henry dusted off the back of Isaacâs helmet with his glove. âNope, youâre clear. Just gotta hope it ainât grey goo.â
He could see the dread and uncertainty through Isaacâs visor. Henry gave him a pat on the shoulder. âWell, think about it this way: if it really was grey goo, it wouldâve gotten to us â or the Spiranids, for that matter â long ago. Câmon, letâs secure the next room.â
With a nod, Isaac fell in line behind Henry as they moved towards the doorway leading to the adjacent room. Peeking inside, it couldnât be further from the rest of the roomâs they had encountered so far; not at all what they couldâve possibly expected inside an ancient, high-tech alien facility. It was expansive, with a layout that reminded Henry of a high-end restaurant. Comfortable booths lined the walls, while tables of varying sizes filled the central space. The furniture looked almost human â perhaps even indistinguishably so.
The room was tinted with a soft, cozy yellow light. The warm and inviting ambiance felt soothing compared to the clinical feel of the previous areas. The lighting, combined with the plush booths and elegant tables, gave Henry a nostalgic impression.
âWell, Iâll be damned,â Ryan remarked. âThink they got any cheesecakes?â
If it wasnât for the alien decor and helping of sleek devices scattered around the room, Henry wouldâve thought they were back home. Hell, there was even a bar, filled with exotic liquors that could probably fetch millions at an auction â or give them the trip of their lives. Beside it however was something unusual. Where he mightâve expected a path leading to the kitchen, he instead found a wall with a slight, rectangular-shaped recess that was just big enough for a tray.
He glanced at Isaac, who returned a knowing look. âReplicators,â Isaac said.
Henry smirked. âPersonally, Iâm partial to synthesizer, but to each their own.â
They gathered around the wall, which didnât seem to respond to their presence. Taps on the wall didnât seem to do anything, either. Henry considered probing further, but decided against it. âAlright, letâs not take any chances. Weâll make a note of this for the research teams to analyze later. Letâs keep looking around.â
Henry split apart from the others, pairing with Ron as they continued to walk around the room. They soon came across another doorway on the far side of the room, which opened up into a short corridor that led into multiple sets of doors. Each had a symbol on the wall beside the doors â one that depicted the basic figure of a person.
Ron pushed open one of the doors, taking a peek inside. âLooks like even the Gatebuilders needed restrooms.â
Finally! âAlright, letâs take a quick break here. Bring everyone else over.â
Thankfully, the amenities within were easily comparable to those of modern society. The toilet looked like a toilet, and the sink resembled a sink. Even in a space as mundane as this though, the Gatebuilderâs technology was evident: self-cleaning surfaces and enough technology to put a high-quality Japanese bidet toilet to shame. At least, that was just from the look of things. Henry didnât think now would be the best time to check whether the restroom had ass-washing robots or not.
After a few minutes, Henry regrouped with the rest of the team around a central table in the ârestaurantâ. Dr. Anderson was already present, his archaeological kit opened and a spread of alien items organized on the table.
âAh, Captain!â Dr. Anderson noticed him approaching. âWe found cabinets that werenât empty. Most of the artifacts appear to be personal effects.â He held up a necklace, emphasizing his point. âJewelry, memorabilia, and some other artifacts that I â admittedly â canât quite describe.â
Dr. Anderson pointed his pickup tool at a small disc laid out on a padded mat. âIt hasnât shown any active properties yet. Itâs rather peculiar; it seems to be a solid disc. Lightweight, unblemished surface, no visible markings or etchings.â
âHave you tried touching it directly?â Henry asked.
Dr. Anderson frowned, manipulating the claws of his pickup tool. âWell, not directly.â Catching the implications in Henryâs query, he continued, âIâve checked for radiation, toxins â all clear. While Iâd advise against direct contact, Iâd be lying if I said I wasnât the least bit curious.â
Henry nodded. Yeah, the Doc was probably right, but what was discovery without risk? He reached out and picked it up, rotating it in his hands. As his gloved fingers brushed against the surface, the disc suddenly emitted a soft glow.
Henry flinched slightly, almost dropping the disc in surprised. As he fumbled with it, the disc seemed to respond to his touch. Suddenly, a series of objects materialized on the table, appearing out of thin air.
âOh, shit!â Ron exclaimed. âIt just⊠spawned a bunch of stuff!â
Henry stared at the new items. Several containers, probably holding some kind of food, were still sealed tight and impossibly effective at insulating its contents. It was crazy to think that the food inside might still be hot after who knows how long.
Next to the containers was a bracelet. Possibly normal, possibly enchanted or integrated with technology they couldnât hope to understand. There was also a bottle of some bright blue liquid â probably for drinking, but there was no way to be sure until Perdue tested it. And then there was the picture, showing a strikingly human couple, holding each other underneath a gorgeous alien sky. It reminded him of memorabilia people would sometimes keep in their wallets, though why humans were there was a mystery.
The last object the disc spat out was a thin, transparent sheet. Coincidentally, it was about the same size as a smartphone. If he had to guess, it probably had the same function as one, too.
âIncredible,â Dr. Anderson gawked at the items. âThe disc must be the Gatebuildersâ version of a wallet, somehow using dimensional storage technology!â
âAkin to the Holding Bags,â Kelmithus noticed. He peered into his own Holding Bag, his expression indicating that he was connecting the dots. âFascinating!â
Dr. Anderson then inspected the image, his face reflecting the same confusion Henry felt when he first saw it. While they continued to sort through the items, Henry explored the sheet further. The moment he tapped the screen, a holographic interface sprung into existence above it.
What he had initially thought was a simple hologram was something far more advanced, almost indistinguishable from reality itself. Almost instantly, they were surrounded by mountains and valleys, details springing up to form a realistic, three-dimensional map.
It was like a pocket holodeck. The only anchors the projection had were the various icons and pockets of text floating around â and the fact that the hologram was transparent enough for him to see his surroundings and his teammates.
Sera seemed to be the most shocked out of all of them. He couldnât blame her. The sight was surprising enough for himself, who was even familiar with the concept through sci-fi; how much more alien would it seem to someone from â effectively â the past?
âIâve not beheld such a spell⊠ever!â she exclaimed softly, pausing to gather her thoughts. âHold onâŠâ she continued, pointing to the distant peaks. âWhy, yon mountain range! Does it not strike you as familiar?â
âHuh?â Ron squinted at it. âDoes it?â
âNo, yeah, it does!â Isaac said. âShit, uh, is that the Ovinne Mountain Range?â
Henry brought up the file for the Ovinne Mountain Range on his visor, comparing it to the hologram. âHuh, yeah, it is. Whatâs a map of that doing in here, though?â
Dr. Anderson raised his hands in the air and spread them apart, mimicking a zoom. Lucky for them, the alien tech seemed to understand what they were going for. Now up close and in full detail, the Ovinne Mountain Range dominated the room. Somewhere in the mountains, an icon that looked like a pair of glasses sat right on top of a Gatebuilder tower, barely poking out of the mountainside.
Ryan crossed his arms as he scrutinized the hologram. âIs this what, Find My iPhone?â
âHmm⊠rather likely,â Dr. Anderson agreed. âThis device must be some sort of Locator.â
âLocator, huh?â Having this clue was an incredible breakthrough, but he noticed something else. âAnd right where the Ovinne Mountain Campaignâs supposedly taking place, at that.â
âIndeed, that you mention it, such alignment is surely noteworthy,â Kelmithus remarked. His voice took on a more excited note, âBe it fate, perhaps?â
Henry smirked. âHah, youâre sounding a bit like Sera, now. Well, looks like fateâs telling us where to go next. Letâs pack this up and head back.â
They carefully stowed the various artifacts in their holding bags, Henry holding on to the Locator. They made their way back to the locker room where they first entered, everyone excited for the next step in their mission.
Henry stepped through the airlock first, emerging on the other side. As he did so, a faint sound caught his attention. It was distant, muffled, but definitely not a sound that belonged to this facility. He wanted to take off the envirosuit, but it seemed that had to wait.
Ron came through the airlock after him. âBro, you think ââ
Henry held up a hand, stopping him short. He raised his weapon, picking up on the âsomethingâs not rightâ vibe.
Activating his infrared vision and using the laser mounted on his M7, Henry searched for signs of thermal distortions, just like heâd done back at Duke Vancorâs mansion. Ron did the same. As the rest of the team emerged from the airlock, they quickly caught on to the situation. Without a word, they joined them in securing the room.
After clearing the locker room, Henry signaled to move on to the lab next door. It was just as empty as the locker room, but now the sounds were more audible, definitely coming from the hallway just outside. Instructing his team to hold still, he crept toward the doorway to investigate.
He peeked around the corner, and felt his stomach drop. There, in the main hallway, was a group of soldiers. They were decked out in distinctive black armor and cloaks. They had no identifiable markings or insignia on their armor, but it was obvious â these were Nobians.
Henry pulled back, returning to his team. âContact outside. At least a dozen Nobians securing the hallway.â
Ronâs expression grew serious. âShit. Any idea on their entry point?â
Henry positioned himself behind a desk, aiming his weapon at the doorway. âProbably the same way we came in.â
âMain corridorâs the only play, huh?â Ryan said.
The main hallway only had one line of sight, and it just happened to be the only way out. Well, the only one they could reasonably access. The facility probably had other exits or fancy teleporters, but theyâd already scoured the area for the former and wouldnât be able to figure out the latter.
âDozen hostiles doesnât seem like a lot,â Isaac pointed out, taking out another Black Hornet from his bag. âWeâre still good on ammo, too.â
Ron shook his head. âDozen? Yeah, a dozen that we can see.â
âOwens is right,â Henry agreed. âWe canât confirm their numbers outright. If I had to guess, it would probably be at least fifty. Manageable, but Iâd prefer that to be our last resort.â
âHow might we fare with a disturbance?â Sera offered.
Kelmithus gripped his staff. âI might conjure an echo of noise distant hence. It shanât last, but it can afford us enough time for our escape.â
Kelmithusâ plan seemed like it could work, but only if the Nobians didnât know they were here. âNo,â Henry disagreed. âTheyâve seen our MRAPs outside. Weâd get surrounded.â
âHow about negotiation?â Dr. Anderson suggested, a hopeful note in his voice.
âNegotiation? With the Nobians?â Kelmithus questioned.
They all knew what the Nobians were like. It really did come off as a ridiculous idea, but what if Dr. Anderson was right? The archaeologist defended himself, âI know, I know. However, we have yet to confirm their hostility, and it would not serve us well to initiate hostilities with the Nobians.â
Taking in the silence as contemplation, he continued, âIf talks break down, we hold our ground here. Itâs not ideal, but weâll control the engagement area and prevent them from flanking us.â
Henry reviewed the situation again. 12 hostiles, but they should expect the worse, so at least 50 hostiles plus failed negotiations. Holding the only way out, they were likely spread out between the hallway, the cave system, and possibly even the forest outside. Dr. Andersonâs plan was solid, but he had a few minor qualms. In particular, holding the line meant possibly exhausting themselves in a battle of attrition.
âAlright. Weâll open with negotiations. Iâm skeptical, but it's worth a shot. Should that fail, we canât engage in a drawn-out conflict. Weâll disrupt their positions and quickly move to the cave outside.â
âSmoke grenades and flashbangs,â Ryan muttered.
âAffirmative,â Henry said, nodding in agreement. âIf we canât see them, weâll level the playing field so they canât see us.â
âCaptain,â Kelmithus quickly interjected, âBid me aid your efforts. Iâve insight enough to create fog. Iâve learned from our encounter with the Sentinel Lindwyrm.â
âYou can replicate that heavy fog?â Ron asked.
Kelmithus held up his palm, producing an opaque puff of steam to prove his point. âIndeed so, Lieutenant. Adequately do these envirosuits shield us, that I might harness more extreme temperatures for more effective casting.â
Henry was impressed with how quickly the archmage grasped such a concept. âGood. Yen, get that drone into the cave. Weâll hold for updates.â
Yen nodded, carrying out Henryâs order silently. The droneâs feed directly streamed to their HUDs, and after a few minutes, Isaac looked up. âDone.â
Henry analyzed the data. They had visual confirmation of a dozen Nobians inside the facility itself and a staggering forty outside, both in the cave and around the cave entrance. It was an assumption, but there probably werenât many cloaked soldiers past the hallway. He sighed; the worst-case scenario would have them facing a hundred men in total.
It was a challenge, but the droneâs intel granted them a critical tactical advantage. He analyzed his minimap, selecting and sharing a route with minimal enemy contact. âAfter clearing the facilityâs entrance, weâll proceed along the designated path. Upon exit, Iâll deploy a flare to signal our movement to the MRAPs for extraction. We will then rendezvous with Zulu-9 and coordinate with air support before re-engaging to secure the site.â
His team nodded, fully on board with the plan. He took a deep breath to steel himself before checking his watch â 16:24. âAlright, time to show ourselves.â
Letting his M7 sling over his chest, Henry prepared two flash grenades â one in each hand â before stepping out. With his team in tow, he moved to the center of the hallway, catching the attention of one of the Nobian patrols.
âAttention, Nobian forces! We request parley. I am Captain Donnager of Alpha Team, Tier 6 Adventurer. We are on an official quest sanctioned by the Adventurerâs Guild. We have no intention of hostilities and seek to discuss our presence and objectives to ensure mutual understanding.â
As Henryâs words echoed through the hallway, the Nobian soldiers snapped into action. He heard the sounds of bowstring being drawn taut and the rasp of metal as swords cleared their scabbards. His hands tightened around the flash grenades.
He kept his gaze steady, projecting a sense of calm; of confidence â enough to convince the Nobians that even outnumbered, he and his team were still no match for them. More soldiers joined the patrol, until all twelve of the previously identified Nobians were upon them. They kept their distance, but Henry could feel the tension boiling.
Just as the standoff seemed to reach a critical point, the air in front of them seemed to fold outward from itself, like watching the effects of gravitational lensing on light. A figure coalesced from the distortion â so this is what invisibility magic looked like.
The man was broad-shouldered and tall, seeing eye-to-eye with him, even despite the extra inches in height the envirosuit gave. As the last wisps of the cloaking magic faded away, Henry found himself staring into a pair of piercing gray eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul.
The newcomer had an angular face and was clad in black armor with a different sheen than the black armor of his comrades. Silver trimmings and an insignia emblazoned on his chestplate â a dagger through a swirl of mist â differentiated his status. A cloak of the same dark hue billowed behind him as he walked forward and drew his sword.
Keeping his sword to the side, he stopped a respectable ten meters away from Henry. âI am Carvus Alnect Virelius, Umber Vicearch of the Order of the Shadow.â He then pointed his sword at Henry, declaring, âOf desecrating sovereign Nobian territory, you stand accused.â
As Carvus spoke, more soldiers materialized alongside him, shimmering into existence as they dropped their cloaking spells. Henry had expected this to happen, but seeing it play out still sent a chill down his spine. How many more were still lying in wait?
The Vicearch kept his weapon on Henry, eyes narrowing. âCommander unto commander, I offer a choice: cede your Holding Bags, that secure passage may be granted unto you. Refuse, and you shall be declared as spies and enemies of the Nobian Empire, your lives forfeit to swift execution.â
READ 2 WEEKS AHEAD: Season Finale Chapter 17 is now available for Tier 2 Manifest Fantasy Patrons and higher!
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First
âHuh, that wasnât there before,â Ron said, pointing to a new hole in the wall â another passageway.
Henry turned to look where Ron pointed. Sure enough, there was a new doorway. It mustâve been a section that opened after they restored the power. âHuh, yeah. Letâs check it out.â
He went through, finding a short hallway past it and another room just beyond. Henry signaled for his team to form up, preparing to breach. As they stepped in, they found themselves in a brightly lit room filled with various types of furniture â empty pedestals, comfortable-looking single couches, and empty desks with opened cabinets.
Henry stepped further into the room, eyeing the oddly arranged furniture. The single couches were lined up in neat rows, all facing the same direction â towards the empty desks. It was like some sort of waiting room, but for what?
âIs it just me, or are these couches set up weird?â Isaac asked, voicing the question on everyoneâs mind. âI mean, who lines up a bunch of single couches like this?â
âStrange, indeed,â Sera agreed. âThey seem arranged as though for spectators, yet naught lies before them to behold.â
Like a movie theater, Henry thought. However, there werenât any screens or holograms to watch. If there was a clue, it would probably be within the couches themselves.
Dr. Anderson approached one of the desks. âPerhaps this was some sort of office or workspace? The desks and cabinets certainly suggest that.â
Isaac then decided to touch one of the seats, eliciting no reaction. He pushed further, sitting down on one of them. At that point, the couch began to adjust its form to better suit Isaacâs envirosuit, as if able to optimize its comfort for the user. Then, a nozzle slowly stretched up from the seatâs headrest area, stopping just short of Isaacâs neck. âWoah!â Isaac bolted up as the nozzle bonked against his helmet.
âNeural interface, maybe?â Henry wondered. âI think we should leave this to the researchers⊠unless you wanna volunteer as a lab rat?â
âHell nah,â Isaac vigorously declined the offer. âHey, there isnât anything on my helmet is there?â
Henry dusted off the back of Isaacâs helmet with his glove. âNope, youâre clear. Just gotta hope it ainât grey goo.â
He could see the dread and uncertainty through Isaacâs visor. Henry gave him a pat on the shoulder. âWell, think about it this way: if it really was grey goo, it wouldâve gotten to us â or the Spiranids, for that matter â long ago. Câmon, letâs secure the next room.â
With a nod, Isaac fell in line behind Henry as they moved towards the doorway leading to the adjacent room. Peeking inside, it couldnât be further from the rest of the roomâs they had encountered so far; not at all what they couldâve possibly expected inside an ancient, high-tech alien facility. It was expansive, with a layout that reminded Henry of a high-end restaurant. Comfortable booths lined the walls, while tables of varying sizes filled the central space. The furniture looked almost human â perhaps even indistinguishably so.
The room was tinted with a soft, cozy yellow light. The warm and inviting ambiance felt soothing compared to the clinical feel of the previous areas. The lighting, combined with the plush booths and elegant tables, gave Henry a nostalgic impression.
âWell, Iâll be damned,â Ryan remarked. âThink they got any cheesecakes?â
If it wasnât for the alien decor and helping of sleek devices scattered around the room, Henry wouldâve thought they were back home. Hell, there was even a bar, filled with exotic liquors that could probably fetch millions at an auction â or give them the trip of their lives. Beside it however was something unusual. Where he mightâve expected a path leading to the kitchen, he instead found a wall with a slight, rectangular-shaped recess that was just big enough for a tray.
He glanced at Isaac, who returned a knowing look. âReplicators,â Isaac said.
Henry smirked. âPersonally, Iâm partial to synthesizer, but to each their own.â
They gathered around the wall, which didnât seem to respond to their presence. Taps on the wall didnât seem to do anything, either. Henry considered probing further, but decided against it. âAlright, letâs not take any chances. Weâll make a note of this for the research teams to analyze later. Letâs keep looking around.â
Henry split apart from the others, pairing with Ron as they continued to walk around the room. They soon came across another doorway on the far side of the room, which opened up into a short corridor that led into multiple sets of doors. Each had a symbol on the wall beside the doors â one that depicted the basic figure of a person.
Ron pushed open one of the doors, taking a peek inside. âLooks like even the Gatebuilders needed restrooms.â
Finally! âAlright, letâs take a quick break here. Bring everyone else over.â
Thankfully, the amenities within were easily comparable to those of modern society. The toilet looked like a toilet, and the sink resembled a sink. Even in a space as mundane as this though, the Gatebuilderâs technology was evident: self-cleaning surfaces and enough technology to put a high-quality Japanese bidet toilet to shame. At least, that was just from the look of things. Henry didnât think now would be the best time to check whether the restroom had ass-washing robots or not.
After a few minutes, Henry regrouped with the rest of the team around a central table in the ârestaurantâ. Dr. Anderson was already present, his archaeological kit opened and a spread of alien items organized on the table.
âAh, Captain!â Dr. Anderson noticed him approaching. âWe found cabinets that werenât empty. Most of the artifacts appear to be personal effects.â He held up a necklace, emphasizing his point. âJewelry, memorabilia, and some other artifacts that I â admittedly â canât quite describe.â
Dr. Anderson pointed his pickup tool at a small disc laid out on a padded mat. âIt hasnât shown any active properties yet. Itâs rather peculiar; it seems to be a solid disc. Lightweight, unblemished surface, no visible markings or etchings.â
âHave you tried touching it directly?â Henry asked.
Dr. Anderson frowned, manipulating the claws of his pickup tool. âWell, not directly.â Catching the implications in Henryâs query, he continued, âIâve checked for radiation, toxins â all clear. While Iâd advise against direct contact, Iâd be lying if I said I wasnât the least bit curious.â
Henry nodded. Yeah, the Doc was probably right, but what was discovery without risk? He reached out and picked it up, rotating it in his hands. As his gloved fingers brushed against the surface, the disc suddenly emitted a soft glow.
Henry flinched slightly, almost dropping the disc in surprised. As he fumbled with it, the disc seemed to respond to his touch. Suddenly, a series of objects materialized on the table, appearing out of thin air.
âOh, shit!â Ron exclaimed. âIt just⊠spawned a bunch of stuff!â
Henry stared at the new items. Several containers, probably holding some kind of food, were still sealed tight and impossibly effective at insulating its contents. It was crazy to think that the food inside might still be hot after who knows how long.
Next to the containers was a bracelet. Possibly normal, possibly enchanted or integrated with technology they couldnât hope to understand. There was also a bottle of some bright blue liquid â probably for drinking, but there was no way to be sure until Perdue tested it. And then there was the picture, showing a strikingly human couple, holding each other underneath a gorgeous alien sky. It reminded him of memorabilia people would sometimes keep in their wallets, though why humans were there was a mystery.
The last object the disc spat out was a thin, transparent sheet. Coincidentally, it was about the same size as a smartphone. If he had to guess, it probably had the same function as one, too.
âIncredible,â Dr. Anderson gawked at the items. âThe disc must be the Gatebuildersâ version of a wallet, somehow using dimensional storage technology!â
âAkin to the Holding Bags,â Kelmithus noticed. He peered into his own Holding Bag, his expression indicating that he was connecting the dots. âFascinating!â
Dr. Anderson then inspected the image, his face reflecting the same confusion Henry felt when he first saw it. While they continued to sort through the items, Henry explored the sheet further. The moment he tapped the screen, a holographic interface sprung into existence above it.
What he had initially thought was a simple hologram was something far more advanced, almost indistinguishable from reality itself. Almost instantly, they were surrounded by mountains and valleys, details springing up to form a realistic, three-dimensional map.
It was like a pocket holodeck. The only anchors the projection had were the various icons and pockets of text floating around â and the fact that the hologram was transparent enough for him to see his surroundings and his teammates.
Sera seemed to be the most shocked out of all of them. He couldnât blame her. The sight was surprising enough for himself, who was even familiar with the concept through sci-fi; how much more alien would it seem to someone from â effectively â the past?
âIâve not beheld such a spell⊠ever!â she exclaimed softly, pausing to gather her thoughts. âHold onâŠâ she continued, pointing to the distant peaks. âWhy, yon mountain range! Does it not strike you as familiar?â
âHuh?â Ron squinted at it. âDoes it?â
âNo, yeah, it does!â Isaac said. âShit, uh, is that the Ovinne Mountain Range?â
Henry brought up the file for the Ovinne Mountain Range on his visor, comparing it to the hologram. âHuh, yeah, it is. Whatâs a map of that doing in here, though?â
Dr. Anderson raised his hands in the air and spread them apart, mimicking a zoom. Lucky for them, the alien tech seemed to understand what they were going for. Now up close and in full detail, the Ovinne Mountain Range dominated the room. Somewhere in the mountains, an icon that looked like a pair of glasses sat right on top of a Gatebuilder tower, barely poking out of the mountainside.
Ryan crossed his arms as he scrutinized the hologram. âIs this what, Find My iPhone?â
âHmm⊠rather likely,â Dr. Anderson agreed. âThis device must be some sort of Locator.â
âLocator, huh?â Having this clue was an incredible breakthrough, but he noticed something else. âAnd right where the Ovinne Mountain Campaignâs supposedly taking place, at that.â
âIndeed, that you mention it, such alignment is surely noteworthy,â Kelmithus remarked. His voice took on a more excited note, âBe it fate, perhaps?â
Henry smirked. âHah, youâre sounding a bit like Sera, now. Well, looks like fateâs telling us where to go next. Letâs pack this up and head back.â
They carefully stowed the various artifacts in their holding bags, Henry holding on to the Locator. They made their way back to the locker room where they first entered, everyone excited for the next step in their mission.
Henry stepped through the airlock first, emerging on the other side. As he did so, a faint sound caught his attention. It was distant, muffled, but definitely not a sound that belonged to this facility. He wanted to take off the envirosuit, but it seemed that had to wait.
Ron came through the airlock after him. âBro, you think ââ
Henry held up a hand, stopping him short. He raised his weapon, picking up on the âsomethingâs not rightâ vibe.
Activating his infrared vision and using the laser mounted on his M7, Henry searched for signs of thermal distortions, just like heâd done back at Duke Vancorâs mansion. Ron did the same. As the rest of the team emerged from the airlock, they quickly caught on to the situation. Without a word, they joined them in securing the room.
After clearing the locker room, Henry signaled to move on to the lab next door. It was just as empty as the locker room, but now the sounds were more audible, definitely coming from the hallway just outside. Instructing his team to hold still, he crept toward the doorway to investigate.
He peeked around the corner, and felt his stomach drop. There, in the main hallway, was a group of soldiers. They were decked out in distinctive black armor and cloaks. They had no identifiable markings or insignia on their armor, but it was obvious â these were Nobians.
Henry pulled back, returning to his team. âContact outside. At least a dozen Nobians securing the hallway.â
Ronâs expression grew serious. âShit. Any idea on their entry point?â
Henry positioned himself behind a desk, aiming his weapon at the doorway. âProbably the same way we came in.â
âMain corridorâs the only play, huh?â Ryan said.
The main hallway only had one line of sight, and it just happened to be the only way out. Well, the only one they could reasonably access. The facility probably had other exits or fancy teleporters, but theyâd already scoured the area for the former and wouldnât be able to figure out the latter.
âDozen hostiles doesnât seem like a lot,â Isaac pointed out, taking out another Black Hornet from his bag. âWeâre still good on ammo, too.â
Ron shook his head. âDozen? Yeah, a dozen that we can see.â
âOwens is right,â Henry agreed. âWe canât confirm their numbers outright. If I had to guess, it would probably be at least fifty. Manageable, but Iâd prefer that to be our last resort.â
âHow might we fare with a disturbance?â Sera offered.
Kelmithus gripped his staff. âI might conjure an echo of noise distant hence. It shanât last, but it can afford us enough time for our escape.â
Kelmithusâ plan seemed like it could work, but only if the Nobians didnât know they were here. âNo,â Henry disagreed. âTheyâve seen our MRAPs outside. Weâd get surrounded.â
âHow about negotiation?â Dr. Anderson suggested, a hopeful note in his voice.
âNegotiation? With the Nobians?â Kelmithus questioned.
They all knew what the Nobians were like. It really did come off as a ridiculous idea, but what if Dr. Anderson was right? The archaeologist defended himself, âI know, I know. However, we have yet to confirm their hostility, and it would not serve us well to initiate hostilities with the Nobians.â
Taking in the silence as contemplation, he continued, âIf talks break down, we hold our ground here. Itâs not ideal, but weâll control the engagement area and prevent them from flanking us.â
Henry reviewed the situation again. 12 hostiles, but they should expect the worse, so at least 50 hostiles plus failed negotiations. Holding the only way out, they were likely spread out between the hallway, the cave system, and possibly even the forest outside. Dr. Andersonâs plan was solid, but he had a few minor qualms. In particular, holding the line meant possibly exhausting themselves in a battle of attrition.
âAlright. Weâll open with negotiations. Iâm skeptical, but it's worth a shot. Should that fail, we canât engage in a drawn-out conflict. Weâll disrupt their positions and quickly move to the cave outside.â
âSmoke grenades and flashbangs,â Ryan muttered.
âAffirmative,â Henry said, nodding in agreement. âIf we canât see them, weâll level the playing field so they canât see us.â
âCaptain,â Kelmithus quickly interjected, âBid me aid your efforts. Iâve insight enough to create fog. Iâve learned from our encounter with the Sentinel Lindwyrm.â
âYou can replicate that heavy fog?â Ron asked.
Kelmithus held up his palm, producing an opaque puff of steam to prove his point. âIndeed so, Lieutenant. Adequately do these envirosuits shield us, that I might harness more extreme temperatures for more effective casting.â
Henry was impressed with how quickly the archmage grasped such a concept. âGood. Yen, get that drone into the cave. Weâll hold for updates.â
Yen nodded, carrying out Henryâs order silently. The droneâs feed directly streamed to their HUDs, and after a few minutes, Isaac looked up. âDone.â
Henry analyzed the data. They had visual confirmation of a dozen Nobians inside the facility itself and a staggering forty outside, both in the cave and around the cave entrance. It was an assumption, but there probably werenât many cloaked soldiers past the hallway. He sighed; the worst-case scenario would have them facing a hundred men in total.
It was a challenge, but the droneâs intel granted them a critical tactical advantage. He analyzed his minimap, selecting and sharing a route with minimal enemy contact. âAfter clearing the facilityâs entrance, weâll proceed along the designated path. Upon exit, Iâll deploy a flare to signal our movement to the MRAPs for extraction. We will then rendezvous with Zulu-9 and coordinate with air support before re-engaging to secure the site.â
His team nodded, fully on board with the plan. He took a deep breath to steel himself before checking his watch â 16:24. âAlright, time to show ourselves.â
Letting his M7 sling over his chest, Henry prepared two flash grenades â one in each hand â before stepping out. With his team in tow, he moved to the center of the hallway, catching the attention of one of the Nobian patrols.
âAttention, Nobian forces! We request parley. I am Captain Donnager of Alpha Team, Tier 6 Adventurer. We are on an official quest sanctioned by the Adventurerâs Guild. We have no intention of hostilities and seek to discuss our presence and objectives to ensure mutual understanding.â
As Henryâs words echoed through the hallway, the Nobian soldiers snapped into action. He heard the sounds of bowstring being drawn taut and the rasp of metal as swords cleared their scabbards. His hands tightened around the flash grenades.
He kept his gaze steady, projecting a sense of calm; of confidence â enough to convince the Nobians that even outnumbered, he and his team were still no match for them. More soldiers joined the patrol, until all twelve of the previously identified Nobians were upon them. They kept their distance, but Henry could feel the tension boiling.
Just as the standoff seemed to reach a critical point, the air in front of them seemed to fold outward from itself, like watching the effects of gravitational lensing on light. A figure coalesced from the distortion â so this is what invisibility magic looked like.
The man was broad-shouldered and tall, seeing eye-to-eye with him, even despite the extra inches in height the envirosuit gave. As the last wisps of the cloaking magic faded away, Henry found himself staring into a pair of piercing gray eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul.
The newcomer had an angular face and was clad in black armor with a different sheen than the black armor of his comrades. Silver trimmings and an insignia emblazoned on his chestplate â a dagger through a swirl of mist â differentiated his status. A cloak of the same dark hue billowed behind him as he walked forward and drew his sword.
Keeping his sword to the side, he stopped a respectable ten meters away from Henry. âI am Carvus Alnect Virelius, Umber Vicearch of the Order of the Shadow.â He then pointed his sword at Henry, declaring, âOf desecrating sovereign Nobian territory, you stand accused.â
As Carvus spoke, more soldiers materialized alongside him, shimmering into existence as they dropped their cloaking spells. Henry had expected this to happen, but seeing it play out still sent a chill down his spine. How many more were still lying in wait?
The Vicearch kept his weapon on Henry, eyes narrowing. âCommander unto commander, I offer a choice: cede your Holding Bags, that secure passage may be granted unto you. Refuse, and you shall be declared as spies and enemies of the Nobian Empire, your lives forfeit to swift execution.â
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2024.05.15 18:06 DrDoritosMD [Stargate and GATE Inspired] Manifest Fantasy Chapter 16: Power Play (Part 1)
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First
Three, two, one... execute.
Ron peeked around the corner, his M4E1 Carl Gustaf already loaded with standard HEAT rounds. The rest of Alpha Team stacked up behind him or behind Ryan, who was on the other side of the doorway. Through the opening, they could see a nightmarish tangle of webs and egg sacs, with the skittering shapes of Spiranids lurking in the shadows in the far corners of the room.
The Queen was positioned in the center of the room, completely exposed by a cluster of eggs. Henry watched as Ron leveled his Gustaf, taking aim at the Queen while they stayed along the wall to ensure Ronâs backblast was clear. It should have been an easy kill, but a flicker of movement caught Henryâs eye.
A blob of white flew across his vision, smacking into Ron just as he fired his weapon. The thick strands of webbing bypassed Kelmithusâ shielding and wrapped around him, sending him flying back a couple of meters. He landed on his back, his body and launcher completely stuck to the floor by the condensed silk.
Around the same time, the Gustafâs projectile struck the Queenâs abdomen section. The resulting blast tore through its exoskeleton but was far from a fatal blow. The Queen shrieked, a sound far deeper than Henry expected.
âFuck!â Ron shouted, struggling to break free from the webbing.
Henry exhaled. They were a man down, but helping him had to wait; the not-dead Queen and its minions took precedence. It would be great if he had another launcher in his own Holding Bag, but that was something heâd have to bring up to Chief Cole later. Henry tossed his grenades into the room, the pops mingling with the screeches of injured Spiranids. Ryan struck simultaneously, throwing his own collection into the mix. Like firecrackers, the explosives were violent but short-lived.
As the chaos subsided, Henry pushed in. Raising his shotgun, he tore through a Spiranid that pounced at him, its carcass smoldering from the white phosphorous. Beside him, Isaac, Ryan, and Dr. Andersonâs shots rang out, tearing through their own sectors of fire.
Almost immediately upon their entry, the Queen surged forward with terrifying speed. It reared its head back like it was about to vomit, mandibles covered in a sick, yellowish color. Henry recognized immediately what it was trying to do. âAcid, move!â
Henry dove away from his previous position, taking a shot at another Spiranid that had taken the opportunity to jump at him while its master was preparing to attack. He narrowly escaped the lethal spray as it jetted toward him. The acid splattered on the ground where they had stood not even a second before, sizzling fiercely as it corroded the thick webbing sprawled across the floor. He noticed as he ran that, rather curiously, the acid was simply puddling on the floor. There was no damage to the floor itself, but if it could tear apart high-quality monster silk just like that, he didnât want to find out what it could do to an envirosuit.
Henry glanced back after blasting apart his third Spiranid. His teammates were fine â Ryan helping him keep the Queenâs attention, Sera already on her way to Ron, and the others taking care of the smaller Spiranids. He tried to get a quick headcount of how many Spiranids theyâd already eliminated. Between their guns, Kelmithusâ magic, and the grenades, he estimated they had killed at least a dozen so far. Solid progress, but the fact that they werenât able to take out the Queen with their first strike was an issue.
Henry rolled to his left as the Queen pounced on his previous position. It was fucking fast, like a Goliath birdeater but scaled up â and with nasty abilities that really shouldnât belong on a creature like this. He recovered quickly and took aim, firing point-blank into its thorax. The white phosphorous pellets hissed as they burned into its exoskeleton, forcing it back.
Beside him, Ryanâs shotgun boomed. He struck the Queenâs legs, which seemed to be more fragile than the thick exoskeleton surrounding the head and thorax. The pellets bit into the chitin, likely striking a nerve as evidenced by the legâs subsequent buckling and collapse. It was a lucky shot â one that he doubted they could repeat four or five more times.
âSera, use my knife! Here, right here!â Ron called out.
Seraâs sword mustâve been too large to effectively cut through the webbing. They had to hurry up. He and Ryan had been dodging the Queenâs attacks, but mostly by a hairâs breadth. All it took was one lucky hit from the Queen to put them out of commission, possibly for good. âSera, status on Ron?â
âOne minute!â she responded.
Damn. That was one minute later than heâd hoped. Reacting instinctively, Henry noted the Queen raising one of its legs â a sure sign of it preparing for another attack. The Queen struck again, this time cleaving the air with the leg, aiming to corral him into a predictable escape route. As its leg swept through the air, Henry caught sight of the Queen rearing its head back in a grotesque mimicry of a snake about to strike â another acid attack.
Anticipating the monsterâs strategy, Henry feinted to the right, a move he hoped would mislead it about his true intentions. As the Queenâs head followed his feint, Henry twisted sharply, scraping against the rough ground. With a powerful push from his legs, he launched backward just as the Queen unleashed its attack.
Acid spewed forth in a wide arc, splattering where he had just been. The corrosive globs almost instantly melted the webbing on the floor, collecting into pools. And there was the second issue. The longer this fight dragged on, the less room theyâd have to maneuver.
Henry unloaded into the creatureâs compound eyes before tossing a flashbang near its legs. The creature staggered backward, blinded in both its eyes and its sensory hairs. Henry used the precious few seconds he bought to reload his weapon and check up on his team. âYen, sitrep?â
âStragglers neutralized; weâre moving to you now.â
Automatic gunfire erupted as Isaac and Dr. Anderson joined the fight against the Queen, dumping their mags on the creatureâs head. The 6.8mm seemed to penetrate well, but he could say the same if they fought an elephant; the Spiranid Queen was simply too large for the relatively small caliber rounds to have any effect besides pissing it off.
The Queen lunged again, its legs surrounding him from all sides. There was only one way out, and it was through the belly of the beast. Henry rushed forward, ducking under the Queenâs mandibles as he slid underneath its abdomen. He fired his shotgun as quickly as he could, unloading pellets into the beastâs underbelly. The white phosphorous scorched the softer flesh, drawing a shriek of pain from the massive creature.
As the Queen writhed under the relentless assault, Ryan and the others seized the moment to reload their weapons and reposition. They poured everything they had into the creatureâs cephalothorax, bluish ichor oozing from the hundreds of new wounds that they opened up. Yet, it was like chipping away at a mountain â it simply wasnât enough. The creature thrashed around violently in response; Henry knew it was only a matter of time before it landed a hit on someone.
And land a hit it did. With a terrifying swiftness, one of its massive legs slammed into Henryâs chest, launching him backward. The shield Kelmithus cast on him flickered as it absorbed the brunt of the impact. He crashed into an egg sac by the entrance â its membrane ruptured on impact, drenching him in a sticky, corrosive slime. The sac provided little cushion, and he hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of him.
Pain flared across Henryâs chest where the Queenâs leg had struck him. Gasping for breath and battling the encroaching blackness in his vision, he instinctively checked his envirosuit. He started with the areas he could see, glancing down at his chest. It was visibly deformed, dented but not quite a gash.
Still intact, thank goodness. No breach, but another hit like that would be disastrous. He breathed a sigh of relief, his chest hurting like hell as he did so. He checked his sides and back. Parts of his suit were covered in slime from the egg sac. It didnât seem as corrosive as the Queenâs acid, but it was still a hazard. Quickly, he swiped at it, removing as much as possible with his gloved hands to prevent further damage.
He forced himself up, grabbing his shotgun from the floor. The Queen was already barreling toward him, the damn monster not letting up. He didnât have time to make a run for it; he needed to jump to one side or the other, and the timing needed to be perfect. Just as the Queenâs shadow engulfed him, the air turned icy cold, frost creeping up on his visor.
Ice formed from thin air, spearing up from the ground and piercing through the Queenâs legs. The spikes rooted the beast in place. Not one to waste an opportunity, Henry dashed away from the entrance, firing at the immobilized giant spider as he linked up with the others.
âSera?â Henry asked again.
Seraâs voice came in strained. âAlmostâŠâ Then, with a triumphant shout, she announced the word Henry had been desperate to hear. âDone!â
âOwens!â Henry said, risking a glance back.
Ron had already grabbed his Gustaf and was in the process of loading another HEAT round. âOn it!â
Henry grinned. It was a relief, to be sure. With Ron free and back in the fight, the odds had just tipped heavily in their favor. The Queen was tough, but it wasnât invincible; they just needed an opening.
Given the damage the Queen sustained to its body, Henry couldnât imagine it being in peak fighting condition. Even in its weakened state, though, it still had the capability to dodge Ronâs attack, and it seemed to be saving its web ability for that very inevitability.
âTake out the legs!â Henry ordered.
They combined their fire on the left legs, since Ryan managed to break one of them earlier. He heard a crack that mightâve been the chitin giving way or the leg snapping, but it was hard to tell. He was just about to chalk it up to the prevailing gunfire around them, but then he saw it: a brief stumble. The Queen recovered quickly, but it was clear to Henry that it wouldnât be able to manage any more damage to its legs.
Then, he noticed a blur in his peripheral vision to his right, moving so fast his eyes could barely keep up. Shit, he was certain he kept track of the Queenâs movements. With the existing damage to his envirosuit, heâd be completely fucked. He braced himself for another impact, but it never came.
As he focused harder on the blur, he caught a glimpse of a flash of light that could only be one thing â Seraâs sword, And, just like a flash of lightning, she had already cleared the vicinity of the Queen. The Queenâs foreleg seemed to simply vanish, severed so cleanly that it took a moment for the beast to realize what had happened. When it did, it let out a screech of pain, its balance faltering as it tried to adapt to the sudden change.
While Henry focused on taking out another leg from the left side, Sera had already shifted to her next target. Their assault was brutal: white phosphorus pellets and hard-hitting 6.8mm on one side, ice magic and skilled swordsmanship on the other. And to think, they managed to inflict all this damage by the time Ron completed his reload.
âClear the way!â Ron called out, his Gustaf aimed right at the Queenâs head.
Henry jumped back, watching as Kelmithus conjured another set of ice spikes to root the beast again, in case the five obliterated legs werenât enough to keep it down. The Queen thrashed against the icy bonds, its remaining legs slashing through the air in a frenzied bid for freedom. It spat acid â a tactic that wouldâve worked effectively on most other materials, but instead simply got diluted with the melting ice. Even as the acid reacted with the ice, the spikes held firm, anchoring the beast in place like steel cables.
Henryâs heart pounded in his ears. Come on, Owens, he urged silently. Take the shot.
As if on cue, Ron pulled the trigger. The Gustaf bucked in his hands as the HEAT round streaked towards its target. Henry barely had time to brace himself before the explosion hit, the shockwave slamming into him and nearly toppling him over. He staggered back, gazing into the settling dust.
When the smoke cleared, the Queenâs head was obliterated â replaced by a gory mess of shattered chitin and pulverized flesh. Blood sprayed from the gaping hole, covering the ground in a pale blue hue. The creatureâs body convulsed, its remaining legs scrabbling weakly at their surroundings.
A surge of triumph washed over Henry, but it was fleeting. From the corner of his eye, he locked on to a glimpse of movement. One of the Queenâs legs continued to spasmodically jerk around and spray the ground with blue ichor. He raised his shotgun in a nonchalant motion and blasted the errant limb, watching as it shuddered and went still.
Sera stepped up, her sword barely catching the light as she jammed it into what was left of the Queenâs thorax. A sharp twist, and it was over. She then yanked the blade from the carcass, her grip shifting subtly along the hilt. As she flicked the sword, frost swiftly coated the ichor clinging to the metal. The frozen debris was flung off, hitting the ground and shattering like glass.
He glanced down at his Holding Bag. Damn, the fight took out most of his shells. Swapping out his shotgun for his M7, he turned to his team and took stock of their condition. It seemed everyone had mostly gone unscathed, only debris and dirt scarring their envirosuits. Well, except for himself and Ron. âThink weâre gonna have to start calling you pinata now,â Henry said, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
Ron scoffed. âYeah? Says the runner-up,â he said, tapping the dent on Henryâs envirosuit. âBetter âpinataâ than âroadkillâ, though. But seriously, whatâs next? Donât even know where to start.â
The room was empty, save for the debris strewn about and the singular obelisk standing in the center of the room. He didnât notice it earlier, but as he got closer, he realized that the obelisk emitted a faint light that barely escaped the canopy of webs. He looked it up and down before turning to the others. âOnly one place to start. Letâs clear out the webs, see whatâs hiding below.â
âDoc, Kel, clear out the eggs. Hayes, Sera, see if the Queenâs got anything useful. Everyone else focus on the webs,â Henry ordered.
Ron drew his knife and started slicing through the dense cobwebs. âHey, what yâall think the Queenâs Tier is?â
Isaac paused to consider. âEh, Tier 8, probably. Minotaur boss and Rillifane boss were both Tier 8, so Iâd say the spiderâs around the same level.â
âWell, the resilience of the specimen isnât a definitive measure of the Tier,â Dr. Anderson pointed out. âItâs quite possible that we merely had the most suitable tools at hand in this particular encounter.â
âThe scholar speaks truly,â Sera agreed. âThere is nary a defining criterion; defense is but one of many that are considered by the Guild. Were it so simple, Kelmithus and I would have attained Tier 9 ere now.â
âSo, what do you think the Queen is, then? Tier 7 maybe?â Ron asked.
Henry shook his head. Tier 7 didnât seem accurate. Using his knife to scrape some of the webbing off his glove, he voiced, âSpiranids are weak in general, but are classified as Tier 5 or higher because of their traps, ambush tactics, numbers, and abilities. Archers can use Wind Snipe and mages can use wide-area spellcasting, but they canât reliably penetrate the exoskeletonâs armor. If anything, this is probably on the lower end of Tier 9.â
âTier 9, huh?â Isaac muttered.
Sera smiled as she stood back. She stuffed a frost-covered gland into her holding bag and paused from her work as she chimed in, âHmm⊠how keen. I expected nothing less from the first Tier 6 entrants in Eldraloreâs history! It shows plain why the Guild did so swiftly raise you.â
âHah,â Henry chuckled. It was an amusing thought, but⊠âSay, ya think we can get to Tier 7 after this?â
Seraâs eyebrows shot up. âTier 7? A mark of no slight merit. What have you achieved since attaining Tier 6?â
Henry reached to scratch his chin, then cursed softly as his glove thudded against his visor. âWell, we took down a Rillifane pack, a Sentinel Lindwyrm, and now this primal Spiranid Queen. Thatâs not too shabby, eh?â
âFirm victories,â Sera admitted, âbut advancement weighs more than battle alone. The Guild also considers quest difficulty, knowledge gained therefrom, and impact â in other words, glory.â
âThe Baranthurian Ruins,â Dr. Anderson blurted, taking the words out of Henryâs mouth. He turned to Kelmithus, who approached them after confirming that the eggs had been cleared out. âSurely, working with the Sanctum Arcanum must be quite the honour. The Guild holds their quests with high esteem, wouldnât you say?â
Kelmithus nodded, burning a clump of disposed webs on the ground. âTrue as that may be, advancement oft hinges upon the cumulative experience of dozens of quests.â
âWell, ainât no small feats for us lately,â Ryan remarked. âThe quest to the Baranthurian ruins, what was it, Tier 8? Yeah, that was Tier 8. Sentinel Lindwyrm? Hell, Tier Nine. That there beast?â Ryan pointed his gun at the carcass of the Spiranid Queen. âTier 9 as well.â
Ron interjected, âPlus weâve been helping out along the way, like those villagers, and taking on quests others wonât touch. Honestly, the Hardale quest should be pretty weighty too, considering the Nobian shenanigans.â
Sera hummed, mulling over Alpha Teamâs experiences. The fact that most of their quests at Tier 6 had essentially been Tier 7 quests or higher in difficulty was probably unheard of in the Guild. Not only that, but theyâd been able to complete these difficult quests successfully. Hell, with flying colors, even. That had to count for something.
Henry looked over at Sera, stepping back as he allowed Kelmithus to dispose of the webs that he had cleared out. âSo, whaddya think? Based on what weâve done, you think we got a shot at Tier 7?â
Sera looked up at the ceiling as she weighed her response. âEhh, youâve a strong case. Alas, itâs Taldrenâs call to make. His favor seems yours, though; I wager heâll agree.â
Henry grinned. Moving up meant they could have access to more quests. Naturally, that also meant better rewards and in turn, access to some truly magical equipment. âGood to hear. Guess weâll see to it once we get back to Eldralore. Now, we should probably ââ
A soft glow of light gradually lit up the room, interrupting Henry mid-sentence. He squinted, readying his weapon. The light came from the walls and ceiling, illuminating the once-dark chamber. The obelisk, now free of webs, now hummed⊠healthily? It wasnât like he had a manual to tell him if this was a good or bad development, but judging from the facilityâs reaction, it mustâve worked.
Henry glanced at his HUD. The temperature readings were rising, too. The icy chill from Kelmithusâ magic rapidly dissipated as the environmental controls kicked in. âWell, looks like weâve done all we can here. Letâs head back to the containment cell room and see if we can find anything else of interest.â
â â â
Outskirts of GB-2, Grenden Forest
Carvus Alnect Virelius narrowed his gaze toward the brightening sky, his eyes cutting through the retreating mist that had long veiled the forestâs canopy. This unprecedented clarity above the ruins was strange. After centuries cloaked in an impenetrable fog, why did the skies clear now?
The Umber Vicearchâs mind worked like a whetstone, sharpening the fragments of reports from his scouts, cryptic as they were. The recent skirmish, occurring concurrently with the lifting fog, could not be mere happenstance. Regardless of the answer, the unexpected fold presented a welcome complexity to test his mettle.
He set his thoughts aside as the sound of footsteps approached.
âLeuarch Eldreyn reporting, milord,â one of his men said. âWeâve word from Serarch Trelian.â
Carvus gave him a nod to continue.
Eldreyn relayed the news. âThe scouts espy traces of battle: a fallen Sentinel Lindwyrm and two carriages left abandoned near the caveâs entrance. The land bears scars from some form of magic, strewn with strange metal tubes and other objects unknown to us. Save for the Lindwyrm, no other bodies are to be found. What are your commands, milord?â
Carvus took a deep breath. No other bodies? Two carriages? That such a formidable creature was felled with no apparent casualties among their ranks suggested a small but extraordinarily capable force. Each member was no doubt Tier 7 at the least. The limited number of carriages implied a party not larger than ten. But⊠what could the metal objects mean?
Powerful though they might be, could such a small group withstand his numbers? Carvus entertained the thought briefly. No, direct confrontation would be unwise. The site bore secrets too vital to squander on rash gambles. Better to maneuver them into a position where the only viable option would be to comply with his demands.
âHold our position, Lornus,â Carvus commanded. While he preferred the safety of their hidden vantage in the forest, the intrigue of Trelianâs findings â the slain Lindwyrm â was too compelling to ignore. âThe contents of Trelianâs report compel our own investigation. Lead us, that we might see for ourselves.â
âAs you command, milord.â
It was a short walk to the clearing. As they reached the treeline, Carvus held up a hand, signaling his men to halt â they should go no further than the cover of the forest. The aftermath of the battle lay evident before them. The massive form of the Sentinel Lindwyrm sprawled near the far side of the clearing, its outline murky at a distance.
Carvus squinted, adjusting his position slightly for a better view. He felt his jaw drop, a lapse in composure that surprised even him. Yet, who could fault him? The beast lay nearly torn asunder, its massive body riddled with gaping, jagged wounds that no sword or arrow could inflict. Indeed, not even traditional siege weapons or combat spells could inflict such damage.
The destructive capability of fyric powder was well-known to him â he had seen its use in adamantite mines. The wounds on the Lindwyrm, however, spoke of a force of another Tier entirely. Where fyric powder might clear a path through a stubborn boulder, the agent used against the Sentinel Lindwyrm seemed capable of obliterating several boulders at once, perhaps even an entire cliffside.
Turning his attention from the ravaged beast, he scanned the battlefield. Among the chaos, his eyes caught the glint of metal â strange tubes scattered about, all some lighter shade of bronze. The craters were blackened and littered with debris: shards of metal mixed with wires. This was clearly no ordinary skirmish.
He moved closer to the tree line, cautiously examining the unfamiliar objects. The metal tubes bore no resemblance to any weapons known to Nobian forces. However, their presence here implied that somehow, these objects were related to the catastrophic wounds on the Lindwyrm.
Near the caveâs entrance, two metal carriages lay abandoned. Their exteriors were marred by dirt and marked with an array of dents that appeared to be from the Lindwyrmâs armored tail. The carriages, in style and make, aligned with reports of American machines observed by their Umbercari in distant Eldralore. Mounted atop each was a long cylinder. As foreign as they were, he could tell they were weapons â ones capable of unleashing formidable destruction.
Adventurers throughout the ages had ventured here, all repelled by the formidable Lindwyrm that long guarded these grounds. Had it been folly to devote their resources to the conquest of their neighbors, rather than to mastering and exploiting this site? Such questions surpassed his station, yet irrespective of the answers, the Emperor would surely take no pleasure in learning that he had allowed Americans to plunder the Gatebuilderâs secrets.
Carvus turned to Lornus. âBid our scouts to investigate the cave.â As Leuarch Eldreyn departed to carry out the orders, he beckoned to one of his serarchs. âBring me one of those metal tubes. I wish to examine it.â
He sat on a rock, watching the light bend around the manâs form until he vanished from sight. The serarch then adjusted the temperature around his body, matching it to that of the forest. Were it not for the subtle shifts in the manâs mana as he held the spells, Carvus would have surely lost track of him.
The serarch made his way forth, passing through the trees and into the clearing beyond. With haste, he seized upon one of the tubes that lay scattered about, and then, as quick as he had come, he turned and made his way back to the forestâs edge. When at last he returned, Carvus stood up and held out his hand.
The tube, lighter than its solidity might have portended, was chill to the touch and was marked by a patina that showed clear signs of bending. He tried to bend it with his fingers, but the metal resisted. Even when he used magic to strengthen himself, it yielded naught but scant impression. What could have possibly moved the metal?
Looking closely, he noticed that the metal wasnât bronze, as he had first thought. Though bearing a hue akin to bronze, it was of a kind unfamiliar to him. The surface was engraved with American script â characters and sequences that held little meaning to him. Yet, to deem the letters âengravedâ would be to err; it was as if they were imprinted with a craftsmanship nary a smith could rival.
He turned it over in his hands, his eyes drawn to a circular groove near the base. Examining both ends, Carvus noted the open end was distorted as if a great force had expelled something from within â an insight into his previous question. The other end was sealed, marked by a small, precise indentation. He held it up, aligning it with a similarly sized hole in a nearby tree.
This was no common weapon. As a trebuchet releases its load, so too must this tube have hurled its own projectile. It gave him an idea. What if one were to use an adamantite tube with fyric powder, place a keen arrowhead atop, and ignite the mixture below? Would it rival a standard Wind Snipe combined with physical enhancement magic?
Carvusâ thoughts were interrupted by someone calling out to him. âMilord.â
âHm?â He looked up, finding the face of Leuarch Franus. âWhat is it, Martano?â
He hesitated, as if second-guessing his words. âThe⊠The Lindwyrm⊠The men grow restless, milord. They wish to claim the spoils of this battle â the Sentinel Lindwyrmâs materials are prized in many a lore. And these carriages, would it not profit us to salvage what we can? They may hold more secrets â or riches.â
He turned the leuarchâs words over in his mind as he would a well-worn coin. In truth, the idea held merit. Even the smallest measure of a Lindwyrmâs blood was a treasure beyond compare â to say nothing of the other materials, sought after by alchemists and smiths alike. That the Americans had forgone harvest was a curious thing indeed. Could it be that they were ignorant of the creatureâs true worth? Or perhaps, had they found something more valuable?
And then there were the carriages, gleaming in the sun like ripe fruit waiting to be plucked. If they could but glean some understanding of how the Americans had so deftly slain a beast of the Lindwyrmâs standing, it would surely prove a boon to the Empireâs own martial pursuits. Perhaps, armed with such knowledge, they might at last gain the upper hand against the accursed Sonarans.
Carvus cast his gaze once more upon the clearing, then turned to face Martano. âAye,â he said. âLet it be so.â
Yet, as he made to step forth, a low, droning sound beckoned his attention â a buzzing hum that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The unfamiliar noise compelled him to halt. He raised his hand, stopping his men as he searched for the noise. He tilted his head skyward, squinting as he beheld a strange sight: a winged thing hanging in the air above the clearing, like an animal circling its prey. As the sunlight reflected off its surface, it became evident to him that this was no creature of flesh, but a machine â much like the metal carriages.
âHold,â Carvus ordered. âWe dare not venture forth.â
Martano stepped forward, doubt and confusion etched across his face. âBut, milord, if we shroud ourselves in invisibility, surely they cannot see us.â
Carvus shook his head. âNay; recall the umbercari we sent to infiltrate the Dukeâs mansion. They, too, thought themselves hidden, yet were somehow discovered. We know not what sorcery that flying machine might possess, and we cannot risk exposing ourselves.â
Before Martano could respond or venture any further protest, the scouts returned, led by Serarch Trelian. The search bowed his head before providing his report, âMilord, the cave lies empty, and the Lindwyrmâs nest remains untouched. We discovered footprints leading to a great sealed door, which we believe to be the entrance to the ruins.â
Carvus nodded. The Americans had ventured forth and left the loot behind for a reason. He thought back to a fortress that the Empire once sacrificed to encircle the forces of the now-conquered Kingdom of Durenelle. âSo be it. Let us abandon these lesser spoils. As our adversaries have forgone these spoils in pursuit of greater gains, so must we sacrifice Straltus.â
Next
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First
Ron peeked around the corner, his M4E1 Carl Gustaf already loaded with standard HEAT rounds. The rest of Alpha Team stacked up behind him or behind Ryan, who was on the other side of the doorway. Through the opening, they could see a nightmarish tangle of webs and egg sacs, with the skittering shapes of Spiranids lurking in the shadows in the far corners of the room.
The Queen was positioned in the center of the room, completely exposed by a cluster of eggs. Henry watched as Ron leveled his Gustaf, taking aim at the Queen while they stayed along the wall to ensure Ronâs backblast was clear. It should have been an easy kill, but a flicker of movement caught Henryâs eye.
A blob of white flew across his vision, smacking into Ron just as he fired his weapon. The thick strands of webbing bypassed Kelmithusâ shielding and wrapped around him, sending him flying back a couple of meters. He landed on his back, his body and launcher completely stuck to the floor by the condensed silk.
Around the same time, the Gustafâs projectile struck the Queenâs abdomen section. The resulting blast tore through its exoskeleton but was far from a fatal blow. The Queen shrieked, a sound far deeper than Henry expected.
âFuck!â Ron shouted, struggling to break free from the webbing.
Henry exhaled. They were a man down, but helping him had to wait; the not-dead Queen and its minions took precedence. It would be great if he had another launcher in his own Holding Bag, but that was something heâd have to bring up to Chief Cole later. Henry tossed his grenades into the room, the pops mingling with the screeches of injured Spiranids. Ryan struck simultaneously, throwing his own collection into the mix. Like firecrackers, the explosives were violent but short-lived.
As the chaos subsided, Henry pushed in. Raising his shotgun, he tore through a Spiranid that pounced at him, its carcass smoldering from the white phosphorous. Beside him, Isaac, Ryan, and Dr. Andersonâs shots rang out, tearing through their own sectors of fire.
Almost immediately upon their entry, the Queen surged forward with terrifying speed. It reared its head back like it was about to vomit, mandibles covered in a sick, yellowish color. Henry recognized immediately what it was trying to do. âAcid, move!â
Henry dove away from his previous position, taking a shot at another Spiranid that had taken the opportunity to jump at him while its master was preparing to attack. He narrowly escaped the lethal spray as it jetted toward him. The acid splattered on the ground where they had stood not even a second before, sizzling fiercely as it corroded the thick webbing sprawled across the floor. He noticed as he ran that, rather curiously, the acid was simply puddling on the floor. There was no damage to the floor itself, but if it could tear apart high-quality monster silk just like that, he didnât want to find out what it could do to an envirosuit.
Henry glanced back after blasting apart his third Spiranid. His teammates were fine â Ryan helping him keep the Queenâs attention, Sera already on her way to Ron, and the others taking care of the smaller Spiranids. He tried to get a quick headcount of how many Spiranids theyâd already eliminated. Between their guns, Kelmithusâ magic, and the grenades, he estimated they had killed at least a dozen so far. Solid progress, but the fact that they werenât able to take out the Queen with their first strike was an issue.
Henry rolled to his left as the Queen pounced on his previous position. It was fucking fast, like a Goliath birdeater but scaled up â and with nasty abilities that really shouldnât belong on a creature like this. He recovered quickly and took aim, firing point-blank into its thorax. The white phosphorous pellets hissed as they burned into its exoskeleton, forcing it back.
Beside him, Ryanâs shotgun boomed. He struck the Queenâs legs, which seemed to be more fragile than the thick exoskeleton surrounding the head and thorax. The pellets bit into the chitin, likely striking a nerve as evidenced by the legâs subsequent buckling and collapse. It was a lucky shot â one that he doubted they could repeat four or five more times.
âSera, use my knife! Here, right here!â Ron called out.
Seraâs sword mustâve been too large to effectively cut through the webbing. They had to hurry up. He and Ryan had been dodging the Queenâs attacks, but mostly by a hairâs breadth. All it took was one lucky hit from the Queen to put them out of commission, possibly for good. âSera, status on Ron?â
âOne minute!â she responded.
Damn. That was one minute later than heâd hoped. Reacting instinctively, Henry noted the Queen raising one of its legs â a sure sign of it preparing for another attack. The Queen struck again, this time cleaving the air with the leg, aiming to corral him into a predictable escape route. As its leg swept through the air, Henry caught sight of the Queen rearing its head back in a grotesque mimicry of a snake about to strike â another acid attack.
Anticipating the monsterâs strategy, Henry feinted to the right, a move he hoped would mislead it about his true intentions. As the Queenâs head followed his feint, Henry twisted sharply, scraping against the rough ground. With a powerful push from his legs, he launched backward just as the Queen unleashed its attack.
Acid spewed forth in a wide arc, splattering where he had just been. The corrosive globs almost instantly melted the webbing on the floor, collecting into pools. And there was the second issue. The longer this fight dragged on, the less room theyâd have to maneuver.
Henry unloaded into the creatureâs compound eyes before tossing a flashbang near its legs. The creature staggered backward, blinded in both its eyes and its sensory hairs. Henry used the precious few seconds he bought to reload his weapon and check up on his team. âYen, sitrep?â
âStragglers neutralized; weâre moving to you now.â
Automatic gunfire erupted as Isaac and Dr. Anderson joined the fight against the Queen, dumping their mags on the creatureâs head. The 6.8mm seemed to penetrate well, but he could say the same if they fought an elephant; the Spiranid Queen was simply too large for the relatively small caliber rounds to have any effect besides pissing it off.
The Queen lunged again, its legs surrounding him from all sides. There was only one way out, and it was through the belly of the beast. Henry rushed forward, ducking under the Queenâs mandibles as he slid underneath its abdomen. He fired his shotgun as quickly as he could, unloading pellets into the beastâs underbelly. The white phosphorous scorched the softer flesh, drawing a shriek of pain from the massive creature.
As the Queen writhed under the relentless assault, Ryan and the others seized the moment to reload their weapons and reposition. They poured everything they had into the creatureâs cephalothorax, bluish ichor oozing from the hundreds of new wounds that they opened up. Yet, it was like chipping away at a mountain â it simply wasnât enough. The creature thrashed around violently in response; Henry knew it was only a matter of time before it landed a hit on someone.
And land a hit it did. With a terrifying swiftness, one of its massive legs slammed into Henryâs chest, launching him backward. The shield Kelmithus cast on him flickered as it absorbed the brunt of the impact. He crashed into an egg sac by the entrance â its membrane ruptured on impact, drenching him in a sticky, corrosive slime. The sac provided little cushion, and he hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of him.
Pain flared across Henryâs chest where the Queenâs leg had struck him. Gasping for breath and battling the encroaching blackness in his vision, he instinctively checked his envirosuit. He started with the areas he could see, glancing down at his chest. It was visibly deformed, dented but not quite a gash.
Still intact, thank goodness. No breach, but another hit like that would be disastrous. He breathed a sigh of relief, his chest hurting like hell as he did so. He checked his sides and back. Parts of his suit were covered in slime from the egg sac. It didnât seem as corrosive as the Queenâs acid, but it was still a hazard. Quickly, he swiped at it, removing as much as possible with his gloved hands to prevent further damage.
He forced himself up, grabbing his shotgun from the floor. The Queen was already barreling toward him, the damn monster not letting up. He didnât have time to make a run for it; he needed to jump to one side or the other, and the timing needed to be perfect. Just as the Queenâs shadow engulfed him, the air turned icy cold, frost creeping up on his visor.
Ice formed from thin air, spearing up from the ground and piercing through the Queenâs legs. The spikes rooted the beast in place. Not one to waste an opportunity, Henry dashed away from the entrance, firing at the immobilized giant spider as he linked up with the others.
âSera?â Henry asked again.
Seraâs voice came in strained. âAlmostâŠâ Then, with a triumphant shout, she announced the word Henry had been desperate to hear. âDone!â
âOwens!â Henry said, risking a glance back.
Ron had already grabbed his Gustaf and was in the process of loading another HEAT round. âOn it!â
Henry grinned. It was a relief, to be sure. With Ron free and back in the fight, the odds had just tipped heavily in their favor. The Queen was tough, but it wasnât invincible; they just needed an opening.
Given the damage the Queen sustained to its body, Henry couldnât imagine it being in peak fighting condition. Even in its weakened state, though, it still had the capability to dodge Ronâs attack, and it seemed to be saving its web ability for that very inevitability.
âTake out the legs!â Henry ordered.
They combined their fire on the left legs, since Ryan managed to break one of them earlier. He heard a crack that mightâve been the chitin giving way or the leg snapping, but it was hard to tell. He was just about to chalk it up to the prevailing gunfire around them, but then he saw it: a brief stumble. The Queen recovered quickly, but it was clear to Henry that it wouldnât be able to manage any more damage to its legs.
Then, he noticed a blur in his peripheral vision to his right, moving so fast his eyes could barely keep up. Shit, he was certain he kept track of the Queenâs movements. With the existing damage to his envirosuit, heâd be completely fucked. He braced himself for another impact, but it never came.
As he focused harder on the blur, he caught a glimpse of a flash of light that could only be one thing â Seraâs sword, And, just like a flash of lightning, she had already cleared the vicinity of the Queen. The Queenâs foreleg seemed to simply vanish, severed so cleanly that it took a moment for the beast to realize what had happened. When it did, it let out a screech of pain, its balance faltering as it tried to adapt to the sudden change.
While Henry focused on taking out another leg from the left side, Sera had already shifted to her next target. Their assault was brutal: white phosphorus pellets and hard-hitting 6.8mm on one side, ice magic and skilled swordsmanship on the other. And to think, they managed to inflict all this damage by the time Ron completed his reload.
âClear the way!â Ron called out, his Gustaf aimed right at the Queenâs head.
Henry jumped back, watching as Kelmithus conjured another set of ice spikes to root the beast again, in case the five obliterated legs werenât enough to keep it down. The Queen thrashed against the icy bonds, its remaining legs slashing through the air in a frenzied bid for freedom. It spat acid â a tactic that wouldâve worked effectively on most other materials, but instead simply got diluted with the melting ice. Even as the acid reacted with the ice, the spikes held firm, anchoring the beast in place like steel cables.
Henryâs heart pounded in his ears. Come on, Owens, he urged silently. Take the shot.
As if on cue, Ron pulled the trigger. The Gustaf bucked in his hands as the HEAT round streaked towards its target. Henry barely had time to brace himself before the explosion hit, the shockwave slamming into him and nearly toppling him over. He staggered back, gazing into the settling dust.
When the smoke cleared, the Queenâs head was obliterated â replaced by a gory mess of shattered chitin and pulverized flesh. Blood sprayed from the gaping hole, covering the ground in a pale blue hue. The creatureâs body convulsed, its remaining legs scrabbling weakly at their surroundings.
A surge of triumph washed over Henry, but it was fleeting. From the corner of his eye, he locked on to a glimpse of movement. One of the Queenâs legs continued to spasmodically jerk around and spray the ground with blue ichor. He raised his shotgun in a nonchalant motion and blasted the errant limb, watching as it shuddered and went still.
Sera stepped up, her sword barely catching the light as she jammed it into what was left of the Queenâs thorax. A sharp twist, and it was over. She then yanked the blade from the carcass, her grip shifting subtly along the hilt. As she flicked the sword, frost swiftly coated the ichor clinging to the metal. The frozen debris was flung off, hitting the ground and shattering like glass.
He glanced down at his Holding Bag. Damn, the fight took out most of his shells. Swapping out his shotgun for his M7, he turned to his team and took stock of their condition. It seemed everyone had mostly gone unscathed, only debris and dirt scarring their envirosuits. Well, except for himself and Ron. âThink weâre gonna have to start calling you pinata now,â Henry said, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
Ron scoffed. âYeah? Says the runner-up,â he said, tapping the dent on Henryâs envirosuit. âBetter âpinataâ than âroadkillâ, though. But seriously, whatâs next? Donât even know where to start.â
The room was empty, save for the debris strewn about and the singular obelisk standing in the center of the room. He didnât notice it earlier, but as he got closer, he realized that the obelisk emitted a faint light that barely escaped the canopy of webs. He looked it up and down before turning to the others. âOnly one place to start. Letâs clear out the webs, see whatâs hiding below.â
âDoc, Kel, clear out the eggs. Hayes, Sera, see if the Queenâs got anything useful. Everyone else focus on the webs,â Henry ordered.
Ron drew his knife and started slicing through the dense cobwebs. âHey, what yâall think the Queenâs Tier is?â
Isaac paused to consider. âEh, Tier 8, probably. Minotaur boss and Rillifane boss were both Tier 8, so Iâd say the spiderâs around the same level.â
âWell, the resilience of the specimen isnât a definitive measure of the Tier,â Dr. Anderson pointed out. âItâs quite possible that we merely had the most suitable tools at hand in this particular encounter.â
âThe scholar speaks truly,â Sera agreed. âThere is nary a defining criterion; defense is but one of many that are considered by the Guild. Were it so simple, Kelmithus and I would have attained Tier 9 ere now.â
âSo, what do you think the Queen is, then? Tier 7 maybe?â Ron asked.
Henry shook his head. Tier 7 didnât seem accurate. Using his knife to scrape some of the webbing off his glove, he voiced, âSpiranids are weak in general, but are classified as Tier 5 or higher because of their traps, ambush tactics, numbers, and abilities. Archers can use Wind Snipe and mages can use wide-area spellcasting, but they canât reliably penetrate the exoskeletonâs armor. If anything, this is probably on the lower end of Tier 9.â
âTier 9, huh?â Isaac muttered.
Sera smiled as she stood back. She stuffed a frost-covered gland into her holding bag and paused from her work as she chimed in, âHmm⊠how keen. I expected nothing less from the first Tier 6 entrants in Eldraloreâs history! It shows plain why the Guild did so swiftly raise you.â
âHah,â Henry chuckled. It was an amusing thought, but⊠âSay, ya think we can get to Tier 7 after this?â
Seraâs eyebrows shot up. âTier 7? A mark of no slight merit. What have you achieved since attaining Tier 6?â
Henry reached to scratch his chin, then cursed softly as his glove thudded against his visor. âWell, we took down a Rillifane pack, a Sentinel Lindwyrm, and now this primal Spiranid Queen. Thatâs not too shabby, eh?â
âFirm victories,â Sera admitted, âbut advancement weighs more than battle alone. The Guild also considers quest difficulty, knowledge gained therefrom, and impact â in other words, glory.â
âThe Baranthurian Ruins,â Dr. Anderson blurted, taking the words out of Henryâs mouth. He turned to Kelmithus, who approached them after confirming that the eggs had been cleared out. âSurely, working with the Sanctum Arcanum must be quite the honour. The Guild holds their quests with high esteem, wouldnât you say?â
Kelmithus nodded, burning a clump of disposed webs on the ground. âTrue as that may be, advancement oft hinges upon the cumulative experience of dozens of quests.â
âWell, ainât no small feats for us lately,â Ryan remarked. âThe quest to the Baranthurian ruins, what was it, Tier 8? Yeah, that was Tier 8. Sentinel Lindwyrm? Hell, Tier Nine. That there beast?â Ryan pointed his gun at the carcass of the Spiranid Queen. âTier 9 as well.â
Ron interjected, âPlus weâve been helping out along the way, like those villagers, and taking on quests others wonât touch. Honestly, the Hardale quest should be pretty weighty too, considering the Nobian shenanigans.â
Sera hummed, mulling over Alpha Teamâs experiences. The fact that most of their quests at Tier 6 had essentially been Tier 7 quests or higher in difficulty was probably unheard of in the Guild. Not only that, but theyâd been able to complete these difficult quests successfully. Hell, with flying colors, even. That had to count for something.
Henry looked over at Sera, stepping back as he allowed Kelmithus to dispose of the webs that he had cleared out. âSo, whaddya think? Based on what weâve done, you think we got a shot at Tier 7?â
Sera looked up at the ceiling as she weighed her response. âEhh, youâve a strong case. Alas, itâs Taldrenâs call to make. His favor seems yours, though; I wager heâll agree.â
Henry grinned. Moving up meant they could have access to more quests. Naturally, that also meant better rewards and in turn, access to some truly magical equipment. âGood to hear. Guess weâll see to it once we get back to Eldralore. Now, we should probably ââ
A soft glow of light gradually lit up the room, interrupting Henry mid-sentence. He squinted, readying his weapon. The light came from the walls and ceiling, illuminating the once-dark chamber. The obelisk, now free of webs, now hummed⊠healthily? It wasnât like he had a manual to tell him if this was a good or bad development, but judging from the facilityâs reaction, it mustâve worked.
Henry glanced at his HUD. The temperature readings were rising, too. The icy chill from Kelmithusâ magic rapidly dissipated as the environmental controls kicked in. âWell, looks like weâve done all we can here. Letâs head back to the containment cell room and see if we can find anything else of interest.â
â â â
Outskirts of GB-2, Grenden Forest
Carvus Alnect Virelius narrowed his gaze toward the brightening sky, his eyes cutting through the retreating mist that had long veiled the forestâs canopy. This unprecedented clarity above the ruins was strange. After centuries cloaked in an impenetrable fog, why did the skies clear now?
The Umber Vicearchâs mind worked like a whetstone, sharpening the fragments of reports from his scouts, cryptic as they were. The recent skirmish, occurring concurrently with the lifting fog, could not be mere happenstance. Regardless of the answer, the unexpected fold presented a welcome complexity to test his mettle.
He set his thoughts aside as the sound of footsteps approached.
âLeuarch Eldreyn reporting, milord,â one of his men said. âWeâve word from Serarch Trelian.â
Carvus gave him a nod to continue.
Eldreyn relayed the news. âThe scouts espy traces of battle: a fallen Sentinel Lindwyrm and two carriages left abandoned near the caveâs entrance. The land bears scars from some form of magic, strewn with strange metal tubes and other objects unknown to us. Save for the Lindwyrm, no other bodies are to be found. What are your commands, milord?â
Carvus took a deep breath. No other bodies? Two carriages? That such a formidable creature was felled with no apparent casualties among their ranks suggested a small but extraordinarily capable force. Each member was no doubt Tier 7 at the least. The limited number of carriages implied a party not larger than ten. But⊠what could the metal objects mean?
Powerful though they might be, could such a small group withstand his numbers? Carvus entertained the thought briefly. No, direct confrontation would be unwise. The site bore secrets too vital to squander on rash gambles. Better to maneuver them into a position where the only viable option would be to comply with his demands.
âHold our position, Lornus,â Carvus commanded. While he preferred the safety of their hidden vantage in the forest, the intrigue of Trelianâs findings â the slain Lindwyrm â was too compelling to ignore. âThe contents of Trelianâs report compel our own investigation. Lead us, that we might see for ourselves.â
âAs you command, milord.â
It was a short walk to the clearing. As they reached the treeline, Carvus held up a hand, signaling his men to halt â they should go no further than the cover of the forest. The aftermath of the battle lay evident before them. The massive form of the Sentinel Lindwyrm sprawled near the far side of the clearing, its outline murky at a distance.
Carvus squinted, adjusting his position slightly for a better view. He felt his jaw drop, a lapse in composure that surprised even him. Yet, who could fault him? The beast lay nearly torn asunder, its massive body riddled with gaping, jagged wounds that no sword or arrow could inflict. Indeed, not even traditional siege weapons or combat spells could inflict such damage.
The destructive capability of fyric powder was well-known to him â he had seen its use in adamantite mines. The wounds on the Lindwyrm, however, spoke of a force of another Tier entirely. Where fyric powder might clear a path through a stubborn boulder, the agent used against the Sentinel Lindwyrm seemed capable of obliterating several boulders at once, perhaps even an entire cliffside.
Turning his attention from the ravaged beast, he scanned the battlefield. Among the chaos, his eyes caught the glint of metal â strange tubes scattered about, all some lighter shade of bronze. The craters were blackened and littered with debris: shards of metal mixed with wires. This was clearly no ordinary skirmish.
He moved closer to the tree line, cautiously examining the unfamiliar objects. The metal tubes bore no resemblance to any weapons known to Nobian forces. However, their presence here implied that somehow, these objects were related to the catastrophic wounds on the Lindwyrm.
Near the caveâs entrance, two metal carriages lay abandoned. Their exteriors were marred by dirt and marked with an array of dents that appeared to be from the Lindwyrmâs armored tail. The carriages, in style and make, aligned with reports of American machines observed by their Umbercari in distant Eldralore. Mounted atop each was a long cylinder. As foreign as they were, he could tell they were weapons â ones capable of unleashing formidable destruction.
Adventurers throughout the ages had ventured here, all repelled by the formidable Lindwyrm that long guarded these grounds. Had it been folly to devote their resources to the conquest of their neighbors, rather than to mastering and exploiting this site? Such questions surpassed his station, yet irrespective of the answers, the Emperor would surely take no pleasure in learning that he had allowed Americans to plunder the Gatebuilderâs secrets.
Carvus turned to Lornus. âBid our scouts to investigate the cave.â As Leuarch Eldreyn departed to carry out the orders, he beckoned to one of his serarchs. âBring me one of those metal tubes. I wish to examine it.â
He sat on a rock, watching the light bend around the manâs form until he vanished from sight. The serarch then adjusted the temperature around his body, matching it to that of the forest. Were it not for the subtle shifts in the manâs mana as he held the spells, Carvus would have surely lost track of him.
The serarch made his way forth, passing through the trees and into the clearing beyond. With haste, he seized upon one of the tubes that lay scattered about, and then, as quick as he had come, he turned and made his way back to the forestâs edge. When at last he returned, Carvus stood up and held out his hand.
The tube, lighter than its solidity might have portended, was chill to the touch and was marked by a patina that showed clear signs of bending. He tried to bend it with his fingers, but the metal resisted. Even when he used magic to strengthen himself, it yielded naught but scant impression. What could have possibly moved the metal?
Looking closely, he noticed that the metal wasnât bronze, as he had first thought. Though bearing a hue akin to bronze, it was of a kind unfamiliar to him. The surface was engraved with American script â characters and sequences that held little meaning to him. Yet, to deem the letters âengravedâ would be to err; it was as if they were imprinted with a craftsmanship nary a smith could rival.
He turned it over in his hands, his eyes drawn to a circular groove near the base. Examining both ends, Carvus noted the open end was distorted as if a great force had expelled something from within â an insight into his previous question. The other end was sealed, marked by a small, precise indentation. He held it up, aligning it with a similarly sized hole in a nearby tree.
This was no common weapon. As a trebuchet releases its load, so too must this tube have hurled its own projectile. It gave him an idea. What if one were to use an adamantite tube with fyric powder, place a keen arrowhead atop, and ignite the mixture below? Would it rival a standard Wind Snipe combined with physical enhancement magic?
Carvusâ thoughts were interrupted by someone calling out to him. âMilord.â
âHm?â He looked up, finding the face of Leuarch Franus. âWhat is it, Martano?â
He hesitated, as if second-guessing his words. âThe⊠The Lindwyrm⊠The men grow restless, milord. They wish to claim the spoils of this battle â the Sentinel Lindwyrmâs materials are prized in many a lore. And these carriages, would it not profit us to salvage what we can? They may hold more secrets â or riches.â
He turned the leuarchâs words over in his mind as he would a well-worn coin. In truth, the idea held merit. Even the smallest measure of a Lindwyrmâs blood was a treasure beyond compare â to say nothing of the other materials, sought after by alchemists and smiths alike. That the Americans had forgone harvest was a curious thing indeed. Could it be that they were ignorant of the creatureâs true worth? Or perhaps, had they found something more valuable?
And then there were the carriages, gleaming in the sun like ripe fruit waiting to be plucked. If they could but glean some understanding of how the Americans had so deftly slain a beast of the Lindwyrmâs standing, it would surely prove a boon to the Empireâs own martial pursuits. Perhaps, armed with such knowledge, they might at last gain the upper hand against the accursed Sonarans.
Carvus cast his gaze once more upon the clearing, then turned to face Martano. âAye,â he said. âLet it be so.â
Yet, as he made to step forth, a low, droning sound beckoned his attention â a buzzing hum that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The unfamiliar noise compelled him to halt. He raised his hand, stopping his men as he searched for the noise. He tilted his head skyward, squinting as he beheld a strange sight: a winged thing hanging in the air above the clearing, like an animal circling its prey. As the sunlight reflected off its surface, it became evident to him that this was no creature of flesh, but a machine â much like the metal carriages.
âHold,â Carvus ordered. âWe dare not venture forth.â
Martano stepped forward, doubt and confusion etched across his face. âBut, milord, if we shroud ourselves in invisibility, surely they cannot see us.â
Carvus shook his head. âNay; recall the umbercari we sent to infiltrate the Dukeâs mansion. They, too, thought themselves hidden, yet were somehow discovered. We know not what sorcery that flying machine might possess, and we cannot risk exposing ourselves.â
Before Martano could respond or venture any further protest, the scouts returned, led by Serarch Trelian. The search bowed his head before providing his report, âMilord, the cave lies empty, and the Lindwyrmâs nest remains untouched. We discovered footprints leading to a great sealed door, which we believe to be the entrance to the ruins.â
Carvus nodded. The Americans had ventured forth and left the loot behind for a reason. He thought back to a fortress that the Empire once sacrificed to encircle the forces of the now-conquered Kingdom of Durenelle. âSo be it. Let us abandon these lesser spoils. As our adversaries have forgone these spoils in pursuit of greater gains, so must we sacrifice Straltus.â
2024.05.15 17:43 thinkingstranger May 14, 2024
Today the White House announced tariffs on certain products imported from China, including steel and aluminum products, semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries and battery components, solar cells, ship-to-shore cranes, syringes and needles, and certain personal protective equipment (or PPE). According to the White House, these higher tariffs are designed âto protect American workers and businesses from Chinaâs unfair trade practices.â Tariffs are essentially taxes on imported goods, and altogether the tariff hikes cover about $18 billion in imported goods.
In 2018, Trump abruptly ended the economic era based on the idea that free trade benefited the global economy by putting tariffs of 25% on a wide range of foreign made goods. This was a cap to a set of ideas that had been sputtering for a while as industries moved to countries with cheaper labor, feeding the popular discontent Trump tapped into. Trump claimed that other countries would pay his tariffs, but tariffs are actually paid by Americans, not foreign countries, and his have cost Americans more than $230 billion. Half of that has come in under the Biden administration.
Trumpâs tariffs also actually cost jobs, but they were very popular politically. A January 2024 National Bureau of Economic Research working paper by David Autor, Anne Beck, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson established that the trade war of 2018â2019 hurt the U.S. heartland but actually helped Trumpâs reelection campaign. âResidents of regions more exposed to import tariffs became less likely to identify as Democrats, more likely to vote to reelect Donald Trump in 2020, and more likely to elect Republicans to Congress,â they discovered.
Now Trump is saying, that if elected, he will impose a 10% tariff on everything imported into the United States, with a 60% tariff on anything from China and a 100% tariff on any cars made outside the U.S.
In contrast, the administrationâs new tariffs are aimed only at China, and only at industries already growing in the U.S., especially semiconductors. Tariffs will rise to 50% on semiconductors and solar cells, 100% on electric vehicles, and 25% on batteries, a hike that will help the Big Three automakers who agreed to union demands in newly opened battery factories, as well as their United Auto Workers workforce. âIâm determined that the future of electric vehicles be made in America by union workers. Period,â Biden said.
The administration says the tariffs are a response to Chinaâs unfair trade practices, and such tariffs are popular in the manufacturing belt of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Democratic senators from that region have asked Biden to maintain or increase tariffs on Chinese imports after â[g]enerations of free trade agreements that prioritize multinational corporations have devasted our communities, harmed our economy, and crippled our job market.â
In other economic news, a new rule capping credit card late fees at $8, about a quarter of what they are now, was supposed to go into effect today, but on Friday a federal judge in Texas blocked the rule. The new cap was set by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the brainchild of Massachusetts Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren, and was part of the Biden administrationâs crackdown on âjunk fees.â
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Bankers Association sued to stop the rule from taking effect, and U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, appointed by Trump, issued a preliminary injunction against it. His reasoning draws from an argument advanced by the far-right Fifth Circuit, which oversees Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, arguing that the CFPB itself is unconstitutional because of its funding structure. "Consequently, any regulations promulgated under that regime are likely unconstitutional as well," Pittman wrote.
On Friday, major airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, and Alaska Airlinesâbut not Southwest Airlinesâsued the U.S. Department of Transportation over its new rule that requires the airlines disclose their fees, such as for checking bags, upfront to consumers. The department says consumers are overpaying by $543 million a year in unexpected fees.
The airlines say that the rule will confuse consumers and that its âattempt to regulate private business operations in a thriving marketplace is beyond its authority.â
The other big story of the day is the continuing attempt of the MAGA Republicans to overturn our democratic system.
This morning, House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), second in line for the presidency and sworn to uphold the Constitution, left his post in Washington, D.C., to appear with former president Trump at his trial for falsifying business records to deceive voters before the 2016 election. The House was due to consider the final passage of the crucially important Federal Aviation Authority Reauthorization Act, but Johnson chose instead to show up to do the work the judgeâs gag order means Trump cannot do himself, attacking key witness Michael Cohen, Trumpâs former fixer. Johnson described Cohen as âclearly on a mission for personal revengeâ and, citing his âhistory of perjury,â said that â[n]o one should believe a word he says in there.â
âI do have a lot of surrogates,â Trump boasted this morning, âand they are speaking very beautifully.â Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who was also at the trial this morning, later said on Newsmax that they had indeed gone to âovercome this gag order.â
Johnson went on to call the trial âcorruptâ and say âthis ridiculous prosecutionâŠis not about justice. Itâs all about politics.â He left without taking questions. Meg Kinnard of the Associated Press called out the moment as âa remarkable moment in modern American politics: The House speaker turning his Republican Party against the federal and state legal systems that are foundational to the U.S. government and a cornerstone of democracy.â
Peter Eisler, Ned Parker, and Joseph Tanfani of Reuters explained today how those attacks on our judiciary are sparking widespread calls for violence against judges, with social media posters in echo chambers goading each other into ever more extreme statements. According to her lawyer, Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, wore a bullet-proof vest as she came and went from court, an uncanny echo of the precautions necessary in mob trials.
In a different attack on our constitutional system, House Republicans are trying to replace the administrationâs foreign policy with their own. Over the weekend, they introduced a bill to force President Biden to send offensive weapons to Israel for its invasion of Rafah, overruling the administrationâs decision to withhold a shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his government would invade Rafah despite strong opposition from the Biden administration.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: âWe strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the presidentâs ability to deploy a U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives.â
The Constitution establishes that the executive branch manages foreign affairs, and until 2015 it was an established practice that politics stopped at the waterâs edge, meaning that Congress quarreled with the administration at home but the two presented a united front in foreign affairs. That practice ended in March 2015, when 47 Republican senators, led by freshman Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, wrote a letter to Iranâs leaders warning that they would not honor any agreement Iran reached with the Obama administration over its development of nuclear weapons.
The Obama administration did end up negotiating the July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and several world powers, under which Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear development and allow inspections in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. In 2018 the extremist Republicans got their way when Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal, largely collapsing it, after which Iran resumed its expansion of the nuclear enrichment program it had stopped under the agreement.
Now extremists in the House are trying to run foreign policy on their own. The costs of that usurpation of power are clear in Niger, formerly a key U.S. ally in the counterterrorism effort in West Africa. The new prime minister of Niger, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, whose party took power after a coup dâĂ©tat threw out Nigerâs democratically elected president, defended his countryâs turn away from the U.S. and toward Russia in an interview with Rachel Chason of the Washington Post. Recalling the Houseâs six month delay in passing the national security supplemental bill, he said: âWe have seen what the United States will do to defend its allies, because we have seen Ukraine and Israel.â
â
Notes:
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/13/white-house-opposes-house-bill-force-israeli-arm-shipments-00157691
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/14/nyregion/mike-johnson-trump-trial.html
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-speaker-mike-johnson-court-09aef3de395fa77843f2600f40da6ac3
https://www.vox.com/2015/3/10/8182063/tom-cottons-controversial-letter-to-iran-explained
https://www.cfr.org/backgroundewhat-iran-nuclear-deal
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12106
https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/zgpokqdxlpd/05102024creditcard.pdf
https://www.texastribune.org/2018/08/30/under-trump-5th-circuit-becoming-even-more-conservative/
https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-judge-blocks-rule-capping-credit-card-late-fees-8-2024-05-10/
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/major-airlines-sue-biden-administration-over-fee-disclosure-rule-2024-05-13/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/14/speaker-mike-johnson-house-trump-trial
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/18/politics/donald-trump-tariffs-trade-waindex.html
https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/biden-sharply-hikes-us-tariffs-billions-chinese-chips-cars-2024-05-14/
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w32082/w32082.pdf
https://www.brown.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/05012024section301tariffsletter.pdf
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/14/politics/new-china-tariffs-biden-trump/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2024/05/14/1251096758/biden-china-tariffs-ev-electric-vehicles-5-things
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/05/14/memorandum-on-actions-by-the-united-states-related-to-the-statutory-4-year-review-of-the-section-301-investigation-of-chinas-acts-policies-and-practices-related-to-technology-transfer-intellectua/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/14/us-threats-led-rupture-vital-military-ties-nigerien-official-says/
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/cutting-the-spigot
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-election-threats-courts/
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/13/politics/video/stormy-daniels-bulletproof-vest-clark-brewster-trump-hush-money-trial-ac360-digvid
https://www.automotivedive.com/news/united-auto-workers-electric-vehicle-plant-joint-venture/704275/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2024/05/14/volvo-polestar-tesla-detroit-take-biggest-hit-from-china-ev-tariffs/
Twitter (X):
atrupastatus/1790485101966487881
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-14-2024
submitted by thinkingstranger to HeatherCoxRichardson [link] [comments]
In 2018, Trump abruptly ended the economic era based on the idea that free trade benefited the global economy by putting tariffs of 25% on a wide range of foreign made goods. This was a cap to a set of ideas that had been sputtering for a while as industries moved to countries with cheaper labor, feeding the popular discontent Trump tapped into. Trump claimed that other countries would pay his tariffs, but tariffs are actually paid by Americans, not foreign countries, and his have cost Americans more than $230 billion. Half of that has come in under the Biden administration.
Trumpâs tariffs also actually cost jobs, but they were very popular politically. A January 2024 National Bureau of Economic Research working paper by David Autor, Anne Beck, David Dorn, and Gordon H. Hanson established that the trade war of 2018â2019 hurt the U.S. heartland but actually helped Trumpâs reelection campaign. âResidents of regions more exposed to import tariffs became less likely to identify as Democrats, more likely to vote to reelect Donald Trump in 2020, and more likely to elect Republicans to Congress,â they discovered.
Now Trump is saying, that if elected, he will impose a 10% tariff on everything imported into the United States, with a 60% tariff on anything from China and a 100% tariff on any cars made outside the U.S.
In contrast, the administrationâs new tariffs are aimed only at China, and only at industries already growing in the U.S., especially semiconductors. Tariffs will rise to 50% on semiconductors and solar cells, 100% on electric vehicles, and 25% on batteries, a hike that will help the Big Three automakers who agreed to union demands in newly opened battery factories, as well as their United Auto Workers workforce. âIâm determined that the future of electric vehicles be made in America by union workers. Period,â Biden said.
The administration says the tariffs are a response to Chinaâs unfair trade practices, and such tariffs are popular in the manufacturing belt of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Democratic senators from that region have asked Biden to maintain or increase tariffs on Chinese imports after â[g]enerations of free trade agreements that prioritize multinational corporations have devasted our communities, harmed our economy, and crippled our job market.â
In other economic news, a new rule capping credit card late fees at $8, about a quarter of what they are now, was supposed to go into effect today, but on Friday a federal judge in Texas blocked the rule. The new cap was set by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the brainchild of Massachusetts Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren, and was part of the Biden administrationâs crackdown on âjunk fees.â
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Bankers Association sued to stop the rule from taking effect, and U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman, appointed by Trump, issued a preliminary injunction against it. His reasoning draws from an argument advanced by the far-right Fifth Circuit, which oversees Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, arguing that the CFPB itself is unconstitutional because of its funding structure. "Consequently, any regulations promulgated under that regime are likely unconstitutional as well," Pittman wrote.
On Friday, major airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, and Alaska Airlinesâbut not Southwest Airlinesâsued the U.S. Department of Transportation over its new rule that requires the airlines disclose their fees, such as for checking bags, upfront to consumers. The department says consumers are overpaying by $543 million a year in unexpected fees.
The airlines say that the rule will confuse consumers and that its âattempt to regulate private business operations in a thriving marketplace is beyond its authority.â
The other big story of the day is the continuing attempt of the MAGA Republicans to overturn our democratic system.
This morning, House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), second in line for the presidency and sworn to uphold the Constitution, left his post in Washington, D.C., to appear with former president Trump at his trial for falsifying business records to deceive voters before the 2016 election. The House was due to consider the final passage of the crucially important Federal Aviation Authority Reauthorization Act, but Johnson chose instead to show up to do the work the judgeâs gag order means Trump cannot do himself, attacking key witness Michael Cohen, Trumpâs former fixer. Johnson described Cohen as âclearly on a mission for personal revengeâ and, citing his âhistory of perjury,â said that â[n]o one should believe a word he says in there.â
âI do have a lot of surrogates,â Trump boasted this morning, âand they are speaking very beautifully.â Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who was also at the trial this morning, later said on Newsmax that they had indeed gone to âovercome this gag order.â
Johnson went on to call the trial âcorruptâ and say âthis ridiculous prosecutionâŠis not about justice. Itâs all about politics.â He left without taking questions. Meg Kinnard of the Associated Press called out the moment as âa remarkable moment in modern American politics: The House speaker turning his Republican Party against the federal and state legal systems that are foundational to the U.S. government and a cornerstone of democracy.â
Peter Eisler, Ned Parker, and Joseph Tanfani of Reuters explained today how those attacks on our judiciary are sparking widespread calls for violence against judges, with social media posters in echo chambers goading each other into ever more extreme statements. According to her lawyer, Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, wore a bullet-proof vest as she came and went from court, an uncanny echo of the precautions necessary in mob trials.
In a different attack on our constitutional system, House Republicans are trying to replace the administrationâs foreign policy with their own. Over the weekend, they introduced a bill to force President Biden to send offensive weapons to Israel for its invasion of Rafah, overruling the administrationâs decision to withhold a shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his government would invade Rafah despite strong opposition from the Biden administration.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: âWe strongly, strongly oppose attempts to constrain the presidentâs ability to deploy a U.S. security assistance consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives.â
The Constitution establishes that the executive branch manages foreign affairs, and until 2015 it was an established practice that politics stopped at the waterâs edge, meaning that Congress quarreled with the administration at home but the two presented a united front in foreign affairs. That practice ended in March 2015, when 47 Republican senators, led by freshman Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, wrote a letter to Iranâs leaders warning that they would not honor any agreement Iran reached with the Obama administration over its development of nuclear weapons.
The Obama administration did end up negotiating the July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and several world powers, under which Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear development and allow inspections in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. In 2018 the extremist Republicans got their way when Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal, largely collapsing it, after which Iran resumed its expansion of the nuclear enrichment program it had stopped under the agreement.
Now extremists in the House are trying to run foreign policy on their own. The costs of that usurpation of power are clear in Niger, formerly a key U.S. ally in the counterterrorism effort in West Africa. The new prime minister of Niger, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, whose party took power after a coup dâĂ©tat threw out Nigerâs democratically elected president, defended his countryâs turn away from the U.S. and toward Russia in an interview with Rachel Chason of the Washington Post. Recalling the Houseâs six month delay in passing the national security supplemental bill, he said: âWe have seen what the United States will do to defend its allies, because we have seen Ukraine and Israel.â
â
Notes:
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/13/white-house-opposes-house-bill-force-israeli-arm-shipments-00157691
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/14/nyregion/mike-johnson-trump-trial.html
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-speaker-mike-johnson-court-09aef3de395fa77843f2600f40da6ac3
https://www.vox.com/2015/3/10/8182063/tom-cottons-controversial-letter-to-iran-explained
https://www.cfr.org/backgroundewhat-iran-nuclear-deal
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12106
https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/zgpokqdxlpd/05102024creditcard.pdf
https://www.texastribune.org/2018/08/30/under-trump-5th-circuit-becoming-even-more-conservative/
https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-judge-blocks-rule-capping-credit-card-late-fees-8-2024-05-10/
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/major-airlines-sue-biden-administration-over-fee-disclosure-rule-2024-05-13/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/14/speaker-mike-johnson-house-trump-trial
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/18/politics/donald-trump-tariffs-trade-waindex.html
https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/biden-sharply-hikes-us-tariffs-billions-chinese-chips-cars-2024-05-14/
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w32082/w32082.pdf
https://www.brown.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/05012024section301tariffsletter.pdf
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/14/politics/new-china-tariffs-biden-trump/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2024/05/14/1251096758/biden-china-tariffs-ev-electric-vehicles-5-things
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/05/14/memorandum-on-actions-by-the-united-states-related-to-the-statutory-4-year-review-of-the-section-301-investigation-of-chinas-acts-policies-and-practices-related-to-technology-transfer-intellectua/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/05/14/us-threats-led-rupture-vital-military-ties-nigerien-official-says/
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/cutting-the-spigot
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-election-threats-courts/
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/13/politics/video/stormy-daniels-bulletproof-vest-clark-brewster-trump-hush-money-trial-ac360-digvid
https://www.automotivedive.com/news/united-auto-workers-electric-vehicle-plant-joint-venture/704275/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2024/05/14/volvo-polestar-tesla-detroit-take-biggest-hit-from-china-ev-tariffs/
Twitter (X):
atrupastatus/1790485101966487881
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-14-2024
2024.05.15 17:42 Sweet-Count2557 Fun Things to Do in Madison With Kids Wi
 | Fun Things to Do in Madison With Kids Wi Are you ready to have a blast in Madison with your kids? We've got some exciting news for you!In this article, we'll show you the best attractions and activities that will keep the whole family entertained. From interactive museums to outdoor adventures, Madison has it all.Get ready to create unforgettable memories with your little ones in this amazing city.Let's dive in and discover the fun things to do in Madison with kids!Key TakeawaysMadison offers a variety of attractions suitable for all ages, including the Capitol Building, Henry Vilas Zoo, Madison Children's Museum, and Dane County Farmers Market.There are several family-friendly hotels in Madison, such as Hyatt Place Madison/Downtown, Hotel Indigo Madison Downtown, Best Western Premier Park Hotel, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and Sheraton Madison Hotel.Madison Children's Museum focuses on hands-on learning with interactive exhibits on history, science, arts, and health, recommended for children ages 6 to 12.Dane County Parks and Lake Mendota and Lake Monona provide opportunities for outdoor activities such as camping, water sports, and fishing, suitable for all ages.Madison AttractionsMadison offers a variety of attractions that are perfect for families with kids. From the iconic Capitol Building to the interactive exhibits at the Madison Children's Museum, there's something for everyone to enjoy.Take a stroll through the beautiful Olbrich Botanical Gardens or explore the wildlife at Henry Vilas Zoo. For a taste of local culture, visit the Dane County Farmers Market or take a tour of the Wisconsin State Capitol.With so many family-friendly activities available, you'll never run out of things to do in Madison.Now, let's dive into the next section and explore the exciting activities specifically designed for kids.Activities for KidsLet's kick off our exploration of activities for kids in Madison by checking out some exciting options for young visitors. Whether your little ones love outdoor adventures or prefer indoor playtime, Madison has something for everyone. Here are four activities that are sure to keep your kids entertained:Dane County Parks: With over 12,000 acres of land and 26 recreation parks, the parks in Madison offer plenty of opportunities for outdoor fun. From camping and water sports to expansive playgrounds, there's no shortage of activities to keep your kids active and engaged.Madison Children's Museum: This interactive museum is a perfect blend of education and play. Kids can explore exhibits on history, science, arts, and health through hands-on activities. Recommended for children ages 6 to 12, the museum provides a fun and educational experience for the whole family.Madison Ice Arena: If your kids love ice skating, a visit to the Madison Ice Arena is a must. They can glide across the ice, improve their skills, or even catch a game. It's a great way to spend a chilly afternoon with the family.Madison Mallards Baseball Game: Take your kids out to the ballgame at the Madison Mallards Baseball Game. With a lively atmosphere and exciting plays, it's a fun way to enjoy America's favorite pastime. Plus, the stadium offers family-friendly seating and concessions.No matter what your kids' interests are, Madison has plenty of activities to keep them entertained. From outdoor adventures to indoor playtime, there's something for everyone in this vibrant city.Age and Hotel RecommendationsMoving on to the topic of age and hotel recommendations, we can explore the best options for families visiting Madison with kids. When it comes to recommended ages for Madison attractions, there's something for every age group. The Madison Children's Museum, for example, is recommended for children ages 6 to 12, with its focus on hands-on learning and interactive exhibits on history, science, arts, and health.As for hotel recommendations, families can consider staying at the Hyatt Place Madison/Downtown, Hotel Indigo Madison Downtown, Best Western Premier Park Hotel, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, or Sheraton Madison Hotel. These hotels offer comfortable accommodations and convenient locations for exploring the city's attractions.Now, let's move on to discuss the common features of Madison attractions and what makes them great for family outings.Common Features of Madison AttractionsAs parents, we'll find that Madison attractions have common features that make them great for family outings. Here are some of the key elements that you can expect to find:Interactive exhibits and hands-on learning experiences: Many attractions in Madison offer interactive exhibits that engage children and encourage them to learn through play.Beautiful lake views and picnic areas: Madison is known for its stunning lakes, and many attractions provide picturesque views and picnic areas where families can relax and enjoy the scenery.Guided tours and educational exhibits: Several attractions offer guided tours and educational exhibits that provide a deeper understanding of the history, culture, and natural environment of the area.Nearby hotels: There are a variety of hotels conveniently located near the attractions, making it easy for families to stay close by and enjoy all that Madison has to offer.With these common features, Madison attractions provide a perfect combination of fun, learning, and convenience for families visiting the city.Madison Children's Museum and Other FeaturesOne great attraction in Madison for families with kids is the Madison Children's Museum, which offers a wide range of interactive exhibits and hands-on learning experiences.The museum focuses on providing children with opportunities for hands-on learning in various subjects such as history, science, arts, and health. Kids can explore the interactive exhibits and learn through play and exploration.One popular feature of the museum is Possible-opolis, where children can engage in imaginative play and learn about different professions and roles in the community. Another highlight is the Urb Garden, where kids can learn about gardening and sustainable practices.The museum is recommended for children ages 6 to 12, making it a perfect destination for a fun and educational day out with the family.Frequently Asked QuestionsAre There Any Water Parks or Indoor Play Areas in Madison for Kids?Yes, there are water parks and indoor play areas in Madison for kids.Some popular options include the Madison Children's Museum, which offers interactive exhibits and hands-on learning experiences, and the Madison Ice Arena, where kids can enjoy ice skating.Additionally, there are water sports activities like swimming and boating available at Lake Mendota and Lake Monona.These attractions provide a fun and engaging environment for kids to enjoy in Madison.What Are Some Family-Friendly Restaurants in Madison?When it comes to family-friendly restaurants in Madison, there are plenty of options to choose from. Whether you're looking for a casual cafe or a place to indulge in some delicious ice cream, Madison has got you covered.Some popular choices include The Old Fashioned, a classic Wisconsin supper club with a kids' menu, and Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, known for its wide variety of flavors. These places offer a welcoming atmosphere and tasty treats that the whole family can enjoy.Are There Any Special Events or Festivals in Madison That Are Kid-Friendly?There are plenty of kid-friendly events and festivals in Madison that you won't want to miss! From the vibrant Farmers Market to the captivating Children's Museum, there's something for everyone.Don't forget to check out the fun-filled Madison Mallards Baseball Game and the exciting performances at the Overture Center for the Arts. These top family-friendly attractions in Madison offer a variety of activities and experiences that will keep your little ones entertained and engaged.Are There Any Hiking Trails or Nature Parks in Madison That Are Suitable for Young Children?Hiking trails for kids and nature parks for young children can be found in Madison. There are several parks in Dane County that offer easy and scenic trails suitable for young hikers, such as the Dane County Parks system. These parks provide opportunities for outdoor exploration and adventure, with playgrounds and picnic areas along the trails.Additionally, the UW-Madison Arboretum offers leisurely strolls through different gardens, providing a peaceful and educational experience for children of all ages.Are There Any Transportation Options in Madison That Are Convenient for Families With Young Kids?Public transportation options in Madison are convenient for families with young kids. There are buses that run throughout the city, making it easy to get around and explore.Additionally, there are rental car services available for those who prefer to have their own transportation. Whether you choose to take the bus or rent a car, traveling in Madison with kids is a breeze.You'll have the flexibility to visit all the fun attractions and make lasting memories with your family.ConclusionIn conclusion, Madison is a treasure trove of family-friendly activities that will make your trip unforgettable.From exploring the interactive exhibits at the Madison Children's Museum to enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of the Dane County Farmers Market, there's something for everyone to enjoy.And don't forget to take advantage of the beautiful parks and lakes for some outdoor fun.So pack your bags and get ready to create memories that will last a lifetime in this amazing city.Madison truly is a playground for both kids and adults alike! submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] |
2024.05.15 17:41 como365 Food Bank Market embodies new trends in battling hunger
 | It takes more than food to end hunger. submitted by como365 to columbiamo [link] [comments] Thatâs the core belief of Katie Martin, founder and CEO of More Than Food Consulting. Martin has dedicated three decades to research, consulting and organizing with food banks, pantries and community organizations to address hunger at its root causes. âFood insecurity is rooted in poverty and systemic injustices that make it difficult for certain groups of people to be able to thrive,â Martin said. Martin, who is based in Connecticut and works with food banks nationwide, advocates for food banks and pantries where those in need not only have access to healthier foods but also have the freedom to choose their own items, as well as encouraging organizations to include wraparound services such as health care and nutrition education. In Columbia, this innovative model exists within The Food Bank Market, part of the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. Open since November, The Food Bank Market goes beyond distributing food. The recently built, multi-million dollar location has a grocery store-like structure. Those who use the service, whom The Food Bank Market refers to as âneighbors,â have the freedom to choose any item from a wide selection of food groups based on the size of their household. Additionally, the market partners with various organizations like Chance for Children, the Spay and Neuter Project and Compass Health to provide health care, nutrition classes and aid in navigating resources. âFood insecurity doesnât happen in a bubble, and we know that when people are experiencing need for food, theyâre probably experiencing need for other things as well,â said Katie Adkins, director of communications for the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. âSo weâre really lucky in that we have that space that can host some of those additional services.â Through its newly created resource navigator, the Food Bank Market works to connect neighbors with services not provided on-site. âIf we have a neighbor who comes in and notes that theyâre having challenges getting fresh nutritious food for their family, but theyâre also having a hard time with transportation or theyâre having a hard time getting diapers for their baby, our resource navigator can help them find different resources for each of those challenges that they might be facing,â Adkins said. Martin said at least one other city has a model similar to the Food Bank Market, and others may be following. In Ohio, the Greater Cleveland Food Bankâs Community Resource Center connects the food bank with 14 non-profit partners, ranging from mobile aid to career counseling to affordable housing, to create a âone-stop shopâ that tackles the root causes of food insecurity, according to its website. The root causes of hunger are perpetuated by inadequate wages, underemployment and disinvestment in certain communities, said Alexandra Ashbrook, director of WIC and Root Causes for the Food Research and Action Center based in Washington, D.C. Particularly, Black, Latino and Native American families face the most disparity as âthey may be experiencing multiple root causes at the same time,â Ashbrook said. An additional step in achieving food security are federal assistance programs such as SNAP, WIC and Summer EBT, a debit card provided to children who qualify for free or reduced lunch to use at SNAP participating retailers during the summer. Advocates are hoping Congress will pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, which is pending in the Senate. The act would âprovide additional tax credits to about 16 million children and it would lift an estimated 400,000 children above the poverty line,â which is important as hunger and poverty go hand-in-hand, Ashbrook said. Programs like SNAP provide an extra line of defense against hunger alongside food banks. According to Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, which includes the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, for every one meal provided by a partner food bank, SNAP provides nine. âAnd these programs are the safety net that really helps improve food security and health,â Ashbrook said, âas fabulous as the charitable network is, they canât solve hunger alone.â While a variety of resources are available on both local and federal levels to address food insecurity, the stigma of using food service programs may turn people away from taking full advantage of them. âI think as human beings, itâs hard to ask for help. Itâs hard to accept help and thereâs a lot of pride,â Martin said, âthereâs kind of this old mentality of you pull yourself up by your bootstraps and youâre able to provide for your family.â To combat the stigma, Martin encourages people who have used food services to share their stories. âI think the more that we can shed light on how much it impacts, I mean, itâs like 1-in-10 Americans are struggling with food insecurity. How can we break down those stereotypes and the ideas,â Martin said. The Missourian attempted to get first-hand testimony about services at The Food Bank Market, but neighbors contacted at the Market were unwilling to speak. Talking about the challenge can be âreally, really hard for people,â Adkins said. Providing neighbors with a comfortable experience through The Food Bank Market is part of making asking for help easier. âAny day that, you know, you can walk into the market and have a good shopping experience and then have somebody help you bag your groceries and chat with you a little bit or ask if there are other local resources we might be able to connect you with,â Adkins said, âwe think thatâs a good outcome.â |
2024.05.15 17:30 Chomusuke08_ Small bag recommendations
Can anyone recommend me some small bags that can at max fit a tablet for around 1-2k? (not sure if that's a good price range)
submitted by Chomusuke08_ to Tech_Philippines [link] [comments]
2024.05.15 17:27 Winter_Material_3438 Best boutique shopping?
Iâm looking for boutique shops, small brands, sustainable fashion. Particularly bags, coats, sunglasses, shoes. Things youâll keep for a long time.
Mid range, maybe $200-300 for a good coat, for example.
Staying in Hongdae but got all of tomorrow to explore
submitted by Winter_Material_3438 to seoul [link] [comments]
Mid range, maybe $200-300 for a good coat, for example.
Staying in Hongdae but got all of tomorrow to explore
2024.05.15 17:18 HappyGoLacky Big Pots and Root Rots - Monstera Mythbusting
Apologies for posting a novella. Iâll probably get downvoted a lot for this post, but almost every every day I see one or more of these big pot comments in response to someones post. So here goes.
If you believe I've made any errors above, I'm happy to discuss or chat about it. Hope some of you find this helpful.
EDIT: edited for spelling.
submitted by HappyGoLacky to Monstera [link] [comments]
- Myth 1 - If the potâs too big, the monstera will keep growing out itâs roots to fill the pot before it pushes out leaf growth.
- BUSTED: Monsteras growing in the wild have unlimited space to expand their roots. If this myth were true, wild monsteras would have miles of roots and no leaves. In reality, ALL plants, including monsteras, achieve a balance between root and top growth through a concept known as the "root-to-shoot ratio". Plants balance resources between their roots and shoots based on their needs and environmental conditions. When a plant's roots have enough space and access to nutrients, they will focus on establishing a suitable root system initially. However, once the roots are well-established and able to support the plant's needs, the plant will allocate more energy to producing leaves and stems. In a large pot, a monstera will initially invest in root growth to maximize nutrient and water absorption. Once the roots are sufficiently developed to support the plant, it will shift its energy towards top growth. This natural balance means that the plant can thrive by supporting its above-ground parts with a strong root system. Providing a larger pot will not prevent a monstera from growing leaves; it will merely allow the plant to establish a healthy foundation, ultimately leading to better overall growth and a more vigorous plant. On the other hand, the common advice to use a pot that is only a bit larger than the existing root ball can lead to the plant focusing more on leaf growth at the expense of developing a suitably sustainable root system. Even though this might result in quicker leaf production in the short term, it can leave the plant with an underdeveloped root system, making it less stable and less able to absorb nutrients and water effectively over time.
- Myth 2 - If the potâs too big youâll get root rot.
- BUSTED: This is the one I see most often, and although well meaning, doesnât help people learn about setting up a proper environment for a monstera (or any plant). When growing the wild, in the ground, Monsteraâs have an unlimited pot size, literally and they don't die of root rot except when something is wrong. Root rot is actually contributed to by a wide variety of conditions.
- Unsuitable Soil Mix: The job of the monstera grower is to create a root zone as close to its native habitat as possible. If the soil you use is too compact or heavy, or doesnât drain well enough, it will create an environment suitable for pathogens to thrive. Monsteras are pretty hardy and can thrive in a wide variety of soils, which is why you see people using things like LECA and creating all kinds of soil mixes. Ultimately, itâs important that the roots have sufficient moisture combined with sufficient air and can gain sufficient nutrients from the soil (or anything you feed it). Proper drainage and aeration are crucial to prevent root rot. A well-aerated soil mix allows excess water to drain away, preventing waterlogging, which can suffocate roots and create conditions that encourage root rot. Using a soil mix designed for aroids or creating your own mix with ingredients like perlite, orchid bark, and peat moss can help achieve the right balance. If in doubt about the right soil to use, look for good quality commercial aroid mixes on amazon or wherever you buy your plant supplies.
- Overwatering: This is one of the most common mistakes made by plant owners. If the soil is kept too wet for too long, it starves the roots of oxygen. Monsteras, like other plants, require a balance between moisture and air in the soil. When the soil stays saturated, the roots can suffocate and begin to rot. Signs of overwatering include yellowing leaves, mushy stems, and a musty odor from the soil.
- Unsuitable Water: The quality of water you use can significantly impact the health of your monstera. Tap water, depending on your location, can contain high levels of chlorine, fluoride, or salts, which can be harmful to plants over time. To avoid this, consider using filtered, distilled, or reverse osmosis (RO) water to reduce the risk of chemical buildup. However, when using distilled or RO water, remember that these types of water lack minerals, so you may need to add supplemental nutrition more frequently. Collecting rainwater is another excellent option, as it is generally free of harmful (to plants) chemicals and more closely matches the water monsteras receive in their natural environment. If using tap water, let it sit out for 24 hours before watering to allow some of the chlorine to evaporate. Also, use room-temperature water to avoid shock to the plantâs roots. If youâre not sure about your tap water, your local extension or agriculture office will often do a sample analysis for you for free or cheaply.
- Poor Soil Microbiome: In its natural environment, soil has a diverse biome that includes a beneficial fungi and bacteria. These microorganisms play a a really important role in plant health by inoculating the roots against pathogens. Beneficial fungi, such as mycorrhizae, are symbiotic with plant roots, helping them absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. Beneficial bacteria, can produce antibiotics that suppress harmful pathogens like Pythium, Phytophthora, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia, all of which can cause root rot and other diseases if they are not kept in check. These beneficial microorganisms create a competitive environment that makes it difficult for harmful pathogens to establish. So if weâre growing monsteras in pots, if we try to try to recreate the natural soil biome we can make root rot and other diseaases less common. You can buy products to do this, I use a liquid Mycorrhizae called Orca, by Plant Revolution, because it contains a broad range of both myco (Endomycorrhiza and Ectomycorrhiza) and good bacteria, so itâs an all in one soil biome booster. There are plenty of others on the market, but thatâs the one I use. Additionally, nutrient additions can help adjust and support this environment in the pot. Using organic amendments, such as worm castings, seaweed extract, can provide nutrients that promote a healthy soil microbiome. Avoid using synthetic fertilizers too much, beause they disrupt the microorganisms, as can overly chlorinated water (it's addition to drinking water is literally to kill microorganisms). I also have a bag of granulated mycorrhizae (again thereâs a ton of granulated myco out on the market), , that I mix in with the new soil when repotting a plant, I use this one because itâs relatively cheap, but even though it may not be the best, Iâm ok with that because I supplement with Orca as a part of my nutrient regimen.
- BUSTED: This is the one I see most often, and although well meaning, doesnât help people learn about setting up a proper environment for a monstera (or any plant). When growing the wild, in the ground, Monsteraâs have an unlimited pot size, literally and they don't die of root rot except when something is wrong. Root rot is actually contributed to by a wide variety of conditions.
If you believe I've made any errors above, I'm happy to discuss or chat about it. Hope some of you find this helpful.
EDIT: edited for spelling.
2024.05.15 16:32 newtons_apprentice 1Zpresso K-Ultra settings for light roast coffee with Chemex
Can anyone help guide me to choose the settings to "start with" while dialing in a new bag of light roast coffee to brew with a Chemex? I was completely clueless at first and started at 0.8.0 went all the way down to 0.6.0, started noticing unpleasant bitter flavors then jumped up to 0.8.5 just to see and it tasted okay. I'm wondering if I should have started even higher. I read that Chemex benefits from a coarser grind size. Now I'm confused because it's such a huge range. I used 80% of the bag just to dial in
Can someone recommend a good setting to start with so I can reach an optimal brew quicker lol
submitted by newtons_apprentice to pourover [link] [comments]
Can someone recommend a good setting to start with so I can reach an optimal brew quicker lol
2024.05.15 15:44 crownidiot M2 Pro vs 16gb M3 Air
I finally have the budget for my very first MacBook, and I am choosing between a brand new MacBook Air M3 (16gb) and a used (around 150-300 cycle count) and I am so torn (virtually no price difference).
I don't want any regrets so hoping for some input on my specific concerns. Main considerations are:
Was anyone in the same boat as me and ended up with a purchase they're happy with or are regretting? TIA
submitted by crownidiot to macbook [link] [comments]
I don't want any regrets so hoping for some input on my specific concerns. Main considerations are:
- I'm a software developer, fairly new to the field and do mostly web and app development but hoping to get into mobile development and eventually some indie game development with Godot. I also dabble in video and photo editing.
- I'm leaning towards the Pro in this aspect from multiple feedback I've read, BUT I've also seen and watched some people say the Air should mostly be enough.
- I'll be traveling around 1-3x a week with this (freelancing) + another laptop (for work) so I know my bag can get pretty heavy.
- My work laptops have so far been within the 1.2-1.4kg range â I just found this out tonight, so color me surprised because I definitely thought they felt heavier in my bag (I'm a tiny girl, so that might be it), so I guess the MBP will feel much heavier to me. This makes me lean towards the Air.
- I have a PC at home, so the MacBook won't be my go-to for media consumption, but it's nice to have in case I'm away from home for weeks or so.
- This makes me feel 50/50 since I know the Pro has better display and speakers, but it's not my primary device so I'm not sure it would be such a big deal.
- One tiny additional bonus for me - like I said above, they're practically the same price now where I am, but:
- M3 Air - getting this from the store will allow me to get it with a plan, and I could even wait out a few more months for the next price drop when they announce the M4 chips
- M2 Pro - one big payout with a slight urgency since my country's Apple stores no longer sell them nor do they sell refurbs, and so I'm not sure how much longer the seller I know will be selling these nice units
Was anyone in the same boat as me and ended up with a purchase they're happy with or are regretting? TIA
2024.05.15 15:43 Flugesi Carry bag vs Stand
Total beginner; have been on the range exclusively a handful of times, trying to get something resembling a consistent swing. I need a bag; I plan on walking when playing solo. I love the look and I imagine the feel of the smaller carry bags(Jones original, Penfold etc). Although Iâm wondering if iâll be missing something not having a stand. I plan on carrying a set of irons, a fairway wood & a putter, trying to keep it simple for now.
submitted by Flugesi to golf [link] [comments]
2024.05.15 15:28 Sapphiretoes103 Help me maintain my weight!
Usually I eat cooked meals every time I hit âpeckishâ but STIll always end up very underweight (68) by time a month or two passes. I know you can eat butter and lard etc, but I like to save mine to bake goods once the power goes out as a happy meal pass time. What is a more realistic way to keep my weight in the average range? Should I eat more of the snacks I pick up? I also sort my food and how I eat them like this 1. Eat anything perishable first, this allows me to use up resources that would go bad without power. 2. Save snacks (chips, orange juice, all of the candies and chocolates and snack cakes for when depression hits or keep some in my cars for emergency food 3. Never touch canned food! Used food is for extreme emergencies or winter scarcity. (I make bags of food and can openers and waters and scatter them around town in case of emergencies I can have stashes)
What am I doing wrong with my weight? I do tend to run and exercise frequently too.
submitted by Sapphiretoes103 to projectzomboid [link] [comments]
What am I doing wrong with my weight? I do tend to run and exercise frequently too.
2024.05.15 15:15 eZGjBw1Z (US) Aldi Finds Sneak Peek and Weekly Ad for 5/22/24
2024.05.15 15:01 miles971 IE200: The only iem you need
 | ~ Bass ~ Well-extended, clean & natural although a little lean (not in-your-face). submitted by miles971 to headphones [link] [comments] ~ Mids ~ This is the best mid-range Iâve heard on an iem. The balance between the upper-mids & treble is top notch!. However, the mid-mids are little sucked out, which results in not complete sounding vocals (Iâm comparing it to SA6 MKII). Sennheiser really knows how to make dynamic drivers and tune it correctly. ~ Treble ~ Very clean, but a little harsh in the air frequencies. ~ Soundstage & Imaging ~ V-shaped, so large soundstage as expected, and bc of the clean treble the imaging is also great for a DD. ~ Comfort ~ Small iems are always comfortable than large iems. ~ Cable & Accessories The 2nd worst cable in iem world đ. The best carrying bag, I donât like hard cases takes a lot of space. |
2024.05.15 14:59 crimsontape This week's grocery review - Sales for May 16th to May 22nd - Lots of BBQ items and excellent corn deals! But, cucumber pricing is down quite a bit. Nice spread of sales on tomatoes. LOTS of blueberry and strawberry deals around! Some good mango and cherry sales, too. Fewer sales on fresh chicken an
(As always, flyers are out Wednesdays, most store sales for the new flyer start on Thursdays)
Adonis
Food Basics
submitted by crimsontape to ottawa [link] [comments]
Adonis
- Crab section (thawed) - $7.77 per lb -- Interesting! Could be fun for making neat meals!
- Coho salmon fillet - $7.77 per lb -- Wow! That's a great price for salmon!
- Sea bass (fresh, free cleaning) - $7.99 per lb -- Fair price for fresh fish.
- Basa filet (thawed) - $4.99 per lb -- Nice! It's not fresh filet, but it's a good price,.
- Chicken thighs (boneless skinless) - $5.99 per lb -- Not amazing, but ok for boneless chicken.
- Grain-fed veal blade roast - $5.99 per lb -- Interesting! It's a more tender cut, more delicate flavour, which might be nice!
- Beef eye of round - $6.99 per lb -- Good and fair price for eye of round. It's possible to find it for less, but it's a hunt. This is a regular Adonis deal.
- Rib-eye steak - $17.99 per lb -- Makes me think of a post I saw this week of a standard prime rib roast in Calgary sold at $55/kg, 27/lb or something. Which is crazy!
- Red greenhouse tomatoes - $0.99 per lb -- Awesome! Great price for tomatoes, but I found the other produce prices advertised were a little lackluster.
- Apricots (fresh) - $4.99 per lb -- Low-ish price for fresh apricots.
- Brick cheese (Cracker Barrel) - $5.77 400g bar -- Not under $5, but still worth snagging a bar if it means skipping a trip elsewhere.
- Cheese Counter - Canadian feta - $1.99 per 100g -- Nice! $2/100g for feta is good.
- Cheese Counter - Tuma - $2.29 per 100g -- Interesting! "Tuma cheese is renowned for its delicate mild milk flavour, and its smooth, velvety and firm texture."
- Cheese Counter - Akawi - $2.29 per 100g -- Ahh, this is a lovely cheese. Not cheap, but it's good stuff!
- Cheese Counter - Fior de latte - $2.29 per 100g -- Good price. This is the stuff you need for a Caprese salad!
- Pùté (Bretagne) - $5.00 for 2 150g packs -- Great price! These regularly go for $4 or so.
- Deli - Chicken breast (Solmaz) - $1.79 per 100g -- Nice!
- Deli - Smoked ham (Olymel) - $1.49 per 100g -- Excellent!
- Deli - Turkey breast (Alzahraa) - $1.49 per 100g -- More great deli!
- Deli - Prosciutto (Negroni) - $2.79 per 100g -- Ah! Nice! Different brand, same great prosciutto price!
- Walnuts and mixed nuts (Cedar) - $4.99 454g bag -- Nice! That's cheap!
- Almonds (Cedar) - $5.99 454g bag -- Good price for almonds!
- Pistachios (roasted, salted, Cedar) - $12.99 454g bag -- Pistachio prices are a little funny. $10/lb is really the price to aim for, but this isn't far off. And it's not uncommon to see 200-250g bags for $7-8 or more.
- Produce Price Rating: Medium, but always has well-priced chicken, the deli meat sale rotations are always fantastic, and just the overall variety of goods is refreshing. Personal favourite store.
- Chicken breast (boneless skinless) - $5.99 per lb -- Fair price for chicken breast.
- Wild-caught Argentinian shrimp (23-30ct) - $7.99 340g bag -- This is a good rate on decent shrimp!
- Fresh sausage deal - $5.99 500g packs -- Nice little sausage deal here. Fresh sausage avoids the preservatives!
- Mini cucumbers - $5.00 for 2 6-packs -- Good price for mini cucumber.
- Fiddleheads (fresh daily) - $5.99 per lb -- Neat! These are fun to see on the shelf. Try a fun seasonal item!
- Hothouse tomatoes - $1.49 per lb -- Good price for tomatoes!
- Eggplant - $1.49 per lb -- Great price for eggplant! Often $2/lb or more!
- Zucchini - $1.49 per lb -- Good price zucch! You can find them for less, but you'll have to hunt for it.
- Green onion - $0.77 per bunch -- Nice! It's crazy to be happy about green onions for under $1âŠ
- Blueberries - $2.99 full pint -- Ad is for 473g pints. This is a great deal! Worth snagging some!
- Produce Price Rating: High
Food Basics
- Ground chicken (lean, Zabiha) - $3.88 450g pack -- Great price for ground chicken!
- Pork side rib - $2.98 per lb -- Good price for pork rib!
- Pork tenderloin - $2.98 per lb -- Great price for tenderloin. More often found for $4/lb.
- Fresh beef burger patties - $4.00 4-pack -- These are 1/4lb patties, meaning we're clocking in at $4/lb, which is honestly pretty good! Season them up and grill! There's also Selection 8-pack of buns on sale for 1.77. So, that's basically $10 for 8 burgers. That's value!
- Asparagus - $1.98 per lb -- Excllent! This is a great price! And it's not even the 340g bunches, no, this is per lb!
- Sweet peppers - $2.98 4-pack -- Nice!
- Sweet potato and sweet purple potato - $1.28 per lb -- Fair price for sweet potatoes. It's fun to see purple ones get lumped into the same bracket.
- Coleslaw kit (Green Giant) - $5.00 for 2 340g kits -- Great price for salad kits.
- Mini potatoes - $2.98 5lb bag -- Good price for mini potatoes!
- Strawberries - $1.67 454g shell -- WOW! Cross our fingers they're nice AND cheap!
- Cherries - $5.98 per lb -- Decent price for cherries. I like making homemade yogurt popsicles with fresh cherries. Bit if a pain in the ass to pit, but so worth it.
- Brick cheese (Selection) - $4.44 400g bar -- Nice! Sub-$5 bricks!
- Salametti (Matro) - $6.49 300g chubs -- May include other varieties
- Baby genoa (Mastro) - $8.99 600g chub? -- Hard to read the ad, but this is a good deal for a big chub of genoa!
- Mortadella (San Daniele) - $8.99 750g chub -- Works out to $1.20/100g, which is a substantial savings compared to the deli counter or buying it presliced and packed!
- BBQ Sauce and Mustard (Selection) - $1.00 each -- Nice! I personally love mustard and a good BBQ sauce. Might be nice to stock up for that burger night!
- Chips (Irresistibles) - $1.00 150g bag -- I usually don't point out chips and seed-oil-snacks, but this is a great deal!
- Produce Price Rating: Low to medium low
- Beef top sirloin steaks (AAA) - $7.99 per lb -- Great price for AAA steaks. Top sirloin isn't the best place to get a steak cut, but it could be fine. Have a look in-store and judge for yourself.
- Shrimp (31-40ct, Compliments) - $6.99 per lb -- Good price for shrimp, but note that these are small.
- Bar scallops (80-120ct, Compliments) - $6.99 per lb -- These are quite small, but they could be interesting to thaw, pat dry, and sear quick on high heat for use in salads. Or perhaps as a top to a risotto?
- Cucumber - $0.99 each -- Scene Member Price.
- Corn - $5.00 for 5 years -- $1 an ear!?!#@! Are they mad?! Do they not watch the news about boycotts and how consumers are pissed? And then you're going to charge them $1 for an ear of corn? My goodnessâŠ
- Produce Price Rating: Medium-high to high.
- Bacon (Schneider's) - $3.99 375g pack -- Good price for brandname bacon. Sale also extends to some of their wieners and bologna.
- Frozen burgers (Compliments) - $9.99 1.13kg box (8-pack) -- This stretches us down into a $3/lb mark for beef. Which is pretty good all things considered, but know it's a processed meat. Read the ingredients: beef, water, bread crumb, soya flour, and salt and seasoning. You're paying for recovered meat mixed with bread crumb and flour. And the nutritional info on the pack reads 73% daily value of sat-fat in one 142g burger. A 152g fresh patty lands you at 60%. Know your food!
- Wild-caught Argentinian shrimp (23-30ct) - $6.99 300g bag -- This is a good rate on decent shrimp!
- Sweet peppers - $2.99 4-pack -- Nice!
- Mushrooms - $2.99 454g shell -- Great price!
- Green beans - $1.99 per lb -- Awesome price for green beans!
- Royal Gala apples - $1.49 per lb -- Good price for a nice apple variety. However, you can also sometimes score these for $1/lb if you wait and dig around for the sale.
- Blueberries - $2.49 full pint -- Nice! Another great blueberry sale!
- Produce Price Rating: Low to medium low (more on the medium side)
- Hotdog wieners (Olymel) - $2.47 375g 5-pack -- Sigh⊠Good price for wieners, but still⊠Don't overdo it. These are categorically terrible for you!
- Ambrosia apples - $2.88 3lb bag -- Great deal on a tasty apple variety that hits that $1/lb mark!
- Blueberries - $2.88 full pint -- Man! So many blueberry deals! Where are these coming from?!
- Romaine lettuce - $2.88 3-pack -- Nice! Fair price for romaine hearts.
- Baby spinach - $1.97 140g bin -- Good price for 140g. The prices of these bins are the weights are all over the place. Some places charge $4 for the same bin. And then some others charge $4 for 300g bins. Treat carefully!
- Canned tomatoes (Primo) - $3.00 for 2 796ml cans -- Good price for nice tomatoes. Funny enough, in this week's flyer, they advertise the Great Value (housebrand) tomatoes for 1.77 being 50c, but if you buy two Primo cans they work out to 50c less than the Great Value (confused yet? Lol)
- Fireworks - various -- LOL I just wanted to mention they got fireworks and firecrackers hahaha
- Produce Price Rating: Generally on the low side.
- Produce Price Rating: Usually very competitive, catering to Asian cuisine. Warning: their newest sales start on Fridays - so this is a late advertising of their sales.
- Hotdog wieners (Lafleur) - $5.00 for 2 packs 375-450g -- More hot dog prices for our analysis. I'm noting these to get a sense of what the heck is going on with theseâŠ.
- Lobster (cooked or live) - $7.75 per lb -- Scene Member Price. 9.75/lb regular. Awesome deal!
- Tomahawk steak - $13.99 per lb -- That's pretty good for a fancy steak cut. I like thick cut steak because you can get that and crust without overcooking the meat. Pro tip: always salt and set your steak uncovered to dry in the fridge. That's what gets you a top-notch crust!
- Veal loin rack - $13.99 per lb -- This is more interesting than a value proposition. Expect a decent-sized rack to run you a pretty penny, but it should cook nicely. Remember to let it rest after it reaches the desired internal temp. Be patient!
- Whole chicken (fresh) - $1.99 per lb -- Great price!!
- Eggs (Nutri, Burnbrae) - $5.79 18-pack -- Not a ground-breaker price. Maybe it's just nice see some price stability in egg prices.
- Corn - $4.00 for 10 ears -- Excellent deal at 40c an ear!
- Cherries - $4.99 per lb -- Awesome!!! Cherries can easily reach into the $8-9/lb range.
- Bologna (Lesters) - $5.49 675g chub -- This is a good price for a chub. It's not fancy deli, but it beats the prices by 2-3x or more given you're paying 81c/100g.
- Deli - Cooked ham (Olymel) - $1.99 per 100g -- Speaking of deli prices, consider this unholy monolith slab of ham versus that slice-it-yourself bologna. This "hamalgum sibling" is 2.5x the price of the bologna by Lesters⊠Just sayingâŠ
- Produce Price Rating: Medium
- Pork back rib - $3.99 per lb -- Meh price for pork rib⊠$3/lb is good, but $4/lb doesn't seem worth it when it's largely bone anyway! I'd rather buy the duck they have for $4/lbâŠ.
- Atlantic salmon - $9.99 per lb -- Average price for pink fish.
- Beef striploin steaks (AA) - $7.88 per lb -- Good enough price for steaks, but FoodLand had AAA grade for the same price.
- Duck (fresh, grade A) - $3.99 per lb -- Good rate for duck.
- Asparagus - $2.99 per lb -- Meh rate. There's better.
- Strawberries - $2.49 454g shell -- Good price for strawberries.
- Butter (Lactantia) - $5.99 454g bar -- Sigh⊠I wish butter would come down in priceâŠ
- Produce Price Rating: fairly high with few exceptions
- Pork back rib - $3.99 per lb -- Meh price for pork rib⊠$3/lb is good, but $4/lb doesn't seem worth it when it's largely bone anyway! I'd rather buy the duck they have for $4/lbâŠ.
- Atlantic salmon - $9.99 per lb -- Average price for pink fish.
- Beef striploin steaks (AA) - $8.88 per lb -- Ben lĂ lĂ ! Same AA steak, $1/lb moreâŠ
- Beef boneless blade roast (AA) - $8.99 per lb -- Ok price for beef⊠It's kind of meh⊠Consider visiting local butchers to see what they have going on.
- Duck (fresh, grade A) - $3.99 per lb -- Good rate for duck.
- Sweet potatoes - $3.99 5lb bag -- Great price for sweet potatoes
- Mini-cucumbers - $1.99 6-pack -- "Save $2". Ya, we know Loblaws. I've been saving $2 on these packs for months now at other stores.
- Blueberries - $1.99 full pint -- Great price for blueberries!
- Mango - $0.99 each -- Fair price for mango considering I've seen Loblaws charge much more for them. Also, I expect we'll see some nice sub-$1 deals in the future.
- Butter (Lactantia) - $5.99 454g bar -- More $6 butter.
- Produce Price Rating: fairly high with few exceptions
- Pork chops - $2.49 per lb -- Good price for pork chops.
- Chicken breast and thighs (boneless skinless) - $4.99 per lb -- Good price chicken.
- Atlantic salmon - $8.99 per lb -- Good price for pink fish.
- Corn - $5.00 4-pack -- What?! How can we have these disparities⊠Maxi has theirs for 33c an ear. That's $1.30 versus $5 for 4 ears⊠Insane difference in priceâŠ
- Watermelon (9lb average) - $3.88 each -- Nice price for watermelon.
- Mango - $0.99 each -- That $1 deal again. "Save $2". Meaning regular price was $3. Insanity.
- Deli - Mock chicken (Gaspésien) - $1.29 per 100g -- Good price for deli, but it's mock chicken. I would refer back to the IGA deal on Lesters bologna. Buy whole chubs, slice it yourself, and save.
- Produce Price Rating: fairly high with few exceptions
- Ground beef (medum) - $8.88 1.1kg -- About 2.5lb of beef, which clocks this in at about 3.50/lb. That's pretty good!
- Corn - $0.33 per ear -- Awesome price for corn! It's crazy. Provigo had their 4-packs for $5. Which
- Mini-cucumbers - $0.88 6-pack -- Very nice! A regular "good deal" is $2.
- Coleslaw kit (Florette) - $1.88 340g kit -- Great deal for a salad kit.
- Potatoes (Imperfect) - $4.88 15lb bag -- Excellent!!
- Mini-carrots - $4.88 2lb bag -- This is a good deal given a 2/3lb bag can be $2-3.
- Watermelon - $2.88 each -- Nice price for watermelon, but no weight advertised.
- Kiwis - $4.88 600g pack -- Pretty good. Can be as low as $4, but this is a fair price.
- Apples (Cortland, Empire) - $5.88 4lb bag -- Ok price for what should be over-winter apples. Mind the bruising.
- Fancy cheese deal - $18.00 for 3 -- Check the flyer and in-store for more details.
- Sriracha (Flying Goose) - $3.88 730ml bottle -- Nice! It's a different brand, but the price is right. I wonder what the difference is.
- Silk plant bev - $6.88 for 2 1.75-1.89L jugs -- Good deal.
- White vinegar - $2.88 for 2 4L jugs -- This might be good to get in advance of some pickling plans.
- Produce Price Rating: Generally medium low pricing! This store can post some impressive deals at times.
- Pork back rib - $2.99 per lb -- Good price for pork rib. It's that magical $3/lb mark. It's hard to find rib for less. And, I wouldn't pay over $3/lb.
- Beef top sirloin steak or roast (AAA) - $6.88 per lb -- Great price for AAA grade beef! They also have "platinum angus medallions" for 8.88/lb.
- Fresh sausage - $4.99 per lb -- Great price for fresh sausage. You can spend $1/lb more and get organic stuff by Dubreton.
- Cucumber - $0.77 each -- Awesome!!!
- Cauliflower - $2.99 each -- Decent. Not amazing, but decent given a head can go for $4-5 easily.
- Portabella mushrooms (Belle Grove) - $6.99 4-pack -- Hmm, I'll have to keep an eye out for prices on portabellas. This doesn't seem that bad off the hop. I know sometimes you can get 4-6 packs for about $4-5, though. But, you have to hunt around town for deals like that.
- Blueberries - $1.99 full pint -- Great price for blueberries!
- Cherries - $5.99 per lb -- Nice! Fair sale price for cherries!
- Watermelon (15lb average) - $9.99 each -- Trying to make sense of these watermelon prices. This isn't as good as some other deals. But considering on the same page they advertise 1.49/lb for sliced watermelon, it suggests this watermelon could cost you up to $22.
- Butter (Selection) - $4.88 454g bar -- $5 butter.
- Produce Price Rating: High. Kinda like Sobeys. You can see a 50% average mark-up compared to a lot of other stores. It's nice produce, but it costs you.
- Beef burgers (No Name) - $9.99 1.36kg 12-pack -- Just more frozen burger musing. Basically much like the Compliments ones we saw earlier, but 113g each, but with more sugars and funny ingredients, and the same amount of sat-fat! (And they skip mentioning that 75%-ish daily value number for the sat-fat). Like, what the heck are "onion extract" and "corn syrup solids". Do they squeeze the onion and throw away the rind? And isn't solid syrup just solid sugar? lol....
- T-bone/Wing steak - $6.99 per lb -- This might seem like a good deal, but it's ungraded beef. Why pay this price when metro has AAA-grade steaks for a smidge less?
- Picnic pork shoulder - $2.44 per lb -- Excellent price! These are AWESOME for smoking and braising for pulled pork!
- Ground chicken or turkey - $8.00 870g pack -- Not bad. Works out to about $4.20/lb or so.
- Ground beef (lean) - $6.00 450g tube -- Really a meh price for "tube meat".
- Steelhead trout fillet - $9.99 per lb -- Standard pricing for pink fish.
- Asparagus - $2.99 per lb -- Ok price for asparagus. I expect better from No Frills.
- Green beans - $2.99 per lb -- Same with the green beans, I expect a bit better.
- Cucumber - $0.99 each -- Good price for cucumber.
- Mini-cucumber - $3.99 11-pack -- Fair price on the 11-pack. Meanwhile, Maxi has the 6-pack for 88c⊠SighâŠ
- Watermelon (9lb average) - $2.99 each -- Good price for melon.
- Ataulfo mangoes - $5.64 5lb case -- This should work out to about 8 or so mangoes. Good deal.
- Pineapple - $2.99 each -- Good price for pineapple.
- Brick cheese (Armstrong) - $5.49 400g bar -- Hmm, ya, seeing some 50c to $1 upward pressure on cheese pricing a little everywhereâŠ.
- Earth's Own plant bev - $3.79 1.74-1.89L jug -- Good price. Regular floats well into the $5-ish ranges.
- Dry pasta (Italpasta) - $1.25 750g packs -- Good price for dry pasta. Stock up a little. Maybe there's a potluck pasta salad in your future.
- Produce Price Rating: Generally quite low, selectively amazing for some items.
- Ground beef (lean) - $4.99 per lb -- Fair rate for ground beef. Considering No Frills is selling 450g tube meat for $6, I'd buy this in a heartbeat. It's just not stock-up pricing.
- Beef New York striploin steak - $12.99 per lb -- I wish they'd mention the grade, but if it looks nice, it could make for a nice BBQ item.
- Whole atlantic salmon (fresh) - $6.99 per lb -- Now, it's not filet and deboned, but it's a heckin' deal for salmon.
- Wild-caught squid - $8.99 per lb -- Perhaps there's calamari in your future?
- Hothouse tomatoes - $1.29 per lb -- Great price for tomatoes!
- Green and red leaf lettuce - $1.69 per head -- Great price for leafy greens!
- Sweet orange peppers - $0.99 per lb -- AWESOME price for peppers!!!
- Brussel sprouts - $1.49 per lb -- Fantastic price for brussel sprouts! Often over $3/lb.
- Blackberries - $1.49 half pint -- Good deal for blackberries. Lots of blueberries going around, though.
- Red seedless grapes - $1.99 per lb -- Fantastic price for grapes! Often $4/lb.
- Peaches - $2.49 per lb -- These are from the USA. It could be a they come out a little tough. Leave them on the counter to ripen, but eat them fast after that!
- Cheese counter - Landana smoked cheese - $2.39 per 100g -- I'm partial to smoked cheese. This could make for a nice fancy burger topping.
- Deli - Genoa salami (Mastro) - $2.59 per 100g -- This isn't fantastic pricing, but fair. A 600g chub can clock in at $10-12 or so, this deli counter pricing is fairly competitive.
- Produce Price Rating: Medium-low with very competitive specials on a shortened flyer. The small flyer is nice because it doesn't uselessly feature $6 heads of cauliflower and extremely high-price items that are either a confusion on the consumer, or an insult on the injury of not being able to afford supreme quality items.
- Beef rib-steak (ungraded) - $7.88 per lb -- More ungraded beef at graded prices.
- Pork tenderloin - $3.49 per lb -- Fair price for tenderloin.
- Duck (frozen, grade A) - $3.99 per lb -- Fairly regular price for duck.
- Golden Pompano (frozen) - $2.88 per lb -- This is advertised a lot at the RCSS. I've never seen it elsewhere. Does anyone have experience with it?
- Dressed Tilapia (frozen) - $2.88 per lb -- Dressed means tail and fines removed,
- Potatoes - $5.50 10lb bag -- Great price for potatoes.
- Corn - $0.40 per ear -- Awesome price for corn. This is probably loss-leader territory.
- Watermelon (11lb average) - $3.99 each -- Good price for a big melon.
- Pineapple - $3.00 each -- Good price for pineapple.
- Produce Price Rating: Generally medium-low pricing, selectively amazing for some items.
- Chicken thighs (boneless skinless) - $5.99 per lb -- Fair price for boneless chicken. There's better out there, however.
- Beef striploin steaks (AA) - $8.77 per lb -- Scene Member Price.
- Beef sirloin tip roast or marinating steaks (AAA) - $8.99 per lb -- Hmm, striploin AA versus sirloin tip AAA⊠Might be a toss up. Sirloin is leaner and has less marbling. But AAA might lend to a tenderness. This may be give and take, hereâŠ
- Lobster (live) - $10.99 per lb -- Scene Member Price.
- Pork chops - $3.49 per lb -- Not a great price, really, but it may be your option if you're stuck with Sobey's this week. Ad mentions it includes roasts.
- Picnic pork shoulder - $3.49 per lb -- We saw No Frills offereing this at 2.44/lb. A $1/lb more isn't great, admittedly. But, it's an option.
- Asparagus - $2.44 per lb -- Good price!
- Green beans - $2.67 per lb -- Good price!
- Bok choy - $0.99 per lb -- Amazing price. I don't get how other places charge $2/lb+ for choy, and then you have Sobeys of all stores swooping in to corner that side of the market.
- Asian pears - $0.99 per lb -- Awesome price!
- Brick cheese (Cracker Barrel) - $5.77 400g bar -- More of this elevated cheese pricing⊠HmmâŠ.
- Produce Price Rating: Generally a high price store, especially for produce. Some items are 50% more than more value-oriented stores. Kinda like Metro, some of the deals can be quite good.
- Chicken breast (boneless skinless) - $4.44 per lb -- Awesome price!!
- Atlantic salmon - $9.88 per lb -- Standard sale price for pink fish.
- Pork tenderloin (marinated) - $3.44 per lb -- Good price. Not amazing. But, pre-marinated? Hmm, makes for an easy meal.
- Corn - $1.88 for 5 ears -- Awesome price!! Under 40c an ear!
- Broccoli - $1.33 per crown -- Very good price for broc, especially if the crowns are nice. A good crown can easily range over $2.
- Radishes - $0.99 per bunch -- Nice! A good addition to salads or veg trays.
- Green onions - $0.99 per bunch -- Fair price for green onion. It's hard to find it under $1.
- Mini-carrots - $0.99 340g bag -- Nice!
- Mini-cucumbers - $1.99 6-pack -- Fair going-rate now for mini cuce. A very welcome change from charging $4 for these packs.
- Mini-potatoes - $1.99 3lb bag -- Good price for mini potatoes. There's still better value in regular size potatoes most of the time. But, sometimes, these sales can negate that value proposition. Plus, these are nice a thousands ways to Sunday. They cook very quickly, and are great oven-roasted, steamed, and BBQ'ed with other veg.
- Apples (Empire, Spartan) - $3.99 3lb bag -- Fair price for apples these days, it seems. I think we'll be hard-pressed to find certain varieties for under $1/lb for a while.
- Strawberries - $1.63 454g shell -- Awesome price!!!
- Pineapple - $1.88 each -- Fantastic!
- Oranges - $2.99 3lb bag -- Good price for oranges!
- Mangos - $0.99 each -- Good price. Mangoes should clock in at around $1 each. Enough of these $2-3 mangosâŠ
- Cantaloupe - $2.99 each -- Good price/fair sale price for cantaloupe.
- Cherries - $4.99 per lb -- Wow! Great price for cherries!!!
- Brick cheese (Black Diamond, Ptit Quebec) - $4.87 400g bar -- Nice to see we still ahve sub-$5 cheese options this week.
- Fancy cheese deal - $18.00 for 3 -- Apparently includes 20 different varieties.
- Produce Price Rating: Generally low, but can creep into medium for some items. But, there's always something decent available!
- Produce Price Rating: Usually very competitive, catering to Asian cuisine. Warning: their newest sales start on Fridays - so this is a late advertising of their sales.
- Ground beef (lean) - $3.97 per lb -- Excellent rate on ground beef! Make your own burgers!!!!
- Chicken or Pork kabobs (Marcangelo) - $7.87 480-640g 8-packs -- It's basically $1 a kabob. That ain't bad for a ready-to-cook item. But, note that this translates essentially into 8/lb at worst, or 5.50/lb at best. There are WAY better deals on pork and chicken around.
- Asparagus - $2.97 per lb -- Fair price for asparagus.
- Corn - $0.32 per ear -- Best price on corn this week!
- Potatoes - $4.97 10lb bag -- Good price for a 10lb bag.
- Coleslaw kit - $2.77 397g kit -- Good price for a decent-size slaw kit.
- Strawberries - $1.84 454g shell -- Awesome price!!!
- Pineapple - $3.97 each -- Not bad. I like to see $3, and less shouldn't be taken for granted. Remember, it takes 2 years to grow a pineapple. One bad fungal disease and we should see these shoot up to $6-8 a piece. Treasure well-priced pineapple!
- Brick cheese (Armstrong) - $4.94 400g bar -- Another $5 brick cheese sale.
- Produce Price Rating: A little all over the place. Some really good prices between a lot of average pricing.
- NOTE: NEED TO REVISE - --
- Paper Towel (Kirkland) - $27.99 12-roll pack -- 2-ply; 160 sheets
- Paper Towel (Bounty) - $27.49 12-roll pack -- 2-ply; 86 sheets
- Toilet Paper (Kirkland) - $25.99 30-roll pack -- 2-ply; 380 sheets
- Toilet Paper (Cashmere) - $24.99 40-roll pack -- 2-ply; 250 sheets (on sale)
- Dish soap (Dawn Platinum) - $18.99 2.66L -- Food Basics often has this jug for $10!
- Laundry detergent (Purex) - $24.99 9.24L -- 250 loads
- Garbage bags (30 gallon; large) - $15.99 100-pack -- Amazon has Glad standard 74L bags, 100-packs for $23, sometimes less if on sale
- Countertop green bin liners - $21.99 125-pack -- Amazon has Glad Compostable green bin liners 100-packs for $18, sometimes less if on sale
- Produce Price Rating: I need to do a proper check to be sure, but I find it's pretty average. There's an illusion of getting a good deal because of the bulk. Just be careful.
- Produce Price Rating: I have to start checking these just in case...
- Produce Price Rating: Sometimes they have cheap butter, eggs, and milk on weekends.
- Grocery Review Google Drive Location https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xhLvBP1smXb1eSnxAW5yyBjO2aYFLJHC?usp=sharing
- Cooking Tips and Recipes https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TCcHm9y0kWIa3x18hznKN2ix0BPcUv-m?usp=drive_link
- Google Maps list of the Grocery stores in Ottawa https://maps.app.goo.gl/YT7cZmv8vMQWU4J59
2024.05.15 14:44 katesteel_1210 How to Find the Perfect Homestay in Wayanad with a Pool?
 | https://preview.redd.it/5hqstw776l0d1.jpg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1c311122736bc6c53a9f3e817857f806e3a43ff submitted by katesteel_1210 to u/katesteel_1210 [link] [comments] Nestled in the verdant hills of Kerala, Wayanad is a picturesque destination renowned for its lush greenery, misty mountains, and rich cultural heritage. For travelers seeking an immersive experience in this tranquil paradise, opting for a homestay offers a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in the local culture while enjoying the comforts of home. And for those craving a refreshing dip amidst the tropical beauty, homestays with pools in Wayanad present the perfect blend of luxury and nature. In this guide, we'll explore how to find the ideal homestay in Wayanad with a pool, ensuring an unforgettable getaway in God's Own Country.
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2024.05.15 14:31 Cauli_flo_wer Reccomend a new camera
Hello analog community!! Right now I have a Vivitar series 1 from the 90's and I'm quite happy with it but sadly it fell out of my bag and broke so now I'm in the market for a new one. I'm a casual photographer so nothing fancy is required.
I'd like a 35mm camera that's not too big so I can take it with me easily, with auto focus and flash, a self-timer and a zoom function. It doesn't have to be new, I'm fine buying second hand from eBay or Marketplace or where ever, just need some reccomendations on which types of cameras fit my wants! If you have/know of a camera/brand (preferably in the âŹ30-60 price range) let me know :) I appreciate the help!
submitted by Cauli_flo_wer to analog [link] [comments]
I'd like a 35mm camera that's not too big so I can take it with me easily, with auto focus and flash, a self-timer and a zoom function. It doesn't have to be new, I'm fine buying second hand from eBay or Marketplace or where ever, just need some reccomendations on which types of cameras fit my wants! If you have/know of a camera/brand (preferably in the âŹ30-60 price range) let me know :) I appreciate the help!
2024.05.15 13:56 Sweet-Count2557 Best Family Resorts New England
 | Best Family Resorts New England Welcome to our guide on the best family resorts in New England!Get ready to embark on a journey through the region, as we unveil incredible destinations for unforgettable family vacations.As fellow travelers and parents, we understand the importance of finding the perfect place that caters to everyone's needs.So, let's dive in and discover these amazing resorts together, where endless possibilities await.Let's make memories that will set us free!Key TakeawaysElk Lake Lodge offers a rustic and screen-free vacation experience with a crystal-clear lake and abundant flora and fauna.The Tyler Place Family Resort is an all-inclusive resort that caters to families with activities for children of all ages and developmentally appropriate programs.Rocking Horse Ranch Resort is an all-inclusive dude ranch-style resort with a supervised children's program and a wide range of activities for the whole family, including horseback riding.Woodloch Resort is a lakefront resort in the Poconos Mountains that offers activities for all ages and interests, with options for pampering treatments at The Lodge at Woodloch.Elk Lake Lodge (North Hudson, New YorkWe absolutely love Elk Lake Lodge in North Hudson, New York; it's a rustic Adirondack lodge on 12,000 acres of privately owned forest preserve. The lodge offers the perfect getaway for those seeking outdoor activities and forest exploration. As soon as you step foot onto the expansive property, you'll be surrounded by the beauty of nature.The crystal-clear lake is a haven for water enthusiasts, with free kayaks, canoes, and rowboats available for guests to use at their leisure.But it's not just the lake that makes Elk Lake Lodge special. The surrounding forest is teeming with abundant flora and fauna, providing endless opportunities for exploration. You can hike through the dense woods, keeping an eye out for deer, beaver, and even bald eagles. The lodge encourages guests to disconnect from technology during their stay, creating a screen-free environment that allows you to fully immerse yourself in the natural surroundings.Elk Lake Lodge operates seasonally from mid-May through mid-October, offering a unique experience depending on the time of year you visit. In the spring, you'll witness the forest come alive with vibrant colors and blooming flowers. Summer brings warm days perfect for swimming in the lake and picnicking under the shade of towering trees. And in the fall, the foliage transforms into a breathtaking display of reds, oranges, and yellows.If you're looking for a getaway that allows you to reconnect with nature and explore the beauty of the Adirondacks, Elk Lake Lodge is the perfect destination.The Tyler Place Family Resort (Highgate Springs, VermontAt The Tyler Place Family Resort in Highgate Springs, Vermont, families can expect a wide range of developmentally appropriate activities for children of all ages.From nature walks and lake swimming to lawn games, there's something for every child to enjoy.And while the kids are entertained, adults can unwind in a hammock, relax in a Jacuzzi, or join a yoga class, ensuring that everyone in the family has a chance to relax and have fun.Developmentally Appropriate ActivitiesOne of the family resorts, The Tyler Place, offers developmentally appropriate activities for children of all ages. At The Tyler Place, children have the opportunity to engage in nature exploration and participate in creative workshops.They can go on nature walks, exploring the lush greenery and discovering the wonders of the outdoors. Creative workshops allow them to express their artistic side, whether it's through painting, pottery, or even theater. These activities are designed to encourage children to learn and grow while having fun in a safe and inclusive environment.The Tyler Place understands the importance of providing activities that are suitable for each child's age and developmental stage, allowing them to explore their interests and talents. It's a place where children can truly be themselves and experience the freedom to discover and express their unique abilities.Accommodations for AllOur family enjoyed the spacious suites and cozy cottages at The Tyler Place, where accommodations cater to all guests. The resort amenities were outstanding, with something for everyone in the family to enjoy.For the kids, there were numerous family friendly activities to keep them entertained, from nature walks and lake swimming to lawn games and a children's program. Meanwhile, the adults could unwind in a hammock, Jacuzzi, or yoga class.The rooms were comfortable and well-appointed, providing a relaxing atmosphere for our stay. We appreciated the attention to detail and the thoughtfulness that went into creating a space that catered to the needs of families.Overall, The Tyler Place provided a perfect balance of relaxation and fun for our entire family.Relaxation Options for AdultsWe thoroughly enjoyed the variety of relaxation options available for adults at The Tyler Place Family Resort. From lounging in a hammock to indulging in a soothing Jacuzzi or joining a rejuvenating yoga class, there was something for everyone seeking a moment of tranquility.The resort also offered spa treatments for those looking for a little extra pampering. We loved the serene atmosphere of the adult-only areas, where we could unwind without any distractions. Whether it was sipping a refreshing drink by the pool or taking a leisurely stroll through the beautiful grounds, we felt a sense of freedom and calmness.The Tyler Place Family Resort truly understands the importance of providing adults with the opportunity to relax and rejuvenate in a peaceful environment.Rocking Horse Ranch Resort (Highland, New YorkRocking Horse Ranch Resort in Highland, New York is the perfect destination for families looking for a fun-filled and all-inclusive vacation.With over 100 resident horses, horse-crazy kids will have the time of their lives exploring the interlocking trails for walking, trotting, and cantering.But the fun doesn't stop there - the resort also offers a water park, nightly entertainment, and an arcade, ensuring that there's never a dull moment for the whole family.Horse Activities for KidsThe Rocking Horse Ranch Resort in Highland, New York offers more than 100 resident horses for horse-crazy kids to enjoy various horse activities. From horseback riding lessons to pony rides, there is something for every young equestrian enthusiast.At the resort, children can immerse themselves in the world of horses and experience the joy of riding and bonding with these majestic animals. The supervised children's program ensures a safe and fun environment for kids to learn and interact with the horses.To give you a glimpse of the incredible horse activities available at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort, here is a table highlighting some of the options:Horse ActivityDescriptionAge GroupHorseback RidingLearn proper riding techniques6 and upPony RidesGentle rides for younger kids2 to 5Trail RidesExplore scenic trails on horseback8 and upWith such a wide range of horse activities, kids can create lasting memories and develop a lifelong love for horses. So come and join us at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort, where freedom and adventure await you and your horse-crazy kids.Water Park and ArcadeLet's head over to the water park and arcade at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort and have a blast!This family-friendly water park is the perfect place to cool off and enjoy some thrilling water slides. With multiple pools and splash zones, there's something for everyone in the family to enjoy.The arcade is filled with exciting games and prizes, providing endless hours of amusement. From classic arcade games to state-of-the-art virtual reality experiences, there's no shortage of fun here.Whether you're racing against each other in the go-kart track or challenging each other to a game of air hockey, the arcade at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort is sure to keep the whole family entertained.All-Inclusive Family EntertainmentWe can explore all the options and decide on which activities to participate in during our stay at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort. This all-inclusive dude ranch-style resort in the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains offers a wide range of family-friendly amenities and outdoor recreational activities. From horseback riding to water park fun, there is something for everyone to enjoy.To emphasize the variety of activities available, here is a table showcasing some of the options:ActivityDescriptionAge RangeHorseback RidingExplore the beautiful trails on one of the resort's 100 resident horsesAll AgesWater ParkSplash and slide your way through the resort's exciting water parkAll AgesNightly EntertainmentEnjoy live shows and performances every eveningAll AgesArcadePlay a variety of games in the resort's arcadeAll AgesSupervised Children's ProgramKids can participate in age-appropriate activities and make new friendsChildrenWhether you're a horse lover, a thrill seeker, or simply looking for some quality family time, Rocking Horse Ranch Resort has it all. Get ready for an unforgettable vacation filled with fun and adventure.Woodloch Resort (Hawley, PennsylvaniaAt Woodloch Resort in Hawley, Pennsylvania, we can enjoy activities for all ages and interests, such as a petting zoo, playground, go-karts, pools, and a lake for boating and swimming. Woodloch Resort is the perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts looking for a fun-filled family vacation. Whether you're a nature lover or an adrenaline junkie, this resort has something for everyone.For those who love the great outdoors, Woodloch Resort offers a wide range of activities to explore the surrounding natural beauty. Take a hike through the lush forests, go fishing in the lake, or try your hand at archery. If you're feeling adventurous, hop on a bike and explore the scenic trails or challenge yourself on the ropes course.After a day of adventure, you can relax and unwind at one of the resort's family-friendly dining options. Enjoy a delicious meal at the main dining room, where you can indulge in a variety of dishes made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. For a more casual dining experience, head to the snack bar or grab a quick bite at the poolside grill.At Woodloch Resort, freedom is the name of the game. With activities for outdoor enthusiasts and family-friendly dining options, this resort offers the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation. So pack your bags, gather your loved ones, and get ready for an unforgettable vacation at Woodloch Resort.Mohonk Mountain House (New Paltz, New YorkExploring the grand Victorian castle of Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York, and enjoying outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, and horseback riding are top on our agenda. The Mohonk Mountain House is a breathtaking sight, with its imposing architecture and beautiful surroundings. Here are three reasons why this resort is a must-visit for those seeking outdoor adventure and Victorian charm:Outdoor Activities: Mohonk Mountain House offers a wide range of outdoor activities for all ages and interests. Whether you prefer hiking along the scenic trails, casting a line in the pristine lakes for some fishing, or taking a leisurely horseback ride through the meadows, there's something for everyone to enjoy. The resort also offers tennis and golf for those looking for additional recreational options.Victorian Charm: As we explore the Mohonk Mountain House, we're transported back in time to the Victorian era. The antique furnishings, stone fireplaces, and private balconies in the rooms add to the charm and elegance of this grand castle. Every corner of the resort exudes a sense of history and beauty, making it a truly unique and memorable experience.Hudson River Valley's Agricultural Bounty: One of the highlights of dining at Mohonk Mountain House is the emphasis on the Hudson River Valley's agricultural bounty. The menus feature locally sourced ingredients, showcasing the region's rich culinary heritage. From farm-fresh produce to artisanal cheeses and locally raised meats, guests can indulge in a true taste of the Hudson Valley.The Glen House (Gorham, New HampshireLocated in New Hampshire's Presidential mountains, The Glen House offers a panoramic deck where guests can relax and enjoy the stunning views. The mountain theme of the resort is evident in its spacious guest rooms, which reflect the natural beauty of the surrounding area.But it's not just the views that make The Glen House a great destination for families who love the outdoors. The resort is conveniently located next to the Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center, where families can explore a variety of hiking trails that wind through the picturesque mountains. And for those looking for a more thrilling adventure, the famous Mount Washington Auto Road is just a stone's throw away.After a day of exploring the mountains, guests can unwind in the lobby, which boasts floor-to-ceiling windows and a cozy stone fireplace. The resort also offers a fitness center, bike rentals, and an indoor saltwater pool for those who want to stay active.But the real highlight is the panoramic deck, where families can gather to watch the sunset over the mountains, creating memories that will last a lifetime.Kennebunkport, MaineWe can experience hands-on family activities like tie-dye workshops and ping pong at Hidden Pond Resort and Tree Spa in Kennebunkport, Maine. This charming resort offers a variety of family-friendly amenities that will make your vacation truly unforgettable.Here are three things you can look forward to at Hidden Pond Resort:Tie-Dye Workshops: Get creative and unleash your artistic side with tie-dye workshops offered at the resort. You and your family can create unique and colorful designs on t-shirts, towels, or any other fabric you choose. It's a fun and interactive activity that everyone can enjoy.Ping Pong: Challenge your family members to a friendly game of ping pong at Hidden Pond Resort. The resort provides all the equipment you need to get started, so grab your paddles and get ready for some friendly competition. It's a great way to bond with your loved ones and create lasting memories.Family Glamping: For a unique and adventurous experience, try out the family glamping option at Hidden Pond Resort. You can spend the night in a cozy tent on a private screened-in porch, complete with sleeping bags and lanterns. It's a chance to disconnect from the outside world and reconnect with nature while still enjoying the comforts of a luxurious resort.Frequently Asked QuestionsAre Pets Allowed at Elk Lake Lodge?Yes, pets are allowed at Elk Lake Lodge.Our rustic Adirondack lodge nestled on 12,000 acres of privately owned forest preserve welcomes furry friends.We offer pet-friendly accommodations and amenities to ensure a comfortable stay for both you and your four-legged companion.Explore the crystal-clear lake together, with free kayaks, canoes, and rowboats.Enjoy the abundant flora and fauna, including deer, beaver, and bald eagles.Experience a screen-free vacation where your pet can roam and unwind in nature.Is There Wi-Fi Available at the Tyler Place Family Resort?Yes, there's Wi-Fi available at the Tyler Place Family Resort.This all-inclusive resort offers a range of activities for the whole family, from newborns to high schoolers. While the children enjoy nature walks, lake swimming, and lawn games, adults can unwind in a hammock, Jacuzzi, or yoga class.The resort provides roomy suites or cozy cottages for accommodation.Additionally, if you're looking for nearby hiking trails, the Glen House, located in New Hampshire's Presidential mountains, is a great choice.What Is the Average Size of the Suites at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort?The suites at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort are spacious and comfortable, making it one of the best family resorts in New England.With a variety of suite sizes available, families can choose the option that best fits their needs. Whether you're looking for a cozy retreat or a larger space for the whole family, Rocking Horse Ranch Resort has you covered.Enjoy the resort's all-inclusive amenities and activities, knowing that you have a spacious suite to relax in at the end of the day.Can Guests Bring Their Own Boats to Woodloch Resort?Yes, guests can bring their own boats to Woodloch Resort. The resort offers boating facilities, including a lake where guests can enjoy boating and swimming.So, if you have your own boat and want to explore the beautiful lake, you're more than welcome to bring it along.It's a great opportunity to have the freedom to go out on the water and create unforgettable family memories.Are There Any Nearby Hiking Trails at the Glen House?Yes, there are nearby hiking trails at The Glen House.As outdoor enthusiasts, we love the variety of outdoor activities available at this resort.The hiking trails offer stunning views of the Presidential mountains and the surrounding natural beauty.Whether you're a beginner or an experienced hiker, there are trails suitable for all skill levels.ConclusionIn conclusion, the best family resorts in New England offer a diverse range of experiences for all ages.Whether you're seeking adventure in the great outdoors or relaxation by the lake, these resorts have it all.From the rustic charm of Elk Lake Lodge to the all-inclusive family fun at The Tyler Place Family Resort, there's something to suit every family's preferences.So pack your bags and get ready to make unforgettable memories at these incredible destinations! submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] |