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[3933] Chapter 1: Aufbruch of- The Feathered Starfish
2023.05.30 18:49 Ubsirdity [3933] Chapter 1: Aufbruch of- The Feathered Starfish
GONZO
Not sure If I am using the flair correctly, I'm not sure how to edit it to say what I want...? Any tips would be helpful..
Since I've begun reading some american literature, I am very fascinated with Hunter S Tompson, his work Fear and Loathing and his Style of writing.
To share my love of his work I am working on a book called "The Feathered Starfish" using his style or GONZO style journalism.
This work is 60% an auto biography if not more, most of the things you will read happened, the drugs consumed, the happenings, the psychosis induced meth stupors, the near death experiences, the memories, they are all real experiences coming from myself- Michael Worthy Duke, and my best homie Josh Carr.
I do add many quotes of Hunters into the book, just for fun, he'd a legend in my eyes.
I have just did my first revision of chapter one, and I will post it on reddit to gain some constructive criticism.
Any and all criticism is welcomed this is my first time writing anything.
Chapter 1: Aufbruch
In the desolate confines of a decrepit apartment in Buckhannon, West Virginia, Duke slouched over his grimy desk, a faint glimmer of hope piercing through the darkness that engulfed him. The rain pelted relentlessly against the windowpane. "I really hope this one does it, man, I don't know how much more of this shit I can take"- Duke whispered with a mix of desperation and anticipation. With trembling hands, he carefully emptied six stamps of fentanyl into the tarnished spoon. Carr, his weary companion, cast a skeptical gaze upon Duke "Well you're not going to die if that's what you want. It's just not how GOD or SATAN works, or maybe I'm thinking of manifestation. Either way, they're both going to make us suffer, I doubt we'll get off that easy, as much as I want it to end, you're just wasting good dope, but go ahead, I won't Narcan you this time"
"You know? You're right, that makes a lot of fuckin sense dude, it's like each time there's something in the way. I always thought it was the LORD SAVIOR, SATAN, or maybe one of his DEMONS hoping I would strike some sort of deal with them to get off of this godforsaken ride" Duke's hands moved with a mixture of determination and trepidation, crushing a few clonidine tablets into a fine powder, adding it to his lethal concoction. The raindrops continued their relentless assault on the window, their rhythmic patter a cruel symphony accompanying their dark ritual. As the orange powder melded with the white, Duke drew back the plunger of the syringe, his eyes fixed on the swirling fusion of drugs and vodka. The amber liquid, held the weight of his hopes and fears, this white-orange liquid could very well be his out. "That's not what I meant, though hat's off to you if it works," Carr says.
In the ethereal glow of uncertainty. Duke's heart raced as he prepared to plunge into the abyss, the needle poised to deliver a bittersweet release. The rain outside intensified, its melancholic symphony matching the intensity of their clandestine act. As the raindrops continued their melancholic descent, Duke pressed the needle against his skin, the moment of truth inching closer. The world held its breath, suspended in the eerie stillness before the storm. The needle was dull and has been used many times before, but Duke hopes this will be the last time. He pressed, and with hesitation, it severed the skin between this world and the world unknown. He pressed on the plunger and as the toxic elixir coursed through Duke's veins, time seemed to distort, stretching into an abyss of darkness. His consciousness is on the verge of oblivion, teetering between life and death. A kaleidoscope of vivid hallucinations painted his mind, a swirling maelstrom of distorted images and fragmented thoughts of fear, abandonment, lost love, and the unforgettable regret of his life so far.
Hours turned into eternity as Duke slipped into a state of unconsciousness, surrendering to the unforgiving embrace of his drug-induced slumber. The world outside carried on, oblivious to his internal struggle.
When Duke fatefully awoke, his surroundings were shrouded in a haze. The dim light filtering through the tattered curtains cast a somber glow over the room, revealing the remnants of his despair. His body ached with a dull ache, each pulse a testament to his fragile existence.
A sharp knock on the door shattered the fragile silence, jolting Duke from his dazed state. His heart raced, the sound reverberating through his chest like a war drum. Slowly, he reached behind the couch and grabbed a pistol, he then stumbled towards the door, uncertainty gripping his every step.
Carr remained peacefully asleep on the sofa, unaware of the potential danger that lay ahead. If the stranger turned out to be a threat, Carr would have to confront the aftermath and dispose of the bodies. Meanwhile, Duke envisioned a scenario where he would paint his doorstep red. In this grim scenario, Duke's action would likely be repeated twice, burdening Carr with the task of disposing of not one, but two bodies upon waking up.
Duke muttered something like "How the fuck did you evoke second-stage manic psychosis on a goddamn Tuesday morning at 7:32 AM? Incredible," Duke grumbled under his breath. His grip tightened around the cold, steel frame of his .357 Magnum-Rhino, resting firmly at chest level, as he cautiously flipped open the peephole. With a deliberate motion, he placed his index finger on the trigger, a well-spoken prayer escaping his lips. "Oh, twisted universe, In this blurry dance between life and death, my words resound: To the enemy of the state lurking beyond this door, I offer this plea. Reveal thyself, if foe you be, let your presence be known, As adrenaline courses through my veins, May my aim find purpose, In this grotesque theater of existence, may the forces that guide us grant me strength in this dark hour, Should the door reveal an adversary, may my aim be swift and true, Grant me the resolve to protect what I hold dear, Yet let mercy temper my actions, even in fear. May peace find us all, in this realm or beyond."
As his heart raced and his vision blurred, he stood firm, bracing himself for any sign of movement. Suddenly, a thunderous knock shattered the silence, echoing like a gunshot. Startled, Duke's instincts took over as he pulled the trigger, blasting a hole through the door. Convinced he had vanquished his adversary, he hastily returned to the living room. In a corner, wild-eyed and gripping an Avtomat Kalashnikova, stood Carr, poised to unleash a barrage of bullets upon Duke's entry. With a swift stop at the coffee table, Duke muttered, "Weird heroes and mold-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final."
In that intense moment, Duke proceeded to lay out two substantial lines of schneef, while Carr discarded the AK, preparing for their habitual morning routine.
Schneef takes the lead, followed by the ritualistic sipping of coffee with a few swigs of dirt-poor vodka or rum followed by another round of Schneef. As the haze thickens, They indulge in a flurry of cigarettes, punctuated by yet more Schneef. Duke then meticulously prepares a 1-0z plastic med cup, a concoction of SOMAs, a 100mg Ghost, and a dose of 40mg Adderall. And then, a 3.5-gram blunt of the finest, high-grade cannabis. A choice between PurplePunch #1, GratefulXChemdog #6, or an obscure local strain only known as BaileyRidge.
With his morning muscle relaxant held loosely in his lips, Duke leisurely strolls towards a weathered shelf adorned with cherished relics. Each plastic circle, steaming with echoes of bygone eras. In a deliberate gesture, his hand reaches out and retrieves a Stevie Ray Vaughan vinyl record, the album "Texas Flood". Duke places the disc upon the turntable, maneuvering the needle to land on the tenth and final track, titled "Lenny."
In the sounds of crackling vinyl and bluesy vibrations, Duke and Carr find a quiet moment, merging the intoxication of sound with their morning ritual. The melodic tendrils of "Lenny" intertwine with the smoke-filled air, creating a harmonious sanctuary within the confines of their dwelling.
Carr begins, his voice etching with concern, "Duke, you know I love you dog, willing to go any length for you. But there's a real possibility that one day you might mistake an innocent stranger at our door for something else entirely." Duke, frustrated by the untimely disturbance, retorts, "Damn it, it's 7 AM on a Tuesday morning. Who the hell would be knocking like an undercover agent if they weren't an enemy of the state?" Carr counters with a hint of humor, "Well, maybe it's just some friendly girl scouts trying to sell us cookies? Or perhaps the postman delivering a parcel?" Duke scoffs, as he brandishes a rattle crafted from turtle shells, wearing a Booger Mask made up of wood and hornets nests. Duke's deep connection to his Native American heritage is evident, as these artifacts are believed to possess the power to repel evil spirits.
Carr, chewing on a mouthful of pepperoni roll, springs to his feet and marches toward the door, eyeing Duke as he sets fire to some sage and palo santo, engulfing the space in smoke. Duke traversed the apartment with purposeful strides, occasionally stopping to shake his turtle shell rattle and speak to the Great Spirit. Meanwhile, Carr reaches the door, peering through the gaping hole in their door.
To his surprise, there are no dead undercover agents, no bloody girl scouts scattered amuck, nor fallen postal workers. Stepping outside, Carr scans the surroundings, his gaze darting left and right. With a sudden surge of curiosity, he sprints toward the mailbox, chirping birds echoing in his ears. The alluring scent of fresh grass beckons him, and he wonders why they don't venture out more often, even just to bask in the scent of blooming flowers. Reaching the mailbox, he momentarily forgets his purpose.
A bird chirps once more, its call now transformed into unmistakable human words, "Post." Carr offers a nod of gratitude before tearing open the mailbox, revealing a vibrant yellow letter adorned with a starfish-shaped white wax seal. Hesitation grips him, recognizing that this could be the perfect weapon to subvert him into an unwitting insurgent—its contents potentially laced with deadly anthrax, capable of bringing an end to both his and Duke's tumultuous existence. Yet, deep down, the knowledge that they have been flirting with death for what feels like an eternity seizes his hesitation. With anticipation, Carr seizes the letter, a glimmer of defiance in his eyes, and heads back toward the door. Before retreating, he tosses a ball of bread to the friendly bird that aided him, a small token of gratitude.
Inside the apartment, Carr's voice breaks the silence, "Looks like we've received some mail. You lucky bastard, you better thank the Great Spirit that you didn't blast a hole in the mailman. You know, if you witness someone offing a postal worker, and then turn in some sort of evidence to help with the arrest and conviction for their murder, there's a $100,000 reward waiting for you." Duke chuckles and with a hint of mischief says, "Oh, come on now. You wouldn't have ratted me out for 100 grand, would you? Is that all I'm worth? Although I must admit, that kind of cash does sound tempting." A grin spreads across Duke's face. "How about this: We order something to be delivered to the unsuspecting folks down the road. I'll take aim with my hunting rifle and wait for the mailman wearing a camouflage ghillie suit, while you capture the entire spectacle on camera. We'll scoop up the reward money and ride into the wind. What do you say?"
The room's energy takes a sudden 180-degree turn as Duke witnesses Carr's eyes widening. Duke, his paranoia deeply ingrained with thoughts of the enemy of the state, mutters "Who the fuck is it? Burn after reading, always. No exceptions. I don't care if it's a letter from my dead mother." Carr responds, "Dude, it's Allicent." Duke's heart skips a beat as memories of the girl who got away rushed to his intoxicated mind. His eyes well up with tears as he stammers, "Not a funny joke, not funny at all." He hastily prepares three consecutive lines of schneef on the coffee table. "She's been missing for four damn years. The last time we spoke, she despised me, despised us. She wanted nothing to do with us ever again."
Allicent was a vision of perfection, encapsulating everything desirable in a woman. Endlessly driven, she possessed an insatiable thirst for adventure. Her smile radiated warmth, except when met with condescension. She was a genius—a basement chemist, mycologist, historian, free-thinker, a natural-born leader amongst so much more. Her beauty was unparalleled, captivating anyone with her deep blue eyes, flowing blonde hair adorned with random braids, and forgotten dreadlocks. Painted with hand-drawn sacred geometry tattoos, her flawless body was a canvas of her own expression. She effortlessly glided through life, this woman could gracefully execute a gazelle flip off a half-pipe and then lay down a wicked bassline on a head full of acid. In their eyes, she embodied the true essence of beauty.
Their minds raveling in disbelief, An unopened letter from Alicent clutched tightly in Dukes hands as he Loomed over the worn wooden desk. His fingers traced the edges, his eyes scanning over the envelope that bore the familiar flourish of Alicent's handwriting... A cigarette hung loosely from his lips, its smoke twisting upwards in the gloom of the room. He scanned the room, his eyes shadowed under the heavy weight of exhaustion and intoxication. Carr sprawled across the ragged sofa, a joint lazily balanced between his fingers as he rustled his nostril trying to clear the ketamine out of it.
An oppressive silence clung to the room, disturbed only by the ramblings of the TV. The voice of 'Gonzo' from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" echoed through the air, "Jesus, did you see what GOD just did to us, man?" They had been sitting like this for what seemed like an eternity, suspended between anticipation and apprehension, caught in the throes of a drug-induced stupor.
Finally, breaking the silence, Carr exhaled a cloud of smoke, its pungent scent blending with the stale odor of spilled beer and unwashed clothes. He ran a hand through his unkept hair and glanced at Duke with a mix of impatience and curiosity. "So, are we gonna read it or just fuckin' stare at it all day?" he drawled, nodding towards the letter on the table.
Duke blinked, emerging from his daze, and cautiously tore open the envelope, revealing Alicent's familiar handwriting sprawled across the pages. Alicent's familiar handwriting sprawled across the pages, each word etching a growing unease into their hearts.
"The pursuit of happiness..." Duke muttered, reading Alicent's message aloud. Her words painted a vivid picture of a place far removed from the choking grasp of the modern world, a commune nestled amidst nature's bounty. She spoke of the hills of the feathered starfish, a place of tranquility and kinship, a sanctuary from the greed and hatred that plagued society — this was a stark contrast to their own reality.
Yet, amidst her words of contentment, a chilling reference to the "day of the light" sent a shiver down their spines. Alicent's words held an ominous undertone, her tales of happiness tainted with the subtle hint of finality.
Turning over the letter, Duke's gaze fell upon a picture of Alicent, standing on a mountain with rolling hills in the background, dotted with tepees and yurts, bathed in the soft hues of a setting sun sprawled behind her. Her face held a serenity they had never seen, a serenity that seemed to belong to a world far removed from theirs.
Carr leaned over to study the picture. "This place...It doesn't look like anything I've seen before. Where the fuck is she?" he mused, his fingers tracing over the photograph. A deep frown etched itself onto his face as he fell into deep thought.
Duke sat back, his gaze shifting between a typewriter in the corner of the apartment and the picture of Allicent, "The edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over." a tale of a voyage into the unknown. He could feel it in his bones, the gnawing curiosity, the deep-seated desire to uncover the truth of where she was and why she decided to write to them after so many years. His gaze fell onto the typewriter, each key echoing "A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance."
A sense of determination replaced Duke's initial bewilderment. He stood, moving towards an old gun safe, he quickly dials in 0 4 1 9 0 4 1 9, an old suitcase was tucked beneath boxes of ammunition and firearms.
"We had 9 grams of schneef, 120 European Cadillacs, a vial of JORs long lost #5, a knee-high tank of nitrous oxide, a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quarter of opium, a ball of speed, 2 oz of mushrooms, enough weed to serve the east coast, and a zip lock bag of substances we were either too high or didn't care enough to label. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.”
Carr nodded, stubbing out his joint in the ash-tray. His eyes held a spark of determination, his usually laid-back demeanor was replaced with a newfound sense of purpose. The impending journey already stirring his usually placid demeanor. They knew what they were signing up for, the journey wouldn't be a walk in the park, but Alicent was worth the ride.
As the day began to fade, they started packing. The room was soon filled with the buzzing of zippers and rustling fabric, each item selected for their journey. The once quiet room now bursting with anticipation. Their adventure had begun, but will their determination to DIE fade away as they start this new journey? Will the promise of reuniting with Allicent be enough for them to go on one more day?
Duke paused, his eyes scanning the room, its walls painted with stories of disturning happenings and shenanigans. Among the clutter and graffiti, a worn-out green balloon caught his eye, its faded letters spelling out the haunting words, "RIP Mya...."
A twisted grin curled on Duke's lips as he muttered to Carr, his voice with a hint of madness. "Fuck, man, Remember when you found this in the woods?"
A smirk tugged at Carr's lips. He ran his fingers through his hair before letting out a big sigh, his eyes reflecting a hellish nostalgia. He let out a deep sigh, releasing a cloud of smoke that hung heavy in the air. The memory stirred within him. "Are you joking? I'll never forget that night," Carr began, his voice tremoring with blend of fascination and dread. "I recall being up for days on meth after a witch performed some black magick on me, I heard the loudest crash I've ever heard, almost like a god-damn plane crashed in the woods 35 feet away. I walked into the woods letting curiosity get the best of me.
Duke leaned in, his eyes wide with anticipation yet again even though this was the hundredth time he had heard this story. Carr continued, his voice dropping to a low, ominous tone. "I then saw a bright flash of green light in the distance, but as I got close enough to see what it was it was only that damnned busted balloon on the ground that said "RIP Mya" an 8yr old girl who had passed away. Carr's voice trembled as he recounted the aftermath. "The next day, fate took a hellish turn. Mya, my faithful companion, died without reason or explanation. And then, my young cousin, only eight years old, whispered something that sent me into full-blown psychosis...you shoud've taken the witch seriously, this is just the beginning, when you hear 3 knocks, just know the devil will be waiting"
They shared a nervous laugh, then collectively thought this was somewhat nice reminiscing in their hellish nature, yet hoping this new adventure would bring positive memories to replace all of the dark ones that brim their minds.
Duke turned back to their suitcase, and popped it open to reveal a secret compartment. There, tucked between 2 firearms, was a small amber jar, containing some of the most sought-after cocaine in the world. Miss Pinks's Cocaine, Duke was only 14 when he was able to navigate the Dream Market, Oasis, Hansa, Alphabay, many DarkNet markets on the web, to secure some of the most wanted drugs known to man.
Now this is not your ordinary schneef, this is genuine staghorn, not your cheap knockoff stepped-on monticorn staghorn, this schneef was carefully manufactured in a top-of-the-line German laboratory. Miss Pink uses the finest cocoa leaves, she makes small batches to ensure quality, and most of all, using anhydrous acetone, she washes each batch of these nose beers 15 times. Then an additional 5 times with chloroform. It is truly a testament to the dope feind, this is 98% pure, with a 2% cut of Vitamin B12, to, ya know balance shit out, you gotta take your vitamins.
With practiced ease, Duke poured a small mound onto the glass top of the coffee table. Using a battered ID card, he carefully shaped two neat lines. Carr watched, tapping his fingernails at the speed of sound against the table, Duke has only brought this stuff out once before, who knows when he will again. The illicit substance represented more than just a chemical high—it was their means of escape, a vehicle of dissociation and derealization they so desperately needed.
"Carr," Duke began, offering him the rolled-up Benjamin, "To old times, and to the journey ahead if we end up dying- at least we fed the head."
With a nod, Carr accepted the note, leaning over the table. He snorted the first line, the sharp sensation sending a shudder through him. After a brief moment, he screams "Jesus Christ this shit is jet fuel!" he passed the note back to Duke, who quickly followed suit.
Duke rips the line with ease, then swabbed the remaining powder for some scoobysnax. Carr, who is now blaring techno and dancing says "Bro we should start a go-fund-me, or go build a school in Nepal, fuck I just want to run, Do you think I could outrun an emu? I heard they can run like 30 MPH, I think I could run 30 MPH, idk man I would probably need better shoes-, Duke interrupts and says "Dude you are literally yakked out huh" - "I'm literally yakkychan" -"I'm the lead singer of the yak street boys" they both laugh for a while and lit up a cigarette.
This buzz coursing through their veins, its effects immediate and potent. An electrifying energy pulsed within them, and their senses heightened. They exchanged a look of understanding.
Hours passed as they packed the remainder of their essentials, the room now resonating with the focused hum of their preparations. With every item tucked away into their suitcase, they were a step closer to finding Allicent and the hills of the Feathered Starfish.
As Duke loaded the last of their belongings, he took one last glance around their apartment. The battered furniture, the stained carpets, the spilled beers and unwashed cloths, the dirty needles scattered everywhere. – it was a melancholic farewell to a past that had shackled them for too long. It was time for a fresh start, time to go in a new direction for once and for all and leave this version of themselves behind.
They stood at the precipice of an extraordinary journey, their hearts fluttering with a mix of anxiety and excitement. As the dusk painted the sky with hues of purple and red, they packed up their belongings into Hallii, Dukes' 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL, they gassed her up and took her down Route 50 towards OHIO blasting the song "KoKo by E.VAX".
To be Continued...
submitted by Ubsirdity to DestructiveReaders [link] [comments]
Not sure If I am using the flair correctly, I'm not sure how to edit it to say what I want...? Any tips would be helpful..
Since I've begun reading some american literature, I am very fascinated with Hunter S Tompson, his work Fear and Loathing and his Style of writing.
To share my love of his work I am working on a book called "The Feathered Starfish" using his style or GONZO style journalism.
This work is 60% an auto biography if not more, most of the things you will read happened, the drugs consumed, the happenings, the psychosis induced meth stupors, the near death experiences, the memories, they are all real experiences coming from myself- Michael Worthy Duke, and my best homie Josh Carr.
I do add many quotes of Hunters into the book, just for fun, he'd a legend in my eyes.
I have just did my first revision of chapter one, and I will post it on reddit to gain some constructive criticism.
Any and all criticism is welcomed this is my first time writing anything.
Chapter 1: Aufbruch
In the desolate confines of a decrepit apartment in Buckhannon, West Virginia, Duke slouched over his grimy desk, a faint glimmer of hope piercing through the darkness that engulfed him. The rain pelted relentlessly against the windowpane. "I really hope this one does it, man, I don't know how much more of this shit I can take"- Duke whispered with a mix of desperation and anticipation. With trembling hands, he carefully emptied six stamps of fentanyl into the tarnished spoon. Carr, his weary companion, cast a skeptical gaze upon Duke "Well you're not going to die if that's what you want. It's just not how GOD or SATAN works, or maybe I'm thinking of manifestation. Either way, they're both going to make us suffer, I doubt we'll get off that easy, as much as I want it to end, you're just wasting good dope, but go ahead, I won't Narcan you this time"
"You know? You're right, that makes a lot of fuckin sense dude, it's like each time there's something in the way. I always thought it was the LORD SAVIOR, SATAN, or maybe one of his DEMONS hoping I would strike some sort of deal with them to get off of this godforsaken ride" Duke's hands moved with a mixture of determination and trepidation, crushing a few clonidine tablets into a fine powder, adding it to his lethal concoction. The raindrops continued their relentless assault on the window, their rhythmic patter a cruel symphony accompanying their dark ritual. As the orange powder melded with the white, Duke drew back the plunger of the syringe, his eyes fixed on the swirling fusion of drugs and vodka. The amber liquid, held the weight of his hopes and fears, this white-orange liquid could very well be his out. "That's not what I meant, though hat's off to you if it works," Carr says.
In the ethereal glow of uncertainty. Duke's heart raced as he prepared to plunge into the abyss, the needle poised to deliver a bittersweet release. The rain outside intensified, its melancholic symphony matching the intensity of their clandestine act. As the raindrops continued their melancholic descent, Duke pressed the needle against his skin, the moment of truth inching closer. The world held its breath, suspended in the eerie stillness before the storm. The needle was dull and has been used many times before, but Duke hopes this will be the last time. He pressed, and with hesitation, it severed the skin between this world and the world unknown. He pressed on the plunger and as the toxic elixir coursed through Duke's veins, time seemed to distort, stretching into an abyss of darkness. His consciousness is on the verge of oblivion, teetering between life and death. A kaleidoscope of vivid hallucinations painted his mind, a swirling maelstrom of distorted images and fragmented thoughts of fear, abandonment, lost love, and the unforgettable regret of his life so far.
Hours turned into eternity as Duke slipped into a state of unconsciousness, surrendering to the unforgiving embrace of his drug-induced slumber. The world outside carried on, oblivious to his internal struggle.
When Duke fatefully awoke, his surroundings were shrouded in a haze. The dim light filtering through the tattered curtains cast a somber glow over the room, revealing the remnants of his despair. His body ached with a dull ache, each pulse a testament to his fragile existence.
A sharp knock on the door shattered the fragile silence, jolting Duke from his dazed state. His heart raced, the sound reverberating through his chest like a war drum. Slowly, he reached behind the couch and grabbed a pistol, he then stumbled towards the door, uncertainty gripping his every step.
Carr remained peacefully asleep on the sofa, unaware of the potential danger that lay ahead. If the stranger turned out to be a threat, Carr would have to confront the aftermath and dispose of the bodies. Meanwhile, Duke envisioned a scenario where he would paint his doorstep red. In this grim scenario, Duke's action would likely be repeated twice, burdening Carr with the task of disposing of not one, but two bodies upon waking up.
Duke muttered something like "How the fuck did you evoke second-stage manic psychosis on a goddamn Tuesday morning at 7:32 AM? Incredible," Duke grumbled under his breath. His grip tightened around the cold, steel frame of his .357 Magnum-Rhino, resting firmly at chest level, as he cautiously flipped open the peephole. With a deliberate motion, he placed his index finger on the trigger, a well-spoken prayer escaping his lips. "Oh, twisted universe, In this blurry dance between life and death, my words resound: To the enemy of the state lurking beyond this door, I offer this plea. Reveal thyself, if foe you be, let your presence be known, As adrenaline courses through my veins, May my aim find purpose, In this grotesque theater of existence, may the forces that guide us grant me strength in this dark hour, Should the door reveal an adversary, may my aim be swift and true, Grant me the resolve to protect what I hold dear, Yet let mercy temper my actions, even in fear. May peace find us all, in this realm or beyond."
As his heart raced and his vision blurred, he stood firm, bracing himself for any sign of movement. Suddenly, a thunderous knock shattered the silence, echoing like a gunshot. Startled, Duke's instincts took over as he pulled the trigger, blasting a hole through the door. Convinced he had vanquished his adversary, he hastily returned to the living room. In a corner, wild-eyed and gripping an Avtomat Kalashnikova, stood Carr, poised to unleash a barrage of bullets upon Duke's entry. With a swift stop at the coffee table, Duke muttered, "Weird heroes and mold-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final."
In that intense moment, Duke proceeded to lay out two substantial lines of schneef, while Carr discarded the AK, preparing for their habitual morning routine.
Schneef takes the lead, followed by the ritualistic sipping of coffee with a few swigs of dirt-poor vodka or rum followed by another round of Schneef. As the haze thickens, They indulge in a flurry of cigarettes, punctuated by yet more Schneef. Duke then meticulously prepares a 1-0z plastic med cup, a concoction of SOMAs, a 100mg Ghost, and a dose of 40mg Adderall. And then, a 3.5-gram blunt of the finest, high-grade cannabis. A choice between PurplePunch #1, GratefulXChemdog #6, or an obscure local strain only known as BaileyRidge.
With his morning muscle relaxant held loosely in his lips, Duke leisurely strolls towards a weathered shelf adorned with cherished relics. Each plastic circle, steaming with echoes of bygone eras. In a deliberate gesture, his hand reaches out and retrieves a Stevie Ray Vaughan vinyl record, the album "Texas Flood". Duke places the disc upon the turntable, maneuvering the needle to land on the tenth and final track, titled "Lenny."
In the sounds of crackling vinyl and bluesy vibrations, Duke and Carr find a quiet moment, merging the intoxication of sound with their morning ritual. The melodic tendrils of "Lenny" intertwine with the smoke-filled air, creating a harmonious sanctuary within the confines of their dwelling.
Carr begins, his voice etching with concern, "Duke, you know I love you dog, willing to go any length for you. But there's a real possibility that one day you might mistake an innocent stranger at our door for something else entirely." Duke, frustrated by the untimely disturbance, retorts, "Damn it, it's 7 AM on a Tuesday morning. Who the hell would be knocking like an undercover agent if they weren't an enemy of the state?" Carr counters with a hint of humor, "Well, maybe it's just some friendly girl scouts trying to sell us cookies? Or perhaps the postman delivering a parcel?" Duke scoffs, as he brandishes a rattle crafted from turtle shells, wearing a Booger Mask made up of wood and hornets nests. Duke's deep connection to his Native American heritage is evident, as these artifacts are believed to possess the power to repel evil spirits.
Carr, chewing on a mouthful of pepperoni roll, springs to his feet and marches toward the door, eyeing Duke as he sets fire to some sage and palo santo, engulfing the space in smoke. Duke traversed the apartment with purposeful strides, occasionally stopping to shake his turtle shell rattle and speak to the Great Spirit. Meanwhile, Carr reaches the door, peering through the gaping hole in their door.
To his surprise, there are no dead undercover agents, no bloody girl scouts scattered amuck, nor fallen postal workers. Stepping outside, Carr scans the surroundings, his gaze darting left and right. With a sudden surge of curiosity, he sprints toward the mailbox, chirping birds echoing in his ears. The alluring scent of fresh grass beckons him, and he wonders why they don't venture out more often, even just to bask in the scent of blooming flowers. Reaching the mailbox, he momentarily forgets his purpose.
A bird chirps once more, its call now transformed into unmistakable human words, "Post." Carr offers a nod of gratitude before tearing open the mailbox, revealing a vibrant yellow letter adorned with a starfish-shaped white wax seal. Hesitation grips him, recognizing that this could be the perfect weapon to subvert him into an unwitting insurgent—its contents potentially laced with deadly anthrax, capable of bringing an end to both his and Duke's tumultuous existence. Yet, deep down, the knowledge that they have been flirting with death for what feels like an eternity seizes his hesitation. With anticipation, Carr seizes the letter, a glimmer of defiance in his eyes, and heads back toward the door. Before retreating, he tosses a ball of bread to the friendly bird that aided him, a small token of gratitude.
Inside the apartment, Carr's voice breaks the silence, "Looks like we've received some mail. You lucky bastard, you better thank the Great Spirit that you didn't blast a hole in the mailman. You know, if you witness someone offing a postal worker, and then turn in some sort of evidence to help with the arrest and conviction for their murder, there's a $100,000 reward waiting for you." Duke chuckles and with a hint of mischief says, "Oh, come on now. You wouldn't have ratted me out for 100 grand, would you? Is that all I'm worth? Although I must admit, that kind of cash does sound tempting." A grin spreads across Duke's face. "How about this: We order something to be delivered to the unsuspecting folks down the road. I'll take aim with my hunting rifle and wait for the mailman wearing a camouflage ghillie suit, while you capture the entire spectacle on camera. We'll scoop up the reward money and ride into the wind. What do you say?"
The room's energy takes a sudden 180-degree turn as Duke witnesses Carr's eyes widening. Duke, his paranoia deeply ingrained with thoughts of the enemy of the state, mutters "Who the fuck is it? Burn after reading, always. No exceptions. I don't care if it's a letter from my dead mother." Carr responds, "Dude, it's Allicent." Duke's heart skips a beat as memories of the girl who got away rushed to his intoxicated mind. His eyes well up with tears as he stammers, "Not a funny joke, not funny at all." He hastily prepares three consecutive lines of schneef on the coffee table. "She's been missing for four damn years. The last time we spoke, she despised me, despised us. She wanted nothing to do with us ever again."
Allicent was a vision of perfection, encapsulating everything desirable in a woman. Endlessly driven, she possessed an insatiable thirst for adventure. Her smile radiated warmth, except when met with condescension. She was a genius—a basement chemist, mycologist, historian, free-thinker, a natural-born leader amongst so much more. Her beauty was unparalleled, captivating anyone with her deep blue eyes, flowing blonde hair adorned with random braids, and forgotten dreadlocks. Painted with hand-drawn sacred geometry tattoos, her flawless body was a canvas of her own expression. She effortlessly glided through life, this woman could gracefully execute a gazelle flip off a half-pipe and then lay down a wicked bassline on a head full of acid. In their eyes, she embodied the true essence of beauty.
Their minds raveling in disbelief, An unopened letter from Alicent clutched tightly in Dukes hands as he Loomed over the worn wooden desk. His fingers traced the edges, his eyes scanning over the envelope that bore the familiar flourish of Alicent's handwriting... A cigarette hung loosely from his lips, its smoke twisting upwards in the gloom of the room. He scanned the room, his eyes shadowed under the heavy weight of exhaustion and intoxication. Carr sprawled across the ragged sofa, a joint lazily balanced between his fingers as he rustled his nostril trying to clear the ketamine out of it.
An oppressive silence clung to the room, disturbed only by the ramblings of the TV. The voice of 'Gonzo' from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" echoed through the air, "Jesus, did you see what GOD just did to us, man?" They had been sitting like this for what seemed like an eternity, suspended between anticipation and apprehension, caught in the throes of a drug-induced stupor.
Finally, breaking the silence, Carr exhaled a cloud of smoke, its pungent scent blending with the stale odor of spilled beer and unwashed clothes. He ran a hand through his unkept hair and glanced at Duke with a mix of impatience and curiosity. "So, are we gonna read it or just fuckin' stare at it all day?" he drawled, nodding towards the letter on the table.
Duke blinked, emerging from his daze, and cautiously tore open the envelope, revealing Alicent's familiar handwriting sprawled across the pages. Alicent's familiar handwriting sprawled across the pages, each word etching a growing unease into their hearts.
"The pursuit of happiness..." Duke muttered, reading Alicent's message aloud. Her words painted a vivid picture of a place far removed from the choking grasp of the modern world, a commune nestled amidst nature's bounty. She spoke of the hills of the feathered starfish, a place of tranquility and kinship, a sanctuary from the greed and hatred that plagued society — this was a stark contrast to their own reality.
Yet, amidst her words of contentment, a chilling reference to the "day of the light" sent a shiver down their spines. Alicent's words held an ominous undertone, her tales of happiness tainted with the subtle hint of finality.
Turning over the letter, Duke's gaze fell upon a picture of Alicent, standing on a mountain with rolling hills in the background, dotted with tepees and yurts, bathed in the soft hues of a setting sun sprawled behind her. Her face held a serenity they had never seen, a serenity that seemed to belong to a world far removed from theirs.
Carr leaned over to study the picture. "This place...It doesn't look like anything I've seen before. Where the fuck is she?" he mused, his fingers tracing over the photograph. A deep frown etched itself onto his face as he fell into deep thought.
Duke sat back, his gaze shifting between a typewriter in the corner of the apartment and the picture of Allicent, "The edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over." a tale of a voyage into the unknown. He could feel it in his bones, the gnawing curiosity, the deep-seated desire to uncover the truth of where she was and why she decided to write to them after so many years. His gaze fell onto the typewriter, each key echoing "A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance."
A sense of determination replaced Duke's initial bewilderment. He stood, moving towards an old gun safe, he quickly dials in 0 4 1 9 0 4 1 9, an old suitcase was tucked beneath boxes of ammunition and firearms.
"We had 9 grams of schneef, 120 European Cadillacs, a vial of JORs long lost #5, a knee-high tank of nitrous oxide, a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quarter of opium, a ball of speed, 2 oz of mushrooms, enough weed to serve the east coast, and a zip lock bag of substances we were either too high or didn't care enough to label. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.”
Carr nodded, stubbing out his joint in the ash-tray. His eyes held a spark of determination, his usually laid-back demeanor was replaced with a newfound sense of purpose. The impending journey already stirring his usually placid demeanor. They knew what they were signing up for, the journey wouldn't be a walk in the park, but Alicent was worth the ride.
As the day began to fade, they started packing. The room was soon filled with the buzzing of zippers and rustling fabric, each item selected for their journey. The once quiet room now bursting with anticipation. Their adventure had begun, but will their determination to DIE fade away as they start this new journey? Will the promise of reuniting with Allicent be enough for them to go on one more day?
Duke paused, his eyes scanning the room, its walls painted with stories of disturning happenings and shenanigans. Among the clutter and graffiti, a worn-out green balloon caught his eye, its faded letters spelling out the haunting words, "RIP Mya...."
A twisted grin curled on Duke's lips as he muttered to Carr, his voice with a hint of madness. "Fuck, man, Remember when you found this in the woods?"
A smirk tugged at Carr's lips. He ran his fingers through his hair before letting out a big sigh, his eyes reflecting a hellish nostalgia. He let out a deep sigh, releasing a cloud of smoke that hung heavy in the air. The memory stirred within him. "Are you joking? I'll never forget that night," Carr began, his voice tremoring with blend of fascination and dread. "I recall being up for days on meth after a witch performed some black magick on me, I heard the loudest crash I've ever heard, almost like a god-damn plane crashed in the woods 35 feet away. I walked into the woods letting curiosity get the best of me.
Duke leaned in, his eyes wide with anticipation yet again even though this was the hundredth time he had heard this story. Carr continued, his voice dropping to a low, ominous tone. "I then saw a bright flash of green light in the distance, but as I got close enough to see what it was it was only that damnned busted balloon on the ground that said "RIP Mya" an 8yr old girl who had passed away. Carr's voice trembled as he recounted the aftermath. "The next day, fate took a hellish turn. Mya, my faithful companion, died without reason or explanation. And then, my young cousin, only eight years old, whispered something that sent me into full-blown psychosis...you shoud've taken the witch seriously, this is just the beginning, when you hear 3 knocks, just know the devil will be waiting"
They shared a nervous laugh, then collectively thought this was somewhat nice reminiscing in their hellish nature, yet hoping this new adventure would bring positive memories to replace all of the dark ones that brim their minds.
Duke turned back to their suitcase, and popped it open to reveal a secret compartment. There, tucked between 2 firearms, was a small amber jar, containing some of the most sought-after cocaine in the world. Miss Pinks's Cocaine, Duke was only 14 when he was able to navigate the Dream Market, Oasis, Hansa, Alphabay, many DarkNet markets on the web, to secure some of the most wanted drugs known to man.
Now this is not your ordinary schneef, this is genuine staghorn, not your cheap knockoff stepped-on monticorn staghorn, this schneef was carefully manufactured in a top-of-the-line German laboratory. Miss Pink uses the finest cocoa leaves, she makes small batches to ensure quality, and most of all, using anhydrous acetone, she washes each batch of these nose beers 15 times. Then an additional 5 times with chloroform. It is truly a testament to the dope feind, this is 98% pure, with a 2% cut of Vitamin B12, to, ya know balance shit out, you gotta take your vitamins.
With practiced ease, Duke poured a small mound onto the glass top of the coffee table. Using a battered ID card, he carefully shaped two neat lines. Carr watched, tapping his fingernails at the speed of sound against the table, Duke has only brought this stuff out once before, who knows when he will again. The illicit substance represented more than just a chemical high—it was their means of escape, a vehicle of dissociation and derealization they so desperately needed.
"Carr," Duke began, offering him the rolled-up Benjamin, "To old times, and to the journey ahead if we end up dying- at least we fed the head."
With a nod, Carr accepted the note, leaning over the table. He snorted the first line, the sharp sensation sending a shudder through him. After a brief moment, he screams "Jesus Christ this shit is jet fuel!" he passed the note back to Duke, who quickly followed suit.
Duke rips the line with ease, then swabbed the remaining powder for some scoobysnax. Carr, who is now blaring techno and dancing says "Bro we should start a go-fund-me, or go build a school in Nepal, fuck I just want to run, Do you think I could outrun an emu? I heard they can run like 30 MPH, I think I could run 30 MPH, idk man I would probably need better shoes-, Duke interrupts and says "Dude you are literally yakked out huh" - "I'm literally yakkychan" -"I'm the lead singer of the yak street boys" they both laugh for a while and lit up a cigarette.
This buzz coursing through their veins, its effects immediate and potent. An electrifying energy pulsed within them, and their senses heightened. They exchanged a look of understanding.
Hours passed as they packed the remainder of their essentials, the room now resonating with the focused hum of their preparations. With every item tucked away into their suitcase, they were a step closer to finding Allicent and the hills of the Feathered Starfish.
As Duke loaded the last of their belongings, he took one last glance around their apartment. The battered furniture, the stained carpets, the spilled beers and unwashed cloths, the dirty needles scattered everywhere. – it was a melancholic farewell to a past that had shackled them for too long. It was time for a fresh start, time to go in a new direction for once and for all and leave this version of themselves behind.
They stood at the precipice of an extraordinary journey, their hearts fluttering with a mix of anxiety and excitement. As the dusk painted the sky with hues of purple and red, they packed up their belongings into Hallii, Dukes' 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL, they gassed her up and took her down Route 50 towards OHIO blasting the song "KoKo by E.VAX".
To be Continued...
2023.05.30 18:42 Ubsirdity Chapter 1: Aufbruch of- The Feathered Starfish
Since I've begun reading some american literature, I am very fascinated with Hunter S Tompson, his work Fear and Loathing and his Style of writing.
To share my love of his work I am working on a book called "The Feathered Starfish" using his style or GONZO style journalism.
This work is 60% an auto biography if not more, most of the things you will read happened, the drugs consumed, the happenings, the psychosis induced meth stupors, the near death experiences, the memories, they are all real experiences coming from myself- Michael Worthy Duke, and my best homie Josh Carr.
I do add many quotes of Hunters into the book, just for fun, he'd a legend in my eyes.
I have just did my first revision of chapter one, and I will post it on reddit to gain some constructive criticism.
Any and all criticism is welcomed this is my first time writing anything.
Chapter 1: Aufbruch
In the desolate confines of a decrepit apartment in Buckhannon, West Virginia, Duke slouched over his grimy desk, a faint glimmer of hope piercing through the darkness that engulfed him. The rain pelted relentlessly against the windowpane. "I really hope this one does it, man, I don't know how much more of this shit I can take"- Duke whispered with a mix of desperation and anticipation. With trembling hands, he carefully emptied six stamps of fentanyl into the tarnished spoon. Carr, his weary companion, cast a skeptical gaze upon Duke "Well you're not going to die if that's what you want. It's just not how GOD or SATAN works, or maybe I'm thinking of manifestation. Either way, they're both going to make us suffer, I doubt we'll get off that easy, as much as I want it to end, you're just wasting good dope, but go ahead, I won't Narcan you this time"
"You know? You're right, that makes a lot of fuckin sense dude, it's like each time there's something in the way. I always thought it was the LORD SAVIOR, SATAN, or maybe one of his DEMONS hoping I would strike some sort of deal with them to get off of this godforsaken ride" Duke's hands moved with a mixture of determination and trepidation, crushing a few clonidine tablets into a fine powder, adding it to his lethal concoction. The raindrops continued their relentless assault on the window, their rhythmic patter a cruel symphony accompanying their dark ritual. As the orange powder melded with the white, Duke drew back the plunger of the syringe, his eyes fixed on the swirling fusion of drugs and vodka. The amber liquid, held the weight of his hopes and fears, this white-orange liquid could very well be his out. "That's not what I meant, though hat's off to you if it works," Carr says.
In the ethereal glow of uncertainty. Duke's heart raced as he prepared to plunge into the abyss, the needle poised to deliver a bittersweet release. The rain outside intensified, its melancholic symphony matching the intensity of their clandestine act. As the raindrops continued their melancholic descent, Duke pressed the needle against his skin, the moment of truth inching closer. The world held its breath, suspended in the eerie stillness before the storm. The needle was dull and has been used many times before, but Duke hopes this will be the last time. He pressed, and with hesitation, it severed the skin between this world and the world unknown. He pressed on the plunger and as the toxic elixir coursed through Duke's veins, time seemed to distort, stretching into an abyss of darkness. His consciousness is on the verge of oblivion, teetering between life and death. A kaleidoscope of vivid hallucinations painted his mind, a swirling maelstrom of distorted images and fragmented thoughts of fear, abandonment, lost love, and the unforgettable regret of his life so far.
Hours turned into eternity as Duke slipped into a state of unconsciousness, surrendering to the unforgiving embrace of his drug-induced slumber. The world outside carried on, oblivious to his internal struggle.
When Duke fatefully awoke, his surroundings were shrouded in a haze. The dim light filtering through the tattered curtains cast a somber glow over the room, revealing the remnants of his despair. His body ached with a dull ache, each pulse a testament to his fragile existence.
A sharp knock on the door shattered the fragile silence, jolting Duke from his dazed state. His heart raced, the sound reverberating through his chest like a war drum. Slowly, he reached behind the couch and grabbed a pistol, he then stumbled towards the door, uncertainty gripping his every step.
Carr remained peacefully asleep on the sofa, unaware of the potential danger that lay ahead. If the stranger turned out to be a threat, Carr would have to confront the aftermath and dispose of the bodies. Meanwhile, Duke envisioned a scenario where he would paint his doorstep red. In this grim scenario, Duke's action would likely be repeated twice, burdening Carr with the task of disposing of not one, but two bodies upon waking up.
Duke muttered something like "How the fuck did you evoke second-stage manic psychosis on a goddamn Tuesday morning at 7:32 AM? Incredible," Duke grumbled under his breath. His grip tightened around the cold, steel frame of his .357 Magnum-Rhino, resting firmly at chest level, as he cautiously flipped open the peephole. With a deliberate motion, he placed his index finger on the trigger, a well-spoken prayer escaping his lips. "Oh, twisted universe, In this blurry dance between life and death, my words resound: To the enemy of the state lurking beyond this door, I offer this plea. Reveal thyself, if foe you be, let your presence be known, As adrenaline courses through my veins, May my aim find purpose, In this grotesque theater of existence, may the forces that guide us grant me strength in this dark hour, Should the door reveal an adversary, may my aim be swift and true, Grant me the resolve to protect what I hold dear, Yet let mercy temper my actions, even in fear. May peace find us all, in this realm or beyond."
As his heart raced and his vision blurred, he stood firm, bracing himself for any sign of movement. Suddenly, a thunderous knock shattered the silence, echoing like a gunshot. Startled, Duke's instincts took over as he pulled the trigger, blasting a hole through the door. Convinced he had vanquished his adversary, he hastily returned to the living room. In a corner, wild-eyed and gripping an Avtomat Kalashnikova, stood Carr, poised to unleash a barrage of bullets upon Duke's entry. With a swift stop at the coffee table, Duke muttered, "Weird heroes and mold-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final."
In that intense moment, Duke proceeded to lay out two substantial lines of schneef, while Carr discarded the AK, preparing for their habitual morning routine.
Schneef takes the lead, followed by the ritualistic sipping of coffee with a few swigs of dirt-poor vodka or rum followed by another round of Schneef. As the haze thickens, They indulge in a flurry of cigarettes, punctuated by yet more Schneef. Duke then meticulously prepares a 1-0z plastic med cup, a concoction of SOMAs, a 100mg Ghost, and a dose of 40mg Adderall. And then, a 3.5-gram blunt of the finest, high-grade cannabis. A choice between PurplePunch #1, GratefulXChemdog #6, or an obscure local strain only known as BaileyRidge.
With his morning muscle relaxant held loosely in his lips, Duke leisurely strolls towards a weathered shelf adorned with cherished relics. Each plastic circle, steaming with echoes of bygone eras. In a deliberate gesture, his hand reaches out and retrieves a Stevie Ray Vaughan vinyl record, the album "Texas Flood". Duke places the disc upon the turntable, maneuvering the needle to land on the tenth and final track, titled "Lenny."
In the sounds of crackling vinyl and bluesy vibrations, Duke and Carr find a quiet moment, merging the intoxication of sound with their morning ritual. The melodic tendrils of "Lenny" intertwine with the smoke-filled air, creating a harmonious sanctuary within the confines of their dwelling.
Carr begins, his voice etching with concern, "Duke, you know I love you dog, willing to go any length for you. But there's a real possibility that one day you might mistake an innocent stranger at our door for something else entirely." Duke, frustrated by the untimely disturbance, retorts, "Damn it, it's 7 AM on a Tuesday morning. Who the hell would be knocking like an undercover agent if they weren't an enemy of the state?" Carr counters with a hint of humor, "Well, maybe it's just some friendly girl scouts trying to sell us cookies? Or perhaps the postman delivering a parcel?" Duke scoffs, as he brandishes a rattle crafted from turtle shells, wearing a Booger Mask made up of wood and hornets nests. Duke's deep connection to his Native American heritage is evident, as these artifacts are believed to possess the power to repel evil spirits.
Carr, chewing on a mouthful of pepperoni roll, springs to his feet and marches toward the door, eyeing Duke as he sets fire to some sage and palo santo, engulfing the space in smoke. Duke traversed the apartment with purposeful strides, occasionally stopping to shake his turtle shell rattle and speak to the Great Spirit. Meanwhile, Carr reaches the door, peering through the gaping hole in their door.
To his surprise, there are no dead undercover agents, no bloody girl scouts scattered amuck, nor fallen postal workers. Stepping outside, Carr scans the surroundings, his gaze darting left and right. With a sudden surge of curiosity, he sprints toward the mailbox, chirping birds echoing in his ears. The alluring scent of fresh grass beckons him, and he wonders why they don't venture out more often, even just to bask in the scent of blooming flowers. Reaching the mailbox, he momentarily forgets his purpose.
A bird chirps once more, its call now transformed into unmistakable human words, "Post." Carr offers a nod of gratitude before tearing open the mailbox, revealing a vibrant yellow letter adorned with a starfish-shaped white wax seal. Hesitation grips him, recognizing that this could be the perfect weapon to subvert him into an unwitting insurgent—its contents potentially laced with deadly anthrax, capable of bringing an end to both his and Duke's tumultuous existence. Yet, deep down, the knowledge that they have been flirting with death for what feels like an eternity seizes his hesitation. With anticipation, Carr seizes the letter, a glimmer of defiance in his eyes, and heads back toward the door. Before retreating, he tosses a ball of bread to the friendly bird that aided him, a small token of gratitude.
Inside the apartment, Carr's voice breaks the silence, "Looks like we've received some mail. You lucky bastard, you better thank the Great Spirit that you didn't blast a hole in the mailman. You know, if you witness someone offing a postal worker, and then turn in some sort of evidence to help with the arrest and conviction for their murder, there's a $100,000 reward waiting for you." Duke chuckles and with a hint of mischief says, "Oh, come on now. You wouldn't have ratted me out for 100 grand, would you? Is that all I'm worth? Although I must admit, that kind of cash does sound tempting." A grin spreads across Duke's face. "How about this: We order something to be delivered to the unsuspecting folks down the road. I'll take aim with my hunting rifle and wait for the mailman wearing a camouflage ghillie suit, while you capture the entire spectacle on camera. We'll scoop up the reward money and ride into the wind. What do you say?"
The room's energy takes a sudden 180-degree turn as Duke witnesses Carr's eyes widening. Duke, his paranoia deeply ingrained with thoughts of the enemy of the state, mutters "Who the fuck is it? Burn after reading, always. No exceptions. I don't care if it's a letter from my dead mother." Carr responds, "Dude, it's Allicent." Duke's heart skips a beat as memories of the girl who got away rushed to his intoxicated mind. His eyes well up with tears as he stammers, "Not a funny joke, not funny at all." He hastily prepares three consecutive lines of schneef on the coffee table. "She's been missing for four damn years. The last time we spoke, she despised me, despised us. She wanted nothing to do with us ever again."
Allicent was a vision of perfection, encapsulating everything desirable in a woman. Endlessly driven, she possessed an insatiable thirst for adventure. Her smile radiated warmth, except when met with condescension. She was a genius—a basement chemist, mycologist, historian, free-thinker, a natural-born leader amongst so much more. Her beauty was unparalleled, captivating anyone with her deep blue eyes, flowing blonde hair adorned with random braids, and forgotten dreadlocks. Painted with hand-drawn sacred geometry tattoos, her flawless body was a canvas of her own expression. She effortlessly glided through life, this woman could gracefully execute a gazelle flip off a half-pipe and then lay down a wicked bassline on a head full of acid. In their eyes, she embodied the true essence of beauty.
Their minds raveling in disbelief, An unopened letter from Alicent clutched tightly in Dukes hands as he Loomed over the worn wooden desk. His fingers traced the edges, his eyes scanning over the envelope that bore the familiar flourish of Alicent's handwriting... A cigarette hung loosely from his lips, its smoke twisting upwards in the gloom of the room. He scanned the room, his eyes shadowed under the heavy weight of exhaustion and intoxication. Carr sprawled across the ragged sofa, a joint lazily balanced between his fingers as he rustled his nostril trying to clear the ketamine out of it.
An oppressive silence clung to the room, disturbed only by the ramblings of the TV. The voice of 'Gonzo' from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" echoed through the air, "Jesus, did you see what GOD just did to us, man?" They had been sitting like this for what seemed like an eternity, suspended between anticipation and apprehension, caught in the throes of a drug-induced stupor.
Finally, breaking the silence, Carr exhaled a cloud of smoke, its pungent scent blending with the stale odor of spilled beer and unwashed clothes. He ran a hand through his unkept hair and glanced at Duke with a mix of impatience and curiosity. "So, are we gonna read it or just fuckin' stare at it all day?" he drawled, nodding towards the letter on the table.
Duke blinked, emerging from his daze, and cautiously tore open the envelope, revealing Alicent's familiar handwriting sprawled across the pages. Alicent's familiar handwriting sprawled across the pages, each word etching a growing unease into their hearts.
"The pursuit of happiness..." Duke muttered, reading Alicent's message aloud. Her words painted a vivid picture of a place far removed from the choking grasp of the modern world, a commune nestled amidst nature's bounty. She spoke of the hills of the feathered starfish, a place of tranquility and kinship, a sanctuary from the greed and hatred that plagued society — this was a stark contrast to their own reality.
Yet, amidst her words of contentment, a chilling reference to the "day of the light" sent a shiver down their spines. Alicent's words held an ominous undertone, her tales of happiness tainted with the subtle hint of finality.
Turning over the letter, Duke's gaze fell upon a picture of Alicent, standing on a mountain with rolling hills in the background, dotted with tepees and yurts, bathed in the soft hues of a setting sun sprawled behind her. Her face held a serenity they had never seen, a serenity that seemed to belong to a world far removed from theirs.
Carr leaned over to study the picture. "This place...It doesn't look like anything I've seen before. Where the fuck is she?" he mused, his fingers tracing over the photograph. A deep frown etched itself onto his face as he fell into deep thought.
Duke sat back, his gaze shifting between a typewriter in the corner of the apartment and the picture of Allicent, "The edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over." a tale of a voyage into the unknown. He could feel it in his bones, the gnawing curiosity, the deep-seated desire to uncover the truth of where she was and why she decided to write to them after so many years. His gaze fell onto the typewriter, each key echoing "A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance."
A sense of determination replaced Duke's initial bewilderment. He stood, moving towards an old gun safe, he quickly dials in 0 4 1 9 0 4 1 9, an old suitcase was tucked beneath boxes of ammunition and firearms.
"We had 9 grams of schneef, 120 European Cadillacs, a vial of JORs long lost #5, a knee-high tank of nitrous oxide, a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quarter of opium, a ball of speed, 2 oz of mushrooms, enough weed to serve the east coast, and a zip lock bag of substances we were either too high or didn't care enough to label. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.”
Carr nodded, stubbing out his joint in the ash-tray. His eyes held a spark of determination, his usually laid-back demeanor was replaced with a newfound sense of purpose. The impending journey already stirring his usually placid demeanor. They knew what they were signing up for, the journey wouldn't be a walk in the park, but Alicent was worth the ride.
As the day began to fade, they started packing. The room was soon filled with the buzzing of zippers and rustling fabric, each item selected for their journey. The once quiet room now bursting with anticipation. Their adventure had begun, but will their determination to DIE fade away as they start this new journey? Will the promise of reuniting with Allicent be enough for them to go on one more day?
Duke paused, his eyes scanning the room, its walls painted with stories of disturning happenings and shenanigans. Among the clutter and graffiti, a worn-out green balloon caught his eye, its faded letters spelling out the haunting words, "RIP Mya...."
A twisted grin curled on Duke's lips as he muttered to Carr, his voice with a hint of madness. "Fuck, man, Remember when you found this in the woods?"
A smirk tugged at Carr's lips. He ran his fingers through his hair before letting out a big sigh, his eyes reflecting a hellish nostalgia. He let out a deep sigh, releasing a cloud of smoke that hung heavy in the air. The memory stirred within him. "Are you joking? I'll never forget that night," Carr began, his voice tremoring with blend of fascination and dread. "I recall being up for days on meth after a witch performed some black magick on me, I heard the loudest crash I've ever heard, almost like a god-damn plane crashed in the woods 35 feet away. I walked into the woods letting curiosity get the best of me.
Duke leaned in, his eyes wide with anticipation yet again even though this was the hundredth time he had heard this story. Carr continued, his voice dropping to a low, ominous tone. "I then saw a bright flash of green light in the distance, but as I got close enough to see what it was it was only that damnned busted balloon on the ground that said "RIP Mya" an 8yr old girl who had passed away. Carr's voice trembled as he recounted the aftermath. "The next day, fate took a hellish turn. Mya, my faithful companion, died without reason or explanation. And then, my young cousin, only eight years old, whispered something that sent me into full-blown psychosis...you shoud've taken the witch seriously, this is just the beginning, when you hear 3 knocks, just know the devil will be waiting"
They shared a nervous laugh, then collectively thought this was somewhat nice reminiscing in their hellish nature, yet hoping this new adventure would bring positive memories to replace all of the dark ones that brim their minds.
Duke turned back to their suitcase, and popped it open to reveal a secret compartment. There, tucked between 2 firearms, was a small amber jar, containing some of the most sought-after cocaine in the world. Miss Pinks's Cocaine, Duke was only 14 when he was able to navigate the Dream Market, Oasis, Hansa, Alphabay, many DarkNet markets on the web, to secure some of the most wanted drugs known to man.
Now this is not your ordinary schneef, this is genuine staghorn, not your cheap knockoff stepped-on monticorn staghorn, this schneef was carefully manufactured in a top-of-the-line German laboratory. Miss Pink uses the finest cocoa leaves, she makes small batches to ensure quality, and most of all, using anhydrous acetone, she washes each batch of these nose beers 15 times. Then an additional 5 times with chloroform. It is truly a testament to the dope feind, this is 98% pure, with a 2% cut of Vitamin B12, to, ya know balance shit out, you gotta take your vitamins.
With practiced ease, Duke poured a small mound onto the glass top of the coffee table. Using a battered ID card, he carefully shaped two neat lines. Carr watched, tapping his fingernails at the speed of sound against the table, Duke has only brought this stuff out once before, who knows when he will again. The illicit substance represented more than just a chemical high—it was their means of escape, a vehicle of dissociation and derealization they so desperately needed.
"Carr," Duke began, offering him the rolled-up Benjamin, "To old times, and to the journey ahead if we end up dying- at least we fed the head."
With a nod, Carr accepted the note, leaning over the table. He snorted the first line, the sharp sensation sending a shudder through him. After a brief moment, he screams "Jesus Christ this shit is jet fuel!" he passed the note back to Duke, who quickly followed suit.
Duke rips the line with ease, then swabbed the remaining powder for some scoobysnax. Carr, who is now blaring techno and dancing says "Bro we should start a go-fund-me, or go build a school in Nepal, fuck I just want to run, Do you think I could outrun an emu? I heard they can run like 30 MPH, I think I could run 30 MPH, idk man I would probably need better shoes-, Duke interrupts and says "Dude you are literally yakked out huh" - "I'm literally yakkychan" -"I'm the lead singer of the yak street boys" they both laugh for a while and lit up a cigarette.
This buzz coursing through their veins, its effects immediate and potent. An electrifying energy pulsed within them, and their senses heightened. They exchanged a look of understanding.
Hours passed as they packed the remainder of their essentials, the room now resonating with the focused hum of their preparations. With every item tucked away into their suitcase, they were a step closer to finding Allicent and the hills of the Feathered Starfish.
As Duke loaded the last of their belongings, he took one last glance around their apartment. The battered furniture, the stained carpets, the spilled beers and unwashed cloths, the dirty needles scattered everywhere. – it was a melancholic farewell to a past that had shackled them for too long. It was time for a fresh start, time to go in a new direction for once and for all and leave this version of themselves behind.
They stood at the precipice of an extraordinary journey, their hearts fluttering with a mix of anxiety and excitement. As the dusk painted the sky with hues of purple and red, they packed up their belongings into Hallii, Dukes' 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL, they gassed her up and took her down Route 50 towards OHIO blasting the song "KoKo by E.VAX".
To be Continued...
submitted by Ubsirdity to writing [link] [comments]
To share my love of his work I am working on a book called "The Feathered Starfish" using his style or GONZO style journalism.
This work is 60% an auto biography if not more, most of the things you will read happened, the drugs consumed, the happenings, the psychosis induced meth stupors, the near death experiences, the memories, they are all real experiences coming from myself- Michael Worthy Duke, and my best homie Josh Carr.
I do add many quotes of Hunters into the book, just for fun, he'd a legend in my eyes.
I have just did my first revision of chapter one, and I will post it on reddit to gain some constructive criticism.
Any and all criticism is welcomed this is my first time writing anything.
Chapter 1: Aufbruch
In the desolate confines of a decrepit apartment in Buckhannon, West Virginia, Duke slouched over his grimy desk, a faint glimmer of hope piercing through the darkness that engulfed him. The rain pelted relentlessly against the windowpane. "I really hope this one does it, man, I don't know how much more of this shit I can take"- Duke whispered with a mix of desperation and anticipation. With trembling hands, he carefully emptied six stamps of fentanyl into the tarnished spoon. Carr, his weary companion, cast a skeptical gaze upon Duke "Well you're not going to die if that's what you want. It's just not how GOD or SATAN works, or maybe I'm thinking of manifestation. Either way, they're both going to make us suffer, I doubt we'll get off that easy, as much as I want it to end, you're just wasting good dope, but go ahead, I won't Narcan you this time"
"You know? You're right, that makes a lot of fuckin sense dude, it's like each time there's something in the way. I always thought it was the LORD SAVIOR, SATAN, or maybe one of his DEMONS hoping I would strike some sort of deal with them to get off of this godforsaken ride" Duke's hands moved with a mixture of determination and trepidation, crushing a few clonidine tablets into a fine powder, adding it to his lethal concoction. The raindrops continued their relentless assault on the window, their rhythmic patter a cruel symphony accompanying their dark ritual. As the orange powder melded with the white, Duke drew back the plunger of the syringe, his eyes fixed on the swirling fusion of drugs and vodka. The amber liquid, held the weight of his hopes and fears, this white-orange liquid could very well be his out. "That's not what I meant, though hat's off to you if it works," Carr says.
In the ethereal glow of uncertainty. Duke's heart raced as he prepared to plunge into the abyss, the needle poised to deliver a bittersweet release. The rain outside intensified, its melancholic symphony matching the intensity of their clandestine act. As the raindrops continued their melancholic descent, Duke pressed the needle against his skin, the moment of truth inching closer. The world held its breath, suspended in the eerie stillness before the storm. The needle was dull and has been used many times before, but Duke hopes this will be the last time. He pressed, and with hesitation, it severed the skin between this world and the world unknown. He pressed on the plunger and as the toxic elixir coursed through Duke's veins, time seemed to distort, stretching into an abyss of darkness. His consciousness is on the verge of oblivion, teetering between life and death. A kaleidoscope of vivid hallucinations painted his mind, a swirling maelstrom of distorted images and fragmented thoughts of fear, abandonment, lost love, and the unforgettable regret of his life so far.
Hours turned into eternity as Duke slipped into a state of unconsciousness, surrendering to the unforgiving embrace of his drug-induced slumber. The world outside carried on, oblivious to his internal struggle.
When Duke fatefully awoke, his surroundings were shrouded in a haze. The dim light filtering through the tattered curtains cast a somber glow over the room, revealing the remnants of his despair. His body ached with a dull ache, each pulse a testament to his fragile existence.
A sharp knock on the door shattered the fragile silence, jolting Duke from his dazed state. His heart raced, the sound reverberating through his chest like a war drum. Slowly, he reached behind the couch and grabbed a pistol, he then stumbled towards the door, uncertainty gripping his every step.
Carr remained peacefully asleep on the sofa, unaware of the potential danger that lay ahead. If the stranger turned out to be a threat, Carr would have to confront the aftermath and dispose of the bodies. Meanwhile, Duke envisioned a scenario where he would paint his doorstep red. In this grim scenario, Duke's action would likely be repeated twice, burdening Carr with the task of disposing of not one, but two bodies upon waking up.
Duke muttered something like "How the fuck did you evoke second-stage manic psychosis on a goddamn Tuesday morning at 7:32 AM? Incredible," Duke grumbled under his breath. His grip tightened around the cold, steel frame of his .357 Magnum-Rhino, resting firmly at chest level, as he cautiously flipped open the peephole. With a deliberate motion, he placed his index finger on the trigger, a well-spoken prayer escaping his lips. "Oh, twisted universe, In this blurry dance between life and death, my words resound: To the enemy of the state lurking beyond this door, I offer this plea. Reveal thyself, if foe you be, let your presence be known, As adrenaline courses through my veins, May my aim find purpose, In this grotesque theater of existence, may the forces that guide us grant me strength in this dark hour, Should the door reveal an adversary, may my aim be swift and true, Grant me the resolve to protect what I hold dear, Yet let mercy temper my actions, even in fear. May peace find us all, in this realm or beyond."
As his heart raced and his vision blurred, he stood firm, bracing himself for any sign of movement. Suddenly, a thunderous knock shattered the silence, echoing like a gunshot. Startled, Duke's instincts took over as he pulled the trigger, blasting a hole through the door. Convinced he had vanquished his adversary, he hastily returned to the living room. In a corner, wild-eyed and gripping an Avtomat Kalashnikova, stood Carr, poised to unleash a barrage of bullets upon Duke's entry. With a swift stop at the coffee table, Duke muttered, "Weird heroes and mold-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final."
In that intense moment, Duke proceeded to lay out two substantial lines of schneef, while Carr discarded the AK, preparing for their habitual morning routine.
Schneef takes the lead, followed by the ritualistic sipping of coffee with a few swigs of dirt-poor vodka or rum followed by another round of Schneef. As the haze thickens, They indulge in a flurry of cigarettes, punctuated by yet more Schneef. Duke then meticulously prepares a 1-0z plastic med cup, a concoction of SOMAs, a 100mg Ghost, and a dose of 40mg Adderall. And then, a 3.5-gram blunt of the finest, high-grade cannabis. A choice between PurplePunch #1, GratefulXChemdog #6, or an obscure local strain only known as BaileyRidge.
With his morning muscle relaxant held loosely in his lips, Duke leisurely strolls towards a weathered shelf adorned with cherished relics. Each plastic circle, steaming with echoes of bygone eras. In a deliberate gesture, his hand reaches out and retrieves a Stevie Ray Vaughan vinyl record, the album "Texas Flood". Duke places the disc upon the turntable, maneuvering the needle to land on the tenth and final track, titled "Lenny."
In the sounds of crackling vinyl and bluesy vibrations, Duke and Carr find a quiet moment, merging the intoxication of sound with their morning ritual. The melodic tendrils of "Lenny" intertwine with the smoke-filled air, creating a harmonious sanctuary within the confines of their dwelling.
Carr begins, his voice etching with concern, "Duke, you know I love you dog, willing to go any length for you. But there's a real possibility that one day you might mistake an innocent stranger at our door for something else entirely." Duke, frustrated by the untimely disturbance, retorts, "Damn it, it's 7 AM on a Tuesday morning. Who the hell would be knocking like an undercover agent if they weren't an enemy of the state?" Carr counters with a hint of humor, "Well, maybe it's just some friendly girl scouts trying to sell us cookies? Or perhaps the postman delivering a parcel?" Duke scoffs, as he brandishes a rattle crafted from turtle shells, wearing a Booger Mask made up of wood and hornets nests. Duke's deep connection to his Native American heritage is evident, as these artifacts are believed to possess the power to repel evil spirits.
Carr, chewing on a mouthful of pepperoni roll, springs to his feet and marches toward the door, eyeing Duke as he sets fire to some sage and palo santo, engulfing the space in smoke. Duke traversed the apartment with purposeful strides, occasionally stopping to shake his turtle shell rattle and speak to the Great Spirit. Meanwhile, Carr reaches the door, peering through the gaping hole in their door.
To his surprise, there are no dead undercover agents, no bloody girl scouts scattered amuck, nor fallen postal workers. Stepping outside, Carr scans the surroundings, his gaze darting left and right. With a sudden surge of curiosity, he sprints toward the mailbox, chirping birds echoing in his ears. The alluring scent of fresh grass beckons him, and he wonders why they don't venture out more often, even just to bask in the scent of blooming flowers. Reaching the mailbox, he momentarily forgets his purpose.
A bird chirps once more, its call now transformed into unmistakable human words, "Post." Carr offers a nod of gratitude before tearing open the mailbox, revealing a vibrant yellow letter adorned with a starfish-shaped white wax seal. Hesitation grips him, recognizing that this could be the perfect weapon to subvert him into an unwitting insurgent—its contents potentially laced with deadly anthrax, capable of bringing an end to both his and Duke's tumultuous existence. Yet, deep down, the knowledge that they have been flirting with death for what feels like an eternity seizes his hesitation. With anticipation, Carr seizes the letter, a glimmer of defiance in his eyes, and heads back toward the door. Before retreating, he tosses a ball of bread to the friendly bird that aided him, a small token of gratitude.
Inside the apartment, Carr's voice breaks the silence, "Looks like we've received some mail. You lucky bastard, you better thank the Great Spirit that you didn't blast a hole in the mailman. You know, if you witness someone offing a postal worker, and then turn in some sort of evidence to help with the arrest and conviction for their murder, there's a $100,000 reward waiting for you." Duke chuckles and with a hint of mischief says, "Oh, come on now. You wouldn't have ratted me out for 100 grand, would you? Is that all I'm worth? Although I must admit, that kind of cash does sound tempting." A grin spreads across Duke's face. "How about this: We order something to be delivered to the unsuspecting folks down the road. I'll take aim with my hunting rifle and wait for the mailman wearing a camouflage ghillie suit, while you capture the entire spectacle on camera. We'll scoop up the reward money and ride into the wind. What do you say?"
The room's energy takes a sudden 180-degree turn as Duke witnesses Carr's eyes widening. Duke, his paranoia deeply ingrained with thoughts of the enemy of the state, mutters "Who the fuck is it? Burn after reading, always. No exceptions. I don't care if it's a letter from my dead mother." Carr responds, "Dude, it's Allicent." Duke's heart skips a beat as memories of the girl who got away rushed to his intoxicated mind. His eyes well up with tears as he stammers, "Not a funny joke, not funny at all." He hastily prepares three consecutive lines of schneef on the coffee table. "She's been missing for four damn years. The last time we spoke, she despised me, despised us. She wanted nothing to do with us ever again."
Allicent was a vision of perfection, encapsulating everything desirable in a woman. Endlessly driven, she possessed an insatiable thirst for adventure. Her smile radiated warmth, except when met with condescension. She was a genius—a basement chemist, mycologist, historian, free-thinker, a natural-born leader amongst so much more. Her beauty was unparalleled, captivating anyone with her deep blue eyes, flowing blonde hair adorned with random braids, and forgotten dreadlocks. Painted with hand-drawn sacred geometry tattoos, her flawless body was a canvas of her own expression. She effortlessly glided through life, this woman could gracefully execute a gazelle flip off a half-pipe and then lay down a wicked bassline on a head full of acid. In their eyes, she embodied the true essence of beauty.
Their minds raveling in disbelief, An unopened letter from Alicent clutched tightly in Dukes hands as he Loomed over the worn wooden desk. His fingers traced the edges, his eyes scanning over the envelope that bore the familiar flourish of Alicent's handwriting... A cigarette hung loosely from his lips, its smoke twisting upwards in the gloom of the room. He scanned the room, his eyes shadowed under the heavy weight of exhaustion and intoxication. Carr sprawled across the ragged sofa, a joint lazily balanced between his fingers as he rustled his nostril trying to clear the ketamine out of it.
An oppressive silence clung to the room, disturbed only by the ramblings of the TV. The voice of 'Gonzo' from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" echoed through the air, "Jesus, did you see what GOD just did to us, man?" They had been sitting like this for what seemed like an eternity, suspended between anticipation and apprehension, caught in the throes of a drug-induced stupor.
Finally, breaking the silence, Carr exhaled a cloud of smoke, its pungent scent blending with the stale odor of spilled beer and unwashed clothes. He ran a hand through his unkept hair and glanced at Duke with a mix of impatience and curiosity. "So, are we gonna read it or just fuckin' stare at it all day?" he drawled, nodding towards the letter on the table.
Duke blinked, emerging from his daze, and cautiously tore open the envelope, revealing Alicent's familiar handwriting sprawled across the pages. Alicent's familiar handwriting sprawled across the pages, each word etching a growing unease into their hearts.
"The pursuit of happiness..." Duke muttered, reading Alicent's message aloud. Her words painted a vivid picture of a place far removed from the choking grasp of the modern world, a commune nestled amidst nature's bounty. She spoke of the hills of the feathered starfish, a place of tranquility and kinship, a sanctuary from the greed and hatred that plagued society — this was a stark contrast to their own reality.
Yet, amidst her words of contentment, a chilling reference to the "day of the light" sent a shiver down their spines. Alicent's words held an ominous undertone, her tales of happiness tainted with the subtle hint of finality.
Turning over the letter, Duke's gaze fell upon a picture of Alicent, standing on a mountain with rolling hills in the background, dotted with tepees and yurts, bathed in the soft hues of a setting sun sprawled behind her. Her face held a serenity they had never seen, a serenity that seemed to belong to a world far removed from theirs.
Carr leaned over to study the picture. "This place...It doesn't look like anything I've seen before. Where the fuck is she?" he mused, his fingers tracing over the photograph. A deep frown etched itself onto his face as he fell into deep thought.
Duke sat back, his gaze shifting between a typewriter in the corner of the apartment and the picture of Allicent, "The edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over." a tale of a voyage into the unknown. He could feel it in his bones, the gnawing curiosity, the deep-seated desire to uncover the truth of where she was and why she decided to write to them after so many years. His gaze fell onto the typewriter, each key echoing "A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance."
A sense of determination replaced Duke's initial bewilderment. He stood, moving towards an old gun safe, he quickly dials in 0 4 1 9 0 4 1 9, an old suitcase was tucked beneath boxes of ammunition and firearms.
"We had 9 grams of schneef, 120 European Cadillacs, a vial of JORs long lost #5, a knee-high tank of nitrous oxide, a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quarter of opium, a ball of speed, 2 oz of mushrooms, enough weed to serve the east coast, and a zip lock bag of substances we were either too high or didn't care enough to label. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.”
Carr nodded, stubbing out his joint in the ash-tray. His eyes held a spark of determination, his usually laid-back demeanor was replaced with a newfound sense of purpose. The impending journey already stirring his usually placid demeanor. They knew what they were signing up for, the journey wouldn't be a walk in the park, but Alicent was worth the ride.
As the day began to fade, they started packing. The room was soon filled with the buzzing of zippers and rustling fabric, each item selected for their journey. The once quiet room now bursting with anticipation. Their adventure had begun, but will their determination to DIE fade away as they start this new journey? Will the promise of reuniting with Allicent be enough for them to go on one more day?
Duke paused, his eyes scanning the room, its walls painted with stories of disturning happenings and shenanigans. Among the clutter and graffiti, a worn-out green balloon caught his eye, its faded letters spelling out the haunting words, "RIP Mya...."
A twisted grin curled on Duke's lips as he muttered to Carr, his voice with a hint of madness. "Fuck, man, Remember when you found this in the woods?"
A smirk tugged at Carr's lips. He ran his fingers through his hair before letting out a big sigh, his eyes reflecting a hellish nostalgia. He let out a deep sigh, releasing a cloud of smoke that hung heavy in the air. The memory stirred within him. "Are you joking? I'll never forget that night," Carr began, his voice tremoring with blend of fascination and dread. "I recall being up for days on meth after a witch performed some black magick on me, I heard the loudest crash I've ever heard, almost like a god-damn plane crashed in the woods 35 feet away. I walked into the woods letting curiosity get the best of me.
Duke leaned in, his eyes wide with anticipation yet again even though this was the hundredth time he had heard this story. Carr continued, his voice dropping to a low, ominous tone. "I then saw a bright flash of green light in the distance, but as I got close enough to see what it was it was only that damnned busted balloon on the ground that said "RIP Mya" an 8yr old girl who had passed away. Carr's voice trembled as he recounted the aftermath. "The next day, fate took a hellish turn. Mya, my faithful companion, died without reason or explanation. And then, my young cousin, only eight years old, whispered something that sent me into full-blown psychosis...you shoud've taken the witch seriously, this is just the beginning, when you hear 3 knocks, just know the devil will be waiting"
They shared a nervous laugh, then collectively thought this was somewhat nice reminiscing in their hellish nature, yet hoping this new adventure would bring positive memories to replace all of the dark ones that brim their minds.
Duke turned back to their suitcase, and popped it open to reveal a secret compartment. There, tucked between 2 firearms, was a small amber jar, containing some of the most sought-after cocaine in the world. Miss Pinks's Cocaine, Duke was only 14 when he was able to navigate the Dream Market, Oasis, Hansa, Alphabay, many DarkNet markets on the web, to secure some of the most wanted drugs known to man.
Now this is not your ordinary schneef, this is genuine staghorn, not your cheap knockoff stepped-on monticorn staghorn, this schneef was carefully manufactured in a top-of-the-line German laboratory. Miss Pink uses the finest cocoa leaves, she makes small batches to ensure quality, and most of all, using anhydrous acetone, she washes each batch of these nose beers 15 times. Then an additional 5 times with chloroform. It is truly a testament to the dope feind, this is 98% pure, with a 2% cut of Vitamin B12, to, ya know balance shit out, you gotta take your vitamins.
With practiced ease, Duke poured a small mound onto the glass top of the coffee table. Using a battered ID card, he carefully shaped two neat lines. Carr watched, tapping his fingernails at the speed of sound against the table, Duke has only brought this stuff out once before, who knows when he will again. The illicit substance represented more than just a chemical high—it was their means of escape, a vehicle of dissociation and derealization they so desperately needed.
"Carr," Duke began, offering him the rolled-up Benjamin, "To old times, and to the journey ahead if we end up dying- at least we fed the head."
With a nod, Carr accepted the note, leaning over the table. He snorted the first line, the sharp sensation sending a shudder through him. After a brief moment, he screams "Jesus Christ this shit is jet fuel!" he passed the note back to Duke, who quickly followed suit.
Duke rips the line with ease, then swabbed the remaining powder for some scoobysnax. Carr, who is now blaring techno and dancing says "Bro we should start a go-fund-me, or go build a school in Nepal, fuck I just want to run, Do you think I could outrun an emu? I heard they can run like 30 MPH, I think I could run 30 MPH, idk man I would probably need better shoes-, Duke interrupts and says "Dude you are literally yakked out huh" - "I'm literally yakkychan" -"I'm the lead singer of the yak street boys" they both laugh for a while and lit up a cigarette.
This buzz coursing through their veins, its effects immediate and potent. An electrifying energy pulsed within them, and their senses heightened. They exchanged a look of understanding.
Hours passed as they packed the remainder of their essentials, the room now resonating with the focused hum of their preparations. With every item tucked away into their suitcase, they were a step closer to finding Allicent and the hills of the Feathered Starfish.
As Duke loaded the last of their belongings, he took one last glance around their apartment. The battered furniture, the stained carpets, the spilled beers and unwashed cloths, the dirty needles scattered everywhere. – it was a melancholic farewell to a past that had shackled them for too long. It was time for a fresh start, time to go in a new direction for once and for all and leave this version of themselves behind.
They stood at the precipice of an extraordinary journey, their hearts fluttering with a mix of anxiety and excitement. As the dusk painted the sky with hues of purple and red, they packed up their belongings into Hallii, Dukes' 1991 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL, they gassed her up and took her down Route 50 towards OHIO blasting the song "KoKo by E.VAX".
To be Continued...
2023.05.30 18:42 Weirdfull_State_052 Babel
This is my first poem. I was inspired by Metropolis, one of my favorite fictional universe. This film is so rich in subjects to address but I wanted to give glory to its magnificent architecture. I hope you will appreciate it!
Here I am at the doors of Infinity
Before me, Her Immensity
Her Light shines, dazzles me
In Her Presence, the Everything flees
The chariots of chrome and steel
Glides on the asphalt
Flow into Her Heart, attracted
Promise of fame and fortune
Its lights stretch towards the dawn
That a dark light, that a pale copy
Pearl its rays, arise
Cover this infamy
Capital of the Very High frees itself from limits
A city of concrete for the glory of Man
This world of lines, in lignite colors
The New Order, like a pencil and an eraser
Of all the cities
She, Her Majesty
The Living bow down
Down to honor her
I return to exile in this world
Heavy as a rock
Like dead wood carried by the wave
O' City of the Cyclops
submitted by Weirdfull_State_052 to Poems [link] [comments]
Here I am at the doors of Infinity
Before me, Her Immensity
Her Light shines, dazzles me
In Her Presence, the Everything flees
The chariots of chrome and steel
Glides on the asphalt
Flow into Her Heart, attracted
Promise of fame and fortune
Its lights stretch towards the dawn
That a dark light, that a pale copy
Pearl its rays, arise
Cover this infamy
Capital of the Very High frees itself from limits
A city of concrete for the glory of Man
This world of lines, in lignite colors
The New Order, like a pencil and an eraser
Of all the cities
She, Her Majesty
The Living bow down
Down to honor her
I return to exile in this world
Heavy as a rock
Like dead wood carried by the wave
O' City of the Cyclops
2023.05.30 18:41 M_Tootles The Recursive Homecomings Of Petyr & Theon Part 8: Bovine Eyes & Eyes With Stys; Sylas Sourmouth & Silas Marner; Theon's Uncle & Petyr's Hermit; "Petyr Pan" & "Wendamyr Darling" (Spoilers Extended)
This post is part of a series looking at the massive amount of 'rhyming' (and occasionally rhyming) recursivity I believe exists between (a) the homecoming of Petyr Baelish to the Fingers and (b) the homecoming of Theon Greyjoy to Pyke.
While this series/post can be read simply as a study 'for its own sake' of the curious recursion between these storylines, it is my belief that the 'rhyming' explored here between the stories of Petyr and Theon exists (at least in part) to foreshadow that, like Theon, Petyr Littlefinger, is (among other things) a scion of ironborn kings, because Petyr is Hoare-ish: I.e. because Petyr's blood is (in some part) the blood of the ironborn kings of House Hoare of Orkmont and, later, Harrenhal.
You can find an index of every post I've made on the topic of a Hoare-ish Littlefinger [HERE].
Even if I'm wrong about Littlefinger's lineage, the 'rhyming' recursivity between the homecomings of Theon and Petyr detailed in this series remains, and certainly merits attention.
NOTE: In what follows, all uncited quotes are from ASOS Sansa VI, which describes Petyr's homecoming to his "Drearfort" tower of the 'Smallest Finger', or ACOK Theon I, which describes Theon's homecoming to "drear" Pyke.
As in past posts, I sometimes use "→" as shorthand for "prefigures" and/or "informs" and/or "is reworked by" and/or "finds a recursive 'rhyme' in".
As in: ACOK Theon I → ASOS Sansa VI.
This post picks up straight-away from where Part 7 left off. You can read Part 7 [HERE].
If you want to begin at the beginning, Part 1 is [HERE].
As Theon approaches Lordsport, he thinks of a few faces he thinks he might find waiting for him, including one Sylas Sourmouth:
When Theon makes landfall at Lordsport, none of the "smallfolk going about their small business" know him, nor does he know them:
Note that Petyr doesn't know (and isn't known by) "the child… with a sty on one eye". This conflates and reworks (a) Theon being unrecognized by the "gaunt" — i.e. decidedly un-pig-like (see: "sty" as in pigsty) — children of castle Pyke, whose eyes are flawed in their own way—
One more point of immediate interest to the hypothesis being explored here: "Marner" means sailomariner. If Petyr is in part a riff on Silas Marner, this could be yet another suggestion that he's Hoare-ish and thus ironborn.
That all 'rhymes' with the Aeron we meet during Theon's homecoming in ACOK. To wit…
Aeron's thin physique, uncut hair and "untrimmed beard" make him look like a stereotypical hermit, but where Petyr's hermit was given a "skin of wine", Aeron carries a "waterskin":
That Aeron is a priest is also consistent with his prefiguring Petyr's hermit, in that being a 'proper' hermit is a religious calling. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermit)
Aeron echews the comforts of a castle, refusing Theon's offer to "stay the night and share our meat and mead":
Where the hermit was a wino, Aeron's a former drunk—
Where the hermit "had not washed in… years", Aeron is called "Damphair", as if he's just bathed—
Naturally.
One of the first things we see Theon do is 'grope' the captain's daughter. A lot.
So where Theon gropes the captain's daughter for a "cup of wine", Petyr, "for half a cup", would have been willing to say, as the wino hermit did, that he'd be "a great man"… which is not coincidentally what Theon in effect tells his just-groped captain's daughter (for free) when he implies that he's going to be a king:
Note that it makes sense that Qalen should prefigure Petyr's hermit, as the name "Qalen" recalls [Hermetic Qabala].
Meanwhile, the rest of Helya's answer prefigures Petyr having "a hermit's cave… but no hermit", as the line "Wendamyr keeps the ravens now" invites us to think this untitled Wendamyr fellow might not be a maester, but rather a 'mere' raven-keeper (a la Chett and later Sam at the Wall or Pate in Oldtown), which would mean there's a maester's tower, but no maester.
Yes, the appendix clears this up, but in the narrative itself it's as if there's now only some rando dude named Wendamyr who isn't a maester but who "keeps the ravens" so Balon doesn't lose access to rapid communication, even if (we might infer) he doesn't want those pesky maesters around now that he's brought back the Old Way.
Moreover, given that that passage comes but one page before Theon is pointedly unrecognized by the people of Pyke castle, I suspect GRRM deliberately recycled the word "mine" into the odd way Petyr talks about his smallfolk just before he shows Sansa the hermit's cave:
Note the 'perfect' pairing of their breaths: sour wine and bad cheese.
To be sure, Lysa voices these complaints in the Drearfort during Petyr's homecoming chapter, the morning after she weds Petyr, whose breath, she says, "is always fresh", thus creating another strong thread of connection between ACOK Theon I and ASOS Sansa VI. But there's something else going on here.
It's worth noting that after getting caught up in Peter's world and enjoying herself for some time, Wendy remembers who she really is and decides to return home, bringing her brothers with her.
On a totally different note: Does the foregoing suggest that Wendamyr might somehow 'belong' to Petyr?
submitted by M_Tootles to asoiaf [link] [comments]
While this series/post can be read simply as a study 'for its own sake' of the curious recursion between these storylines, it is my belief that the 'rhyming' explored here between the stories of Petyr and Theon exists (at least in part) to foreshadow that, like Theon, Petyr Littlefinger, is (among other things) a scion of ironborn kings, because Petyr is Hoare-ish: I.e. because Petyr's blood is (in some part) the blood of the ironborn kings of House Hoare of Orkmont and, later, Harrenhal.
You can find an index of every post I've made on the topic of a Hoare-ish Littlefinger [HERE].
Even if I'm wrong about Littlefinger's lineage, the 'rhyming' recursivity between the homecomings of Theon and Petyr detailed in this series remains, and certainly merits attention.
As in: ACOK Theon I → ASOS Sansa VI.
If you want to begin at the beginning, Part 1 is [HERE].
Smallfolk Who Do Not Know Them
What about the rest of what we read about Petyr's sight-seeing field trip with Sansa? What about that fact that most of Petyr's smallfolk do not "know him"? And what about that hermit? I submit that all of this—Farther inland a dozen families lived in huts of piled stone beside a peat bog. "Mine own smallfolk," Petyr said, though only the oldest seemed to know him. There was a hermit's cave on his land as well, but no hermit. "He's dead now, but when I was a boy my father took me to see him. The man had not washed in forty years, so you can imagine how he smelled, but supposedly he had the gift of prophecy. He groped me a bit and said I would be a great man, and for that my father gave him a skin of wine." Petyr snorted. "I would have told him the same thing for half a cup."—is a masterful kaleidoscopic reworking of several aspects of Theon's homecoming chapter. I'll explain.
As Theon approaches Lordsport, he thinks of a few faces he thinks he might find waiting for him, including one Sylas Sourmouth:
As the Myraham made her way landward, Theon paced the deck restlessly, scanning the shore. … [S]urely his father would have sent someone to meet him. Sylas Sourmouth the steward, Lord Botley, perhaps even Dagmer Cleftjaw. …We'll see shortly that Sylas is a dead, smelly wino, just like Littlefinger's hermit.
When Theon makes landfall at Lordsport, none of the "smallfolk going about their small business" know him, nor does he know them:
[Theon] saw no familiar faces…When he later enters Pyke castle, Theon again knows no one and no one 'seems to know him', so to speak, save the "old crone" who keeps the castle for Balon:
[The captain:] "I've brought your heir back to you."
The Lordsport men gazed on Theon with blank, bovine eyes, and he realized that they did not know who he was. It made him angry. He… strode down the gangplank. "Innkeeper," he barked, "I require a horse."
"As you say, m'lord," the man responded, without so much as a bow. … "Where would you be riding, m'lord?"
… The fool still did not know him. He should have worn his good doublet, with the kraken embroidered on the breast.
The gates stood open to him, the rusted iron portcullis drawn up. The guards atop the battlements watched with strangers' eyes as Theon Greyjoy came home at last.So clearly the smallfolk of Pyke "did not know" Theon, whereas he is at least recognized by Helya, the "old crone" with a position in Balon's castle. It's easy to imagine "Prince" Theon bitching:
A pair of gaunt children and some thralls stared at him with dull eyes, but there was no sign of his lord father, nor anyone else he recalled from boyhood. A bleak and bitter homecoming, he thought. …
A bentback old crone in a shapeless grey dress approached him warily. "M'lord, I am sent to show you to chambers."
"By whose bidding?"
"Your lord father, m'lord."
Theon pulled off his gloves. "So you do know who I am. …" … "And who are you?"
"Helya, who keeps this castle for your lord father."
"Mine own smallfolk, yet only the old crone who keeps Pyke for my father seems to know me!"That entirely true statement would, of course, neatly prefigure what's said about Petyr and his "own smallfolk" during his sight-seeing 'field trip' with Sansa:
"Mine own smallfolk," Petyr said, though only the oldest seemed to know him.Note the recursive use of the term "know" there:
- Theon: "They did not know who he was"; "The fool still did not know him"; "So you do know who I am" → Petyr: "Only the oldest seemed to know him"
Recognition & Barnyard Eyes
Meanwhile, Theon being recognized by Helya — an (a) old crone and (b) Balon's castle-keeper — seems to be reworked when Petyr makes his landfall at the Drearfort, when he is verbatim "recognized" by all save the youngest of his castle household:Servants emerged from the tower to meet them; a thin old woman and a fat middle-aged one, two ancient white-haired men, and a girl of two or three with a sty on one eye. When they recognized Lord Petyr they knelt on the rocks. "My household," he said. "I don't know the child."GRRM's odd choice here to write, "When they recognized" him…" rather than e.g. "When they saw Lord Petyr…" or "When they realized it was Lord Petyr…" makes sense if we 'know' that GRRM is writing a 'rhyming' 'song': Theon was at least recognized by Helya, and this nods to that, even as the warm greeting and mutual recognition Petyr receives from and shares with his household is otherwise the yin to Theon's yang.
Note that Petyr doesn't know (and isn't known by) "the child… with a sty on one eye". This conflates and reworks (a) Theon being unrecognized by the "gaunt" — i.e. decidedly un-pig-like (see: "sty" as in pigsty) — children of castle Pyke, whose eyes are flawed in their own way—
A pair of gaunt children… stared at him with dull eyes…—and (b) the "blank, bovine eyes" of the Lordsport men who "did not know who [Theon] was":
The Lordsport men gazed on Theon with blank, bovine eyes, and he realized that they did not know who he was.This seems intentional: Eye styes can be spelled "sty" in the singular, as GRRM does here, but "stye" is preferred to differentiate from "sty" meaning a pig pen. The choice to spell it "sty" gives the girl who doesn't know Petyr a livestock-evoking eye and thus recursively riffs on Theon's homecoming, in which the men who "did not know who he was" had cattle-evoking eyes. The 'rhyme' is patent.
Sylas Sourmouth & Petyr's Hermit
Getting back to Theon's homecoming and its prefiguration of Sansa's 'field trip' with Petyr… Having been recognized by Helya, Theon asks her about Sylas Sourmouth, who he'd remembered when sailing into Lordsport:"Sylas was steward here. They called him Sourmouth." Even now, Theon could recall the winey stench of the old man's breath.So Sylas was a foul-smelling wino who is "dead these five years". He thus prefigures Petyr's dead, foul-smelling wino-hermit, who "had not washed in forty years". But he's not the only character in ACOK Theon I who seems to have inspired the story of Petyr's hermit.
"Dead these five years, m'lord."
"Sylas" Marner
The name "Sylas" shores up the fact that there's a connection between Theon and Petyr, if "only" via the 'rhyme' between Sylas and Petyr's hermit, as it's surely a reference to [Silas Marner by George Eliot], the plot of which massively resonates with Petyr's story.- Silas is accused of embezzling funds. (See Littlefinger.)
- The evidence against him is a knife. (See Littlefinger.)
- Silas loses his fiancee to a rival. (See Littlefinger.)
- Silas goes to live in the middle of nowhere and loses all faith in God. (See Littlefinger.)
- Silas hoards and loves gold he earns from weaving. (See Littlefinger hoarding/loving gold and weaving his webs of lies. See also the "woven leathers" on the Myraham, which 'rhymes' so comprehensively with the Merling King. This also jibes with elpadrinonegro's conviction that the Vale story is riffing on Midsummer Night's Dream, with its weaver.)
- Silas adopts a daughter sired by a highborn man and found on a snowy night, her mother dead in the snow. He names her after his deceased mother. (See Littlefinger, and AGOT's first chapter.)
- The daughter "grows up to be the pride of the village" (as Sansa is set to be the pride of the Vale?).
One more point of immediate interest to the hypothesis being explored here: "Marner" means sailomariner. If Petyr is in part a riff on Silas Marner, this could be yet another suggestion that he's Hoare-ish and thus ironborn.
Aeron & Petyr's Hermit
Sylas has something in common with the one person who does 'greet' Theon when he lands at Lordsport: Aeron, who we're quickly told twice is "sour", just like Sylas Sourmouth, the stinky dead wino who we already 'rhymed' with Petyr's hermit:He is as mad as he is sour. Theon had liked what he remembered of the old Aeron Greyjoy.Indeed, it's clear that the "sour" Aeron of ACOK Theon I & II and Sylas Sourmouth are mashed up and rejiggered into Petyr's hermit story (repeated here for reference):
Mallister… was a more amiable riding companion than this sour old priest that his uncle Aeron had turned into.
There was a hermit's cave on his land as well, but no hermit. "He's dead now, but when I was a boy my father took me to see him. The man had not washed in forty years, so you can imagine how he smelled, but supposedly he had the gift of prophecy. He groped me a bit and said I would be a great man, and for that my father gave him a skin of wine." Petyr snorted. "I would have told him the same thing for half a cup."Consider that Petyr's hermit was a drunk who "had not washed in… years", who "supposedly… had the gift of prophecy", who received a "skin of wine" for telling Petyr's father Petyr "would be a great man", and who died some unknown number of years ago.
That all 'rhymes' with the Aeron we meet during Theon's homecoming in ACOK. To wit…
Aeron's thin physique, uncut hair and "untrimmed beard" make him look like a stereotypical hermit, but where Petyr's hermit was given a "skin of wine", Aeron carries a "waterskin":
Tall and thin, …the priest was garbed in mottled robes of green and grey and blue…. A waterskin hung under his arm on a leather strap, and ropes of dried seaweed were braided through his waist-long black hair and untrimmed beard.The seaweed braided in his beard evokes the beach, where dwell… hermit crabs, who likewise pick up and make use of beach detritus.
That Aeron is a priest is also consistent with his prefiguring Petyr's hermit, in that being a 'proper' hermit is a religious calling. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermit)
Aeron echews the comforts of a castle, refusing Theon's offer to "stay the night and share our meat and mead":
"Bring you, I was told. You are brought. Now I return to our god's business." Aeron Greyjoy turned his horse and rode slowly out beneath the muddy spikes of the portcullis.This prefigures Petyr's hermit being a cave-dweller,
Where the hermit was a wino, Aeron's a former drunk—
The priest's manner was chilly, most unlike the man Theon remembered. Aeron Greyjoy had been… fond of… ale….—who is now "drunk on seawater and sanctity":
"Aeron is drunk on seawater and sanctity. He lives only for his god—" - Theon (ACOK Theon II)That phrase neatly prefigures the juxtaposition of the seawater-shooting blowhole with the boulder chiseled with the sign of the Seven, which we see just before the show-and-tell around Petyr's hermit.
Where the hermit "had not washed in… years", Aeron is called "Damphair", as if he's just bathed—
As the man approached, the smallfolk bent the knee, and Theon heard the innkeeper murmur, "Damphair."—and he greets Theon by giving him a bath:
"Bow your head." Lifting the skin, his uncle pulled the cork and directed a thin stream of seawater down upon Theon's head. It drenched his hair and ran over his forehead into his eyes. Sheets washed down his cheeks, and a finger crept under his cloak and doublet and down his back, a cold rivulet along his spine.We're also told twice that Aeron was "washed" in the ocean. The first time foregrounds "memory" and letter-writing, which prefigures Littlefinger the letter-writer recounting his childhood memory of the hermit to Sansa:
A memory prodded at Theon. In one of his rare curt letters, Lord Balon had written of his youngest brother going down in a storm, and turning holy when he washed up safe on shore. "Uncle Aeron?" he said doubtfullyThe second time paints Aeron as a dry drunk again, even as Aeron tells Theon that the man Theon knew as Aeron "drowned", implying he died some years ago, as the hermit did:
"And what of you, Uncle?" Theon asked. "You were no priest when I was taken from Pyke. I remember how you would sing the old reaving songs standing on the table with a horn of ale in hand."Finally, where the prophet "supposedly… had the gift of prophecy" and used it to tell Petyr's father that Petyr "would be a great man", Aeron offers a prophetic interpretation of the red comet:
"Young I was, and vain," Aeron Greyjoy said, "but the sea washed my follies and my vanities away. That man drowned, nephew. His lungs filled with seawater, and the fish ate the scales off his eyes. When I rose again, I saw clearly."
[Theon, to Aeron:] "They say the red comet is a herald of a new age. A messenger from the gods."Everything we subsequently read about Aeron only reinforces the 'rhyme': In AFFC it's spelled out that he was a drunk, he calls himself "the prophet", and we learn that he was molested by Euron, thus 'rhyming' with Petyr being "groped… a bit" by the hermit. Then, in The Forsaken, he has an apocalyptic vision of the future while tripping on special wine.
"A sign it is," the priest agreed, "but from our god, not theirs. A burning brand it is, such as our people carried of old. It is the flame the Drowned God brought from the sea, and it proclaims a rising tide. It is time to hoist our sails and go forth into the world with fire and sword, as he did."
Groping, Bragging, Snorting
But what about when GRRM wrote ASOS Sansa VI? Were there already things in Theon's ACOK homecoming prefiguring Petyr's quip about getting "groped" by the hermit?"He groped me a bit and said I would be a great man, and for that my father gave him a skin of wine." Petyr snorted. "I would have told him the same thing for half a cup."Or for that matter prefiguring Petyr snorting and/or his quip about "doing the same thing for half a cup" and/or the hermit saying he "would be a great man"?
Naturally.
One of the first things we see Theon do is 'grope' the captain's daughter. A lot.
Theon agreed, squeezing her breast…And how does Theon get her to let him grope her? With the same thing with which Petyr's father paid the hermit: wine!
Theon's finger circled one heavy teat, spiraling in toward the fat brown nipple.
"As I have," he said, rolling her nipple idly between his fingers.
The captain's daughter… had come to his bed willingly enough all the same. A cup of wine, a few whispers, and there she was.(I guess Theon couldn't find a girl who'd let him do it "for half a cup.")
So where Theon gropes the captain's daughter for a "cup of wine", Petyr, "for half a cup", would have been willing to say, as the wino hermit did, that he'd be "a great man"… which is not coincidentally what Theon in effect tells his just-groped captain's daughter (for free) when he implies that he's going to be a king:
"As many times as I've fucked you, you're likely with child. It's not every man who has the honor of raising a king's bastard."Theon still more unmistakably prefigures Petyr's hermit (saying Petyr would be "a great man") when, during his ride back to Pyke from Lordsport with "Esgred" a.k.a. Asha in ACOK Theon II, he says he will be verbatim "a great man":
[Asha:] "A grievous thing when a great man grows old."What is he doing when he says this? Making even more like Petyr's hermit by 'groping' her, too:
[Theon:] "Lord Balon is but the father of a great man."
When they were well beyond Lordsport, Theon put a hand on her breast. Esgred reached up and plucked it away.In reply to Theon's groping and flirting and declarations of greatness, Asha… "snorted", just like Petyr when he talks about the hermit:
[Theon] slid his hand back up to where it had been. Her breasts were small, but he liked the firmness of them.
"I like a woman with a good tight grip."Thus it's hardly a stretch to imagine that this—
She [Asha] snorted. "I'd not have thought it, by that wench on the waterfront."
"He groped me a bit and said I would be a great man, and for that my father gave him a skin of wine." Petyr snorted. "I would have told him the same thing for half a cup."—was written as a recursive, kaleidoscopic riff on Theon's homecoming.
Qalen, Wendamyr, & Petyr's Hermit
There remains one detail regarding Petyr's hermit that is as yet unmoored/un-'rhymed':There was a hermit's cave on his land as well, but no hermit.The hermit having a cave "on his land" but the cave having "no hermit" is a 'rhyming' rejiggering of what Helya says after Theon (having heard that Sylas Sourmouth is dead) asks her about a Maester Qalen:
"And what of Maester Qalen, where is he?""He sleeps in the sea" is clearly a euphemism for being dead. The words "he sleeps in the sea" thus prefigure Petyr talking about a dead hermit who once lived "on his land". (sea → land)
"He sleeps in the sea. Wendamyr keeps the ravens now."
Note that it makes sense that Qalen should prefigure Petyr's hermit, as the name "Qalen" recalls [Hermetic Qabala].
Meanwhile, the rest of Helya's answer prefigures Petyr having "a hermit's cave… but no hermit", as the line "Wendamyr keeps the ravens now" invites us to think this untitled Wendamyr fellow might not be a maester, but rather a 'mere' raven-keeper (a la Chett and later Sam at the Wall or Pate in Oldtown), which would mean there's a maester's tower, but no maester.
Yes, the appendix clears this up, but in the narrative itself it's as if there's now only some rando dude named Wendamyr who isn't a maester but who "keeps the ravens" so Balon doesn't lose access to rapid communication, even if (we might infer) he doesn't want those pesky maesters around now that he's brought back the Old Way.
The Abandoned Mine
That said, there is another piece of the puzzle. About two pages before Helya tells Theon about Sylas and Qalen and Wendamyr, he sees the abandoned workings of a mine during his ride to Pyke:They kept a steady plodding pace, past a shepherd's croft and the abandoned workings of a mine.An abandoned mine pretty clearly prefigures Petyr's hermit's cave with no hermit.
Moreover, given that that passage comes but one page before Theon is pointedly unrecognized by the people of Pyke castle, I suspect GRRM deliberately recycled the word "mine" into the odd way Petyr talks about his smallfolk just before he shows Sansa the hermit's cave:
"Mine own smallfolk," Petyr said, though only the oldest seemed to know him. There was a hermit's cave on his land as well, but no hermit.(The "abandoned workings of a mine" formulation, meanwhile, foregrounds the work done at a mine, such as chiseling through rock, and thus prefigures the place on Petyr's lands where the Andals "had chiseled the seven-pointed star of the new gods upon a boulder" before abandoning it to become the desolate place it 'now' is.)
Slyas Sourmouth & Jon Arryn
Just one more thing regarding Theon's exchange with Helya, in which we read that Sylas and Qalen are dead, while someone called Wendamyr "keeps the ravens now":"Sylas was steward here. They called him Sourmouth." Even now, Theon could recall the winey stench of the old man's breath.Petyr's smelly wino-hermit aside, what does Sylas the Steward — a verbatim "old man" with terrible "breath" who died five years ago — evoke if not Lysa's complaints about the "stinking" and "foul breath" of Jon Arryn, who was, she thought when she wed him, "such an old man, how long could he live", and whose breath smelled like "bad cheese" (of the sort a "Sour" steward might serve)?
"Dead these five years, m'lord."
"And what of Maester Qalen, where is he?"
"He sleeps in the sea. Wendamyr keeps the ravens now."
Note the 'perfect' pairing of their breaths: sour wine and bad cheese.
To be sure, Lysa voices these complaints in the Drearfort during Petyr's homecoming chapter, the morning after she weds Petyr, whose breath, she says, "is always fresh", thus creating another strong thread of connection between ACOK Theon I and ASOS Sansa VI. But there's something else going on here.
Petyr Pan & Wendamyr Darling
Noting that we're told about Sylas and his breath just before we're told about Qalen and Wendamyr, surely we might say something like this:- Where Pyke's former keeper of the cheese, the wine-breathed "old man" Sylas the Steward, is 'out' and where Wendamyr is 'in' as raven-keeper at Pyke… the cheese-breathed "old man" Jon Arryn is 'out' and the fresh-breathed Petyr is 'in' at the Eyrie.
- much younger Petyr & Wendamyr have replaced the old men Sylas/Qalen and Jon Arryn.
- Petyr & Wendamyr ≈ Peter and Wendy
- Peter Pan and Wendy Darling → Petyr & Wendamyr
It's worth noting that after getting caught up in Peter's world and enjoying herself for some time, Wendy remembers who she really is and decides to return home, bringing her brothers with her.
On a totally different note: Does the foregoing suggest that Wendamyr might somehow 'belong' to Petyr?
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 9: "Cargos, Slatterns & Butchery" with Helya & Grisel.
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GameBoy Color Atomic Purple (works, needs new speaker) $65
Games* Aladdin (Game and box, missing manual) $60* Gex Enter the Gecko CIB $45* Powerpuff Girls Bad Mojo Jojo CIB $25* Spider-Man $10* The Simpsons Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror $15GameBoy Advance* Risk / Battleship / Clue 3 pack cart $5* Stuntman $5* Texas Hold Em Poker $5* Top Gun Firestorm $5* Yu-Gi-Oh Ultimate MastersNintendo DS* Battleship NEW $10* Bejeweled 3 $5* Brain Age $5* Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force $5* Flash Focus Vision Training $5* Garfield's Fun Fest (cart only) $5* Ghostbusters The Video Game (cart only) $5* Gremlins Gizmo NEW $20* Lego Batman 2 (cart only) $5* Lego Battles Ninjago (cart only) $5* Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 (cart only) $5* Lego Indiana Jones (cart only) $5* Lego Lord of the Rings (cart only) $5* Lego Marvel Super Heroes (cart only) $5* Lego Star Wars the Complete Sage (cart only) $8* Lego Star Wars III The Clone Wars $5* Mario Cart DS CIB (x2) $15 each* My Amusement Park (cart only) $5* My Word Coach $5* Namco Museum $7* Paws and Claws Dogs and Cats Best Friends (cart only) $5* Petz Hamsterz Life 2 (cart only) $5* SimCity $10* Spectrobes (cart only) $5* SpongeBob SquarePants Yellow Avenger (cart only) $5* SpongeBob SquarePants Plankton's Robotic Revenge (cart only) $5* SpongeBob's Boating Bash (cart only) $5* Trash Packs (cart only) $5* Ultimate Spider-Man (cart only) $13* UNO 52 (cart only) $5* Wall-E $5* Wario Ware DIY NEW (small tear in cellophane) $35* Zuma's Revenge $10
Nintendo 3DS* Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion (cart only) $10* Disney Magical World (cart only) $10* Goosebumps The Game (cart only) $5* Hyrule Warriors Legends NEW $50* Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham (cart only) $5* Lego Legends of Chima Lava's Journey (cart only) $5* Lego Ninjago Nindroids (cart only) $5* Lego Ninjago Shadow of Ronin (cart only) $5* Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey NEW $85* Mario Party The Top 100 (cart only) $15* Regular Show in 8-Bit Land $15* Snoopy's Grand Adventure (cart only) $5* Steel Diver $5* The Sums 3 Pets (cart only) $20* Wario Ware Gold NEW $60
Amiibo* Sephiroth NEW $25* Kazyua NEW $15
SEGASega SaturnConsoles* Sega Saturn Model 2 Console ( installed TerraonionMODE + 2TB Sandisk SSD w/ full console library) $600Games* Alien Trilogy (disc only) $35* Christmas Nights Into Dreams $70* Daytona USA (disc only) $10* Mr. Bones $120* Myst $20* Myst (disc only) $10* NHL 97 (disc only) $5* Nights into Dreams (3D Control Pad Bundle, includes controller + all inserts) $150* Panzer Dragoon $75* Panzer Dragoon II Zwei $120* Panzer Dragoon Saga $1,050* Road Rash (disc only) $25* Sonic 3D Blast (disc only) $25* Virtua Cop (disc only) $5**Virtua Fighter 2 (disc only) $7
PlayStationPlayStation 2Consoles* Black Fat Model (x2) $60 eachPlayStation 3* AC/DC Live Rock Band Track Pack $7* Air Conflicts Pacific Carriers $10* Asura's Wrath (missing manual) $40*Atelier Ayesha The Alchemist of Dusk $25* Atelier Escha & Logy Alchemists of the Dusk Sky $25* Atelier Meruru The Apprentice of Arland $22* Atelier Rorona The Alchemist of Arland NEW $30* Band Hero $7* Beowulf The Game $7* BlazBlue Continuum Shift NEW $15* Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway $6* Buzz! Quiz TV $10* Call of Duty Black Ops II NEW $30* Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 game + steelbook $15* Catherine NEW $25* Civilization Revolution $10* Conflict Denied Ops $7* Dark Sector $7* Dead Space 2 $13* Defiance $5* Dragon's Dogma $7* Enchanted Arms $15* Eternal Sonata NEW $35* Eye of Judgement PS EYE Camera Bundle $65* EyePet $5* EyePet & Friends $5* FaceBreaker $10* Final Fantasy XIII-2 NEW $25* Guardians of Middle Earth (case and insert only, game was bought with a code)* Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock $12* Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning $8* Kung Fu Rider $5* Last Rebellion $30* Leisure Suit Larry Box Office Bust $20* Lost DImension NEW $90* Lost Via Domus $8* MAG $5* MLB 07 $5* Madden NFL 10 $5* Madden NFL 11 $5* Madden NFL 13 $5* Medieval Moves Deadmund's Quest $5* Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 $7* Record of Agarest War 2 $20* RockBand $20* Rocksmith $15* Sacred 3 $10* SingStar $10* Sorcery $5* Sports Champions $5* Star Trek NEW $10* Start the Party $5* The Club $6* Trinity Souls of Zill O'll $50* Wonderbook Book of Spells $10PlayStation 4* Agents of Mayhem $5* Batman Arkham VR NEW $15* Battleborn $5* Call of Duty WWII Valor Collection NEW $50* Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled NEW $20* Evolve $5* Extinction $5* Jak II Limited Run $90 + T-shirt $50* Lord of The Rings Middle Earth Shadow of War NEW (x3) $10 Each* Rayman Legends (PlayStation Hits) NEW $15* Shenmue 3 + Steelbook NEW $30
PlayStation 5* Among Us Impostor Edition NEW $35PSPConsoles
* PSP 1000 console (loose disk tray, still working) $50Games* Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII (UMD Only) $10* Darkstalkers Chronicle The Chaos Tower $20* Dynasty Warriors (UMD Only) $5* EyePet $5* Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions (UMD Only) (x2) $10 each* God of War Chains of Olympus $20* Iron Man (UMD Only) $5* MLB 09 THe Show (UMD Only) $5* MVP Baseball (UMD Only) $5* Madden 2006 (UMD Only) $5* Madden 2008 (UMD Only) $5* Marvel Nemesis Rise of the Imperfects (UMD Only) $7* NBA Live 2008 (UMD Only) $5* Neopets Petpet Adventures The Wand of Wishin (UMD Only) $10* Rapala Trophies (UMD Only) $5* Ridge Racer (UMD Only) $7* Sonic Rivals (UMD Only) $10* SpongeBob SquarePants The Yellow Avenger $10* Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron (UMD Only) $7* Syphon Filter Dark Mirror (UMD Only) $5* Syphon Filter Logan's Shadow / Killzone Liberation Dual Pack NEW $20* Untold Legends Brotherhood of the Blade $8* Untold Legends Brotherhood of the Blade (UMD ONLY) $5* Untold Legends The Warriors Code (UMD Only) $5PS Vita* Hot Shots Golf World Invitational (cart only) $10* Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 $10* Lego Marvel Super Heroes Universe in Peril $10* Lego Marvel's Avengers $17* PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale $15* Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed (cart only) $20
XboxOriginalAMF Bowling $5Batman Dark Tomorrow $18Big Mutha Truckers $6Big Mutha Truckers 2 $6Blackstone Magic and Steel $42Castlevania Curse of Darkness $23Codename Kids Next Door Operation VIDEOGAME $10Conflict Desert Storm $5Conflict Vietnam $5Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure $20Dr. Muto $10Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone $54Kingdom Under Fire Heroes $8NHL2K6 NEW $10Need For Speed Carbon $7Need for Speed Underground $10Need for Speed Underground 2 $15PGR $5PGR 2 $5Scaler $10Shark Tale $5Star Wars KOTOR $10Tron 2.0 Killer App $12Test Drive off Road Wide Open $7The Hobbit $10Tiger Woods 2004 $4Top Gear RPM Tuning $7Totaled $9WWE Raw 2 $20Whiplash $15Worms 3D $10Zapper $10
submitted by Outrageous_Mind6518 to GameSale [link] [comments]
Super Nintendo SNESConsoles / Controllers* OEM Controller CIB $60Games* Super Metroid $70
Nintendo 64* Army Men Sarge's Heroes (game and manual) $20* Blast Corps (game and manual) $25* Namco Museum $7* Ridge Racer 64 $12* Super Mario 64 $35* Tarzan $15* The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask (game and box, missing manual, excellent) $160
GameCube* LEGO Star Wars (disc only) $5* Lego Star Wars II The Original Trilogy (disc only) $5* Shrek 2 (disc only) $5* Shrek Superslam (disc only) $5* Spider-Man 2 (disc only) $5* Tak 2 The Staff of Dreams (disc only) $5
WiiConsoles / Controllers* Wii White Consoles + AV and Power Cords (x7) $50 EachGames* Big Brain Academy Wii Degree $5* Cabela's Survival Shadows of Katmai $5* Def Jam Rapstar $5* Geometry Wars Galaxies $8* Ghost Squad $8* Hasbro Family Game Night 2 $6* Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga $6* Mario Kart Wii $26*Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games $10**My Word Coach $5* New Super Mario Bros Wii (x2) $20 each* Nights Journey of Dreams $10 each* No More Heroes $15* Okami $10* Rayman Raving Rabbids $5* Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 $5* Rock Band $10* Rock Band 2 $10* Samurai Warriors 3 $10* Samurai Warriors Katana $10* Super Mario Galaxy $15* Wii Sports Resort $30
Wii UConsoles / Controllers* OEM GameCube Controller Adapter $40Games* Captain Toad Treasure Tracker Amiibo Bundle NEW $50* Paper Mario Color Splash NEW $90* Yoshi's Wooly World Pink Amiibo Bundle NEW $80
Nintendo SwitchConsoles / Controllers* Blue and Red Joycon Console CIB $220Games* Just Dance 2019 $15* Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate NEW (x2) $20 each* Super Smash Bros Ultimate $36
GameBoy* Bart Simpson Escape from Camp Deadly $10* Bomberman GB (Box and Manual only) $50* Double Dragon $15* Double Dragon II The Revenge $15* Earthworm Jim $15* Gauntlet II $15* Home Alone $5* Metroid 2 Return of Samus $32* Pipe Dream $5* RoboCop $12* Tetris $10GameBoy Color
Console
GameBoy Color Atomic Purple (works, needs new speaker) $65
Games* Aladdin (Game and box, missing manual) $60* Gex Enter the Gecko CIB $45* Powerpuff Girls Bad Mojo Jojo CIB $25* Spider-Man $10* The Simpsons Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror $15GameBoy Advance* Risk / Battleship / Clue 3 pack cart $5* Stuntman $5* Texas Hold Em Poker $5* Top Gun Firestorm $5* Yu-Gi-Oh Ultimate MastersNintendo DS* Battleship NEW $10* Bejeweled 3 $5* Brain Age $5* Club Penguin Elite Penguin Force $5* Flash Focus Vision Training $5* Garfield's Fun Fest (cart only) $5* Ghostbusters The Video Game (cart only) $5* Gremlins Gizmo NEW $20* Lego Batman 2 (cart only) $5* Lego Battles Ninjago (cart only) $5* Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 (cart only) $5* Lego Indiana Jones (cart only) $5* Lego Lord of the Rings (cart only) $5* Lego Marvel Super Heroes (cart only) $5* Lego Star Wars the Complete Sage (cart only) $8* Lego Star Wars III The Clone Wars $5* Mario Cart DS CIB (x2) $15 each* My Amusement Park (cart only) $5* My Word Coach $5* Namco Museum $7* Paws and Claws Dogs and Cats Best Friends (cart only) $5* Petz Hamsterz Life 2 (cart only) $5* SimCity $10* Spectrobes (cart only) $5* SpongeBob SquarePants Yellow Avenger (cart only) $5* SpongeBob SquarePants Plankton's Robotic Revenge (cart only) $5* SpongeBob's Boating Bash (cart only) $5* Trash Packs (cart only) $5* Ultimate Spider-Man (cart only) $13* UNO 52 (cart only) $5* Wall-E $5* Wario Ware DIY NEW (small tear in cellophane) $35* Zuma's Revenge $10
Nintendo 3DS* Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion (cart only) $10* Disney Magical World (cart only) $10* Goosebumps The Game (cart only) $5* Hyrule Warriors Legends NEW $50* Lego Batman 3 Beyond Gotham (cart only) $5* Lego Legends of Chima Lava's Journey (cart only) $5* Lego Ninjago Nindroids (cart only) $5* Lego Ninjago Shadow of Ronin (cart only) $5* Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey NEW $85* Mario Party The Top 100 (cart only) $15* Regular Show in 8-Bit Land $15* Snoopy's Grand Adventure (cart only) $5* Steel Diver $5* The Sums 3 Pets (cart only) $20* Wario Ware Gold NEW $60
Amiibo* Sephiroth NEW $25* Kazyua NEW $15
SEGASega SaturnConsoles* Sega Saturn Model 2 Console ( installed TerraonionMODE + 2TB Sandisk SSD w/ full console library) $600Games* Alien Trilogy (disc only) $35* Christmas Nights Into Dreams $70* Daytona USA (disc only) $10* Mr. Bones $120* Myst $20* Myst (disc only) $10* NHL 97 (disc only) $5* Nights into Dreams (3D Control Pad Bundle, includes controller + all inserts) $150* Panzer Dragoon $75* Panzer Dragoon II Zwei $120* Panzer Dragoon Saga $1,050* Road Rash (disc only) $25* Sonic 3D Blast (disc only) $25* Virtua Cop (disc only) $5**Virtua Fighter 2 (disc only) $7
PlayStationPlayStation 2Consoles* Black Fat Model (x2) $60 eachPlayStation 3* AC/DC Live Rock Band Track Pack $7* Air Conflicts Pacific Carriers $10* Asura's Wrath (missing manual) $40*Atelier Ayesha The Alchemist of Dusk $25* Atelier Escha & Logy Alchemists of the Dusk Sky $25* Atelier Meruru The Apprentice of Arland $22* Atelier Rorona The Alchemist of Arland NEW $30* Band Hero $7* Beowulf The Game $7* BlazBlue Continuum Shift NEW $15* Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway $6* Buzz! Quiz TV $10* Call of Duty Black Ops II NEW $30* Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 game + steelbook $15* Catherine NEW $25* Civilization Revolution $10* Conflict Denied Ops $7* Dark Sector $7* Dead Space 2 $13* Defiance $5* Dragon's Dogma $7* Enchanted Arms $15* Eternal Sonata NEW $35* Eye of Judgement PS EYE Camera Bundle $65* EyePet $5* EyePet & Friends $5* FaceBreaker $10* Final Fantasy XIII-2 NEW $25* Guardians of Middle Earth (case and insert only, game was bought with a code)* Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock $12* Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning $8* Kung Fu Rider $5* Last Rebellion $30* Leisure Suit Larry Box Office Bust $20* Lost DImension NEW $90* Lost Via Domus $8* MAG $5* MLB 07 $5* Madden NFL 10 $5* Madden NFL 11 $5* Madden NFL 13 $5* Medieval Moves Deadmund's Quest $5* Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 $7* Record of Agarest War 2 $20* RockBand $20* Rocksmith $15* Sacred 3 $10* SingStar $10* Sorcery $5* Sports Champions $5* Star Trek NEW $10* Start the Party $5* The Club $6* Trinity Souls of Zill O'll $50* Wonderbook Book of Spells $10PlayStation 4* Agents of Mayhem $5* Batman Arkham VR NEW $15* Battleborn $5* Call of Duty WWII Valor Collection NEW $50* Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled NEW $20* Evolve $5* Extinction $5* Jak II Limited Run $90 + T-shirt $50* Lord of The Rings Middle Earth Shadow of War NEW (x3) $10 Each* Rayman Legends (PlayStation Hits) NEW $15* Shenmue 3 + Steelbook NEW $30
PlayStation 5* Among Us Impostor Edition NEW $35PSPConsoles
* PSP 1000 console (loose disk tray, still working) $50Games* Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII (UMD Only) $10* Darkstalkers Chronicle The Chaos Tower $20* Dynasty Warriors (UMD Only) $5* EyePet $5* Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions (UMD Only) (x2) $10 each* God of War Chains of Olympus $20* Iron Man (UMD Only) $5* MLB 09 THe Show (UMD Only) $5* MVP Baseball (UMD Only) $5* Madden 2006 (UMD Only) $5* Madden 2008 (UMD Only) $5* Marvel Nemesis Rise of the Imperfects (UMD Only) $7* NBA Live 2008 (UMD Only) $5* Neopets Petpet Adventures The Wand of Wishin (UMD Only) $10* Rapala Trophies (UMD Only) $5* Ridge Racer (UMD Only) $7* Sonic Rivals (UMD Only) $10* SpongeBob SquarePants The Yellow Avenger $10* Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron (UMD Only) $7* Syphon Filter Dark Mirror (UMD Only) $5* Syphon Filter Logan's Shadow / Killzone Liberation Dual Pack NEW $20* Untold Legends Brotherhood of the Blade $8* Untold Legends Brotherhood of the Blade (UMD ONLY) $5* Untold Legends The Warriors Code (UMD Only) $5PS Vita* Hot Shots Golf World Invitational (cart only) $10* Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 $10* Lego Marvel Super Heroes Universe in Peril $10* Lego Marvel's Avengers $17* PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale $15* Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed (cart only) $20
XboxOriginalAMF Bowling $5Batman Dark Tomorrow $18Big Mutha Truckers $6Big Mutha Truckers 2 $6Blackstone Magic and Steel $42Castlevania Curse of Darkness $23Codename Kids Next Door Operation VIDEOGAME $10Conflict Desert Storm $5Conflict Vietnam $5Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure $20Dr. Muto $10Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone $54Kingdom Under Fire Heroes $8NHL2K6 NEW $10Need For Speed Carbon $7Need for Speed Underground $10Need for Speed Underground 2 $15PGR $5PGR 2 $5Scaler $10Shark Tale $5Star Wars KOTOR $10Tron 2.0 Killer App $12Test Drive off Road Wide Open $7The Hobbit $10Tiger Woods 2004 $4Top Gear RPM Tuning $7Totaled $9WWE Raw 2 $20Whiplash $15Worms 3D $10Zapper $10
2023.05.30 18:37 Kerelkitty [NA] [Tich]
< Part Time Pro > is a newish guild to Tichondrius but not to raiding. Reestablished at the start of Shadowlands, our guild leadership is composed of returning old school raiders with multiple server firsts from Wrath and MoP as well as CE raiders from Legion who want to get things done without raiding every day of the week. We understand that Mythic content can be pushed without having to log in each and every day.
That being said, we’re running around a 25 man roster in the hopes that if someone needs to take a night off because of work, kids, life, power is out, house on fire, whatever, the raid can go on. We rotate players in for gear regularly and try our best to make sure no one sits for multiple progression nights in a row.
The guild is also very active on off nights. Someone can always be found doing keys, Monday off nights for Alts/RBGs, or other games including LoL, Final Fantasy, Valorant, Overwatch, Monster Hunter, Magic, OSU! and more! We even held some one shot D&D games when content dried up. Ask around in discord, there is always something going on!
TLDNR: We are currently recruiting 3/4 more dps for our mythic roster with strong preference for Warriors and Mages! Trial spots available TODAY! Come kill bosses with us ~
If interested please feel free to reach out to me here, ingame, or discord! - Btag- Kerel#1171 Discord- Dava#4105
A little bit of social anxiety? Want US to reach out to YOU? There's an app for that! Fill out the form below and WE will reach out to YOU!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSYhZaLUqcV0FLsJjtUWRI0UcvBPY5NGRAlsDkE7FnHY7K7w/viewform
submitted by Kerelkitty to wowguilds [link] [comments]
That being said, we’re running around a 25 man roster in the hopes that if someone needs to take a night off because of work, kids, life, power is out, house on fire, whatever, the raid can go on. We rotate players in for gear regularly and try our best to make sure no one sits for multiple progression nights in a row.
The guild is also very active on off nights. Someone can always be found doing keys, Monday off nights for Alts/RBGs, or other games including LoL, Final Fantasy, Valorant, Overwatch, Monster Hunter, Magic, OSU! and more! We even held some one shot D&D games when content dried up. Ask around in discord, there is always something going on!
TLDNR: We are currently recruiting 3/4 more dps for our mythic roster with strong preference for Warriors and Mages! Trial spots available TODAY! Come kill bosses with us ~
If interested please feel free to reach out to me here, ingame, or discord! - Btag- Kerel#1171 Discord- Dava#4105
A little bit of social anxiety? Want US to reach out to YOU? There's an app for that! Fill out the form below and WE will reach out to YOU!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSYhZaLUqcV0FLsJjtUWRI0UcvBPY5NGRAlsDkE7FnHY7K7w/viewform
2023.05.30 18:23 TheKFCNibba Most useful arcane CC/Debuff of every type by spell level
I've made this mostly to organize my own thoughts/conclusions, but other people might find it useful. Depending on your class, you might only have access to some of these spells or might have access to divine spells that aren't here.
Reflex:
1- Grease
2- Grease is still the best and can now be selective, but web is also alright if the enemy is immune to prone.
5- Paralyzed is considerably stronger than prone, so Icy prison isn't bad if you can land it on a boss and then gank them before they get the chance to make a fortitude save. However, aside from being single target it does suffer from quite a few problems that the next spell fixes.
6- Chains of light might look at a glance like an icy prison that had its level increased by 1 for no reason, but aside from being unaffected by spell resistance, the fact it targets only reflex is huge. If your target fails a single save they'll be considered helpless, at which point their reflex save will be tanked to non-existence and they'll probably only break on a nat 20 (unless their reflex is so high the spell only took effect thanks to a nat 1). It's primarily a boss killer (due to being single target) but can also be nice if the enemy is immune to prone or you don't have heighten metamagic to keep grease's DC relevant.
9- Icy prison mass is probably better than Grease as a reflex area spell, even though it targets fortitude after the initial save.
Will:
1- Nothing really worthwhile in the spell list, but ember's sleep hex is good.
2- Glitterdust isn't nearly as good as grease, but still pretty good if the enemy has much worse will, prone immunity or if you don't have selective/boots/Ulbrig/ any of the other numerous ways to resist grease.
3- Slow is an interesting alternative to glitterdust with much more radius, no saves each turn and only enemies affected but weaker AC debuff and affected by spell resistance. Whether staggered is better than 50% miss chance will depend on the enemy.
4- Fear and Confusion. Fear is your first real save or suck spell- a target that fails it might as well have died, it has an AOE, and it even has a minor effect in case of success, though some people are annoyed by chasing the fleeing enemies. Confusion has 50% chance for target to do nothing and another ~25% to attack their own allies if you positioned right. Both have the advantage of no save every turn. Disadvantages compared to glitterdust are mind affecting descriptor and being affected by spell resistance, which might make it still relevant. You're probably going to be using fear at least until level 9 spells.
5- Feeblemind is a niche spell that excels at its niche- it basically makes any single caster permanently useless with a -4 penalty to the saving throw. With fear being such a good spell, it isn't super useful, but the +4 DC is good. Dismissal is an insta-kill against any demon that fails a will save, provided they can be dismissed.
6- Cloak of dreams can be good if you're going to get up in the face of enemies- essentially killing every affected enemy without requiring any actions from you. If you're more of a traditional backline caster (and don't have problems with enemies rushing you) it obviously won't be much use.
7- Waves of ecstasy is a guaranteed stagger to multiple enemies that will last until the end of the fight if they fail the save. Hold person mass is like hold monster mass if used against people.
9- Compared to fear, overwhelming presence offers a save every round, but doesn't affect allies, has a single turn stagger on failure, much better radius and range, and 1d4 turns of stagger if the target was affected and then saved (which means its almost guaranteed to last until the end of combat with how murderous things are at higher levels). Hold monster mass is even better if successful because of the paralysis, but doesn't do anything on failure and after breaking the effect. Weird is way better than phantasmal killer and instakilling enemies is always fun, but from a practical standpoint still isn't quite as good.
Fortitude:
2- If you're really hurting to make a save against fort you can use blindness, but its mostly a worse version of glitterdust- which is already a downgrade from grease. It doesn't give a save each round though, so if you land it on a boss it can be pretty good.
3- Stinking cloud is better than anything you could cast until now if your enemy isn't immune to poison- with larger radius and needs to be saved against each round. You can easily become immune to it yourself with delay poison communal, unfortunately most of your enemies will be immune too.
4- Shout is alright if the enemy is immune to poison and you really need to target fortitude- bypasses spell resistance, affects multiple targets and stun is pretty great, but the 1 round duration is meh.
Some people really like phantasmal killer, but for me needing two different saves to do anything, and affected by spell resistance, and single target, and mind affecting, and fear puts it firmly in the never pick category. Fear has the same descriptors, affects multiple targets, needs only a single save and the effect is good enough that the target might as well have died. It even has a small effect on successful save.
5- Baleful polymorph is text book save or suck. Single target, close range, affected by spell resist and does nothing on a succesful save, but the effect might as well have been instant death and there's barely anyone immune to it (including demon lords). It's also hilarious.
6- Sirocco is rightfully known as one of the best spells in the game. It will try to knock targets prone every round along with fire damage and cause fatigue and then exhaustion that can't be saved against. It also has a pretty good radius.
Debuff (primarily anti-boss):
1- Touch of gracelessness will lower dex, and thus AC and reflex save. It will have an effect even if the saving throw is a success.
2- Frigid touch will stagger them for one round with no save if you can make the touch attack. It won't actually help you hit them, but can buy you time to properly gank.
3- ray of exhaustion is pretty much a ranged touch of gracelessness that also affects strength- not bad for now.
4- Enervation will reduce saves and a bunch of other things, but it won't reduce AC- so ideally you want to use it in preparation for some save or suck spell. d4 makes it really good with bolster. Eyes of the bodak is similarly a 1 negative level/round pre-buff with no saving throw, and will work on all enemies on a radius.
5- Wracking ray will tank a creature's AC and reflex save and like Enervation is really good with bolster. It'll also reduce their attack and damage as a bonus.
6- Eye bite is a swift action guaranteed sicken. Good if you don't have a quicken rod to do something else with the swift action.
9- Energy drain is basically Enervation * 2. Grandmaster's rod bolstered energy drain is -16 to all saves and attacks, and you still have your quick action.
submitted by TheKFCNibba to Pathfinder_Kingmaker [link] [comments]
Reflex:
1- Grease
2- Grease is still the best and can now be selective, but web is also alright if the enemy is immune to prone.
5- Paralyzed is considerably stronger than prone, so Icy prison isn't bad if you can land it on a boss and then gank them before they get the chance to make a fortitude save. However, aside from being single target it does suffer from quite a few problems that the next spell fixes.
6- Chains of light might look at a glance like an icy prison that had its level increased by 1 for no reason, but aside from being unaffected by spell resistance, the fact it targets only reflex is huge. If your target fails a single save they'll be considered helpless, at which point their reflex save will be tanked to non-existence and they'll probably only break on a nat 20 (unless their reflex is so high the spell only took effect thanks to a nat 1). It's primarily a boss killer (due to being single target) but can also be nice if the enemy is immune to prone or you don't have heighten metamagic to keep grease's DC relevant.
9- Icy prison mass is probably better than Grease as a reflex area spell, even though it targets fortitude after the initial save.
Will:
1- Nothing really worthwhile in the spell list, but ember's sleep hex is good.
2- Glitterdust isn't nearly as good as grease, but still pretty good if the enemy has much worse will, prone immunity or if you don't have selective/boots/Ulbrig/ any of the other numerous ways to resist grease.
3- Slow is an interesting alternative to glitterdust with much more radius, no saves each turn and only enemies affected but weaker AC debuff and affected by spell resistance. Whether staggered is better than 50% miss chance will depend on the enemy.
4- Fear and Confusion. Fear is your first real save or suck spell- a target that fails it might as well have died, it has an AOE, and it even has a minor effect in case of success, though some people are annoyed by chasing the fleeing enemies. Confusion has 50% chance for target to do nothing and another ~25% to attack their own allies if you positioned right. Both have the advantage of no save every turn. Disadvantages compared to glitterdust are mind affecting descriptor and being affected by spell resistance, which might make it still relevant. You're probably going to be using fear at least until level 9 spells.
5- Feeblemind is a niche spell that excels at its niche- it basically makes any single caster permanently useless with a -4 penalty to the saving throw. With fear being such a good spell, it isn't super useful, but the +4 DC is good. Dismissal is an insta-kill against any demon that fails a will save, provided they can be dismissed.
6- Cloak of dreams can be good if you're going to get up in the face of enemies- essentially killing every affected enemy without requiring any actions from you. If you're more of a traditional backline caster (and don't have problems with enemies rushing you) it obviously won't be much use.
7- Waves of ecstasy is a guaranteed stagger to multiple enemies that will last until the end of the fight if they fail the save. Hold person mass is like hold monster mass if used against people.
9- Compared to fear, overwhelming presence offers a save every round, but doesn't affect allies, has a single turn stagger on failure, much better radius and range, and 1d4 turns of stagger if the target was affected and then saved (which means its almost guaranteed to last until the end of combat with how murderous things are at higher levels). Hold monster mass is even better if successful because of the paralysis, but doesn't do anything on failure and after breaking the effect. Weird is way better than phantasmal killer and instakilling enemies is always fun, but from a practical standpoint still isn't quite as good.
Fortitude:
2- If you're really hurting to make a save against fort you can use blindness, but its mostly a worse version of glitterdust- which is already a downgrade from grease. It doesn't give a save each round though, so if you land it on a boss it can be pretty good.
3- Stinking cloud is better than anything you could cast until now if your enemy isn't immune to poison- with larger radius and needs to be saved against each round. You can easily become immune to it yourself with delay poison communal, unfortunately most of your enemies will be immune too.
4- Shout is alright if the enemy is immune to poison and you really need to target fortitude- bypasses spell resistance, affects multiple targets and stun is pretty great, but the 1 round duration is meh.
Some people really like phantasmal killer, but for me needing two different saves to do anything, and affected by spell resistance, and single target, and mind affecting, and fear puts it firmly in the never pick category. Fear has the same descriptors, affects multiple targets, needs only a single save and the effect is good enough that the target might as well have died. It even has a small effect on successful save.
5- Baleful polymorph is text book save or suck. Single target, close range, affected by spell resist and does nothing on a succesful save, but the effect might as well have been instant death and there's barely anyone immune to it (including demon lords). It's also hilarious.
6- Sirocco is rightfully known as one of the best spells in the game. It will try to knock targets prone every round along with fire damage and cause fatigue and then exhaustion that can't be saved against. It also has a pretty good radius.
Debuff (primarily anti-boss):
1- Touch of gracelessness will lower dex, and thus AC and reflex save. It will have an effect even if the saving throw is a success.
2- Frigid touch will stagger them for one round with no save if you can make the touch attack. It won't actually help you hit them, but can buy you time to properly gank.
3- ray of exhaustion is pretty much a ranged touch of gracelessness that also affects strength- not bad for now.
4- Enervation will reduce saves and a bunch of other things, but it won't reduce AC- so ideally you want to use it in preparation for some save or suck spell. d4 makes it really good with bolster. Eyes of the bodak is similarly a 1 negative level/round pre-buff with no saving throw, and will work on all enemies on a radius.
5- Wracking ray will tank a creature's AC and reflex save and like Enervation is really good with bolster. It'll also reduce their attack and damage as a bonus.
6- Eye bite is a swift action guaranteed sicken. Good if you don't have a quicken rod to do something else with the swift action.
9- Energy drain is basically Enervation * 2. Grandmaster's rod bolstered energy drain is -16 to all saves and attacks, and you still have your quick action.
2023.05.30 18:16 bzworld966 Ultimate Metal Playlist. A- Z. Doesn’t have to be Metallica. Day 21. Most up votes wins.
Tallica wins U. Now on to W
A- Angel of Death , Slayer
B- Breaking the law , Judas Priest
C- Creeping Death
D-Dyers Eve
E-Eyeless , Slipknot
F-Fade to Black
G-Got the time , Anthrax
H-Holy Wars , Megadeth
I- Iron Man, Black Sabbath
J-Jump in the Fire
K- King Nothing
L-Laid to Rest , Lamb of God
M-Master of Puppets
N-Number of the Beast , Iron Maiden
O- One
P-Paranoid , Black Sabbath
Q-Question! System of a Down
R- Ride the Lightning
S-Spit out the bone
T-Tornado of Souls, Megadeth.
U- Unforgiven.
W-
submitted by bzworld966 to Metallica [link] [comments]
A- Angel of Death , Slayer
B- Breaking the law , Judas Priest
C- Creeping Death
D-Dyers Eve
E-Eyeless , Slipknot
F-Fade to Black
G-Got the time , Anthrax
H-Holy Wars , Megadeth
I- Iron Man, Black Sabbath
J-Jump in the Fire
K- King Nothing
L-Laid to Rest , Lamb of God
M-Master of Puppets
N-Number of the Beast , Iron Maiden
O- One
P-Paranoid , Black Sabbath
Q-Question! System of a Down
R- Ride the Lightning
S-Spit out the bone
T-Tornado of Souls, Megadeth.
U- Unforgiven.
W-
2023.05.30 18:12 MyloOrdell The Child's Plea
The warm air surrounding me was still as I gazed up at the moon that peeked through the purple and pink clouds, mist rising up from the ground beneath my feet. Crickets chirped in the nearby bushes, adding to my experience of that summer evening. Other than that, everything was dead silent.
I looked back down at the rows of decaying gravestones in front of me, the tops of them illuminated by the remaining light of the fading sunset. Bits of tall grass sprouted up from a few of them. This graveyard hadn't been touched in years; but for some reason, I had wandered into it.
I suddenly felt an eerie sensation creep up from behind me. I turned around, only to see some sort of black smoke dissipate into nothingness. Confused, my heart beat a little faster.
"Help me," a disembodied voice said. It didn't come from any particular direction, as if it were surrounding me. It almost sounded like a child's voice, speaking through radio static. "Help me, please," the voice said again. I frantically searched around the area to locate the source of these cries for help. I looked down, and found it.
A shadowy figure stood before me, visible only because the dim lighting from the sky and the moon was just barely bright enough to light up the area behind it. It was the size of a seven-year-old child. Parts of it glitched and then froze, as if it were a broken TV screen.
"Please, help!"
Oddly, I was calm. I should be scared of this thing, I thought to myself. Despite the shadow's unsettling appearance, there was nothing threatening about it. It only seemed sad.
I knelt down to get on what would be eye level; if it had eyes, that is. "What's wrong?" I said. It glitched and didn't say a word. "Why do you need help?" The shadow was still silent for a bit. Then it spoke.
"He's coming for me."
"Who? Who's coming for you?"
It suddenly vanished. The sound of quiet, unsettling static seeped into the air, slowly growing louder and louder. Soon, it was nearly deafening. Another shadowy figure materialized a little further away from where the first one had appeared. This one was taller, the height of a grown man. A feeling of dread swept over me as I stared at the mysterious figure. This one definitely was not friendly.
It stood there, silent and motionless, and the glitches that riddled the child-sized shadow seemed even more violent on this one. This had to be what the first one was talking about.
"Who are you?" I said. The shadow remained silent, the only noise coming from it being the static. I asked again, but it still said nothing. It only continued to stand there, completely motionless.
Suddenly it lunged towards me. I quickly took several steps back; but in my haste, I tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. Just as the shadow was over top of me, it vanished into a cloud of smoke. As the smoke dissipated into thin air, the static subsided. Once again, the only sound around the graveyard was that of the crickets.
I picked myself up off of the ground, and looked around to find the child-like shadow. At first I had difficulty finding it, but then I found it sitting at the base of a nearby tree. It looked like it was crying.
"Hey, what's wrong? He's gone now," I said as I approached it. It started crying loud enough to hear.
"Please! Don't hit me!" It screamed.
"I'm not going to hit you, don't worry." Seeing the poor thing scream like this broke my heart.
"It hurts! Leave me alone!" It continued to scream these few sentences, as if it couldn't say anything else. I sat down next to it.
"Hey, it's okay, I won't hurt you," I said. It stopped screaming, and cried a little bit quieter.
"Help me, please!"
"I want to, but I don't know how. What do you need me to do?"
The shadow stopped sobbing, stood up, and pointed towards the rows of gravestones. "Help me," it said more calmly. I didn't know what to do, but it had to have something to do with one of those gravestones.
The shadow vanished once again, then reappeared beside a gravestone a few rows down. I hurried over to it. "Damian Haine" was written in the center, above the birth and death date. He had passed in nineteen-forty-two.
"Who is this?" I said. The shadow paused for a moment, as if it were thinking about what to say.
"Dad! please stop," it finally replied.
"Is this your father?"
It glitched and went silent, as if it couldn't answer. Everything this small shadowy figure had said so far seemed like some sort of a recording. Maybe it can't say yes? I thought to myself. That would make sense, since it only repeated things that it had already said, and answered in sentences that only partly fit the question.
I glanced over at the smaller gravestone next to the father's. "James Haine" was carved above the line that listed his birth and death date, which was nineteen-thirty-five to nineteen-forty-two. Him and Damian Haine were buried the same year. I pointed at the stone and looked at the shadow.
"Is this you?"
It glitched, and kept silent. It still couldn't say yes. I had an idea.
"Say 'help me' again if this is you," I said.
"Help me."
"Okay. And is the other shadow your father?"
"Help me," it said again. Sadness filled my heart as I realized that the two of them were the ghosts of the father and the boy, and the boy had been screaming for him to stop. The few phrases that it cried repeatedly were possibly what he said before he died. His ghost had been being chased by the father's ghost for decades.
"Listen, I promise I'll try my best to help. Can you try to show me what I need to do?"
At this, the ghost sat down next to the father's gravestone. It reached its fingers out to where the name was written, and moved them across it in a rapid side-to-side motion. I was confused.
"I don't understand," I said. It pointed at a rock the size of a tennis ball, and then did the motion again. I still didn't know what it meant.
All of a sudden, static crept into the air for a second time, slowly drowning out the sound of the crickets. The child's ghost started crying again.
"He's coming for me!"
"It's alright, I'll try to protect you," I said as I reached my hand out to touch its shoulder; but my hand phased right through it. My hand went numb the second it passed through.
"Please! Don't hit me!" the ghost screamed just before disappearing once again.
I regained feeling in my hand, and frantically glanced around to see if it had reappeared somewhere. It had; right in front of the father's ghost.
I rushed over to the both of them in hopes that I might be able to stop the ghost of the father from hurting the boy's.
"Dad! Please stop!" it screamed this and repeated the few other limited phrases it could say. I jumped between it and the father's ghost, which took a step forward.
"Leave the boy alone!" I shouted as I tried to shove it back with my hands; but electricity-like pain shot through them the second they phased through. There seemed to be nothing I could do to save the ghost of the boy as I watched the father's raise what looked like its fist.
I had an idea. I bolted away and towards the father's grave. On my hands and knees, I grabbed the stone beside it and hastily began scratching away at the name on the gravestone. I soon had scratched off two letters of his name; but his ghost noticed.
It was now looming over me. I tried to ignore it and just kept going. A searing pain shot up and down my spine all of a sudden as the ghost passed its hands through my back in an attempt to stop me. I winced and briefly dropped the rock. But I quickly picked it back up again and kept going despite the pain. I now had erased several more letters before the ghost passed its hand through mine, making me drop the rock again. I yanked my hand back, the pain subsided, and I picked the rock back up again.
I was almost done. I just had two letters to go; but the father's ghost had one more trick up its sleeve.
Suddenly I was blinded. All I saw was TV static. My heart pounded out of my chest, terrified that I might not be able to see ever again. But either way, I had to finish what I started.
I ran my fingers along the gravestone, found the letters that were still left, and kept vigorously scraping them away. The sound of the static was so loud that I couldn't even hear the sound of the rock scraping against the stone.
Finally, my vision returned, the static fizzing out of existence. The chirping of the crickets also returned, for a second and final time. The sun had now completely set.
"Thank you," the child's voice said clearly, no longer through the radio static. He finally said something new. I had been successful.
submitted by MyloOrdell to scarystories [link] [comments]
I looked back down at the rows of decaying gravestones in front of me, the tops of them illuminated by the remaining light of the fading sunset. Bits of tall grass sprouted up from a few of them. This graveyard hadn't been touched in years; but for some reason, I had wandered into it.
I suddenly felt an eerie sensation creep up from behind me. I turned around, only to see some sort of black smoke dissipate into nothingness. Confused, my heart beat a little faster.
"Help me," a disembodied voice said. It didn't come from any particular direction, as if it were surrounding me. It almost sounded like a child's voice, speaking through radio static. "Help me, please," the voice said again. I frantically searched around the area to locate the source of these cries for help. I looked down, and found it.
A shadowy figure stood before me, visible only because the dim lighting from the sky and the moon was just barely bright enough to light up the area behind it. It was the size of a seven-year-old child. Parts of it glitched and then froze, as if it were a broken TV screen.
"Please, help!"
Oddly, I was calm. I should be scared of this thing, I thought to myself. Despite the shadow's unsettling appearance, there was nothing threatening about it. It only seemed sad.
I knelt down to get on what would be eye level; if it had eyes, that is. "What's wrong?" I said. It glitched and didn't say a word. "Why do you need help?" The shadow was still silent for a bit. Then it spoke.
"He's coming for me."
"Who? Who's coming for you?"
It suddenly vanished. The sound of quiet, unsettling static seeped into the air, slowly growing louder and louder. Soon, it was nearly deafening. Another shadowy figure materialized a little further away from where the first one had appeared. This one was taller, the height of a grown man. A feeling of dread swept over me as I stared at the mysterious figure. This one definitely was not friendly.
It stood there, silent and motionless, and the glitches that riddled the child-sized shadow seemed even more violent on this one. This had to be what the first one was talking about.
"Who are you?" I said. The shadow remained silent, the only noise coming from it being the static. I asked again, but it still said nothing. It only continued to stand there, completely motionless.
Suddenly it lunged towards me. I quickly took several steps back; but in my haste, I tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. Just as the shadow was over top of me, it vanished into a cloud of smoke. As the smoke dissipated into thin air, the static subsided. Once again, the only sound around the graveyard was that of the crickets.
I picked myself up off of the ground, and looked around to find the child-like shadow. At first I had difficulty finding it, but then I found it sitting at the base of a nearby tree. It looked like it was crying.
"Hey, what's wrong? He's gone now," I said as I approached it. It started crying loud enough to hear.
"Please! Don't hit me!" It screamed.
"I'm not going to hit you, don't worry." Seeing the poor thing scream like this broke my heart.
"It hurts! Leave me alone!" It continued to scream these few sentences, as if it couldn't say anything else. I sat down next to it.
"Hey, it's okay, I won't hurt you," I said. It stopped screaming, and cried a little bit quieter.
"Help me, please!"
"I want to, but I don't know how. What do you need me to do?"
The shadow stopped sobbing, stood up, and pointed towards the rows of gravestones. "Help me," it said more calmly. I didn't know what to do, but it had to have something to do with one of those gravestones.
The shadow vanished once again, then reappeared beside a gravestone a few rows down. I hurried over to it. "Damian Haine" was written in the center, above the birth and death date. He had passed in nineteen-forty-two.
"Who is this?" I said. The shadow paused for a moment, as if it were thinking about what to say.
"Dad! please stop," it finally replied.
"Is this your father?"
It glitched and went silent, as if it couldn't answer. Everything this small shadowy figure had said so far seemed like some sort of a recording. Maybe it can't say yes? I thought to myself. That would make sense, since it only repeated things that it had already said, and answered in sentences that only partly fit the question.
I glanced over at the smaller gravestone next to the father's. "James Haine" was carved above the line that listed his birth and death date, which was nineteen-thirty-five to nineteen-forty-two. Him and Damian Haine were buried the same year. I pointed at the stone and looked at the shadow.
"Is this you?"
It glitched, and kept silent. It still couldn't say yes. I had an idea.
"Say 'help me' again if this is you," I said.
"Help me."
"Okay. And is the other shadow your father?"
"Help me," it said again. Sadness filled my heart as I realized that the two of them were the ghosts of the father and the boy, and the boy had been screaming for him to stop. The few phrases that it cried repeatedly were possibly what he said before he died. His ghost had been being chased by the father's ghost for decades.
"Listen, I promise I'll try my best to help. Can you try to show me what I need to do?"
At this, the ghost sat down next to the father's gravestone. It reached its fingers out to where the name was written, and moved them across it in a rapid side-to-side motion. I was confused.
"I don't understand," I said. It pointed at a rock the size of a tennis ball, and then did the motion again. I still didn't know what it meant.
All of a sudden, static crept into the air for a second time, slowly drowning out the sound of the crickets. The child's ghost started crying again.
"He's coming for me!"
"It's alright, I'll try to protect you," I said as I reached my hand out to touch its shoulder; but my hand phased right through it. My hand went numb the second it passed through.
"Please! Don't hit me!" the ghost screamed just before disappearing once again.
I regained feeling in my hand, and frantically glanced around to see if it had reappeared somewhere. It had; right in front of the father's ghost.
I rushed over to the both of them in hopes that I might be able to stop the ghost of the father from hurting the boy's.
"Dad! Please stop!" it screamed this and repeated the few other limited phrases it could say. I jumped between it and the father's ghost, which took a step forward.
"Leave the boy alone!" I shouted as I tried to shove it back with my hands; but electricity-like pain shot through them the second they phased through. There seemed to be nothing I could do to save the ghost of the boy as I watched the father's raise what looked like its fist.
I had an idea. I bolted away and towards the father's grave. On my hands and knees, I grabbed the stone beside it and hastily began scratching away at the name on the gravestone. I soon had scratched off two letters of his name; but his ghost noticed.
It was now looming over me. I tried to ignore it and just kept going. A searing pain shot up and down my spine all of a sudden as the ghost passed its hands through my back in an attempt to stop me. I winced and briefly dropped the rock. But I quickly picked it back up again and kept going despite the pain. I now had erased several more letters before the ghost passed its hand through mine, making me drop the rock again. I yanked my hand back, the pain subsided, and I picked the rock back up again.
I was almost done. I just had two letters to go; but the father's ghost had one more trick up its sleeve.
Suddenly I was blinded. All I saw was TV static. My heart pounded out of my chest, terrified that I might not be able to see ever again. But either way, I had to finish what I started.
I ran my fingers along the gravestone, found the letters that were still left, and kept vigorously scraping them away. The sound of the static was so loud that I couldn't even hear the sound of the rock scraping against the stone.
Finally, my vision returned, the static fizzing out of existence. The chirping of the crickets also returned, for a second and final time. The sun had now completely set.
"Thank you," the child's voice said clearly, no longer through the radio static. He finally said something new. I had been successful.
2023.05.30 18:06 Ellie_grey1 cursed_pyromaniacs
 | submitted by Ellie_grey1 to cursedcomments [link] [comments] |
2023.05.30 18:04 0ne-Eyed-Dragon A Brief Summary of... the Timeline of Foxhole!
 | submitted by 0ne-Eyed-Dragon to foxholegame [link] [comments] |
2023.05.30 17:56 starcitizencigg Just a Bunker suggestion and bits of others.
Right now I feel the Bunkers/ pillboxes need some loving, this would make them less like the lawn ornaments for just an Ai one just throws down. This has to do with upgrades like doors and the firing port windows and that would be to make them beefier in health which is why would want to upgrade even more. This also makes them more inclined to health and makes them valuable in gameplay to upgrade for your gaming experience.
I would like to see a variety of doors quick simple wooden ones to steel doors and the animations to support them, as a heavy door will require more time to open. They could be with locks that require a pick set, which can break and takes time to utilize, risk, and reward. Single-use carriable item.
Of course, there will be some materials from say regular B-matts to using a number of metal beams to using construction materials or processed construction materials as in "modifiers" in the value of a rebar system with the process of concrete. As in forward-facing it may have reinforced the front side, and just concrete on the other sides for the frugal builder, but once the concrete is set, it's said and done with. This would also allow for reinforced roofs as well. There would be tier modifiers that can be applied at different stages and to the final overall % resistances applied and costing less in modification material as you tier it, vs just applying at the concrete stage. Or it staged layer system of resistances instead of one layer you have three as you did from tier one to three and the applied surfaces that are utilized all four walls and roof vs just the front walls and roof for an example
So when in the concrete phase you might have the option to add your modifiers which is adding to the Tier 3 + category of said % resistances. And follows a layer peel-back effect as it becomes less resistant to attacks, one could also use a repair pack, that would hold the reinforcement layer, using regular construction material to repair for instance would repair but lessens the integrity of the structure.
It's about being prepared and organized vs not.
The other thing might be using the "locker" as personal storage for the next time you log on for your loadout slots, make it a minimum value just like your character has to serve that purpose, saving on being an abused system.
The other thing would be dividing the current piping into 3 by adding pipes this would allow electrical to the Ai power turrets, a water sprinkler water system, and a fuel line to the generator, this would allow many more stored units of water with each upgraded pipe and also with fuel for the generator. Areas that have upgraded piping can utilize that extra storage of said materials. That could be 10 units of each for instance - then it becomes do I want to invest into this extra into this structure or run the bare minimum. And then having your filler truck 🚚 make deliveries to a hook-up point when needed.
The other addition would be a large spotlight like in the log-in area that can be player operated and shot out as well, a little extra nighttime play. and perhaps an IR light to expose recon players at night mounted on a tripod and requires batteries for a timer ⏲ where you might want to turn it on and off when needed to make it last longer.
The other thing I noticed is the camo netting like in the log-in area, this is for vehicles, this could be more like a fog of war effect where you have to be closer to see it being revealed or exposed and the same effect with painted camo, would have an effect of 15% with additional 20% with camo netting for instance, and non-detectable by radar unless someone comes very close to it on your team, it gives validity for recon missions and being tactile, so just painted camo 50 meters and with camo netting 2o meters and the same for binoculars has to be visually close with a time to revel. So a quick glance is not going to cut it.
Might want to add a quick shelter for your vehicle like a camo Hanover tent structure that you can repack part of the vehicle to upgrade something that deploys - like the stabilizer for the crane for instance takes some seconds to deploy and requires room so won't work in cramped areas. Needs a certain distance around it, and the player also in recon gear is also under the same effect as the vehicle once inside the covering. it could be like a copy and paste of the same ground pattern and applied to the Camo so it blends into the area.
Could make some for bunkers as well, an applied camo netting of the same value system.
Some thoughts I had to make the game more playable.
submitted by starcitizencigg to foxholegame [link] [comments]
I would like to see a variety of doors quick simple wooden ones to steel doors and the animations to support them, as a heavy door will require more time to open. They could be with locks that require a pick set, which can break and takes time to utilize, risk, and reward. Single-use carriable item.
Of course, there will be some materials from say regular B-matts to using a number of metal beams to using construction materials or processed construction materials as in "modifiers" in the value of a rebar system with the process of concrete. As in forward-facing it may have reinforced the front side, and just concrete on the other sides for the frugal builder, but once the concrete is set, it's said and done with. This would also allow for reinforced roofs as well. There would be tier modifiers that can be applied at different stages and to the final overall % resistances applied and costing less in modification material as you tier it, vs just applying at the concrete stage. Or it staged layer system of resistances instead of one layer you have three as you did from tier one to three and the applied surfaces that are utilized all four walls and roof vs just the front walls and roof for an example
So when in the concrete phase you might have the option to add your modifiers which is adding to the Tier 3 + category of said % resistances. And follows a layer peel-back effect as it becomes less resistant to attacks, one could also use a repair pack, that would hold the reinforcement layer, using regular construction material to repair for instance would repair but lessens the integrity of the structure.
It's about being prepared and organized vs not.
The other thing might be using the "locker" as personal storage for the next time you log on for your loadout slots, make it a minimum value just like your character has to serve that purpose, saving on being an abused system.
The other thing would be dividing the current piping into 3 by adding pipes this would allow electrical to the Ai power turrets, a water sprinkler water system, and a fuel line to the generator, this would allow many more stored units of water with each upgraded pipe and also with fuel for the generator. Areas that have upgraded piping can utilize that extra storage of said materials. That could be 10 units of each for instance - then it becomes do I want to invest into this extra into this structure or run the bare minimum. And then having your filler truck 🚚 make deliveries to a hook-up point when needed.
The other addition would be a large spotlight like in the log-in area that can be player operated and shot out as well, a little extra nighttime play. and perhaps an IR light to expose recon players at night mounted on a tripod and requires batteries for a timer ⏲ where you might want to turn it on and off when needed to make it last longer.
The other thing I noticed is the camo netting like in the log-in area, this is for vehicles, this could be more like a fog of war effect where you have to be closer to see it being revealed or exposed and the same effect with painted camo, would have an effect of 15% with additional 20% with camo netting for instance, and non-detectable by radar unless someone comes very close to it on your team, it gives validity for recon missions and being tactile, so just painted camo 50 meters and with camo netting 2o meters and the same for binoculars has to be visually close with a time to revel. So a quick glance is not going to cut it.
Might want to add a quick shelter for your vehicle like a camo Hanover tent structure that you can repack part of the vehicle to upgrade something that deploys - like the stabilizer for the crane for instance takes some seconds to deploy and requires room so won't work in cramped areas. Needs a certain distance around it, and the player also in recon gear is also under the same effect as the vehicle once inside the covering. it could be like a copy and paste of the same ground pattern and applied to the Camo so it blends into the area.
Could make some for bunkers as well, an applied camo netting of the same value system.
Some thoughts I had to make the game more playable.
2023.05.30 17:50 thebreakfastdub1 piggy backing off my last few trips to maine
last two pickups have been absolute fire. First one, for the 4/20 sale I hit up DoomsDay. I won't review everything I go from him, but the Rainbow Truffles, White Nightmare, and Cookie Breath were all phenomenal smokes. If I have one complaint, i feel like I coughed more than normal smoking and vaping this bud - which i'm not a big fan of. Really enjoy a smooth hit where i'm not coughing so much. Outside of that, the buds were huge, stinky, terpy, white ash burn with the terps bleeding through the paper very nicely. Overall, 8/10 experience and would definitely go back. Really want to try the White Truffle. Everything I got seemed like it was well grown, trimmed, and cured. Minus an uptick in coughing , stellar pick up.
Once I cleared all those jars, I reached out to Clouded Valley and Fraktal. I've been scooping from CV for about a year now, and have never tried Fraktal. After hearing so many good things about Fraktal, I had to include them in my next pickup. First stop was Clouded, super convenient as usual. Always a pleasant experience picking up from Clouded Valley, and if you haven't yet, please check him out. Always has a fresh round of the fire in maine in rotation. Very rarely am I let down, and this time was no different. I grabbed 1 ounce, half being Mentations GMO and the other half being the Gorilla Glue #4 from Hashworks. Both were great but this batch of GMO was absolute fire. I've grabbed it before and it was super dry and wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it should be. Complete turnaround this time. First time I think I picked up a strain and am now motivated to just have this in stock at all times.; as in, always in rotation for me. It's great medicine. The Gorilla Glue was amazing. Not as smelly like some of the other GGs i've picked up in the past, but the bag appeal was 9/10. Nicely grown buds; super sticky and nice to break up and roll up into a joint. You could really feel the days anxiety leave your body after ripping this one through. Sad to see my last little bud of this today waking up.
Next up, Fraktal. Man was I impressed. They definitely seem to lean more on the Sativa side of things with lemon and citrusy strains and it was great to have that to balance out the heavy Indica's I got from Clouded. Ended up going with their Pheno Hunt and I really enjoyed everything. Most notably, the Laotion Kush was one of the creamiest citrussy terp's i've ever had. It brought me right back to my college days in Vermont that were flooded with great Sour Diesel and Chem strains. They really have this type of bud dialed in, and do a great job on it. The pheno hunt ounce was 8 jars and I was sad running out of each one. It was really nice to mix and match buds when rolling joints. The Sativa effects were great. After each inhale/exhale, my day got brighter and brighter and made staring off into my backyard quite nice and peaceful. Really balanced and brought no unwanted anxiety like some Sativa's do to me. All top notch.
Across all the stuff I got, here is my list from best to worst. Last 2 being the ones I really didn't care for. Everything else was quite enjoyable and tough to place on this list.
#1 - Laotian Kush (Fraktal)
#2 - GMO - Mentation (CV)
#3 - Triangle Kush x Lemon Thai (Fraktal)
#4 - Rainbow Truffle (DoomsDay)
#5 - Anaphylaxis (Fraktal)
#6 - White Nightmare (DoomsDay)
#7 - Gorilla Glue #4 (CV)
#8 - Cookie Breath (DoomsDay)
#9 - Lemon Thai (Fraktal)
#10 - Gary Larry (Fraktal)
#11 - Staten Island Diesel (Fraktal)
#12 - Ballerz (DoomsDay)
#13 - MeatNut (DoomsDay)
#14 - Broadkaster (Fraktal)
#15 - Strawberry Banana (DoomsDay)
There's one more from Fraktal i'm forgetting.
Now, any assistance with my next pickup would be greatly appreciated.
submitted by thebreakfastdub1 to mainetrees [link] [comments]
Once I cleared all those jars, I reached out to Clouded Valley and Fraktal. I've been scooping from CV for about a year now, and have never tried Fraktal. After hearing so many good things about Fraktal, I had to include them in my next pickup. First stop was Clouded, super convenient as usual. Always a pleasant experience picking up from Clouded Valley, and if you haven't yet, please check him out. Always has a fresh round of the fire in maine in rotation. Very rarely am I let down, and this time was no different. I grabbed 1 ounce, half being Mentations GMO and the other half being the Gorilla Glue #4 from Hashworks. Both were great but this batch of GMO was absolute fire. I've grabbed it before and it was super dry and wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it should be. Complete turnaround this time. First time I think I picked up a strain and am now motivated to just have this in stock at all times.; as in, always in rotation for me. It's great medicine. The Gorilla Glue was amazing. Not as smelly like some of the other GGs i've picked up in the past, but the bag appeal was 9/10. Nicely grown buds; super sticky and nice to break up and roll up into a joint. You could really feel the days anxiety leave your body after ripping this one through. Sad to see my last little bud of this today waking up.
Next up, Fraktal. Man was I impressed. They definitely seem to lean more on the Sativa side of things with lemon and citrusy strains and it was great to have that to balance out the heavy Indica's I got from Clouded. Ended up going with their Pheno Hunt and I really enjoyed everything. Most notably, the Laotion Kush was one of the creamiest citrussy terp's i've ever had. It brought me right back to my college days in Vermont that were flooded with great Sour Diesel and Chem strains. They really have this type of bud dialed in, and do a great job on it. The pheno hunt ounce was 8 jars and I was sad running out of each one. It was really nice to mix and match buds when rolling joints. The Sativa effects were great. After each inhale/exhale, my day got brighter and brighter and made staring off into my backyard quite nice and peaceful. Really balanced and brought no unwanted anxiety like some Sativa's do to me. All top notch.
Across all the stuff I got, here is my list from best to worst. Last 2 being the ones I really didn't care for. Everything else was quite enjoyable and tough to place on this list.
#1 - Laotian Kush (Fraktal)
#2 - GMO - Mentation (CV)
#3 - Triangle Kush x Lemon Thai (Fraktal)
#4 - Rainbow Truffle (DoomsDay)
#5 - Anaphylaxis (Fraktal)
#6 - White Nightmare (DoomsDay)
#7 - Gorilla Glue #4 (CV)
#8 - Cookie Breath (DoomsDay)
#9 - Lemon Thai (Fraktal)
#10 - Gary Larry (Fraktal)
#11 - Staten Island Diesel (Fraktal)
#12 - Ballerz (DoomsDay)
#13 - MeatNut (DoomsDay)
#14 - Broadkaster (Fraktal)
#15 - Strawberry Banana (DoomsDay)
There's one more from Fraktal i'm forgetting.
Now, any assistance with my next pickup would be greatly appreciated.
2023.05.30 17:49 coldfireknight In Memorium
“Show of hands. Who can tell me Day of Memorium’s origin?”
“It was when we kicked those aliens’ asz…butts, sir,” Bobby blurted out.
“Not only inaccurate but failed to follow instructions. Your enthusiasm is appreciated, though.” The instructor glanced over the class, choosing the girl trying to hide her partially raised hand behind another student. “Madelyn, if you would, please.”
Madelyn shrunk in on herself at the attention before offering, “It was when the Drak’nal were defeated, though we didn’t do it?”
Mr. Watkins shook his head. “Closer, but still not correct. Anyone else want to venture a guess?”
Arms drooped as hands disappeared beneath desks under his gaze. “It hasn’t been long since that bit of history was current events–” he paused when a lone hand reached into the air “–but there is still hope. Mr. Davis, if you would, please.”
The boy stood and cleared his throat.
_______________________
“We’ve arrived in-system, with no sign of the Drak’nal yet.”
The Elder nodded his understanding. “And the translation process?”
Their subordinate stared for a moment, eyes shifting to the data playing in the air before them. “It appears to be finished, though the Codex itself may not be complete.”
“It will have to do,” the Elder responded. “Let us make contact. And hope.”
* * * * *
Ensign Katsuma’s sensor screen flared red. “Commander! Contact, unknown configuration, unknown energy signature. Closing…closing faster than something that size should be able to.”
The signal station lit up. Ensign Yoruba called out, “Incoming signal across all channels, massive bandwidth… looks to be a program. Initiating lock out – can’t block the signal, sir.”
Commander Lewis rose from the station’s command chair as the CNC’s lights flickered, and a digitized garbling filled the air before clarifying to Common speech coming from the comms console. “–you receiving? We bring information and warning. They are coming.”
________________________
“Very good, Mr. Davis,” Mr. Watkins said, motioning for the speaker to take his seat. “Who knows how our military responded?” Another pair of raised hands pleased him, and choosing one, he nodded. “Go ahead.”
________________________
“Looks like ‘they’ are here,” the commander muttered before issuing orders directing available ships to intercept and station weapons to target the alien vessel. Multiple capital ships moved to take position at their maximum firing ranges. Lewis called for an open channel and declared, “State your name and intention.”
The response followed the same yet shorter pattern of garbled noise before shifting to a pleasant overlapping of male and female voices speaking Common. “We are the Shal.vae, and we come offering assistance. The Swarm is on its way. There is not much time.”
Ensign Katsuma spoke up. “Sir, readings are coming back now. That vessel is leaking energy we’ve never seen before. Looks like it took a beating getting here.”
“Our systems are also slowing down, sir,” called out Ensign Yoruba. “Operating at eighty percent and dropping. All nearby ships report the same.”
A brief squeal and *pop* blared across comms before fading to silence. The blended voice said, “We must speak with your leaders immediately, or we won’t be able to help.”
______________________
“Imagine not only being there, but being one of the people to actually first experience such things. That was a tense time, no?” the instructor asked the class. Multiple heads bobbed in agreement, though he noted confusion on one student’s face and pointed at them. “Yes?”
“I figure we would’ve started shooting at anyone who just showed up like that, let alone tried leaving us defenseless. And how did they know Common? That’s a human language, right?”
“Indeed it is. Bridging the communication gap was the first gift they ever gave us. First contact protocols had been in place since before we reached the stars, but being able to actually communicate with anyone we finally met? Quite the concern.” Mr. Watkins smiled. “Since we didn’t ‘shoot first and ask questions later’, as much of our entertainment suggests we would, who can tell me the good commander’s response?”
He took a moment to scan the room and picked a newly interested face. Engagement made the job so much more rewarding.
________________________
“This is Commander Lewis, the commanding officer of this sector. I can tightbeam any information you share back to SC HQ, but I’m what you’ve got until they make a decision. You mentioned the…Swarm, right?” Commander Lewis asked, looking at his comms officer for confirmation. “We appreciate your offer of help, but with what? How?”
There was no noise before the Common reply came this time. “Yes, the Drak’nal. They consume and destroy all in their path. We come to help you leave here and survive.”
Lewis glared at the embattled silver-gray ship on his screen. “We’d need proof anything you’ve said is true, first. Even if we had reason to trust you and wanted to leave the system, it’d take weeks for just the ships in flight to get clear. I don’t want to think about the chaos of evacuating the civilian population.”
"Proof we can provide," the speaker responded. Every screen in the command center flickered before displaying scenes of devastation and horror, each viewer shown different atrocities. The silver-gray ship on the main screen was replaced with a silent video feed more ominous than the rest: a multi-hued planet viewed along its solar terminator hung glowing in space. The daylight showed a pair of large purple-green land masses surrounded by water, while the night side glowed vibrantly with signs of civilized life.
A pulsing, rounded shape came into view, contrasting against the gorgeous backdrop before emanating a swirling black mass toward the world below. It flowed across the visible landscapes before crossing into dark and swallowing the light to engulf the entire planet in a squirming, shifting blanket of – he found his mind balking at the very concept of anything acting like that.
Commander Lewis felt nauseous, the sensation of insects crawling across his skin flooding his senses as he watched the mass withdraw, leaving only barren, lifeless rock behind. "My God, what is that?"
________________________
The instructor motioned for his student to stop, hoping to avoid what often devolved into wild speculation among his classes. "We still have no clear answer to the commander's question, as any recordings and logs of that broadcast were lost. There are only verbal and written accounts of what they saw, but suffice it to say the images were terrible. Multiple survivors of the conflict that followed spent the remainder of their lives under close supervision in mental care facilities.”
“Mr. Watkins?”
“Yes?”
“Why’d they stop at one of the stations near the Belt? Why not just go straight to Earth, or at least Mars? Wouldn’t it have sped things up?”
“There’s always been much speculation on that, and you are correct that certain things might have happened much faster if they had. Or much worse. Perhaps they chose a more remote location to prevent panic or an…overly aggressive…military response when they appeared? Or maybe the damage to their ship prevented them from reaching the other locations?” Mr. Watkins shrugged. “Could even be my favorite and personal belief: it was the place they were supposed to be.”
______________________________
“That is the Drak’nal, and evidence of their actions against life everywhere,” the voice, now morphed into a perfect blend of male and female tones, explained. “Among what remains of my people, I am called Elder. Apologies for our actions upon arrival, but we often find…expedience…to be the best course in our efforts.”
“Such efforts could have also resulted in a hail of gunfire, depending on who’s in my chair when you showed up,” Lewis retorted. “You arrive unannounced, in close proximity and moving fast, then assault our systems with a potentially hostile program before saying a word.”
The signal ensign spoke up before Lewis could continue. “Sir?”
He turned his gaze toward her. “Yes?”
“Systems are coming back up.” She double checked her instruments. “Station wide power draw has decreased by over ten percent and dropping.”
“So we’re losing power?”
“No, sir. All functions reading nominal, just not drawing as much power. Report the same from all ships.”
The commander focused a look at the ship now back on the main screen. “Elder, is this your doing?”
“That would be the Codex, our gift to you.”
________________________________
Every hand in the class went up at that, while several students made noises hoping to draw his attention.
Of course they would, Mr. Watkins thought. That was when everything changed, after all.
“I’m glad to see enthusiasm about some part of our course, at least,” he laughed, “but let’s stay on topic, shall we?”
He watched all but Madelyn’s hand lower to their desks and nodded acknowledgement to her before continuing. “What happened next?”
_______________________________
Lewis fired off an update to SC HQ via tightbeam before listening to the Shal.vae Elder go on at length about the Codex and what it held before interrupting them. “That’s well and good, but I can’t accept such a gift on our behalf. Hell, I didn’t even understand half of what you said, though my science officer is practically dancing in place over here. That said, as long as this won’t affect our ability to function any further, we’ll consider it a gesture of good will.”
“It is all we can offer, sadly. You’ve doubtlessly noticed the damage to our ship, but even fully functional, we would be unable to stop the Swarm.”
“And you don’t think we’ll be able to either, do you?”
“Not with what is here, nor in the time you have remaining before they likely arrive, no.”
The commander stood silently, processing the best courses of action before asking, “How long?”
___________________________
“Is it really true the Drak… Drak –whatever– showed up right behind the good aliens?” Bobby blurted out, interrupting Madelyn.
Mr. Watkins waved the question away. “No, it wasn’t like in the vids, where the bad guys show up on cue and with dramatic music, but it wasn’t far off in this case, either. We still relied on tightbeam transmissions and relays at that point, so the fastest reply Commander Lewis could have expected would have been roughly an hour after sending a message, and we all know bureaucracy moves nowhere near the speed of light, right?”
Once the class’ laughter trailed off, the teacher explained, “That said, everything between the Shal.vae arriving and the Sacrifice did occur that same day.”
____________________________
Ensign Katsuma called out, “Contact! Large shape at the edge of sensor range, inbound to our location.”
“Not long at all,” Lewis muttered, answering his own question as the Elder spoke up.
“We feared the damage suffered in our last encounter might draw them to us, a predator chasing failing prey, as it were, but not so soon. Our hope was to leave the Codex so it could prepare you for what was to come.”
“Elder, I need you to head in-system and let them know what’s coming. We’ll do our best to keep them here.” The commander issued orders to all combat ships and weapon systems to lock onto the incoming target before instructing Yoruba to relay everything back to HQ. “All combat units, hold station and fire on my command. Concentrate fire at the transmitted coordinates. All other ships, make best speed away from here.”
“What are you doing?” Elder asked, confusion in the blended overlapping voices. “We told you they could not be stopped. Flee, survive. That is the only reasonable option. Fighting only brings loss and death.”
“And I told you to go warn our people. We don’t have FTL, so the ships here can’t escape. You getting earthside is the best chance for humanity’s survival,” Lewis replied. “We’ve sent word, so they’ll know you’re coming.”
“Change in target,” Katsuma stated. “Readings unclear, but looks to be growing, expanding in our direction.”
“But you’ll die here.”
“I know,” Commander Lewis sighed. “But sometimes the point of the fight is the fight itself. Now go. Please.”
With that, he gave the command to engage the Drak’nal.
____________________________
A voice interrupted Mr. Watkins. “What did he say?”
“Excuse me?”
“Commander Lewis, when he ordered the attack. Plenty of military leaders have memorable quotes, so why wouldn’t he?”
The teacher gave the question its due consideration. “To our knowledge, he gave the troops no rousing speech, only his words to the Shal.vae and actions thereafter. That’s what made the Sacrifice all the more astonishing.”
____________________________
Sol Cooperative ships unleashed their fury at the dark shape moving toward them, altering their trajectories clear of the Drak’nal’s path while preparing a second volley. The station itself vibrated and rumbled with the coordinated fire of missile and gun batteries, flinging the SC’s most potent weapons across the expanse of space. Every serviceperson held their breath, waiting for impact…only to watch the munitions be absorbed, with dim flickers of detonation within the Swarm itself.
The dark mass shifted, sending tendrils of matter at its attackers. Nearby ships were quickly engulfed, and signals winked out on the CNC’s main display. Other vessels took evasive measures, to no avail. The Swarm consumed them whole when it reached them.
“Weapons, maintain fire,” Commander Lewis ordered, moving back to his station and sitting down. After tapping commands into the console on his right armrest, he pressed his palm against a scanner newly revealed on the left. A retinal scanner swiveled into position from the top of his chair back, and he leaned into it, spouting a sequence of words and numbers once it beeped. That done, Lewis spared a glance at the sensors and noted the Shal.vae ship hadn’t moved. “Elder, I asked you to leave. Let our sacrifice give you the time to help our people as you can.”
“You can not hope to defeat them, not like this,” the Elder answered. “They will take you.”
“I’ve initiated the station’s self-destruct measures, so we’ll detonate when they reach us. We can’t win, but they’ll damn well know they were in a fight.”
“This fight is senseless!”
Lewis looked at the screen. “Like I said, sometimes the point of the fight is the fight. Let us take our stand, and you go do your job!”
__________________________________
Bobby piped up. “That never made sense to me. Why not run away? We couldn’t be sure they would have gone to Earth, and Mars and Luna didn’t even have life on the surface back then. What would have made them come after us if the Shal hadn’t shown up?”
“Shal.vae,” Mr. Watkins corrected, “and we can never be certain the Swarm didn’t just follow them to Sol, true. However, the evidence provided suggested they sought out life wherever it was. Even if it didn’t happen at that time, it’s reasonable to believe the Drak’nal might still have shown up at some other time, and we would not have known what was coming. Without the Shal.vae’s actions…who knows?”
__________________________________
The channel fell silent for some time before the silver-gray started to move. “Finally.”
“Sir?”
“Yes, Katsuma?”
The ensign hesitated. “Shal.vae vessel moving to intercept the Drak’nal.”
He pounded the armrest, yelling, “What are you doing?”
“What we should have done in the beginning,” the Elder replied, “and ending their threat.”
Commander Lewis sputtered, “Why would you not have before??”
The Elder responded, voice muted. “Because this ship and all on it are the last of our people. We, we ran to give warning…and because we feared the end of our race. No longer.”
“Energy readings increasing on their vessel!” someone cried out. “Shal.vae on a direct course for the Drak’nal mass.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Lewis cajoled them. “You said you wanted to save us, save us.”
“And so we shall.”
“Energy spike!”
_____________________
Mr. Watkins paced across the silent classroom, shifting the students’ focus. “Consider this: we’d spent our entire existence wondering if we were alone. Even with several of the ‘ancient wonders’ on Earth, we had no proof there was other life out there, not until not one but two alien races arrived and at the same time. Not only that, but we’d been presented with evidence that multiple other races had existed, implying others may still exist.”
“For all its warts, humanity also has a history of standing for the weak and sacrificing for those in need. The Shal.vae activating their FTL drive to plunge through the very heart of the Drak’nal swarm and giving their very existence to save us…well, it set us a shining example, did it not?”
Madelyn raised her hand. “Why’d they do it?”
The teacher shrugged. “No way to know for sure. While they managed to end the Drak’nal’s existence in the end, the Swarm had enough momentum to carry it into the station. With no way to know at the time that the Shal.vae had actually killed them, Commander Lewis did indeed detonate the station’s reactors, obliterating the remnants of the Swarm.”
“Then how do we know what happened?” Bobby asked.
Watkins raised a finger. “Remember the Shal.vae’s gift, the Codex?” He watched everyone nod. “It was also included in the transmission back to Earth. While we’re still unpacking elements of it all this time later, it was able to relay those events up to Commander Lewis’ final action. Since then, we’ve witnessed it grant us access to knowledge humanity may have never achieved. Instantaneous communications. The ability to treat or eradicate any ailment. It even allowed us to crack multiple forms of faster than light travel, once we understood that the Codex unlocked and shared information as we learned as a society.”
With that, he strode back and placed his hands on his podium. “While some consider the Codex the greatest gift the Shal.vae gave us, I disagree.” He rested his elbows on it, leaning toward the class and lowering his voice. “I believe their greatest gift was giving us hope.”
/ / /
Been a minute since I've posted, I know, but I was inspired to write this one shot by the concept of Memorial Day and remembering those who've given all for those around them, regardless of how they've done so. I hope you enjoyed it.
My wiki has everything else I've written for HFY, and it's a variety of tales in an assortment of styles. Maybe you'll even find something that inspires you to follow me. Who knows, right? Thanks for reading.
submitted by coldfireknight to HFY [link] [comments]
“It was when we kicked those aliens’ asz…butts, sir,” Bobby blurted out.
“Not only inaccurate but failed to follow instructions. Your enthusiasm is appreciated, though.” The instructor glanced over the class, choosing the girl trying to hide her partially raised hand behind another student. “Madelyn, if you would, please.”
Madelyn shrunk in on herself at the attention before offering, “It was when the Drak’nal were defeated, though we didn’t do it?”
Mr. Watkins shook his head. “Closer, but still not correct. Anyone else want to venture a guess?”
Arms drooped as hands disappeared beneath desks under his gaze. “It hasn’t been long since that bit of history was current events–” he paused when a lone hand reached into the air “–but there is still hope. Mr. Davis, if you would, please.”
The boy stood and cleared his throat.
_______________________
“We’ve arrived in-system, with no sign of the Drak’nal yet.”
The Elder nodded his understanding. “And the translation process?”
Their subordinate stared for a moment, eyes shifting to the data playing in the air before them. “It appears to be finished, though the Codex itself may not be complete.”
“It will have to do,” the Elder responded. “Let us make contact. And hope.”
* * * * *
Ensign Katsuma’s sensor screen flared red. “Commander! Contact, unknown configuration, unknown energy signature. Closing…closing faster than something that size should be able to.”
The signal station lit up. Ensign Yoruba called out, “Incoming signal across all channels, massive bandwidth… looks to be a program. Initiating lock out – can’t block the signal, sir.”
Commander Lewis rose from the station’s command chair as the CNC’s lights flickered, and a digitized garbling filled the air before clarifying to Common speech coming from the comms console. “–you receiving? We bring information and warning. They are coming.”
________________________
“Very good, Mr. Davis,” Mr. Watkins said, motioning for the speaker to take his seat. “Who knows how our military responded?” Another pair of raised hands pleased him, and choosing one, he nodded. “Go ahead.”
________________________
“Looks like ‘they’ are here,” the commander muttered before issuing orders directing available ships to intercept and station weapons to target the alien vessel. Multiple capital ships moved to take position at their maximum firing ranges. Lewis called for an open channel and declared, “State your name and intention.”
The response followed the same yet shorter pattern of garbled noise before shifting to a pleasant overlapping of male and female voices speaking Common. “We are the Shal.vae, and we come offering assistance. The Swarm is on its way. There is not much time.”
Ensign Katsuma spoke up. “Sir, readings are coming back now. That vessel is leaking energy we’ve never seen before. Looks like it took a beating getting here.”
“Our systems are also slowing down, sir,” called out Ensign Yoruba. “Operating at eighty percent and dropping. All nearby ships report the same.”
A brief squeal and *pop* blared across comms before fading to silence. The blended voice said, “We must speak with your leaders immediately, or we won’t be able to help.”
______________________
“Imagine not only being there, but being one of the people to actually first experience such things. That was a tense time, no?” the instructor asked the class. Multiple heads bobbed in agreement, though he noted confusion on one student’s face and pointed at them. “Yes?”
“I figure we would’ve started shooting at anyone who just showed up like that, let alone tried leaving us defenseless. And how did they know Common? That’s a human language, right?”
“Indeed it is. Bridging the communication gap was the first gift they ever gave us. First contact protocols had been in place since before we reached the stars, but being able to actually communicate with anyone we finally met? Quite the concern.” Mr. Watkins smiled. “Since we didn’t ‘shoot first and ask questions later’, as much of our entertainment suggests we would, who can tell me the good commander’s response?”
He took a moment to scan the room and picked a newly interested face. Engagement made the job so much more rewarding.
________________________
“This is Commander Lewis, the commanding officer of this sector. I can tightbeam any information you share back to SC HQ, but I’m what you’ve got until they make a decision. You mentioned the…Swarm, right?” Commander Lewis asked, looking at his comms officer for confirmation. “We appreciate your offer of help, but with what? How?”
There was no noise before the Common reply came this time. “Yes, the Drak’nal. They consume and destroy all in their path. We come to help you leave here and survive.”
Lewis glared at the embattled silver-gray ship on his screen. “We’d need proof anything you’ve said is true, first. Even if we had reason to trust you and wanted to leave the system, it’d take weeks for just the ships in flight to get clear. I don’t want to think about the chaos of evacuating the civilian population.”
"Proof we can provide," the speaker responded. Every screen in the command center flickered before displaying scenes of devastation and horror, each viewer shown different atrocities. The silver-gray ship on the main screen was replaced with a silent video feed more ominous than the rest: a multi-hued planet viewed along its solar terminator hung glowing in space. The daylight showed a pair of large purple-green land masses surrounded by water, while the night side glowed vibrantly with signs of civilized life.
A pulsing, rounded shape came into view, contrasting against the gorgeous backdrop before emanating a swirling black mass toward the world below. It flowed across the visible landscapes before crossing into dark and swallowing the light to engulf the entire planet in a squirming, shifting blanket of – he found his mind balking at the very concept of anything acting like that.
Commander Lewis felt nauseous, the sensation of insects crawling across his skin flooding his senses as he watched the mass withdraw, leaving only barren, lifeless rock behind. "My God, what is that?"
________________________
The instructor motioned for his student to stop, hoping to avoid what often devolved into wild speculation among his classes. "We still have no clear answer to the commander's question, as any recordings and logs of that broadcast were lost. There are only verbal and written accounts of what they saw, but suffice it to say the images were terrible. Multiple survivors of the conflict that followed spent the remainder of their lives under close supervision in mental care facilities.”
“Mr. Watkins?”
“Yes?”
“Why’d they stop at one of the stations near the Belt? Why not just go straight to Earth, or at least Mars? Wouldn’t it have sped things up?”
“There’s always been much speculation on that, and you are correct that certain things might have happened much faster if they had. Or much worse. Perhaps they chose a more remote location to prevent panic or an…overly aggressive…military response when they appeared? Or maybe the damage to their ship prevented them from reaching the other locations?” Mr. Watkins shrugged. “Could even be my favorite and personal belief: it was the place they were supposed to be.”
______________________________
“That is the Drak’nal, and evidence of their actions against life everywhere,” the voice, now morphed into a perfect blend of male and female tones, explained. “Among what remains of my people, I am called Elder. Apologies for our actions upon arrival, but we often find…expedience…to be the best course in our efforts.”
“Such efforts could have also resulted in a hail of gunfire, depending on who’s in my chair when you showed up,” Lewis retorted. “You arrive unannounced, in close proximity and moving fast, then assault our systems with a potentially hostile program before saying a word.”
The signal ensign spoke up before Lewis could continue. “Sir?”
He turned his gaze toward her. “Yes?”
“Systems are coming back up.” She double checked her instruments. “Station wide power draw has decreased by over ten percent and dropping.”
“So we’re losing power?”
“No, sir. All functions reading nominal, just not drawing as much power. Report the same from all ships.”
The commander focused a look at the ship now back on the main screen. “Elder, is this your doing?”
“That would be the Codex, our gift to you.”
________________________________
Every hand in the class went up at that, while several students made noises hoping to draw his attention.
Of course they would, Mr. Watkins thought. That was when everything changed, after all.
“I’m glad to see enthusiasm about some part of our course, at least,” he laughed, “but let’s stay on topic, shall we?”
He watched all but Madelyn’s hand lower to their desks and nodded acknowledgement to her before continuing. “What happened next?”
_______________________________
Lewis fired off an update to SC HQ via tightbeam before listening to the Shal.vae Elder go on at length about the Codex and what it held before interrupting them. “That’s well and good, but I can’t accept such a gift on our behalf. Hell, I didn’t even understand half of what you said, though my science officer is practically dancing in place over here. That said, as long as this won’t affect our ability to function any further, we’ll consider it a gesture of good will.”
“It is all we can offer, sadly. You’ve doubtlessly noticed the damage to our ship, but even fully functional, we would be unable to stop the Swarm.”
“And you don’t think we’ll be able to either, do you?”
“Not with what is here, nor in the time you have remaining before they likely arrive, no.”
The commander stood silently, processing the best courses of action before asking, “How long?”
___________________________
“Is it really true the Drak… Drak –whatever– showed up right behind the good aliens?” Bobby blurted out, interrupting Madelyn.
Mr. Watkins waved the question away. “No, it wasn’t like in the vids, where the bad guys show up on cue and with dramatic music, but it wasn’t far off in this case, either. We still relied on tightbeam transmissions and relays at that point, so the fastest reply Commander Lewis could have expected would have been roughly an hour after sending a message, and we all know bureaucracy moves nowhere near the speed of light, right?”
Once the class’ laughter trailed off, the teacher explained, “That said, everything between the Shal.vae arriving and the Sacrifice did occur that same day.”
____________________________
Ensign Katsuma called out, “Contact! Large shape at the edge of sensor range, inbound to our location.”
“Not long at all,” Lewis muttered, answering his own question as the Elder spoke up.
“We feared the damage suffered in our last encounter might draw them to us, a predator chasing failing prey, as it were, but not so soon. Our hope was to leave the Codex so it could prepare you for what was to come.”
“Elder, I need you to head in-system and let them know what’s coming. We’ll do our best to keep them here.” The commander issued orders to all combat ships and weapon systems to lock onto the incoming target before instructing Yoruba to relay everything back to HQ. “All combat units, hold station and fire on my command. Concentrate fire at the transmitted coordinates. All other ships, make best speed away from here.”
“What are you doing?” Elder asked, confusion in the blended overlapping voices. “We told you they could not be stopped. Flee, survive. That is the only reasonable option. Fighting only brings loss and death.”
“And I told you to go warn our people. We don’t have FTL, so the ships here can’t escape. You getting earthside is the best chance for humanity’s survival,” Lewis replied. “We’ve sent word, so they’ll know you’re coming.”
“Change in target,” Katsuma stated. “Readings unclear, but looks to be growing, expanding in our direction.”
“But you’ll die here.”
“I know,” Commander Lewis sighed. “But sometimes the point of the fight is the fight itself. Now go. Please.”
With that, he gave the command to engage the Drak’nal.
____________________________
A voice interrupted Mr. Watkins. “What did he say?”
“Excuse me?”
“Commander Lewis, when he ordered the attack. Plenty of military leaders have memorable quotes, so why wouldn’t he?”
The teacher gave the question its due consideration. “To our knowledge, he gave the troops no rousing speech, only his words to the Shal.vae and actions thereafter. That’s what made the Sacrifice all the more astonishing.”
____________________________
Sol Cooperative ships unleashed their fury at the dark shape moving toward them, altering their trajectories clear of the Drak’nal’s path while preparing a second volley. The station itself vibrated and rumbled with the coordinated fire of missile and gun batteries, flinging the SC’s most potent weapons across the expanse of space. Every serviceperson held their breath, waiting for impact…only to watch the munitions be absorbed, with dim flickers of detonation within the Swarm itself.
The dark mass shifted, sending tendrils of matter at its attackers. Nearby ships were quickly engulfed, and signals winked out on the CNC’s main display. Other vessels took evasive measures, to no avail. The Swarm consumed them whole when it reached them.
“Weapons, maintain fire,” Commander Lewis ordered, moving back to his station and sitting down. After tapping commands into the console on his right armrest, he pressed his palm against a scanner newly revealed on the left. A retinal scanner swiveled into position from the top of his chair back, and he leaned into it, spouting a sequence of words and numbers once it beeped. That done, Lewis spared a glance at the sensors and noted the Shal.vae ship hadn’t moved. “Elder, I asked you to leave. Let our sacrifice give you the time to help our people as you can.”
“You can not hope to defeat them, not like this,” the Elder answered. “They will take you.”
“I’ve initiated the station’s self-destruct measures, so we’ll detonate when they reach us. We can’t win, but they’ll damn well know they were in a fight.”
“This fight is senseless!”
Lewis looked at the screen. “Like I said, sometimes the point of the fight is the fight. Let us take our stand, and you go do your job!”
__________________________________
Bobby piped up. “That never made sense to me. Why not run away? We couldn’t be sure they would have gone to Earth, and Mars and Luna didn’t even have life on the surface back then. What would have made them come after us if the Shal hadn’t shown up?”
“Shal.vae,” Mr. Watkins corrected, “and we can never be certain the Swarm didn’t just follow them to Sol, true. However, the evidence provided suggested they sought out life wherever it was. Even if it didn’t happen at that time, it’s reasonable to believe the Drak’nal might still have shown up at some other time, and we would not have known what was coming. Without the Shal.vae’s actions…who knows?”
__________________________________
The channel fell silent for some time before the silver-gray started to move. “Finally.”
“Sir?”
“Yes, Katsuma?”
The ensign hesitated. “Shal.vae vessel moving to intercept the Drak’nal.”
He pounded the armrest, yelling, “What are you doing?”
“What we should have done in the beginning,” the Elder replied, “and ending their threat.”
Commander Lewis sputtered, “Why would you not have before??”
The Elder responded, voice muted. “Because this ship and all on it are the last of our people. We, we ran to give warning…and because we feared the end of our race. No longer.”
“Energy readings increasing on their vessel!” someone cried out. “Shal.vae on a direct course for the Drak’nal mass.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Lewis cajoled them. “You said you wanted to save us, save us.”
“And so we shall.”
“Energy spike!”
_____________________
Mr. Watkins paced across the silent classroom, shifting the students’ focus. “Consider this: we’d spent our entire existence wondering if we were alone. Even with several of the ‘ancient wonders’ on Earth, we had no proof there was other life out there, not until not one but two alien races arrived and at the same time. Not only that, but we’d been presented with evidence that multiple other races had existed, implying others may still exist.”
“For all its warts, humanity also has a history of standing for the weak and sacrificing for those in need. The Shal.vae activating their FTL drive to plunge through the very heart of the Drak’nal swarm and giving their very existence to save us…well, it set us a shining example, did it not?”
Madelyn raised her hand. “Why’d they do it?”
The teacher shrugged. “No way to know for sure. While they managed to end the Drak’nal’s existence in the end, the Swarm had enough momentum to carry it into the station. With no way to know at the time that the Shal.vae had actually killed them, Commander Lewis did indeed detonate the station’s reactors, obliterating the remnants of the Swarm.”
“Then how do we know what happened?” Bobby asked.
Watkins raised a finger. “Remember the Shal.vae’s gift, the Codex?” He watched everyone nod. “It was also included in the transmission back to Earth. While we’re still unpacking elements of it all this time later, it was able to relay those events up to Commander Lewis’ final action. Since then, we’ve witnessed it grant us access to knowledge humanity may have never achieved. Instantaneous communications. The ability to treat or eradicate any ailment. It even allowed us to crack multiple forms of faster than light travel, once we understood that the Codex unlocked and shared information as we learned as a society.”
With that, he strode back and placed his hands on his podium. “While some consider the Codex the greatest gift the Shal.vae gave us, I disagree.” He rested his elbows on it, leaning toward the class and lowering his voice. “I believe their greatest gift was giving us hope.”
/ / /
Been a minute since I've posted, I know, but I was inspired to write this one shot by the concept of Memorial Day and remembering those who've given all for those around them, regardless of how they've done so. I hope you enjoyed it.
My wiki has everything else I've written for HFY, and it's a variety of tales in an assortment of styles. Maybe you'll even find something that inspires you to follow me. Who knows, right? Thanks for reading.
2023.05.30 17:49 Anakin_Solo553 A Plague Tale fanfiction (chapter 2)
Sequel to chapter 1 (link: https://www.reddit.com/APlagueTale/comments/11emqh8/a_plague_tale_family_fanfiction/)
Chapter XVI of A Plague Tale: Innocence, chapter II of this fanfiction.
Bordeaux, Kingdom of France. January 1349 AD.
The first thing both Amicia and Mélie noticed when they approached the city with the boys, was that the change of atmosphere. Back in autumn last year, the two girls infiltrated the Inquisition-occupied city with their own purposes; Mélie was searching for her brother Arthur, back then held captive after helping the de Rune siblings escape the British camp, while Amicia was searching for the local university in order to steal the Sanguinis Itinera, on the way rescuing and befriending Rodric.
Back then, the Inquisition was evacuating the town due to the outbreak of the Bite, forcing citizens out of their homes, while slaughtering the sick. Now, the whole city seemed to be like a ghost town. It was dreadfully silent, only the wind howling as snow flew and fell. As if the town was abandoned, but Amicia knew that the now deserted streets swarmed with the troops of Grand Vitalis Bénévent. As if that wasn’t enough, a sickly yellow fog hung on the air.
“It’s so huge! How are we going to find mommy?” Hugo, whose hand Amicia held, spoke. His eyes were wide as he watched the huge city walls.
“We’ll get her out of there, Hugo.” Amicia assured her brother.
“Right, that’s enough hanging around, let’s do this.” Mélie told everyone. Before the others could answer back, she ran forward, forcing Amicia, Hugo, Lucas, Arthur and Rodric catch up with her.
“We need to catch up with her before she gets into trouble.” Arthur panted with concern, holding his newly-acquired sword.
“We got the kid and the rats. We’re invincible!” Rodric told him.
“Rodric, he’s only five years old.” Amicia chastised the teen blacksmith. They found Mélie quick, standing at the side door both she and Amicia used when infiltrating the town. However, both the girls were devastated when they saw the door being blocked by a rat’s nest.
“Oh shit!” Mélie cursed.
“Mélie, what’s the matter?” Lucas asked.
“Those fucking rats blocked the safest entrance!” the girl complained, on the verge of going hysterical.
“They didn’t mean it, Mélie.” Hugo innocently told her. “They…”
“We don’t have a choice,” the girl cut him off. “We have to use the great door, but watch out.”
“Is she angry with me?” Hugo asked Amicia with fear. Although he tried to whisper, everyone, including the twins, heard him.
“No, she’s just… tired.” Arthur immediately excused his sister. “Isn’t that right, Mélie? You do know that it is not Hugo’s fault?”
As if remembering, Mélie began calming down. “Yes, yes,” she muttered, some guilt in her voice. “I’m sorry, Hugo.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s just, I am craving for blood of those bastards,” the girl explained. “I just hate them all. I want them dead.”
She charged first and ran down the side passageway. She almost reached the great door when suddenly, she knelt and began sneaking.
“Watch out.” She whispered.
Leaving the safer side door, the rest of the six stealthily crawled towards to the Great Door, which was obviously guarded, by a trio of guards. To make it worse, two of them were heavily armed, fully clad in armour like their now dead, superior, Chevalier Nicholas.
“Eh, do you think it’s already started?” the less-armoured spearman asked.
“I hope so,” one of the heavy troopers answered, holding a torch. “Because there’s more and more of them now.”
“Vitalis knows what he’s doing.” The third guard added.
“Three,” Rodric whispered. “It’s risky.”
“We’re better off using the back door.” Mélie whispered as both she and Arthur donned their cowls to hide their faces.
“Chances are it’s locked.” Amicia argued. “They’re going…”
Both the children and the guards heard the ringing of the nearby bells, high as a thunder, filling the streets of the town. The guards looked into the direction of the town’s centre. Mélie immediately decided to use the opportunity of the three adults being distracted.
“Time to make our move!” she whispered. “Arthur, follow me!”
“Mélie!” Amicia called out as the twins crossed the street and reached the back door.
“Have faith,” one of the guards spoke while Mélie was lockpicking the door. “In the meantime, we have a job to do.”
“Right, I’m going back,” one of the guards in heavy armour told his two comrades. Wishing his comrades to be careful, the heavy guard left and began patrolling the street.
“Oh shit…” Rodric whispered.
“They’ll be seen,” Hugo whimpered in fear. Mélie, meanwhile, managed to finally unlock the door, but by doing so, she caused the noise, attracting the attention of the patrol.
“Hey!” he shouted. The twins instantly dashed through the doorway. “Stop!” the guard demanded as he followed after them.
“I’m going to help him, stay here.” The other guard told the spearman, who was left with a spear in one hand and a torch in the other.
“I hope they make it,” Rodric whispered.
“They know the town, they’ll lead them a dance.” Amicia assured him. “Come on, we have to take advantage. That’s one for you, Rodric.”
“You’re finished.” Rodric sneered at the guard before sneaking up behind him and knocking out the soldier. With the threat now gone, Amicia, Hugo and Lucas joined up with him.
“Well, done.” Lucas praised.
“He won’t be waking up anytime soon, trust me.” Rodric told him, before observing the city. “It’s changed a lot since last time.”
Amicia looked around. Indeed, the buildings were either collapsed, or filled with rat nests. The ground was split in open places, making impassable chasms. On every building, every door and window was blocked by wooden blocks with white crosses painted on them, signifying the presence of the plague. Suddenly, bells were heard thundering once again and the children looked up. The local cathedral in the town square was seen from afar. Amicia suddenly felt Hugo tense and shiver.
“The bells! The cathedral, Amicia! That’s where Vitalis is!” Hugo told his sister.
“Which means, mother is too.”
“That bastard’s gonna get a surprise.” Rodric added.
“First we have to find Arthur and Mélie.” Lucas told him.
“I agree.” Amicia said.
The four ran through the empty and ruined streets before they heard voices and hid. Peeking from their hiding places, the four saw a heavy patrol with a torch.
“I’m gutted I won’t see the Conjuration up close.” One of the soldiers spoke.
“The important thing is that the Grand Inquisitor gets rid of the bite.”
“Yeah, well, let’s pray he does.”
Suddenly, the ground began shaking below four children.
“It’s the rats,” Hugo told his sister and her friends. “They are here, beneath us.”
“So they’re the ones who destroyed everything,” Rodric guessed. “Look at the ground.”
“It’s the Macula.” Lucas stated nodding. Indeed, a small rat nest was on the ground, but a planted torch above it prevented the rats from re-entering the atmosphere. Remembering the tactic they used against Nicholas, Amicia extinguished the torch, and after that, Hugo instantly drew the re-emerged rats onto the patrol. With the soldiers devoured alive, the four passed with any obstacles as Hugo had control over the vermin.
“Wow…” Rodric only said, his jaw collapsing from the shock. As they passed, another patrol was heard nearby.
“No one’s seen Nicholas since the assault on the kid’s hideout.”
“Vitalis didn’t sent anyone looking for him? Strange.”
“The chevalier has always been his protégé.”
“Vitalis has changed since the Carrier arrived”
“Perhaps he’s gone and found himself a new protégé.”
Peeking, Amicia saw that this time, some of the guards had lights and shields. Amicia grabbed her sling and threw rocks at the lights.
“What was that? Intruders!” the shouts immediately filled the estate. Lucas then quickly extinguished the fires keeping the rats at bay before Hugo mentally ordered the horde to attack the guards. The four continued their journey, taking down the patrols on their way. They recently a couple of soldiers who were deeply disturbed by the recent actions of the Grand Inquisitor.
“I wish I was strong like that.” Hugo mumbled after seeing Rodric knocking out another guard, breaking the soldier’s neck.
“I could say the same.” Lucas agreed, while quickly looking at Amicia.
“Mate, you have an army of rats.” Rodric told him.
“Rodric…”
“I’ll take care of the gates,” he said before turning to them. Using all his strength, the large boy lifted the portcullis, allowing Lucas, Hugo and Amicia to crawl under. Rodric released the portcullis and quickly joined them. The four arrived to a yard with a well and broken carts while rats swarmed around. One of the houses was on fire.
“Guys!”
Turning left, they saw Arthur and Mélie, safe and sound, standing tall on the other side of a chasm, waving at them.
“Arthur! Mélie!” Lucas shouted in delight.
“You’re alive!” Amicia happily said. “Listen, Vitalis is at the cathedral!”
“That’s all very well, but a whole battalion is coming this way!” Mélie warned them. “You need to get out of here.”
“Take the stairs!” Arthur pointed at the house with a staircase. “The house has an exit on the other side!”
“Em… the one that’s on fire?” Rodric asked, pointing at the burning building.
“We can’t go back,” Amicia told him before turning to the twins. “Go! We’ll meet you on the other side!”
“Be careful.” Mélie warned them. The four were about to reach the door of the house when the nearby gates opened and more heavy knights appeared. Their weapons were lit with fire, just like the sword Nicholas used.
“Rodric, Lucas, take cover.” Amicia told the two boys. “We’ll take care of them.”
The two boys obeyed reluctantly, while both Amicia and Hugo prepared to fight the knights. Gathering the remaining Extinguis she had, Amicia and Hugo began playing cat and mouse with the guards, dodging their attacks as they passed the rats without obstacles, before Amicia threw the Extinguis at their weapons, leaving them with no fire to protect themselves from the rats that Hugo charged at them. Lucas stared at Amicia with awe while Rodric broke down the door.
Coughing and gasping for breath, the four kids ran through the flaming corridors, desperate to escape the burning house as quick as possible. They tried to cover themselves from the surrounding fire.
“Amicia! We’ll be burnt alive!” Hugo panicked.
“Nothing will happen to you, I promise.” Amicia told him, using Lucas’ fresh Extinguis to put out any fire on their way. “Rodric, are you with us?”
“To hell and back.” The boy answered.
“The ceiling is going to cave in!” Hugo cried.
“Calm down,” his sister cooed him.
“Hugo, you beat the captain of the Inquisition,” Rodric tried to rise the little boy’s morals. “You’re a tough guy! Tougher than I am!”
“Really?”
“I never lie.” Rodric told him. The four finally reached the exit and Lucas opened the door, ensuring that everyone left. Once they were finally outside, the kids heard voices nearby once again.
“Only two catches so far, pretty claim for a day of miracles.”
“You were told that intruders would be tried on spot. This place is quarantined and under the jurisdiction of the Inquisition!”
Amicia, Hugo, Lucas and Rodric hid and saw two swordsmen standing at a cart. Two people, obviously civilians, were standing on their knees in front of the two guards.
“But we’re not sick! Look at us!” one of the civilians argued.
“We only wanted to get our belongings back!” the other one added.
“What do we do now?” Lucas asked.
“Hang on, I’m thinking.” Amicia answered as she approached the four adults closer. Taking out two stones, Amicia took a deep breath before swiftly shooting at the guards, killing the first one and instantly the second one before he could react. The four kids then left their hiding places and approached the captives.
“Oh, thank you,” they said. “Thank you! Lord bless you!”
The two then ran off to a street, only for the kids to gasp in horror when whistles were heard and the two runners were impaled with arrows. Amicia looked up and saw a squad of archers standing on the nearby aqueduct, observing the whole street.
“The archers shoot on sight,” Lucas told them. “We’re stuck here!”
“Rodric?” Hugo asked. Everyone turned and saw the tall boy looking around in a daze.
“I know this street,” he muttered. Before he could add more, he ran off to an alley.
“Rodric wait!” Amicia yelled as the three ran after him. Barely catching up, the three found Rodric frozen at the ruins of what seemed to be a workshop.
“What is it, Rodric?” Lucas asked before it finally got to him. “Oh no.”
“What is it?” Hugo asked.
“It can’t be…” Rodric muttered as he collapsed onto his knees, grabbing his head. His voice was full of sadness and loss. Amicia finally understood, it was the forge where Rodric and his now dead father worked as blacksmiths before the Inquisition, or at least, what’s left of it.
“Did they burn your house down?” Hugo asked.
“It was my father’s forge…” Rodric stammered. “Where I grew up… it’s where…”
“I know how you feel.” Amicia told him, placing her left hand on his right shoulder. “But you’re still alive. And your roots, they can never take that away from you.”
“Amicia is right.” Lucas added. “I was an orphan long before we all met, but Laurentius, my mentor, was also like a father to me, and the rats took him away from me, while destroying our farm. But I’m alive, and I can use the Laurentius’ teachings for good.”
“You’re right,” the teenage blacksmith answered as he stood up. “I know who I am. Come on, we have to save your mother.”
“You’ll see! Mommy is lovely!” Hugo proudly told him.
“We’ll go together, and find another castle.” Amicia added.
“Fine by me.” Rodric answered. Looking at the forge once again, Rodric joined his friends as they returned to cart. The archers were still there, overlooking the street. An idea came to the kids; the cart was large enough to protect them from the archers, but there were no horses to pull it. It had to be pushed, but under the aim of the archers.
“The cart!” Amicia told him. “Rodric, Lucas! If we push it to the portcullis, it will give us cover! Hugo will be protected behind it… Hey!”
Rodric suddenly shoved her away from the back of the cart, back to Hugo and Lucas.
“Leave it, Amicia.” Rodric told her.
“What are you doing?” Lucas asked.
“Stay back with Hugo! I’M pushing!” Rodric ordered.
“Rodric, let us help!” Amicia begged.
“I’ll be fine.” Rodric assured her. “If you want to help, keep an eye out for the guards!”
Amicia turned to Lucas. “Keep Hugo close.” The young alchemist nodded and grabbed Hugo’s hand. “Alright, let’s do this.”
Grunting, Rodric pushed the cart, covering Amicia, Hugo and Lucas. They were instantly spotted by the archers.
“Intruders! Stop them! Shoot them! Fire!”
“Hide, Rodric!” Hugo begged.
“Don’t worry about me, kid,” the young blacksmith answered. Suddenly, one of the archers was hit by something and he fell from the aqueduct.
“What was that?! How’s shooting at us?!” one of the archers shouted. Just then, another archer was hit in the head and he collapsed. The other archers instantly stopped aiming at Rodric and the cart, instead searching for the unseen shooter.
“There! On the rooftops!”
Amicia looked up and saw Arthur shooting stones from his sling, killing a third archer. The archers, all of them, aimed there arrows at him, but suddenly a fourth archer was hit. This distracted the archers, allowing Arthur to change position.
“There’s another one!” one of the archers pointed at one of the towers with the portcullis. Indeed, they saw a glimpse of Mélie with a sling, hiding from the archers, covering Arthur.
“Soldiers! Soldiers ahead!” Hugo cried, pointing ahead. Amicia saw swordsmen, wearing only breaches, no armour, but armed with swords, charging at them.
“Amicia! They’re all yours!” Rodric said, barely dodging an incoming arrow. The archer reached for another arrow when he was shot by Arthur. Amicia took out her sling and began shooting at the incoming troops while Lucas held Hugo close to him.
“Amicia! They almost hit him!” Hugo cried, looking at Rodric with fear.
“Rodric, leave the cart!” Amicia begged.
“No!” the boy refused. “W need it, to reach the portcullis!”
Killing the last soldier, Amicia hoped that the coast was clear for now in their way, while the twins were taking down the archers. Suddenly, Hugo cried.
“Amicia, they’re behind us!”
The girl turned around and cursed when she saw more swordsmen charging at the kids from behind. She prepared to shoot at them too.
“Bastards! You bastards!” Amicia yelled at them with hatred as she killed a few more soldiers.
“We’ve reached the portcullis!” Rodric yelled. “Come quick!”
“Lucas, take Hugo!” Amicia ordered him.
“Amicia!” both Hugo and Lucas called. Amicia reached for another stone, only to discover that she was out of ammunition. The swordsman almost got her when suddenly he was hit by a flying rock in the head. Amicia looked up and saw Mélie nodding at her. Amicia genuinely nodded back.
Rodric hid behind the cart when the few remaining archers fired at him. He quickly ran to the portcullis and raised it up. Thankfully, the kids were out of the archers’ firing rage and so Amicia, Lucas and Hugo quickly crawled.
“Come on! Come on, quick!” Mélie called. Rodric grunted as he was barely holding the portcullis. He was barely crushed by it when he let it go. He collapsed right beside the others. The four kids were finally reunited with Arthur and Mélie.
“Thank you,” Amicia told them. “Thank you for covering us.”
“That…” Rodric panted as he was lying exhausted. “That was close…”
“Oh my God, Rodric,” Mélie gasped as she approached him. She began touching him all over the face. Suddenly, Mélie’s hand smacked across the boy’s face, his head turning with the force of the hit. Amicia, Hugo, Lucas and Arthur were stunned. Ignoring their looks, Mélie raged.
“You stupid fucking idiot!” the auburn girl shouted. “How could you be so foolish in putting your life at risk when we need you the most?!”
“Mélie…”
“Don’t fucking Mélie me!” Mélie continued raging. “We are going to face one of the most dangerous people in the Church, and we will need your help! I’ve almost lost Arthur back at the chateau, and I cannot lose you, or any of you!”
The others were even more stunned when Mélie pulled Rodric into a hug. Everyone knew that Mélie usually kept herself quite distant from the others, except for her brother, and so they were very surprised when she decided to display concern and affection for everyone. Rodric hugged her back as Mélie began sobbing.
“It’s okay,” he cooed. “I’m alive.”
“Um, Mélie…” Lucas spoke up. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have a journey ahead.”
Mélie looked up, brushing her tears away. “Right, yes.” She looked down at Rodric. “Get your ass off, you self-killer. One more suicide attempt, and I’ll make you pay.” Mélie returned to her usual attitude. Reunited, the six kids resumed their journey, arriving to an alley filled with rats. Amicia was caring Hugo for a while.
“I CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE OF THESE BLOODY RATS!” Mélie ranted, throwing a stone at them. “Bastards!”
She was immediately approached by Arthur and Rodric as they tried to comfort her. Amicia, meanwhile, whispered to Hugo and he nodded before being put down onto the ground.
“They’re going to get us through.” Hugo told Mélie.
“Oh really? How?”
“Like this.” Hugo reached out his hand and the rats immediately dispersed, giving the kids a free passage.
“Wow… it’s really happening!” a surprised Arthur exclaimed.
“Hugo,” Mélie turned to the little boy. “Tell me you’re going to help us kill those bastards…”
“Mélie!” both Amicia and Arthur snapped at the girl.
“We’ve got no chance without your brother, Amicia,” Mélie told her. “you get that, right?”
“I will help you. And you’re going to save mommy.” Hugo told her.
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Mélie smirked.
“Shh, quiet!” Lucas hissed as he kneeled. The others did the same. The six were hiding behind the columns of what seemed to be a market place, which was located at the town square. The cathedral was across the square in front of them. Finally! However, the whole square was filled with guards, who were also armed with torches as they passed through the small hordes of rats. Additionally, piles of human corpses were around the square, with the stone ground drenched in blood.
“It’s a bloody mess.” Mélie muttered.
Keeping Hugo close, Amicia and the others made their plan to attack. Grabbing their slings, the girls prepared to shoot, Lucas prepared his alchemical mixtures, while the older boys prepared for encountering the soldiers in combat, with Arthur drawing out his sword.
On the count of three, they began their attack. Mélie fired at one of the two archers, while Amicia fired at the soldiers, aiming either at their heads or their torches. Those who were better armoured were knocked out by Rodric from behind, covering Arthur as his sword clashed with the enemy blades. Despite barely knowing sword fighting, Arthur has managed to show potential in it. After some time of attempted strikes and defensive blocks, he managed to kill some of the guards, stabbing them. Hugo unleashed the rats at those who had no fire to protect themselves.
Victorious once again, the six approached the centre of the town square when Arthur noticed a manuscript among the belongings of one of the soldiers. He took a quick look.
“Hm. An Inquisition manual.”
“Seriously? There is a manual for this kind of shit?” Mélie incredulously asked.
“It was written before Vitalis.”
“Then let’s hope that they won’t be writing a second volume.”
Amicia noticed that suddenly, Hugo grabbed for his head. Another seizure.
“Hugo?”
“Amicia.” Hugo’s voice was filled with dread. “Vitalis, he’s going to do something very bad... I can feel it.”
“Bad? Like what?” a concerned Lucas asked.
“Excuse me,” Mélie interfered. “But whatever he’s up to, we’re here to kill him, right?”
“He’s about to start…” Hugo whispered.
“Let’s go, Hugo, mommy’s in there!” Amicia told him and the two went on, being followed by their four friends. Just when they reached the base of the staircase, the cathedral’s gates opened and more Inquisitors came out.
“They were waiting for us!” Rodric yelled.
“So, I hear some children are asking for punishment?” one of the spearmen asked.
“You’ll die if you come down!” Amicia threatened them.
“That doesn’t matter!” another trooper yelled. “We’re ready to die! Are you?”
“Amicia,” Hugo whispered, pulling the fabric of her clothes. “There are rats down there.”
“So tell them to come out, go on!”
“The Lord will strike you down!” one of the guards yelled when the ground began to shake as rats swarmed out into the surface, devouring the guards.
“Serves the bastards right!” Mélie muttered in pride as the slaughter continued.
“Incredible…” Lucas stammered. “Such power…”
“Right, that’s the last of the guards.” Arthur told everyone. “Let’s go inside!”
The six quickly ascended up the stairs, reaching the entrance gates of the cathedral. Mélie was the last one as she turned back at the rats below.
“Some family…” she muttered thoughtfully before catching up with the rest. Once inside, the six children quickly closed the gates before taking a better look at the congregation hall. What they saw horrified them. The whole hall and the cathedral was turned into one massive rat nest. Massive amounts of gnawed corpses of parishioners were within the hall.
“This will get you nowhere!” a feminine voice yelled.
The de Rune siblings looked up and were excited to see their mother, Béatrice de Rune, locked up in a cage hanging from above. Beside the cage stood the Grand Inquisitor himself; Vitalis Bénévent. He was a frail, old man with white hair, wrinkly skin, sharp chin and a thin face. He was wearing a white cassock robe with a black and gold stole over his neck.
“You don’t want to understand Béatrice!” he yelled at the injured and sick woman.
“Mommy!” Hugo cried for his mother, drawing the attention of the two adults.
“Hugo! Amicia!” Béatrice cried.
“Mother!” Amicia cried back.
“My child,” the Grand Inquisitor addressed the boy.
“My God,” Mélie gasped in horror. “Did Vitalis do this?”
“He sacrificed them.” Lucas stated.
“He’s passed the Threshold!” Béatrice yelled. “Get out of here!”
“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Vitalis Bénévent muttered before gesturing for the guard above to raise the cage with the Lady de Rune.
“Hugo, are you ready?” Amicia asked her brother.
“Yes, the rats are here.” Hugo answered, taking Amicia’s hand.
“Then let’s go. Stay close to me.”
“We’re coming too.” Arthur told them as he drew his sword out once again. The six youngsters began approaching the mad Inquisitor, who began gloating about his power while Hugo summoned the rats from the underground.
“Let her go, Vitalis!” Amicia demanded. “This is your last chance!”
“Well, well!” he answered instead.
“Hugo! Your power… you have to be careful!” Béatrice warned her son.
“I’m fine, don’t worry.” The boy assured her.
“Yes! He’s a very gifted student!” Bénévent told her. “Too bad he’s forgotten who taught him everything he knows!”
“Shut up, you old bastard!” Rodric yelled. “We’re here to kill you, not listen to your speeches!”
“And yet look at you,” Vitalis Bénévent gloated. “walking towards me like lost sheep to their shepherd! The Saint!”
“Enough Vitalis!” Amicia demanded as they were closing in. “You are alone! Give us back our mother or…”
“Or what, exactly? I still have things to teach the Carrier and his friends.” Bénévent mockingly asked before laughing, his grey eye on the left being very well seen. “You’re so touching… thank you… Thank you for your candour…”
He then gave a gesture and suddenly, braziers with fire fall onto the floor, drawing the rats away, when more screeching was heard behind Vitalis.
“Do you hear them?” Vitalis asked. “The Angels… The Angels of the New World!”
Amicia, Hugo, Lucas, Arthur, Mélie and Rodric shrieked in horror when hordes of hairless rats appeared, charging at them.
“Get back! Get back!” Arthur ordered.
“The light…” Lucas was stunned. “They…”
“I saw it, come on!” Amicia called him and Lucas followed her. They barely escaped the new threat as the hairless rats devoured the benches and the parishioners on their way.
“Stay here.” Amicia told her friends.
“No,” Mélie objected. “We can help!”
“It’s our blood, Mélie.” Amicia interjected. Taking out the Extinguis, Amicia and Hugo charged. A battle began as Amicia doused out the braziers before Hugo can charge his rats against the Vitalis’ rats. To make matters even more disturbing, the Angel rats began forming twisters, forcing Hugo to form his own rat twisters to block them, inflicting pain on Vitalis. The twins, Lucas, Rodric and Béatrice de Rune watched in horror and tension as slowly, but surely, the de Rune siblings pushed closer and closer to the insane Grand Inquisitor.
Seeing that the siblings were close enough, Vitalis Bénévent raised his hands and his rats began gathering around him.
“Arrgh! You have come to challenge me!” he yelled. “Me! Vitalis Bénévent! Carrier of the Prima Macula! Crowned by blood!”
“Hugo is the true Carrier of the Prima Macula!” Amicia shouted. “You’re just an usurper!”
“Look at yourself Vitalis! You have abandoned your followers!” Béatrice mocked him.
“Watch, Béatrice! Witness the end of what remains your lineage!” Vitalis declared. “The old world must die for the new one to be born! That is why the rats devour it!”
Hugo spoke up. “You know nothing! But the Macula knows everything about you! It’s playing with you!”
“The world you are about to create is the world of chaos!” Béatrice added before turning to her children. “Amicia, he must not abuse his power!”
“We’re going to get you out of here!” Mélie promised her and she and Rodric ran off to free her.
“Hugo,” Vitalis Bénévent called out to the boy. “You feel it too, don’t you? But it scares you… the true power… the gift of Self!”
Amicia!” Hugo cried in fear as the madman covered himself with his rats like an armour.
“I am Unity!” the madman continued to rant. “I am the Blood of bloods… that connects all people! Die! Become one again!”
Amicia watched in horror as Vitalis piled up the rats and began bringing them crashing down on her like a giant’s arm.. The girl barely managed to dodge and not end up killed.
“Move Amicia!” Hugo cried to his sister.
“And my servants shall rise toward the firmament…”
“Run away!” Hugo warned Amicia as another pile was directed at her.
“My Angels,” Vitalis muttered. “I know you’re hungry. Soon, you shall eat.”
“Hugo, now!” Amicia yelled and Hugo sent a rat twister straight at the pile of the hairless rats, causing them to disperse, and revealing Bénévent.
“No!” the madman cried. “My angels! Come back! Come back to me! I need you!”
“He’s helpless, Amicia” Arthur yelled and Amicia instantly hit him with a sling. However, he didn’t die yet, but released a scream full of pain.
“He’s in pain, Amicia!” Hugo cried. “The Macula doesn’t like it!”
“Come to me!” Vitalis called out his rats, gathering them again. “Come feed… the first blood… In certitude and peace… Renewal! No matter where you go… They will find you!”
Covering himself with his rats, Vitalis once again attempted to crush the girl with the piles, while summoning fresh hordes beneath her feet. However, once again, he was out of rats to kill Amicia, which allowed Hugo to attack him with his twisters. Amicia hit him with her sling the second time, but Vitalis was still alive.
“Arrgh!” he screamed in pain, more vicious and mad than ever. “How… How dare you?! This is your last affront! I sacrificed my flesh to become the crucible where everything unites… You cannot kill… that which has been sublimated!”
“The Macula, Amicia! I can hear it screaming in his blood!”
Amicia began dodging the madman’s attacks once again, though this time it was even more tougher than before Hugo launched another attack.
“Take that!” Hugo yelled, dispersing the hairless rats once again. Grabbing the last stone in her bag, Amicia shot and after the third blow, Vitalis collapses and his horde dispersed in defeat. The six children approached him with caution and fear. Rodric held the injured Lady de Rune, while Hugo was held by Amicia in a tight embrace. The boy panted as Amicia soothed him.
With his head bleeding as he died, Vitalis Bénévent looked over at Hugo, who looked back at him with neither fear nor pity. As he released his last breath, the world was now ridden from the mad Grand Inquisitor Vitalis Bénévent once and for all.
submitted by Anakin_Solo553 to APlagueTale [link] [comments]
Chapter XVI of A Plague Tale: Innocence, chapter II of this fanfiction.
Bordeaux, Kingdom of France. January 1349 AD.
The first thing both Amicia and Mélie noticed when they approached the city with the boys, was that the change of atmosphere. Back in autumn last year, the two girls infiltrated the Inquisition-occupied city with their own purposes; Mélie was searching for her brother Arthur, back then held captive after helping the de Rune siblings escape the British camp, while Amicia was searching for the local university in order to steal the Sanguinis Itinera, on the way rescuing and befriending Rodric.
Back then, the Inquisition was evacuating the town due to the outbreak of the Bite, forcing citizens out of their homes, while slaughtering the sick. Now, the whole city seemed to be like a ghost town. It was dreadfully silent, only the wind howling as snow flew and fell. As if the town was abandoned, but Amicia knew that the now deserted streets swarmed with the troops of Grand Vitalis Bénévent. As if that wasn’t enough, a sickly yellow fog hung on the air.
“It’s so huge! How are we going to find mommy?” Hugo, whose hand Amicia held, spoke. His eyes were wide as he watched the huge city walls.
“We’ll get her out of there, Hugo.” Amicia assured her brother.
“Right, that’s enough hanging around, let’s do this.” Mélie told everyone. Before the others could answer back, she ran forward, forcing Amicia, Hugo, Lucas, Arthur and Rodric catch up with her.
“We need to catch up with her before she gets into trouble.” Arthur panted with concern, holding his newly-acquired sword.
“We got the kid and the rats. We’re invincible!” Rodric told him.
“Rodric, he’s only five years old.” Amicia chastised the teen blacksmith. They found Mélie quick, standing at the side door both she and Amicia used when infiltrating the town. However, both the girls were devastated when they saw the door being blocked by a rat’s nest.
“Oh shit!” Mélie cursed.
“Mélie, what’s the matter?” Lucas asked.
“Those fucking rats blocked the safest entrance!” the girl complained, on the verge of going hysterical.
“They didn’t mean it, Mélie.” Hugo innocently told her. “They…”
“We don’t have a choice,” the girl cut him off. “We have to use the great door, but watch out.”
“Is she angry with me?” Hugo asked Amicia with fear. Although he tried to whisper, everyone, including the twins, heard him.
“No, she’s just… tired.” Arthur immediately excused his sister. “Isn’t that right, Mélie? You do know that it is not Hugo’s fault?”
As if remembering, Mélie began calming down. “Yes, yes,” she muttered, some guilt in her voice. “I’m sorry, Hugo.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s just, I am craving for blood of those bastards,” the girl explained. “I just hate them all. I want them dead.”
She charged first and ran down the side passageway. She almost reached the great door when suddenly, she knelt and began sneaking.
“Watch out.” She whispered.
Leaving the safer side door, the rest of the six stealthily crawled towards to the Great Door, which was obviously guarded, by a trio of guards. To make it worse, two of them were heavily armed, fully clad in armour like their now dead, superior, Chevalier Nicholas.
“Eh, do you think it’s already started?” the less-armoured spearman asked.
“I hope so,” one of the heavy troopers answered, holding a torch. “Because there’s more and more of them now.”
“Vitalis knows what he’s doing.” The third guard added.
“Three,” Rodric whispered. “It’s risky.”
“We’re better off using the back door.” Mélie whispered as both she and Arthur donned their cowls to hide their faces.
“Chances are it’s locked.” Amicia argued. “They’re going…”
Both the children and the guards heard the ringing of the nearby bells, high as a thunder, filling the streets of the town. The guards looked into the direction of the town’s centre. Mélie immediately decided to use the opportunity of the three adults being distracted.
“Time to make our move!” she whispered. “Arthur, follow me!”
“Mélie!” Amicia called out as the twins crossed the street and reached the back door.
“Have faith,” one of the guards spoke while Mélie was lockpicking the door. “In the meantime, we have a job to do.”
“Right, I’m going back,” one of the guards in heavy armour told his two comrades. Wishing his comrades to be careful, the heavy guard left and began patrolling the street.
“Oh shit…” Rodric whispered.
“They’ll be seen,” Hugo whimpered in fear. Mélie, meanwhile, managed to finally unlock the door, but by doing so, she caused the noise, attracting the attention of the patrol.
“Hey!” he shouted. The twins instantly dashed through the doorway. “Stop!” the guard demanded as he followed after them.
“I’m going to help him, stay here.” The other guard told the spearman, who was left with a spear in one hand and a torch in the other.
“I hope they make it,” Rodric whispered.
“They know the town, they’ll lead them a dance.” Amicia assured him. “Come on, we have to take advantage. That’s one for you, Rodric.”
“You’re finished.” Rodric sneered at the guard before sneaking up behind him and knocking out the soldier. With the threat now gone, Amicia, Hugo and Lucas joined up with him.
“Well, done.” Lucas praised.
“He won’t be waking up anytime soon, trust me.” Rodric told him, before observing the city. “It’s changed a lot since last time.”
Amicia looked around. Indeed, the buildings were either collapsed, or filled with rat nests. The ground was split in open places, making impassable chasms. On every building, every door and window was blocked by wooden blocks with white crosses painted on them, signifying the presence of the plague. Suddenly, bells were heard thundering once again and the children looked up. The local cathedral in the town square was seen from afar. Amicia suddenly felt Hugo tense and shiver.
“The bells! The cathedral, Amicia! That’s where Vitalis is!” Hugo told his sister.
“Which means, mother is too.”
“That bastard’s gonna get a surprise.” Rodric added.
“First we have to find Arthur and Mélie.” Lucas told him.
“I agree.” Amicia said.
The four ran through the empty and ruined streets before they heard voices and hid. Peeking from their hiding places, the four saw a heavy patrol with a torch.
“I’m gutted I won’t see the Conjuration up close.” One of the soldiers spoke.
“The important thing is that the Grand Inquisitor gets rid of the bite.”
“Yeah, well, let’s pray he does.”
Suddenly, the ground began shaking below four children.
“It’s the rats,” Hugo told his sister and her friends. “They are here, beneath us.”
“So they’re the ones who destroyed everything,” Rodric guessed. “Look at the ground.”
“It’s the Macula.” Lucas stated nodding. Indeed, a small rat nest was on the ground, but a planted torch above it prevented the rats from re-entering the atmosphere. Remembering the tactic they used against Nicholas, Amicia extinguished the torch, and after that, Hugo instantly drew the re-emerged rats onto the patrol. With the soldiers devoured alive, the four passed with any obstacles as Hugo had control over the vermin.
“Wow…” Rodric only said, his jaw collapsing from the shock. As they passed, another patrol was heard nearby.
“No one’s seen Nicholas since the assault on the kid’s hideout.”
“Vitalis didn’t sent anyone looking for him? Strange.”
“The chevalier has always been his protégé.”
“Vitalis has changed since the Carrier arrived”
“Perhaps he’s gone and found himself a new protégé.”
Peeking, Amicia saw that this time, some of the guards had lights and shields. Amicia grabbed her sling and threw rocks at the lights.
“What was that? Intruders!” the shouts immediately filled the estate. Lucas then quickly extinguished the fires keeping the rats at bay before Hugo mentally ordered the horde to attack the guards. The four continued their journey, taking down the patrols on their way. They recently a couple of soldiers who were deeply disturbed by the recent actions of the Grand Inquisitor.
“I wish I was strong like that.” Hugo mumbled after seeing Rodric knocking out another guard, breaking the soldier’s neck.
“I could say the same.” Lucas agreed, while quickly looking at Amicia.
“Mate, you have an army of rats.” Rodric told him.
“Rodric…”
“I’ll take care of the gates,” he said before turning to them. Using all his strength, the large boy lifted the portcullis, allowing Lucas, Hugo and Amicia to crawl under. Rodric released the portcullis and quickly joined them. The four arrived to a yard with a well and broken carts while rats swarmed around. One of the houses was on fire.
“Guys!”
Turning left, they saw Arthur and Mélie, safe and sound, standing tall on the other side of a chasm, waving at them.
“Arthur! Mélie!” Lucas shouted in delight.
“You’re alive!” Amicia happily said. “Listen, Vitalis is at the cathedral!”
“That’s all very well, but a whole battalion is coming this way!” Mélie warned them. “You need to get out of here.”
“Take the stairs!” Arthur pointed at the house with a staircase. “The house has an exit on the other side!”
“Em… the one that’s on fire?” Rodric asked, pointing at the burning building.
“We can’t go back,” Amicia told him before turning to the twins. “Go! We’ll meet you on the other side!”
“Be careful.” Mélie warned them. The four were about to reach the door of the house when the nearby gates opened and more heavy knights appeared. Their weapons were lit with fire, just like the sword Nicholas used.
“Rodric, Lucas, take cover.” Amicia told the two boys. “We’ll take care of them.”
The two boys obeyed reluctantly, while both Amicia and Hugo prepared to fight the knights. Gathering the remaining Extinguis she had, Amicia and Hugo began playing cat and mouse with the guards, dodging their attacks as they passed the rats without obstacles, before Amicia threw the Extinguis at their weapons, leaving them with no fire to protect themselves from the rats that Hugo charged at them. Lucas stared at Amicia with awe while Rodric broke down the door.
Coughing and gasping for breath, the four kids ran through the flaming corridors, desperate to escape the burning house as quick as possible. They tried to cover themselves from the surrounding fire.
“Amicia! We’ll be burnt alive!” Hugo panicked.
“Nothing will happen to you, I promise.” Amicia told him, using Lucas’ fresh Extinguis to put out any fire on their way. “Rodric, are you with us?”
“To hell and back.” The boy answered.
“The ceiling is going to cave in!” Hugo cried.
“Calm down,” his sister cooed him.
“Hugo, you beat the captain of the Inquisition,” Rodric tried to rise the little boy’s morals. “You’re a tough guy! Tougher than I am!”
“Really?”
“I never lie.” Rodric told him. The four finally reached the exit and Lucas opened the door, ensuring that everyone left. Once they were finally outside, the kids heard voices nearby once again.
“Only two catches so far, pretty claim for a day of miracles.”
“You were told that intruders would be tried on spot. This place is quarantined and under the jurisdiction of the Inquisition!”
Amicia, Hugo, Lucas and Rodric hid and saw two swordsmen standing at a cart. Two people, obviously civilians, were standing on their knees in front of the two guards.
“But we’re not sick! Look at us!” one of the civilians argued.
“We only wanted to get our belongings back!” the other one added.
“What do we do now?” Lucas asked.
“Hang on, I’m thinking.” Amicia answered as she approached the four adults closer. Taking out two stones, Amicia took a deep breath before swiftly shooting at the guards, killing the first one and instantly the second one before he could react. The four kids then left their hiding places and approached the captives.
“Oh, thank you,” they said. “Thank you! Lord bless you!”
The two then ran off to a street, only for the kids to gasp in horror when whistles were heard and the two runners were impaled with arrows. Amicia looked up and saw a squad of archers standing on the nearby aqueduct, observing the whole street.
“The archers shoot on sight,” Lucas told them. “We’re stuck here!”
“Rodric?” Hugo asked. Everyone turned and saw the tall boy looking around in a daze.
“I know this street,” he muttered. Before he could add more, he ran off to an alley.
“Rodric wait!” Amicia yelled as the three ran after him. Barely catching up, the three found Rodric frozen at the ruins of what seemed to be a workshop.
“What is it, Rodric?” Lucas asked before it finally got to him. “Oh no.”
“What is it?” Hugo asked.
“It can’t be…” Rodric muttered as he collapsed onto his knees, grabbing his head. His voice was full of sadness and loss. Amicia finally understood, it was the forge where Rodric and his now dead father worked as blacksmiths before the Inquisition, or at least, what’s left of it.
“Did they burn your house down?” Hugo asked.
“It was my father’s forge…” Rodric stammered. “Where I grew up… it’s where…”
“I know how you feel.” Amicia told him, placing her left hand on his right shoulder. “But you’re still alive. And your roots, they can never take that away from you.”
“Amicia is right.” Lucas added. “I was an orphan long before we all met, but Laurentius, my mentor, was also like a father to me, and the rats took him away from me, while destroying our farm. But I’m alive, and I can use the Laurentius’ teachings for good.”
“You’re right,” the teenage blacksmith answered as he stood up. “I know who I am. Come on, we have to save your mother.”
“You’ll see! Mommy is lovely!” Hugo proudly told him.
“We’ll go together, and find another castle.” Amicia added.
“Fine by me.” Rodric answered. Looking at the forge once again, Rodric joined his friends as they returned to cart. The archers were still there, overlooking the street. An idea came to the kids; the cart was large enough to protect them from the archers, but there were no horses to pull it. It had to be pushed, but under the aim of the archers.
“The cart!” Amicia told him. “Rodric, Lucas! If we push it to the portcullis, it will give us cover! Hugo will be protected behind it… Hey!”
Rodric suddenly shoved her away from the back of the cart, back to Hugo and Lucas.
“Leave it, Amicia.” Rodric told her.
“What are you doing?” Lucas asked.
“Stay back with Hugo! I’M pushing!” Rodric ordered.
“Rodric, let us help!” Amicia begged.
“I’ll be fine.” Rodric assured her. “If you want to help, keep an eye out for the guards!”
Amicia turned to Lucas. “Keep Hugo close.” The young alchemist nodded and grabbed Hugo’s hand. “Alright, let’s do this.”
Grunting, Rodric pushed the cart, covering Amicia, Hugo and Lucas. They were instantly spotted by the archers.
“Intruders! Stop them! Shoot them! Fire!”
“Hide, Rodric!” Hugo begged.
“Don’t worry about me, kid,” the young blacksmith answered. Suddenly, one of the archers was hit by something and he fell from the aqueduct.
“What was that?! How’s shooting at us?!” one of the archers shouted. Just then, another archer was hit in the head and he collapsed. The other archers instantly stopped aiming at Rodric and the cart, instead searching for the unseen shooter.
“There! On the rooftops!”
Amicia looked up and saw Arthur shooting stones from his sling, killing a third archer. The archers, all of them, aimed there arrows at him, but suddenly a fourth archer was hit. This distracted the archers, allowing Arthur to change position.
“There’s another one!” one of the archers pointed at one of the towers with the portcullis. Indeed, they saw a glimpse of Mélie with a sling, hiding from the archers, covering Arthur.
“Soldiers! Soldiers ahead!” Hugo cried, pointing ahead. Amicia saw swordsmen, wearing only breaches, no armour, but armed with swords, charging at them.
“Amicia! They’re all yours!” Rodric said, barely dodging an incoming arrow. The archer reached for another arrow when he was shot by Arthur. Amicia took out her sling and began shooting at the incoming troops while Lucas held Hugo close to him.
“Amicia! They almost hit him!” Hugo cried, looking at Rodric with fear.
“Rodric, leave the cart!” Amicia begged.
“No!” the boy refused. “W need it, to reach the portcullis!”
Killing the last soldier, Amicia hoped that the coast was clear for now in their way, while the twins were taking down the archers. Suddenly, Hugo cried.
“Amicia, they’re behind us!”
The girl turned around and cursed when she saw more swordsmen charging at the kids from behind. She prepared to shoot at them too.
“Bastards! You bastards!” Amicia yelled at them with hatred as she killed a few more soldiers.
“We’ve reached the portcullis!” Rodric yelled. “Come quick!”
“Lucas, take Hugo!” Amicia ordered him.
“Amicia!” both Hugo and Lucas called. Amicia reached for another stone, only to discover that she was out of ammunition. The swordsman almost got her when suddenly he was hit by a flying rock in the head. Amicia looked up and saw Mélie nodding at her. Amicia genuinely nodded back.
Rodric hid behind the cart when the few remaining archers fired at him. He quickly ran to the portcullis and raised it up. Thankfully, the kids were out of the archers’ firing rage and so Amicia, Lucas and Hugo quickly crawled.
“Come on! Come on, quick!” Mélie called. Rodric grunted as he was barely holding the portcullis. He was barely crushed by it when he let it go. He collapsed right beside the others. The four kids were finally reunited with Arthur and Mélie.
“Thank you,” Amicia told them. “Thank you for covering us.”
“That…” Rodric panted as he was lying exhausted. “That was close…”
“Oh my God, Rodric,” Mélie gasped as she approached him. She began touching him all over the face. Suddenly, Mélie’s hand smacked across the boy’s face, his head turning with the force of the hit. Amicia, Hugo, Lucas and Arthur were stunned. Ignoring their looks, Mélie raged.
“You stupid fucking idiot!” the auburn girl shouted. “How could you be so foolish in putting your life at risk when we need you the most?!”
“Mélie…”
“Don’t fucking Mélie me!” Mélie continued raging. “We are going to face one of the most dangerous people in the Church, and we will need your help! I’ve almost lost Arthur back at the chateau, and I cannot lose you, or any of you!”
The others were even more stunned when Mélie pulled Rodric into a hug. Everyone knew that Mélie usually kept herself quite distant from the others, except for her brother, and so they were very surprised when she decided to display concern and affection for everyone. Rodric hugged her back as Mélie began sobbing.
“It’s okay,” he cooed. “I’m alive.”
“Um, Mélie…” Lucas spoke up. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have a journey ahead.”
Mélie looked up, brushing her tears away. “Right, yes.” She looked down at Rodric. “Get your ass off, you self-killer. One more suicide attempt, and I’ll make you pay.” Mélie returned to her usual attitude. Reunited, the six kids resumed their journey, arriving to an alley filled with rats. Amicia was caring Hugo for a while.
“I CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE OF THESE BLOODY RATS!” Mélie ranted, throwing a stone at them. “Bastards!”
She was immediately approached by Arthur and Rodric as they tried to comfort her. Amicia, meanwhile, whispered to Hugo and he nodded before being put down onto the ground.
“They’re going to get us through.” Hugo told Mélie.
“Oh really? How?”
“Like this.” Hugo reached out his hand and the rats immediately dispersed, giving the kids a free passage.
“Wow… it’s really happening!” a surprised Arthur exclaimed.
“Hugo,” Mélie turned to the little boy. “Tell me you’re going to help us kill those bastards…”
“Mélie!” both Amicia and Arthur snapped at the girl.
“We’ve got no chance without your brother, Amicia,” Mélie told her. “you get that, right?”
“I will help you. And you’re going to save mommy.” Hugo told her.
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Mélie smirked.
“Shh, quiet!” Lucas hissed as he kneeled. The others did the same. The six were hiding behind the columns of what seemed to be a market place, which was located at the town square. The cathedral was across the square in front of them. Finally! However, the whole square was filled with guards, who were also armed with torches as they passed through the small hordes of rats. Additionally, piles of human corpses were around the square, with the stone ground drenched in blood.
“It’s a bloody mess.” Mélie muttered.
Keeping Hugo close, Amicia and the others made their plan to attack. Grabbing their slings, the girls prepared to shoot, Lucas prepared his alchemical mixtures, while the older boys prepared for encountering the soldiers in combat, with Arthur drawing out his sword.
On the count of three, they began their attack. Mélie fired at one of the two archers, while Amicia fired at the soldiers, aiming either at their heads or their torches. Those who were better armoured were knocked out by Rodric from behind, covering Arthur as his sword clashed with the enemy blades. Despite barely knowing sword fighting, Arthur has managed to show potential in it. After some time of attempted strikes and defensive blocks, he managed to kill some of the guards, stabbing them. Hugo unleashed the rats at those who had no fire to protect themselves.
Victorious once again, the six approached the centre of the town square when Arthur noticed a manuscript among the belongings of one of the soldiers. He took a quick look.
“Hm. An Inquisition manual.”
“Seriously? There is a manual for this kind of shit?” Mélie incredulously asked.
“It was written before Vitalis.”
“Then let’s hope that they won’t be writing a second volume.”
Amicia noticed that suddenly, Hugo grabbed for his head. Another seizure.
“Hugo?”
“Amicia.” Hugo’s voice was filled with dread. “Vitalis, he’s going to do something very bad... I can feel it.”
“Bad? Like what?” a concerned Lucas asked.
“Excuse me,” Mélie interfered. “But whatever he’s up to, we’re here to kill him, right?”
“He’s about to start…” Hugo whispered.
“Let’s go, Hugo, mommy’s in there!” Amicia told him and the two went on, being followed by their four friends. Just when they reached the base of the staircase, the cathedral’s gates opened and more Inquisitors came out.
“They were waiting for us!” Rodric yelled.
“So, I hear some children are asking for punishment?” one of the spearmen asked.
“You’ll die if you come down!” Amicia threatened them.
“That doesn’t matter!” another trooper yelled. “We’re ready to die! Are you?”
“Amicia,” Hugo whispered, pulling the fabric of her clothes. “There are rats down there.”
“So tell them to come out, go on!”
“The Lord will strike you down!” one of the guards yelled when the ground began to shake as rats swarmed out into the surface, devouring the guards.
“Serves the bastards right!” Mélie muttered in pride as the slaughter continued.
“Incredible…” Lucas stammered. “Such power…”
“Right, that’s the last of the guards.” Arthur told everyone. “Let’s go inside!”
The six quickly ascended up the stairs, reaching the entrance gates of the cathedral. Mélie was the last one as she turned back at the rats below.
“Some family…” she muttered thoughtfully before catching up with the rest. Once inside, the six children quickly closed the gates before taking a better look at the congregation hall. What they saw horrified them. The whole hall and the cathedral was turned into one massive rat nest. Massive amounts of gnawed corpses of parishioners were within the hall.
“This will get you nowhere!” a feminine voice yelled.
The de Rune siblings looked up and were excited to see their mother, Béatrice de Rune, locked up in a cage hanging from above. Beside the cage stood the Grand Inquisitor himself; Vitalis Bénévent. He was a frail, old man with white hair, wrinkly skin, sharp chin and a thin face. He was wearing a white cassock robe with a black and gold stole over his neck.
“You don’t want to understand Béatrice!” he yelled at the injured and sick woman.
“Mommy!” Hugo cried for his mother, drawing the attention of the two adults.
“Hugo! Amicia!” Béatrice cried.
“Mother!” Amicia cried back.
“My child,” the Grand Inquisitor addressed the boy.
“My God,” Mélie gasped in horror. “Did Vitalis do this?”
“He sacrificed them.” Lucas stated.
“He’s passed the Threshold!” Béatrice yelled. “Get out of here!”
“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Vitalis Bénévent muttered before gesturing for the guard above to raise the cage with the Lady de Rune.
“Hugo, are you ready?” Amicia asked her brother.
“Yes, the rats are here.” Hugo answered, taking Amicia’s hand.
“Then let’s go. Stay close to me.”
“We’re coming too.” Arthur told them as he drew his sword out once again. The six youngsters began approaching the mad Inquisitor, who began gloating about his power while Hugo summoned the rats from the underground.
“Let her go, Vitalis!” Amicia demanded. “This is your last chance!”
“Well, well!” he answered instead.
“Hugo! Your power… you have to be careful!” Béatrice warned her son.
“I’m fine, don’t worry.” The boy assured her.
“Yes! He’s a very gifted student!” Bénévent told her. “Too bad he’s forgotten who taught him everything he knows!”
“Shut up, you old bastard!” Rodric yelled. “We’re here to kill you, not listen to your speeches!”
“And yet look at you,” Vitalis Bénévent gloated. “walking towards me like lost sheep to their shepherd! The Saint!”
“Enough Vitalis!” Amicia demanded as they were closing in. “You are alone! Give us back our mother or…”
“Or what, exactly? I still have things to teach the Carrier and his friends.” Bénévent mockingly asked before laughing, his grey eye on the left being very well seen. “You’re so touching… thank you… Thank you for your candour…”
He then gave a gesture and suddenly, braziers with fire fall onto the floor, drawing the rats away, when more screeching was heard behind Vitalis.
“Do you hear them?” Vitalis asked. “The Angels… The Angels of the New World!”
Amicia, Hugo, Lucas, Arthur, Mélie and Rodric shrieked in horror when hordes of hairless rats appeared, charging at them.
“Get back! Get back!” Arthur ordered.
“The light…” Lucas was stunned. “They…”
“I saw it, come on!” Amicia called him and Lucas followed her. They barely escaped the new threat as the hairless rats devoured the benches and the parishioners on their way.
“Stay here.” Amicia told her friends.
“No,” Mélie objected. “We can help!”
“It’s our blood, Mélie.” Amicia interjected. Taking out the Extinguis, Amicia and Hugo charged. A battle began as Amicia doused out the braziers before Hugo can charge his rats against the Vitalis’ rats. To make matters even more disturbing, the Angel rats began forming twisters, forcing Hugo to form his own rat twisters to block them, inflicting pain on Vitalis. The twins, Lucas, Rodric and Béatrice de Rune watched in horror and tension as slowly, but surely, the de Rune siblings pushed closer and closer to the insane Grand Inquisitor.
Seeing that the siblings were close enough, Vitalis Bénévent raised his hands and his rats began gathering around him.
“Arrgh! You have come to challenge me!” he yelled. “Me! Vitalis Bénévent! Carrier of the Prima Macula! Crowned by blood!”
“Hugo is the true Carrier of the Prima Macula!” Amicia shouted. “You’re just an usurper!”
“Look at yourself Vitalis! You have abandoned your followers!” Béatrice mocked him.
“Watch, Béatrice! Witness the end of what remains your lineage!” Vitalis declared. “The old world must die for the new one to be born! That is why the rats devour it!”
Hugo spoke up. “You know nothing! But the Macula knows everything about you! It’s playing with you!”
“The world you are about to create is the world of chaos!” Béatrice added before turning to her children. “Amicia, he must not abuse his power!”
“We’re going to get you out of here!” Mélie promised her and she and Rodric ran off to free her.
“Hugo,” Vitalis Bénévent called out to the boy. “You feel it too, don’t you? But it scares you… the true power… the gift of Self!”
Amicia!” Hugo cried in fear as the madman covered himself with his rats like an armour.
“I am Unity!” the madman continued to rant. “I am the Blood of bloods… that connects all people! Die! Become one again!”
Amicia watched in horror as Vitalis piled up the rats and began bringing them crashing down on her like a giant’s arm.. The girl barely managed to dodge and not end up killed.
“Move Amicia!” Hugo cried to his sister.
“And my servants shall rise toward the firmament…”
“Run away!” Hugo warned Amicia as another pile was directed at her.
“My Angels,” Vitalis muttered. “I know you’re hungry. Soon, you shall eat.”
“Hugo, now!” Amicia yelled and Hugo sent a rat twister straight at the pile of the hairless rats, causing them to disperse, and revealing Bénévent.
“No!” the madman cried. “My angels! Come back! Come back to me! I need you!”
“He’s helpless, Amicia” Arthur yelled and Amicia instantly hit him with a sling. However, he didn’t die yet, but released a scream full of pain.
“He’s in pain, Amicia!” Hugo cried. “The Macula doesn’t like it!”
“Come to me!” Vitalis called out his rats, gathering them again. “Come feed… the first blood… In certitude and peace… Renewal! No matter where you go… They will find you!”
Covering himself with his rats, Vitalis once again attempted to crush the girl with the piles, while summoning fresh hordes beneath her feet. However, once again, he was out of rats to kill Amicia, which allowed Hugo to attack him with his twisters. Amicia hit him with her sling the second time, but Vitalis was still alive.
“Arrgh!” he screamed in pain, more vicious and mad than ever. “How… How dare you?! This is your last affront! I sacrificed my flesh to become the crucible where everything unites… You cannot kill… that which has been sublimated!”
“The Macula, Amicia! I can hear it screaming in his blood!”
Amicia began dodging the madman’s attacks once again, though this time it was even more tougher than before Hugo launched another attack.
“Take that!” Hugo yelled, dispersing the hairless rats once again. Grabbing the last stone in her bag, Amicia shot and after the third blow, Vitalis collapses and his horde dispersed in defeat. The six children approached him with caution and fear. Rodric held the injured Lady de Rune, while Hugo was held by Amicia in a tight embrace. The boy panted as Amicia soothed him.
With his head bleeding as he died, Vitalis Bénévent looked over at Hugo, who looked back at him with neither fear nor pity. As he released his last breath, the world was now ridden from the mad Grand Inquisitor Vitalis Bénévent once and for all.
2023.05.30 17:35 kimicky New releases May 30
MM Romance
Kindle Unlimited- Hunter's Descent (Mischief and Monsters #2) by Alice Winters - https://a.co/d/cK7Wy9b - (series must be read in order, established relationship, paranormal/fantasy, action, humor, monster x monster hunter)
- Wolfgang (Vampire's Mate #5) by Grae Bryan - https://a.co/d/dfYNPC7 - (series must be read in order, paranormal, fated mates, vampire mc, 'psychopath' mc, turned without consent)
- Out of The Wild Night (Coven Ties #2) by Marina Vivancos - https://a.co/d/4V6ssHx - (fantasy, biokink, D/s, check CWs)
- Full Throttle (Lights Out) by Lisa Henry - https://a.co/d/iY74qHb - (multi-author series, contemporary, F1, hidden relationship, pining)
- Mr. Frisky: An MM Age Play Romance (Playhouse Daddies #2) by Joe Satoria - https://a.co/d/3tISJZp - (contemporary, dad's best friend, Daddy kink, age play)
- Guarding Axel (Dark Forest Pack #3) by Annabelle Jacobs - https://a.co/d/5y7k9Zn - (paranormal, fae mc, wolf shifter, second chance)
- Model (The Club Oxygen Series #9) by Cole Denton - https://a.co/d/bYU7hRn - (contemporary, dark?, BDSM?, very cryptic blurb)
- Crimes of Passion by Jack Harbon - https://a.co/d/aIuJmZs - (contemporary, BIPOC, rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity)
- Deadly Desire: An MM Dragon-shifter Romance (The Last Mortals #3) by Silvana Falcon - https://a.co/d/iB4fmjn - (paranormal, dragon shifter mc, assassin mc, assassin/target, fated mates, hurt/comfort)
- Protecting His Pack (North American Wolves #1) by Morgan Elektra - https://a.co/d/3qUNc8Y - (paranormal, widower mc, single parent mc, wolf shifters)
- A Bridge in the Desert by S.A. Sommers - https://a.co/d/9NihOuo - (contemporary, mystery, suspense, missing daughter, man who raised her x biological father)
- His Mafia Captor (Dark M/M Mafia Romance) (Toscano Doms #3) by Leo Rivers - https://a.co/d/j3YDo8R - (contemporary, dark, mafia, captocaptive, BDSM, dubcon-noncon)
- Man On: A Celebration of Love on the Pitch (The Black Jacks of Detroit #3) by Liz Crowe - https://a.co/d/dOhyRxe - (contemporary, soccer, rivals-to-lovers, teammates-to-lovers)
- Don't Look Back in Anger (Two Tribes #3) by Kristian Parker - https://a.co/d/j2V9hSZ - (contemporary, mafia, back from the dead, second chance)
- Reuben's Hot and Cold (Clover Hill Romance #9) by M. Arbon - https://a.co/d/07xfDzG - (contemporary, accidentally ended up in a relationship, workaholic mcs, relationship trouble)
- The Hero In Me: MM Superhero Enemies to Lovers Romance by Kaylee Kane - https://a.co/d/5kqoQSR - (superhero x supervillain, hidden identity, aliens, D/s, the superhero is an asshole, the supervillain is an au pair for a dog)
- Day Break (The Vampire Defense Agency #4) by Katherine Diane - https://a.co/d/isghyPG - (paranormal, vampires, forced proximity, antagonism-to-lovers, action, suspense)
- Fallen Fire: The Complete Series (Fallen Fire #1-4) by Richard Amos - https://a.co/d/evg8fCo - (collection, urban fantasy, action, adventure, mystery, slowburn, paranormal beings)
- Scorching Submission (Master, May I?) by Candace Lark - https://a.co/d/1xJewXO - (contemporary, antagonism-to-lovers, fake relationship, BDSM)
- Against the Rush (Philadelphia Power) by Susan Scott Shelley & Chantal Mer - Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/against-the-rush & Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/646488297/Against-the-Rush-Philadelphia-Power-1 - (contemporary, hockey, daughter's coach, busy schedules / long-distance-relationship)
- Make Like Mountains (Liquid Onyx #2) by BL Jones - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/make-like-mountains - (series must be read in order, superheroes, love triangle or MMM, mc with anxiety, humor)
- Off The Ice: Young Adult Gay Romance (Chesterford Coyotes #1) by RJ Scott & V.L. Locey - https://a.co/d/5hqVSTC - (YA, contemporary, hockey, coming-of-age, high school, rivals-to-lovers, teammates-to-lovers)
- The Gay Best Friend by Nicolas DiDomizio - https://a.co/d/2GSabu9 - (contemporary, romcom, forced proximity, jock/nerd, famous golfer mc, mc with anxiety)
- Elf Shot (Monster Dads) by TA Moore, illustrated by Emily Y Chan - https://a.co/d/b6N4OQq - (illustrated edition, paranormal, mystery, agent x suspect, single parent mc)
- Monster Hall Pass (Monster Dads) by Bru Baker, illustrated by Emily Y Chan - https://a.co/d/31vDrMW - (illustrated edition, paranormal, vampire mc, fae prince mc, enemies-to-lovers, single parent mc)
- Wolf at First Sight (Monster Dads) by Rhys Ford, illustrated by Emily Y Chan - https://a.co/d/8w22YLp - (illustrated edition, paranormal, wolf shifter x unaware human, cop mc, single parent mc)
- Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 6 (Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu #6) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu - https://a.co/d/in3e9Ge - (series must be read in order, fantasy, gods)
- Big Gay Wedding: A Novel by Byron Lane - https://a.co/d/0E2g66N - (contemporary, established relationship, small town isn't ready for all the glitter)
Other Queer Romance
Kindle Unlimited- Choose Us (CHOOSE ME & CHOOSE US #2) by Nicole Spencer-Skillen - https://a.co/d/3gikfKC - (FF, series must be read in order, contemporary, second chance, set in Japan)
- Covetousness: A Sensual Pride and Prejudice Sequel (Unconventional Love) by Rosemarie Thorson - https://a.co/d/3ipBk2Y - (MMF, historical, Pride and Prejudice retelling/sequel, Mr Darcy x Mrs Darcy x Colonel Fitzwilliam, infertility or trouble conceiving, blurb emphasizes how extremely erotic this story is)
- When Ivy Met Adam : A second chance, forced proximity, sexy, queer love-triangle romance by Jennifer J. Coldwater - https://a.co/d/giJUiLM - (MF, contemporary, second chance, love triangle, forced proximity, bisexual/pansexual mc, based on biblical story of Eve)
- Girl Gets Ghosted: A Lesbian Romance Novella by Waverly Decker - https://a.co/d/2uZQKvv - (FF, paranormal, ghost mc, amnesia)
- Broken Women Fight Back (Tales of the Undead & Depraved #3) by Adrian J. Smith - https://a.co/d/1WMm5Mj - (FF, series must be read in order, fantasy/sci-fi, established relationship(?), zombie-shifting pirate captain mc (!!!))
- Santa's Sacking: an M/Enby sweet with heat Christmas romance by Jaxon Knight - https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/santa-s-sacking - (MX, contemporary, helping with the Christmas pageant, holidays)
- Stiletto: A Novel by Brenda Peterson - https://www.scribd.com/book/635084908/Stiletto-A-Novel - (FF, contemporary, thriller, mystery, detective x suspect, unclear whether this has a HEA since one mc could be the murderer)
- An Island Princess Starts a Scandal (Las Leonas #2) by Adriana Herrera - https://a.co/d/b6rxicq - (FF, historical, nobility, forbidden relationship, scandal, set in Paris)
- That Summer Feeling by Bridget Morrissey - https://a.co/d/j6XDqze - (FF, contemporary, divorced mc, summer camp)
- The Professor by Elia Johnson - https://a.co/d/caCaVC7 - (FF, contemporary, professostudent, college, forbidden relationship)
- Not Too Old (A Mountain to Coast Romance #2) by Ann Tonnell - https://a.co/d/7VbNQZB - (FF, contemporary, 60+ mcs, protesting a parking ticket)
- Chef's Choice by TJ Alexander - https://a.co/d/0efeJpw - (MF, contemporary, romcom, two trans mcs, fake relationship)
- House of Longing by Tara Calaby - https://a.co/d/5054GNO - (FF, historical, forbidden relationship, admitted to asylum)
Audiobooks
MM Romance- Wyn (Monstrous #3.5) by Lily Mayne, narrated by Michael Lesley - https://a.co/d/1DgnG2G - (post-apocalyptic, monsters, alternate dimension, established relationship, grumpy/sunshine, only soft for his mate)
- The Gay Best Friend by Nicolas DiDomizio, narrated by Daniel Henning - https://a.co/d/cGmquaL - (contemporary, romcom, forced proximity, jock/nerd, famous golfer mc, mc with anxiety)
- Big Gay Wedding: A Novel by Byron Lane, narrated by Noah Galvin - https://a.co/d/fXBsXsc - (contemporary, established relationship, small town isn't ready for all the glitter)
- Chef's Choice by TJ Alexander, narrated by Nicky Endres - https://a.co/d/cGmquaL - (MF, contemporary, romcom, two trans mcs, fake relationship)
- Silver Moon (Wolves of Wolf's Point #1) by Catherine Lundoff, narrated by Em Eldridge - https://a.co/d/2pBQ1p0 - (FF, paranormal, romantic subplot, sexuality awakening, menopause triggers lycanthropy, lots of middle-aged werewolves, action, suspense)
- An Island Princess Starts a Scandal (Las Leonas #2) by Adriana Herrera, narrated by Nneka Okoye - https://a.co/d/0wffVrT - (FF, historical, nobility, forbidden relationship, scandal, set in Paris)
- That Summer Feeling by Bridget Morrissey, narrated by Jeremy Carlisle Parker - https://a.co/d/aJZ5ClH - (FF, contemporary, divorced mc, summer camp)
2023.05.30 17:29 _Triple_ [STORE] 900+ KNIVES/GLOVES/SKINS, 50.000$+ INVENTORY. M9 Fade, M4 Poseidon, BFK Freehand, Crimson Kimono, Nomad Fade, Skeleton, Kara Lore, Bayo Autotronic, AWP Fade, Kara Damas, BFK Ultra, Kara Freehand, Kara Bright, M9 Damas, Omega, Tiger Strike, Flip MF, Bayo Tiger, Deagle Blaze, Talon & More
Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory
Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.
All Buyouts are listed in cash value.
KNIVES
★ Butterfly Knife Freehand FN #1, B/O: $2500
★ Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $822
★ Butterfly Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $616
⎯★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW #1, B/O: $1300
★ Bayonet Autotronic FN, B/O: $1050
★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth MW, B/O: $629
★ Bayonet Bright Water FT, B/O: $326
★ Bayonet Safari Mesh BS, B/O: $233
⎯★ Karambit Lore FT, B/O: $1110
★ Karambit Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $840
★ Karambit Freehand MW, B/O: $784
★ Karambit Bright Water MW, B/O: $759
⎯★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801
★ M9 Bayonet Fade FN, B/O: $1801
★ M9 Bayonet Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $751
⎯★ Nomad Knife Fade FN, B/O: $1156
★ Nomad Knife Slaughter MW, B/O: $544
★ Nomad Knife Blue Steel WW, B/O: $318
⎯★ Flip Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $646
★ Flip Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $574
★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) MW, B/O: $552
★ Flip Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $257
★ Flip Knife Freehand FT, B/O: $255
★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $287
⎯★ Huntsman Knife Lore FN, B/O: $461
★ Huntsman Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $436
★ Huntsman Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $353
★ Huntsman Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $212
★ Huntsman Knife Bright Water FT, B/O: $129
★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT MW, B/O: $129
★ Huntsman Knife Forest DDPAT BS, B/O: $123
★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Rust Coat BS, B/O: $127
⎯★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $375
★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $363
★ Bowie Knife Tiger Tooth FN, B/O: $269
★ Bowie Knife Crimson Web WW, B/O: $192
★ Bowie Knife Bright Water FN, B/O: $159
★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $126
⎯★ Stiletto Knife Slaughter FN, B/O: $616
★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web FT, B/O: $412
★ StatTrak™ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe FT, B/O: $227
⎯★ Falchion Knife Lore FT, B/O: $214
★ Falchion Knife Autotronic FT, B/O: $192
★ Falchion Knife Scorched WW, B/O: $105
⎯★ Survival Knife Crimson Web BS, B/O: $216
★ Survival Knife Case Hardened FT, B/O: $198
★ Survival Knife Scorched FT, B/O: $111
⎯★ Shadow Daggers Fade FN, B/O: $368
★ Shadow Daggers Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $228
★ Shadow Daggers, B/O: $201
★ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel FT, B/O: $108
★ Shadow Daggers Ultraviolet FT, B/O: $105
★ Shadow Daggers Black Laminate FT, B/O: $99
★ Shadow Daggers Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $85
⎯★ Gut Knife Doppler (Sapphire) MW #1, B/O: $1700
★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) FN, B/O: $223
★ Gut Knife Marble Fade FN, B/O: $203
★ Gut Knife Doppler (Phase 2) FN, B/O: $191
★ Gut Knife Case Hardened BS, B/O: $127
⎯★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199
★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Phase 4) FN, B/O: $199
★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $138
★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel FN, B/O: $111
⎯★ Classic Knife Urban Masked FT, B/O: $146
★ StatTrak™ Classic Knife Stained BS, B/O: $168
⎯★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Phase 3) FN, B/O: $476
★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $375
⎯★ Skeleton Knife, B/O: $1137
★ Talon Knife, B/O: $608
★ Paracord Knife, B/O: $305
★ Survival Knife Forest DDPAT FT, B/O: $97
GLOVES
★ Moto Gloves Transport MW, B/O: $204
★ Moto Gloves Polygon BS, B/O: $142
★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84
★ Moto Gloves Blood Pressure BS, B/O: $84
★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63
★ Moto Gloves 3rd Commando Company BS, B/O: $63
⎯★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Kimono WW, B/O: $1215
★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike FT, B/O: $672
★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander FT, B/O: $305
★ Specialist Gloves Lt. Commander BS, B/O: $140
★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web BS, B/O: $137
★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot FT, B/O: $75
⎯★ Driver Gloves Crimson Weave FT, B/O: $359
★ Driver Gloves Imperial Plaid BS, B/O: $229
★ Driver Gloves Overtake BS, B/O: $77
★ Driver Gloves Racing Green FT, B/O: $48
⎯★ Sport Gloves Omega FT, B/O: $739
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious BS #2, B/O: $733
★ Sport Gloves Arid BS, B/O: $292
⎯★ Hand Wraps Giraffe MW, B/O: $212
★ Hand Wraps Leather FT, B/O: $160
★ Hand Wraps Desert Shamagh MW, B/O: $101
⎯★ Broken Fang Gloves Yellow-banded MW, B/O: $185
★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point FT, B/O: $67
★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point WW, B/O: $59
⎯★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened BS, B/O: $65
★ Hydra Gloves Emerald FT, B/O: $65
★ Hydra Gloves Emerald BS, B/O: $62
WEAPONS
AK-47 Case Hardened BS, B/O: $130
AK-47 Bloodsport MW, B/O: $79
AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76
AK-47 Fuel Injector BS, B/O: $76
AK-47 Bloodsport FT, B/O: $70
AK-47 Neon Rider MW, B/O: $60
StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge FT, B/O: $72
⎯AWP Fade FN, B/O: $1039
AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139
AWP Asiimov FT, B/O: $139
AWP Wildfire MW, B/O: $95
AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93
AWP BOOM MW, B/O: $93
AWP Duality FN, B/O: $81
AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79
AWP Asiimov BS, B/O: $79
AWP Chromatic Aberration FN, B/O: $60
StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68
StatTrak™ AWP Hyper Beast FT, B/O: $68
StatTrak™ AWP Electric Hive FT, B/O: $55
⎯Desert Eagle Blaze FN, B/O: $623
Desert Eagle Emerald Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $241
Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81
Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81
Desert Eagle Cobalt Disruption FN, B/O: $81
Desert Eagle Printstream FT, B/O: $54
⎯M4A1-S Blue Phosphor FN, B/O: $434
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Bright Water MW, B/O: $55
⎯M4A4 Poseidon FN, B/O: $1465
M4A4 Asiimov BS, B/O: $55
M4A4 Hellfire MW, B/O: $50
⎯USP-S Kill Confirmed MW, B/O: $72
USP-S Printstream FT, B/O: $69
StatTrak™ USP-S Kill Confirmed FT, B/O: $139
⎯AUG Flame Jörmungandr FN, B/O: $234
P90 Run and Hide FT, B/O: $147
Five-SeveN Candy Apple FN, B/O: $61
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2023.05.30 17:27 SomeDisciple_14 Philosophy of a Beard
Hey, my name is Cory. That's my real name. I don't care I give it out like most OPs. I've been doxxed before. I know the rigamarole. This saga isn't about that. This is about some shitty neighbors who are neckbeards/incels/niceguys or whatever the difference is nowadays and how I learnt from them about making obsessive chicks ghost me. It's about how I ascertained the ability to repulse even legbeards.
Now, for our cast. I am obviously Cory, a guy in his late 20s who lives with his grandmother because he has a neurodegenerative disorder like his grandfather, or his grandmother's late ex-husband. My family doesn't want me living alone because I could die in my sleep and I want to take care of my grandmother. Win-win?
Bert is our first neckbeard. I don't know why I'm calling him Bert, but I need a name. Our second neckbeard is Ernie just because it fits well with Bert some reason. Lastly, our legbeard will be named Kelly because, again, need a name.
So let's dive into things.
One evening, being the light sleeper that I am, I was awoken to the sounds of screaming. I checked the clock. It was only 8PM. I downstairs and talked to my grandma and she said she didn't hear anything. She was awake the whole time, so I presumed the screaming was just me making things up. Turns out the elderly widow living caddycorner to us passed away. We found out two days later.
Weeks went by and her family sold the house. The buyer rented it out. They rented it out to none other than Bert and Ernie, who seemed around my age. Bert and Ernie were quiet at first, making as much nose as anyone does settling in. Then I noticed the oddities. When I'm off work I usually go out for frequent cigarette breaks. I usually during the day and stay up late.
On one of my 2AM smoke breaks I spotted the duo with their guns getting into their rusty Ford truck. Odd, I thought, but I wasn't too shocked as we live near the woods. This happened at least once a week, but I payed it no scrutiny other than rubbernecking.
One day after a trip, I'd come home with something special. It was a Russian Mosin Nagant in pristine condition - something that was made in WW2, never entered the hands of a commie, and probably just sat in some old dude's safe after coming to the US. The neighbor across the street is into guns so I figured I would show him before I wiped it down.
This is important to note: my neighbor are friends. We have a relationship where he teaches me car stuff and helps me with car problems for cheap. I help him with gun stuff and get him sub-MSRP guns in return (all legally, of course). When I was showing him my gun, in come Bert and Ernie from next door to him.
All of a sudden, my friend's dog start barking. They did not like Bert and Ernie. His dogs LOVED everyone in the neighborhood.
Bert: "Nice garbage rod."
I do believe he was being sarcastic as Mosins are often called garbage rods.
Bert: "Do you have any other guns?"
Ernie: "I just got an AK-47!"
Me: "Oh, what kind?"
Ernie: "It's a RAS-47. That thing is a fucking beast! Holy shit."
For those of you who aren't in the know, a RAS-47 is not an AK-47. It's based off the AKM and is one of the worst civilian AK pattern rifles on the market. It has a weak, cast metal trunnion and they are prone to shatter. Anyway...
Me: "Anyway, I gotta get this inside."
I gesture for.my neighbor to hand me the gun back. He gets the jist.
Neighbor: "Yeah, I gotta get back to work. Let me know when you can take a look at that pistol."
Me: "Will do."
I wave and go inside, ignoring what Bert and Ernie say.
That very night, I'm approached by Bert while I'm smoking. I was on my meds, and if you don't know how neurosuppressants feel imagine having all the vertigo and discombobulation of being drunk, but none of the euphoria. I was smoking because it helps me sleep.
I WANTED TO GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP.
Now, I was on these meds so this conversation doesn't stick as well to my memory.
Bert: "Hey, man, you remember me from earlier."
Me: "Hm... yeah?"
Bert: "Is it cool if I bum a cig? I'll pay you."
He did have a dollar in his hand, but I halted him. I handed him a smoke.
Me: "Pay it forward."
Bert: "So you like guns? So do me and my roommate."
Me: "Yeah, I used to be an arms dealer and have degrees to train people and am a bit of an armorer and... I'm sorry if I make no sense. I'm medicated like an old man right now."
Bert: "You think you can get us automatic weapons?"
Me: "No. Even when I was I couldn't. An arms dealer. I don't think the site had them. Davidson's..."
Bert: "That's gay. Fucking ATF being J*wed as fuck."
Me: "Yeah... go to a gun store if you want something ordered. What's your favorite piece?"
Bert: "Probably my AR. I built it myself!"
He then proceeded to pull out his phone and show me a picture of an AR-15 with an anime girl on it. I think it was Rem from Re:Zero. It was at least some blue-haired waifu broad.
Bert: "How about you?"
Me: "Probably my AK. I fixed her up myself to be more accurate than most semis out-of-the-box."
I showed him a picture of my gun. It was a refurbished WASR-10, a Romanian AK, with a new muzzle and furniture. Everything else - mechanical and cosmetic - was fixed by me. I like to brag about fixing up a hunk of rust. Let me have this. I turned $400 into $1600!
Bert: "Heh, good luck hitting anything with that."
Me: "I've went through training with that thing and passed."
Bert: "Well, then where'd you get your training from?"
By this point, I was done smoking my first. I'd just lit another cigarette because I was intrigued. Even when medicated I was attracted to metaphorical fires in the parking lots of hell.
Me: "It's from [Company Name]. They're ex-SWAT, train SWAT, and have something to do with the American College of Surgeons."
Bert: "Can you train us?"
Me: "For money. I'm always down to go shooting."
Bert: "What do we need?"
Me: "I dunno guy... I'll remember in the morning. Good night."
I was seriously slurring my speech now. I pinched the cherry off my cigarette and shood Bert away from me.
I went inside and slept peacefully.
I know this part is all exposition, but soon we'll get into the meat of the story. That comes up next - when I go shooting with the neckbeards and meet the legbeard.
submitted by SomeDisciple_14 to ReddXReads [link] [comments]
Now, for our cast. I am obviously Cory, a guy in his late 20s who lives with his grandmother because he has a neurodegenerative disorder like his grandfather, or his grandmother's late ex-husband. My family doesn't want me living alone because I could die in my sleep and I want to take care of my grandmother. Win-win?
Bert is our first neckbeard. I don't know why I'm calling him Bert, but I need a name. Our second neckbeard is Ernie just because it fits well with Bert some reason. Lastly, our legbeard will be named Kelly because, again, need a name.
So let's dive into things.
One evening, being the light sleeper that I am, I was awoken to the sounds of screaming. I checked the clock. It was only 8PM. I downstairs and talked to my grandma and she said she didn't hear anything. She was awake the whole time, so I presumed the screaming was just me making things up. Turns out the elderly widow living caddycorner to us passed away. We found out two days later.
Weeks went by and her family sold the house. The buyer rented it out. They rented it out to none other than Bert and Ernie, who seemed around my age. Bert and Ernie were quiet at first, making as much nose as anyone does settling in. Then I noticed the oddities. When I'm off work I usually go out for frequent cigarette breaks. I usually during the day and stay up late.
On one of my 2AM smoke breaks I spotted the duo with their guns getting into their rusty Ford truck. Odd, I thought, but I wasn't too shocked as we live near the woods. This happened at least once a week, but I payed it no scrutiny other than rubbernecking.
One day after a trip, I'd come home with something special. It was a Russian Mosin Nagant in pristine condition - something that was made in WW2, never entered the hands of a commie, and probably just sat in some old dude's safe after coming to the US. The neighbor across the street is into guns so I figured I would show him before I wiped it down.
This is important to note: my neighbor are friends. We have a relationship where he teaches me car stuff and helps me with car problems for cheap. I help him with gun stuff and get him sub-MSRP guns in return (all legally, of course). When I was showing him my gun, in come Bert and Ernie from next door to him.
All of a sudden, my friend's dog start barking. They did not like Bert and Ernie. His dogs LOVED everyone in the neighborhood.
Bert: "Nice garbage rod."
I do believe he was being sarcastic as Mosins are often called garbage rods.
Bert: "Do you have any other guns?"
Ernie: "I just got an AK-47!"
Me: "Oh, what kind?"
Ernie: "It's a RAS-47. That thing is a fucking beast! Holy shit."
For those of you who aren't in the know, a RAS-47 is not an AK-47. It's based off the AKM and is one of the worst civilian AK pattern rifles on the market. It has a weak, cast metal trunnion and they are prone to shatter. Anyway...
Me: "Anyway, I gotta get this inside."
I gesture for.my neighbor to hand me the gun back. He gets the jist.
Neighbor: "Yeah, I gotta get back to work. Let me know when you can take a look at that pistol."
Me: "Will do."
I wave and go inside, ignoring what Bert and Ernie say.
That very night, I'm approached by Bert while I'm smoking. I was on my meds, and if you don't know how neurosuppressants feel imagine having all the vertigo and discombobulation of being drunk, but none of the euphoria. I was smoking because it helps me sleep.
I WANTED TO GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP.
Now, I was on these meds so this conversation doesn't stick as well to my memory.
Bert: "Hey, man, you remember me from earlier."
Me: "Hm... yeah?"
Bert: "Is it cool if I bum a cig? I'll pay you."
He did have a dollar in his hand, but I halted him. I handed him a smoke.
Me: "Pay it forward."
Bert: "So you like guns? So do me and my roommate."
Me: "Yeah, I used to be an arms dealer and have degrees to train people and am a bit of an armorer and... I'm sorry if I make no sense. I'm medicated like an old man right now."
Bert: "You think you can get us automatic weapons?"
Me: "No. Even when I was I couldn't. An arms dealer. I don't think the site had them. Davidson's..."
Bert: "That's gay. Fucking ATF being J*wed as fuck."
Me: "Yeah... go to a gun store if you want something ordered. What's your favorite piece?"
Bert: "Probably my AR. I built it myself!"
He then proceeded to pull out his phone and show me a picture of an AR-15 with an anime girl on it. I think it was Rem from Re:Zero. It was at least some blue-haired waifu broad.
Bert: "How about you?"
Me: "Probably my AK. I fixed her up myself to be more accurate than most semis out-of-the-box."
I showed him a picture of my gun. It was a refurbished WASR-10, a Romanian AK, with a new muzzle and furniture. Everything else - mechanical and cosmetic - was fixed by me. I like to brag about fixing up a hunk of rust. Let me have this. I turned $400 into $1600!
Bert: "Heh, good luck hitting anything with that."
Me: "I've went through training with that thing and passed."
Bert: "Well, then where'd you get your training from?"
By this point, I was done smoking my first. I'd just lit another cigarette because I was intrigued. Even when medicated I was attracted to metaphorical fires in the parking lots of hell.
Me: "It's from [Company Name]. They're ex-SWAT, train SWAT, and have something to do with the American College of Surgeons."
Bert: "Can you train us?"
Me: "For money. I'm always down to go shooting."
Bert: "What do we need?"
Me: "I dunno guy... I'll remember in the morning. Good night."
I was seriously slurring my speech now. I pinched the cherry off my cigarette and shood Bert away from me.
I went inside and slept peacefully.
I know this part is all exposition, but soon we'll get into the meat of the story. That comes up next - when I go shooting with the neckbeards and meet the legbeard.
2023.05.30 17:26 AskewAskew Foot pain - still no diagnosis and it's sidelined me in my own life
Hi, I have been experiencing right foot pain for over two years that is making my life incredibly limited. I am an otherwise healthy 36 yo woman, nonsmoker, active (I was super active before the issue), I have consistently excellent labs, negative rheum labs, eat healthy, take vitamins, etc etc. It's not diagnosed, but I admit I'm a sensitive body--I feel a lot of things deeply both physically and emotionally. This is a long story, I've been searching high and low.
I want to preface this long story by saying that I don't like to doctor hop. Other than one very rude wacko podiatrist who I refused to go back to, the rest have dismissed me because they had no idea what was going on. I still have one podiatrist who is nice but doesn't know where to go from here and am seeing a spine ortho as I will explain lower. Keep in mind too please that 100% of symptoms are on my right side. My left side is pain-free.
The foot pain started as a stabbing pain inside the foot, in the ball area and between toes 2&3. For a few months, it was just at night and briefly. As time progressed, it moved into pain all of the time but worst at night. I saw a foot ortho who prescribed PT, which I did for 8 months with zero progress--and I do my exercises--and he did a cortisone shot. No effect. It is not a morton's neuroma, the pain cannot be replicated by pressing or squeezing my foot. By the 4 month mark I had to cut down on almost all activities and spend a lot of my time icing. It remained stabbing pain, located between toes 2&3 in the ball area (but solidly in the inside of the foot) but also a stabbing just at the top of my arch below toe 1 on the underside (sort of where that crease is). It also started to feel incredibly raw on the ball of my foot after standing or walking too long. I could not and cannot walk on concrete without intense pain. I can walk on grass or woodchips for much longer, such as I can walk 2 miles in the forest with less pain than half of a block on concrete. I subsequently saw 4 podiatrists, got 2 more cortisone shots (one in toe 2 that was developing hammer toe and another under toe 2 on the ball), tried 2 antiinflammatories at different times, started gabapentin, did infrared therapy, did more PT with ultrasound, did more PT with TENS and more steroid patches, all with no effect. MRI #1 in fall 2021 showed nothing other than mild bursitis. If anything, it was getting worse.
Fast forward to August 2022, 2nd foot MRI and I had been complaining about right hip/lower back pain and finally foot doctor #5 referred me to a hip guy, who didn't feel my hip is an issue as I had full mobility, and he referred me to a spine ortho. I had a lumbar MRI. Found a disc herniation and tear touching the nerve on L5/S1, which would explain the foot pain area. Had the back injection of steroid and numbing agent. A glorious 4 hours without pain until the numbing agent wore off. No lasting change. Sent me to pain management, who increased gabapentin. No change. Was sent to a rheumatologist for labs, all within normal ranges. Saw podiatrist #5, new insoles (I've wore Rx insoles for at least 6 years because of my levels of activity, 5 sets total). Pain management doc did nerve test - no marked results. Back injection #2, another 4 glorious hours without foot pain but then it came back.
By October 2022, I had also developed lumbar back pain. I had experienced it mildly for years when I would walk long distances on concrete or in crowds, but it always went away overnight. The back pain just intensified until early 2023 when there were days and weeks I couldn't go anywhere from it. I saw a physiatrist who told me he didn't know what it was and I should just be prepared to live with it. I'm 36 not 86, how rude. My entire foot was numb, my heal hurt, my foot was on fire, and still stabbing. My outside shin stabbed and was numb often too. Upper thigh starting to be numb. Was referred to another spine ortho who did shot #3, another 3ish hours of relief and then stabbing and flooding pain. I asked for another lumbar MRI since the pain had changed so much since August.
The spine doc then felt that removing the now very herniated and torn disc might help, especially since I also had disabling back pain and three positive tests after the numbing injections when my foot felt good. Did that on May 12. I'm healing well and I don't regret it, but sadly I woke up from surgery with lots of right leg pain. My foot was on fire in the hospital. They sent me home with a little Vicodin and for the first week or so at home my foot burned, especially at night, but that was about it. Once I started weening off the Rx pain meds onto Tylenol (and still taking gabapentin) the foot started to hurt more. It hurts to curl it like it has for a long time, it hurts to spread my toes, and toe 2 is uncomfortable, and it feels raw and fiery most of the time. Much worse at night. Heal pain has been better, thank goodness. Per instructions, I have been walking as much as I can. At first, I could do it on concrete and while my foot still burned constantly, it was doable. Now, without pain meds, concrete walking is tough again. I did 2.2 miles on a forest path and that was ok but by the end I was raw. Ice helps temporarily. I have to walk to heal my back, and yet it is getting to be really painful. OTC pain meds make absolutely no difference. I am not seeking pain meds, I am just sharing that it helped. I want a diagnosis and a treatment plan.
My foot feels hot both in the nerve burning sense and to the touch. I'm at a loss. I've seen 10 doctors and 4 PTs all of whom have no clue what is going on. I have tried every treatment recommended. I have taken the gabapentin. I have done my PT exercises -- that honestly made it worse. I have asked for consults at fancy far away hospitals and I've been rejected because they don't know what it is and my MRIs and Xrays are fine. My life is at an absolute stand still. I have to drive/be driven everywhere and I have to say no to anything that involves a lot of standing or walking. And my husband and I want to move forward with our family, this started when I was 34.
Where do I go from here? What might this be? Your thoughtful responses are appreciated for any leads, suggested diagnoses to explore, types of doctors, or something else. I want to move forward in my life.
submitted by AskewAskew to AskDocs [link] [comments]
I want to preface this long story by saying that I don't like to doctor hop. Other than one very rude wacko podiatrist who I refused to go back to, the rest have dismissed me because they had no idea what was going on. I still have one podiatrist who is nice but doesn't know where to go from here and am seeing a spine ortho as I will explain lower. Keep in mind too please that 100% of symptoms are on my right side. My left side is pain-free.
The foot pain started as a stabbing pain inside the foot, in the ball area and between toes 2&3. For a few months, it was just at night and briefly. As time progressed, it moved into pain all of the time but worst at night. I saw a foot ortho who prescribed PT, which I did for 8 months with zero progress--and I do my exercises--and he did a cortisone shot. No effect. It is not a morton's neuroma, the pain cannot be replicated by pressing or squeezing my foot. By the 4 month mark I had to cut down on almost all activities and spend a lot of my time icing. It remained stabbing pain, located between toes 2&3 in the ball area (but solidly in the inside of the foot) but also a stabbing just at the top of my arch below toe 1 on the underside (sort of where that crease is). It also started to feel incredibly raw on the ball of my foot after standing or walking too long. I could not and cannot walk on concrete without intense pain. I can walk on grass or woodchips for much longer, such as I can walk 2 miles in the forest with less pain than half of a block on concrete. I subsequently saw 4 podiatrists, got 2 more cortisone shots (one in toe 2 that was developing hammer toe and another under toe 2 on the ball), tried 2 antiinflammatories at different times, started gabapentin, did infrared therapy, did more PT with ultrasound, did more PT with TENS and more steroid patches, all with no effect. MRI #1 in fall 2021 showed nothing other than mild bursitis. If anything, it was getting worse.
Fast forward to August 2022, 2nd foot MRI and I had been complaining about right hip/lower back pain and finally foot doctor #5 referred me to a hip guy, who didn't feel my hip is an issue as I had full mobility, and he referred me to a spine ortho. I had a lumbar MRI. Found a disc herniation and tear touching the nerve on L5/S1, which would explain the foot pain area. Had the back injection of steroid and numbing agent. A glorious 4 hours without pain until the numbing agent wore off. No lasting change. Sent me to pain management, who increased gabapentin. No change. Was sent to a rheumatologist for labs, all within normal ranges. Saw podiatrist #5, new insoles (I've wore Rx insoles for at least 6 years because of my levels of activity, 5 sets total). Pain management doc did nerve test - no marked results. Back injection #2, another 4 glorious hours without foot pain but then it came back.
By October 2022, I had also developed lumbar back pain. I had experienced it mildly for years when I would walk long distances on concrete or in crowds, but it always went away overnight. The back pain just intensified until early 2023 when there were days and weeks I couldn't go anywhere from it. I saw a physiatrist who told me he didn't know what it was and I should just be prepared to live with it. I'm 36 not 86, how rude. My entire foot was numb, my heal hurt, my foot was on fire, and still stabbing. My outside shin stabbed and was numb often too. Upper thigh starting to be numb. Was referred to another spine ortho who did shot #3, another 3ish hours of relief and then stabbing and flooding pain. I asked for another lumbar MRI since the pain had changed so much since August.
The spine doc then felt that removing the now very herniated and torn disc might help, especially since I also had disabling back pain and three positive tests after the numbing injections when my foot felt good. Did that on May 12. I'm healing well and I don't regret it, but sadly I woke up from surgery with lots of right leg pain. My foot was on fire in the hospital. They sent me home with a little Vicodin and for the first week or so at home my foot burned, especially at night, but that was about it. Once I started weening off the Rx pain meds onto Tylenol (and still taking gabapentin) the foot started to hurt more. It hurts to curl it like it has for a long time, it hurts to spread my toes, and toe 2 is uncomfortable, and it feels raw and fiery most of the time. Much worse at night. Heal pain has been better, thank goodness. Per instructions, I have been walking as much as I can. At first, I could do it on concrete and while my foot still burned constantly, it was doable. Now, without pain meds, concrete walking is tough again. I did 2.2 miles on a forest path and that was ok but by the end I was raw. Ice helps temporarily. I have to walk to heal my back, and yet it is getting to be really painful. OTC pain meds make absolutely no difference. I am not seeking pain meds, I am just sharing that it helped. I want a diagnosis and a treatment plan.
My foot feels hot both in the nerve burning sense and to the touch. I'm at a loss. I've seen 10 doctors and 4 PTs all of whom have no clue what is going on. I have tried every treatment recommended. I have taken the gabapentin. I have done my PT exercises -- that honestly made it worse. I have asked for consults at fancy far away hospitals and I've been rejected because they don't know what it is and my MRIs and Xrays are fine. My life is at an absolute stand still. I have to drive/be driven everywhere and I have to say no to anything that involves a lot of standing or walking. And my husband and I want to move forward with our family, this started when I was 34.
Where do I go from here? What might this be? Your thoughtful responses are appreciated for any leads, suggested diagnoses to explore, types of doctors, or something else. I want to move forward in my life.
2023.05.30 17:20 Your_average_fox Does anyone miss the “friendly community” we see in movies?
I always thought it was so wholesome when neighbours helped eachother and strangers on the street could make small talk jusr for the sake of being nice to somebody. I see it in movies and sometimes in very small villages where everybody knows everybody… and I come from a very safe country and I still vividly remember my entire childhood and teenage years going like this:
I grew up distrusting strangers. And I grew up being afraid every stranger who talks to me has ulterior motives. And it seems that this is common where I live… the built in distrust. Just to clarify- It’s not a fear of immigrants or racism… it’s a fear of scammers and criminals, regardless of their appearance. I don’t trust anybody. I wasn’t taught to distrust people from a different culture, but to distrust literally anyone I don’t know personally.
I wish I could randomly chat with someone while waiting in line at the post office and not feel weird or scared about it. What have we become as a society?
submitted by Your_average_fox to Discussion [link] [comments]
- don’t trust this old man offering you candy, he could be a child trafficer or a pedo.
- don’t talk to these people, they’re religious fanatics and will try to get you to join them.
- don’t offer cash to someone who said he lost his wallet, there’s a well known scammer who does this.
- don’t open the door if you hear a lady screaming for help in front of it, it’s part of a human trafficing organisation.
- never stop at the side of the road if people are waving at you to help them and their car looks broken down. It’s a well known organised group of scammers that will steal your car and drive off this way.
- don’t be too nice to these people, they’re advocating for an extremist political party and people will think you’re a part of it even if you just pick up the pen they dropped on the ground from their stand.
I grew up distrusting strangers. And I grew up being afraid every stranger who talks to me has ulterior motives. And it seems that this is common where I live… the built in distrust. Just to clarify- It’s not a fear of immigrants or racism… it’s a fear of scammers and criminals, regardless of their appearance. I don’t trust anybody. I wasn’t taught to distrust people from a different culture, but to distrust literally anyone I don’t know personally.
I wish I could randomly chat with someone while waiting in line at the post office and not feel weird or scared about it. What have we become as a society?
2023.05.30 17:18 Fifty_Shades_of_Nay [2023/05/30] Driver facing charges in Stoughton road rage shooting, crash (Stoughton, MA)
STOUGHTON, Mass. — A Massachusetts man is set to face charges Tuesday for a Stoughton road rage shooting and crash that was sparked by an argument between two people in a Canton convenience store, according to police.
Anh Kieu, 39, of Quincy, was arrested Saturday on four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and marked lanes violations.
According to police, an argument between Kieu and another man at the 7-Eleven on Washington Street in Canton on Wednesday night led to a shooting and a crash in Stoughton at the intersection of Plain and West streets.
Stoughton police said the man stated that Kieu pointed a gun at him while in the 7-Eleven, which prompted him to run to his friend's car.
The driver of the Nissan then left the parking lot and Kieu, who was driving a Cadillac, followed that car, according to police. The driver of the Nissan told police that out of fear he and his friends were being chased by Kieu, he drove at a high rate of speed.
Police said the Nissan eventually made it to the intersection of Pearl and Central streets in Stoughton, which is where witnesses said Kieu's vehicle crossed the double-yellow line into the opposite lane of traffic and pulled up to the Altima. Witnesses told police that Kieu pointed a revolver at the four occupants of the Nissan.
The driver of the Nissan, whom police said has a valid license to carry and a properly-registered firearm, yelled for his friends to get down. Police said that the man driving the Nissan fired seven rounds into the Cadillac because he was "fearing for his life," and that one of the bullets struck Kieu.
Police said the Nissan then fled the scene and Kieu continued to follow them in his Cadillac. The driver of the Nissan told police that he remained fearful of Kieu and continued to speed, which ultimately led to the crash at the intersection of Plain and West streets.
Stoughton police said a black pellet gun, an SNR 357 revolver, was recovered from the Cadillac Kieu was driving.
Kieu is being held on $20,000 bail and is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Stoughton District Court.
submitted by Fifty_Shades_of_Nay to dgu [link] [comments]
Anh Kieu, 39, of Quincy, was arrested Saturday on four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and marked lanes violations.
According to police, an argument between Kieu and another man at the 7-Eleven on Washington Street in Canton on Wednesday night led to a shooting and a crash in Stoughton at the intersection of Plain and West streets.
Stoughton police said the man stated that Kieu pointed a gun at him while in the 7-Eleven, which prompted him to run to his friend's car.
The driver of the Nissan then left the parking lot and Kieu, who was driving a Cadillac, followed that car, according to police. The driver of the Nissan told police that out of fear he and his friends were being chased by Kieu, he drove at a high rate of speed.
Police said the Nissan eventually made it to the intersection of Pearl and Central streets in Stoughton, which is where witnesses said Kieu's vehicle crossed the double-yellow line into the opposite lane of traffic and pulled up to the Altima. Witnesses told police that Kieu pointed a revolver at the four occupants of the Nissan.
The driver of the Nissan, whom police said has a valid license to carry and a properly-registered firearm, yelled for his friends to get down. Police said that the man driving the Nissan fired seven rounds into the Cadillac because he was "fearing for his life," and that one of the bullets struck Kieu.
Police said the Nissan then fled the scene and Kieu continued to follow them in his Cadillac. The driver of the Nissan told police that he remained fearful of Kieu and continued to speed, which ultimately led to the crash at the intersection of Plain and West streets.
Stoughton police said a black pellet gun, an SNR 357 revolver, was recovered from the Cadillac Kieu was driving.
Kieu is being held on $20,000 bail and is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Stoughton District Court.
2023.05.30 17:18 KamchatkasRevenge Out of Cruel Space Side Story: Of Dog, Volpir, and Man - Ch 220
Tyler
A solid half hour of hugs, kisses, handshakes, back slaps, well wishes, greetings from new inlaws and long time customers of the shop alike, and the occasional cheek pinch by one of his new auntie in laws for good measure ensued.
Finally the ebbing of the great tide of very happy people sees the Sarkin clan installed in one of the large booths that dominate the corners and walls of the room.
Set up with a two piece table with the centerpiece able to spin to allow people to share dishes easier, and to allow waitresses to gently send food to customers in the corner without any form of issue around a circular table. Miu'Kin's mother, Kamei'Kin, had pulled out all the stops and laid out a veritable feast in front of the new members of her family, clearly eager to celebrate her youngest daughter's success by the preferred method of the Kin clan... food.
Dino ribs that would do Fred Flintstone proud, delectable looking steaks of some local critter that were just right in terms of being juicy and lean. Cuts of rich white and red fish fresh off the grill or served raw. Fresh steamed crustaceans and shellfish. Whole game birds of sizes ranging from 'chicken' up to a glossy fried bird with beautiful crispy skin that resembled and tasted like pure dark meat turkey but was around the size of an ostrich.
That last one was something that Tyler had immediately texted Jerry about as soon as he had his first bite. Not just because it was a good opportunity for his boss and friend's business... but also because he wanted to be able to butter fry one of these monsters and eat it himself whenever he pleased too!
With all that meat in front of them it was easy to miss the various sides. Mostly small types of rough vegetables, the turtle rice or a few other little things that packed a serious punch flavor wise by Galactic standards, or served as a form of cleanser, like ginger almost. All served with ample Apuk style sauces ranging from something not too far off from BBQ sauce to more of the berry jam that had been in the pastry they'd enjoyed earlier at Caring Conquests. The main flavoring on offer was of course one of the Apuk's favorite animal based foodstuffs... butter.
Apuk used enough butter to make Paula Dean an honorary noble, if not a saint in one of the Apuk's native religions. They cooked in it, put it on food in various formats ranging from butter based sauces to slightly less complicated offerings. For example, lightly herbed butter was a favorite for many Apuk to put on meat. The herb and butter mixture was considered strong stuff by the Apuk and was just flavorful enough that a human could enjoy it without needing to supplement any further flavor... except maybe a pinch of salt like most galactic cuisine.
Cassie, normally so prim and proper was apparently hungry enough that she'd gone slightly feral, and was forcing herself to not automatically hood her wings over her food like a great bird of prey as she tore at one of the dinosaur ribs, proclaiming it to be absolutely delicious before cracking the bone and eating the marrow and moving on to the next rib in the rack.
For Tyler's part while the sheer volume of meat was awe inspiring, he felt himself craving a decent amount of vegetables, or at least a bowl of plain white rice to cut all the richness with as the meal went on. In fact the more he thought about that, the more appealing layering some of this mountain of carnivorous delights onto a bowl of freshly steamed white rice became.
The sheer mix of delectable flavors that would soak into the rice as he worked his way through the meat alone seemed designed to tantalize his taste buds. Thankfully the Apuk grain the troops on the Tear generally called Turtle rice was a somewhat close enough substitute. It got the job done any way, even if it lacked the delicate flavor of true white rice.
Miu'Kin, for her part, was having a grand time despite her initial familial misgivings. She was seated to Tyler's right, teaching her new husband about Apuk family style cuisine both for her family specifically and for the capital region.
There were commonalities compared to Nara's home province, and as the capital you could generally get anything from anywhere on the planet if you wanted it, but the Kin mainstay was Northern cuisine which tended towards more intense flavors.
The North also had a unique dish in a strong broth that was served cool, and either drunk as a beverage or a very strong tea, or eaten with noodles in a style that strongly reminded Tyler of soba. It was considered essential for cooling off when you were out working near an active volcano in the specific parts of the North the Kins hailed from.
There was of course hot noodle dishes too, Apuk spicy noodles was a dish that had eagerly been adopted by humans aboard the Tear after Jerry had learned about them on a date with Masha, though Nara pointed out that the way it was served on the Tear was distinctly non-traditional to a horrified Kamei'Kin.
"Well that just won't do at all! I'll be sure to send a cookbook along with you when you head back up to orbit. I know you humans can take a lot but there's no reason to not get it right. Besides, if I manage to open up a dialogue with this Chief Noitaka of yours, I bet I can get some tips on doing things in a more human style. This dashi stock you talked about sounds very similar to some concepts in Apuk cuisine already and I just bet I could replicate it... without the massive amount of sodium chloride and other poisons you seem to ingest. An Apuk grade human hot sauce also seems like it has a lot of potential too! Oh this will be all sorts of fun! Especially if I can actually get my hands on some human style meat."
Tyler nods, smiling at his newest mother in law. "I don't see why not ma'am-"
Kamei'Kin holds up a hand. "Hold it right there. I love that you're so polite, sweet ember but really I can't have my son in law, or any of my daughters in law calling me ma'am! You just call me Kamei'Kin or "Momma" like my little flame over here."
Miu'Kin wilts slightly, clearly wishing her species still had a shell so she could hide in it for a moment, only to brighten up a touch when Tyler gives her thigh a reassuring squeeze under the table. He could appreciate how it could feel having a parent who was such a... bombastic personality to say the least.
Kamei'Kin settles back in the booth a bit. "So, let's get down to the brass tacks I suppose, how long till you leave? I always figured Miu would leave Serbow at some point but goddess's shell it does seem like it's come up faster than I'd expected."
Tyler shrugs. "Well we don't rightly know, we were making port call for at least two weeks, and we're a literal day into the first week practically speaking, but now the Skipper's marrying an Imperial Princess so gods only know how long that's gonna take to shake out completely. There's some sort of business the Skipper needs to attend to in Nodawk city in the Tier barony too, so that'll eat some time up, I mean the list goes on. I'm sure the Captain and the diplomats will find plenty for us to do to make the stop over worth the time. Can't just have everyone on liberty the whole time after all. Though from what we just saw at Caring Conquests one of the major activities will be moving the personal effects of new Apuk spouses up to the Tier from Serbow."
Kamei'Kin slaps her knee and lets out a bark of laughter. "Don't I believe it too! Hah! Goodness it's been awhile since we found a species that had menfolk who were downright eager for Apuk brides. Normally ladies like us and the Cannidor can have a hard time reeling in mates from the more delicate species. Dating only Apex species limits the dating pool quite a bit, to the point that you may as well marry into your own species. Apuk in general tend to stick to our own space and prefer our own culture... similar again to the Cannidor. So we end up marrying within our own species more often than not."
Tyler nods. "Then along comes my species, and the biggest debate in the barracks among our Marines and sailors is if Apuk or Cannidor make for the best possible bride for a human. With strong camps arguing for the Horchka and Seramali, but that's a demographic bias as much as anything. We have a lot of men happily married to Seramali and Horchka gals, myself included. Undaunted wide, the Apuk and Cannidor have very strong fan clubs among humans."
"Considering you've got two Apuk brides, two Seramali and this beauty of a Rabbis to my left I think I can guess where you fall in that debate."
"Heh. Guilty as charged. Cannidor can be a bit... much for me. I enjoyed meeting the Crimsonhewers at our last port call, and I've met some of their girls who have shipped aboard the Tear now, but honestly, even married and allegedly a bit calmer they're just... a lot. Apuk have big personalities but tend to compensate by being proper ladies too. That said I've met a lot of wonderful alien women from all sorts of species now and while I understand the debate as just something stupid to kill time, I don't think there's a definitive species that produces the best wives for humanity as a whole. It's a silly concept inherently. I'm sure there's a guy out there who's got a perfect match in just about any species. Hell one of my buddies has built himself a family of primarily Arachne women... and frankly, while his wives are lovely for the most part, they creep me the fuck out to the point that I have trouble being in the same room as them. I've never been a big fan of spiders."
The Apuk matriarch considers that for a moment and nods. "Hmmm, fair enough, there's always going to be one species or another that someone just can't process or understand for whatever reason. I don't understand the Slohb at all. Or the type of man who'd seek out a Vulba or Charbis hive as his family. Or other peoples with what we might consider more extreme lifestyles... and I know the Apuk's lifestyle, especially here on Serbow where things are still a bit more... traditional, than the colonies, you could say, is considered extreme in it's own way.”
"Kidnapping as a method of courtship can certainly leave that impression on people." Cassie notes primly, gently dabbing her mouth with a linen napkin to clean off any errant sauce or meat.
"Oh psh." Kamei'Kin waves Cassie off a bit with a laugh. "It's not that common!" She stops and considers for a second. "Well. It is more socially accepted, so fair enough. Ah you lot are fun though! I'm glad Miu'Kin got settled into such a wonderful family. Make sure you folks stop by on the regular while you're still on Serbow alright? Food's on me!"
The Sarkins exchange some looks and Tyler turns to face his new mother in law more directly.
"With food like this on offer, you can consider that a promise Kamei'Kin. I'll see about sending some of the boys your way too. Humans appreciate a good meal and I do try to help family out where I can."
"Well hell, always happy to have new customers! I'll make sure anyone from that ship gets treated proper. It's just not right to let visitors to Serbow escape without a little Apuk home style hospitality in their lives!"
Cassie rips a chunk off another rib. "On that, I think we can all certainly agree!"
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A solid half hour of hugs, kisses, handshakes, back slaps, well wishes, greetings from new inlaws and long time customers of the shop alike, and the occasional cheek pinch by one of his new auntie in laws for good measure ensued.
Finally the ebbing of the great tide of very happy people sees the Sarkin clan installed in one of the large booths that dominate the corners and walls of the room.
Set up with a two piece table with the centerpiece able to spin to allow people to share dishes easier, and to allow waitresses to gently send food to customers in the corner without any form of issue around a circular table. Miu'Kin's mother, Kamei'Kin, had pulled out all the stops and laid out a veritable feast in front of the new members of her family, clearly eager to celebrate her youngest daughter's success by the preferred method of the Kin clan... food.
Dino ribs that would do Fred Flintstone proud, delectable looking steaks of some local critter that were just right in terms of being juicy and lean. Cuts of rich white and red fish fresh off the grill or served raw. Fresh steamed crustaceans and shellfish. Whole game birds of sizes ranging from 'chicken' up to a glossy fried bird with beautiful crispy skin that resembled and tasted like pure dark meat turkey but was around the size of an ostrich.
That last one was something that Tyler had immediately texted Jerry about as soon as he had his first bite. Not just because it was a good opportunity for his boss and friend's business... but also because he wanted to be able to butter fry one of these monsters and eat it himself whenever he pleased too!
With all that meat in front of them it was easy to miss the various sides. Mostly small types of rough vegetables, the turtle rice or a few other little things that packed a serious punch flavor wise by Galactic standards, or served as a form of cleanser, like ginger almost. All served with ample Apuk style sauces ranging from something not too far off from BBQ sauce to more of the berry jam that had been in the pastry they'd enjoyed earlier at Caring Conquests. The main flavoring on offer was of course one of the Apuk's favorite animal based foodstuffs... butter.
Apuk used enough butter to make Paula Dean an honorary noble, if not a saint in one of the Apuk's native religions. They cooked in it, put it on food in various formats ranging from butter based sauces to slightly less complicated offerings. For example, lightly herbed butter was a favorite for many Apuk to put on meat. The herb and butter mixture was considered strong stuff by the Apuk and was just flavorful enough that a human could enjoy it without needing to supplement any further flavor... except maybe a pinch of salt like most galactic cuisine.
Cassie, normally so prim and proper was apparently hungry enough that she'd gone slightly feral, and was forcing herself to not automatically hood her wings over her food like a great bird of prey as she tore at one of the dinosaur ribs, proclaiming it to be absolutely delicious before cracking the bone and eating the marrow and moving on to the next rib in the rack.
For Tyler's part while the sheer volume of meat was awe inspiring, he felt himself craving a decent amount of vegetables, or at least a bowl of plain white rice to cut all the richness with as the meal went on. In fact the more he thought about that, the more appealing layering some of this mountain of carnivorous delights onto a bowl of freshly steamed white rice became.
The sheer mix of delectable flavors that would soak into the rice as he worked his way through the meat alone seemed designed to tantalize his taste buds. Thankfully the Apuk grain the troops on the Tear generally called Turtle rice was a somewhat close enough substitute. It got the job done any way, even if it lacked the delicate flavor of true white rice.
Miu'Kin, for her part, was having a grand time despite her initial familial misgivings. She was seated to Tyler's right, teaching her new husband about Apuk family style cuisine both for her family specifically and for the capital region.
There were commonalities compared to Nara's home province, and as the capital you could generally get anything from anywhere on the planet if you wanted it, but the Kin mainstay was Northern cuisine which tended towards more intense flavors.
The North also had a unique dish in a strong broth that was served cool, and either drunk as a beverage or a very strong tea, or eaten with noodles in a style that strongly reminded Tyler of soba. It was considered essential for cooling off when you were out working near an active volcano in the specific parts of the North the Kins hailed from.
There was of course hot noodle dishes too, Apuk spicy noodles was a dish that had eagerly been adopted by humans aboard the Tear after Jerry had learned about them on a date with Masha, though Nara pointed out that the way it was served on the Tear was distinctly non-traditional to a horrified Kamei'Kin.
"Well that just won't do at all! I'll be sure to send a cookbook along with you when you head back up to orbit. I know you humans can take a lot but there's no reason to not get it right. Besides, if I manage to open up a dialogue with this Chief Noitaka of yours, I bet I can get some tips on doing things in a more human style. This dashi stock you talked about sounds very similar to some concepts in Apuk cuisine already and I just bet I could replicate it... without the massive amount of sodium chloride and other poisons you seem to ingest. An Apuk grade human hot sauce also seems like it has a lot of potential too! Oh this will be all sorts of fun! Especially if I can actually get my hands on some human style meat."
Tyler nods, smiling at his newest mother in law. "I don't see why not ma'am-"
Kamei'Kin holds up a hand. "Hold it right there. I love that you're so polite, sweet ember but really I can't have my son in law, or any of my daughters in law calling me ma'am! You just call me Kamei'Kin or "Momma" like my little flame over here."
Miu'Kin wilts slightly, clearly wishing her species still had a shell so she could hide in it for a moment, only to brighten up a touch when Tyler gives her thigh a reassuring squeeze under the table. He could appreciate how it could feel having a parent who was such a... bombastic personality to say the least.
Kamei'Kin settles back in the booth a bit. "So, let's get down to the brass tacks I suppose, how long till you leave? I always figured Miu would leave Serbow at some point but goddess's shell it does seem like it's come up faster than I'd expected."
Tyler shrugs. "Well we don't rightly know, we were making port call for at least two weeks, and we're a literal day into the first week practically speaking, but now the Skipper's marrying an Imperial Princess so gods only know how long that's gonna take to shake out completely. There's some sort of business the Skipper needs to attend to in Nodawk city in the Tier barony too, so that'll eat some time up, I mean the list goes on. I'm sure the Captain and the diplomats will find plenty for us to do to make the stop over worth the time. Can't just have everyone on liberty the whole time after all. Though from what we just saw at Caring Conquests one of the major activities will be moving the personal effects of new Apuk spouses up to the Tier from Serbow."
Kamei'Kin slaps her knee and lets out a bark of laughter. "Don't I believe it too! Hah! Goodness it's been awhile since we found a species that had menfolk who were downright eager for Apuk brides. Normally ladies like us and the Cannidor can have a hard time reeling in mates from the more delicate species. Dating only Apex species limits the dating pool quite a bit, to the point that you may as well marry into your own species. Apuk in general tend to stick to our own space and prefer our own culture... similar again to the Cannidor. So we end up marrying within our own species more often than not."
Tyler nods. "Then along comes my species, and the biggest debate in the barracks among our Marines and sailors is if Apuk or Cannidor make for the best possible bride for a human. With strong camps arguing for the Horchka and Seramali, but that's a demographic bias as much as anything. We have a lot of men happily married to Seramali and Horchka gals, myself included. Undaunted wide, the Apuk and Cannidor have very strong fan clubs among humans."
"Considering you've got two Apuk brides, two Seramali and this beauty of a Rabbis to my left I think I can guess where you fall in that debate."
"Heh. Guilty as charged. Cannidor can be a bit... much for me. I enjoyed meeting the Crimsonhewers at our last port call, and I've met some of their girls who have shipped aboard the Tear now, but honestly, even married and allegedly a bit calmer they're just... a lot. Apuk have big personalities but tend to compensate by being proper ladies too. That said I've met a lot of wonderful alien women from all sorts of species now and while I understand the debate as just something stupid to kill time, I don't think there's a definitive species that produces the best wives for humanity as a whole. It's a silly concept inherently. I'm sure there's a guy out there who's got a perfect match in just about any species. Hell one of my buddies has built himself a family of primarily Arachne women... and frankly, while his wives are lovely for the most part, they creep me the fuck out to the point that I have trouble being in the same room as them. I've never been a big fan of spiders."
The Apuk matriarch considers that for a moment and nods. "Hmmm, fair enough, there's always going to be one species or another that someone just can't process or understand for whatever reason. I don't understand the Slohb at all. Or the type of man who'd seek out a Vulba or Charbis hive as his family. Or other peoples with what we might consider more extreme lifestyles... and I know the Apuk's lifestyle, especially here on Serbow where things are still a bit more... traditional, than the colonies, you could say, is considered extreme in it's own way.”
"Kidnapping as a method of courtship can certainly leave that impression on people." Cassie notes primly, gently dabbing her mouth with a linen napkin to clean off any errant sauce or meat.
"Oh psh." Kamei'Kin waves Cassie off a bit with a laugh. "It's not that common!" She stops and considers for a second. "Well. It is more socially accepted, so fair enough. Ah you lot are fun though! I'm glad Miu'Kin got settled into such a wonderful family. Make sure you folks stop by on the regular while you're still on Serbow alright? Food's on me!"
The Sarkins exchange some looks and Tyler turns to face his new mother in law more directly.
"With food like this on offer, you can consider that a promise Kamei'Kin. I'll see about sending some of the boys your way too. Humans appreciate a good meal and I do try to help family out where I can."
"Well hell, always happy to have new customers! I'll make sure anyone from that ship gets treated proper. It's just not right to let visitors to Serbow escape without a little Apuk home style hospitality in their lives!"
Cassie rips a chunk off another rib. "On that, I think we can all certainly agree!"
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