#but i think the one in the hub is stronger than the village one

[miserye]

i rage quit moho once today. this is how you know it's getting serious

[diejager]

Chapter 4

Cw: blood, death, canon typical violence, guns, tell me if I missed any. Wc: 3.6k

Series masterlist

Previous

Finland was a beautiful country, with a wide expanse of snowy plains and forest that covered the frozen earth. Green pines were tipped in gleaming snow, shiny and holy in a way that brought out awe and astonishment instead of anxiety from the mission. For a pretty country, the land was bathed in blood, old and new, both Finnish and Russian. 

Standing on the border of Finland and Russia was a compound, one built by shady funds and shadier reasons that the CIA decided to send Task Force 141 to shut down. The images from drones showed that it tainted the snow black and grey, a mark on the land people wanted gone. It was your target. 

Price gathered you around the table for the mission's debriefing, standing at the head of it, he had pictures displayed on the table, and physical notes about the mission and Laswell dealt with the extra explanations, sliding files to the screen. A Russian compound from what Laswell's intel told you, hidden under the thick, forested area of the border with a skeleton crew of around twenty ultranationalists.

The CIA had mentioned that their initial assumptions of the ongoings were human trafficking or an information hub for terrorists and prisoners. Whether it was the first or the second, the secretive compound had to be detained.

"Our main objective is to gather information about the things happening behind those walls. It's an infiltration and intel gathering. We leave in 15.

With the dismissal, you all filed out of the room, boots sounding loudly as you made your way to your barrack and then armoury for the mission. Everyone would need to be ready, you'd have no air support or cover, and you'd all be on field.

Nikolai warned you about turbulence, the harsh wind of the Nordic countries was stronger than the British weather, but the ride was calming, interacting with your teammates on the three-hour flight. Jokes were passed around by Gaz and Soap, they were by far the goofiest of the bunch, though with a bit of insistence, Ghost shared a few of his dark humour. 

Humour wasn't something you'd relate Ghost to, the brooding mass of a man seemed so cold and distant to you, yet he cared about the team, and now you too. Price, however, had the worst dad jokes one could think of. Although his jokes were bad and as dark as Ghost's, you couldn't contain your cackle when you saw the disgusted expression on the three, younger men before you. 

"Approaching the landing site," Nikolai called out, his voice ringing out from the headset.

The carrier shook violently, and your stomach dropped along the plane, lowering to the cleared, paved ground near a village. It was a rocky landing, the landing wheels jerking upwards a few times before it stopped moving. You followed out behind Price and Roach once you were cleared by Nikolai, hearing the blades shutter and halt as your eyes adjusted to the white land. 

You were warned about snow blindness, staring at the beautiful sight through dark glasses, it made everything sombre, but you wouldn't risk it. By habit, your eyes scanned the area, watching for things that could bring to your team. When everything seemed fine, you faced the blurred figure that moved to your side. 

"First time 'ere?" Ghost asked, his voice gravelly from not using it much apart from the few jokes he told, they could be counted with both hands. 

"No, I've been here once, just nowhere this calm," you replied, watching Nik's back. 

He walked with long strides, casual and comfortable with the older-looking man standing farther from your group, weary with age. You lingered on the Russian, ready to act if the old man had dark intentions. They spoke, hands moving in small and wide gestures as they exchanged words. You were too far to catch a whisper of their discussion, but the smile that stretched on the man's lips told you it was going well. 

They shook hands and Nikolai called out, urging you to follow the Finnish. Edvard, the local that would host you during your stay, his cabin would act as your temporary safe house in the remote village. He was Nik's contact in the area, someone you couldn't trust to keep your location safe. Edvard had nothing to lose, an old man living alone on the outskirts of the village, and a family lost to Barkov’s tyranny.

The broken-down car burped and spewed exhaust with loud rumbles, it seemed as old - if not, older - than the driver itself. Your team of seven, four of which were burly men and three leaner but still cracked with layers of warm jackets, vests and gear, somehow fit. With little to no baggage, except a bag from each, four of you fit the car, it was tight but you made it work, Nikolai sat at the front and the two last - Soap and Gaz - were left out in the cold, in the pickup’s bed with the bags. It was a miracle the ford hadn’t dropped from the sheer, combined weight of its passengers. 

The hour-long ride was uncomfortable, being forced to lay over their laps to fit during a long and bumpy road promised a sore back, especially when you were staring up at your Lieutenant’s face. The warm brown hues that hazed back down through the tinted glasses made you flush, his gaze had always been intense, in and out of duty. None of your teammate’s stare compared to Ghost’s. The ride was silent, awkward to the point you’d hear a pin drop if Nikolai and Edvard weren’t talking - a rough mix of Finnish and Russian that none of you understood - and the boisterous chatter from the men outside. Talking helped get the mind off the cold air, gloves, hats and balaclava weren’t enough for the cold. Their chattering helped mince the uncomfortableness you felt, forced to stare continuously at the man who liked being unseen. 

You were out the second the engine was shut down, jumping from Ghost’s side as if their bodies burned you. You were grateful they hadn’t mentioned your little run, knowing it was unbearably confining. The cabin wasn’t much, but it had heat, food and warm water, it wasn’t decrepit looking nor was it run down. You shrugged your glasses once you stepped into the cabin, white light illuminated the open-concept place furnished with old things, the yellowed doors were mostly rooms and a bathroom. Two rooms to the left and two others to the right, one was Edvard’s and you’d have to share the rest and the available couch. 

“I’ll take the couch,” Ghost’s decision was quickly made. He preferred to sleep alone - if he even slept - and taking the couch let him have the whole view of the cabin. It never sat well with him to stay the night in new places, new was unknown, and unknown was dangerous. He might sleep an hour or two, but he’d be ready to move if anything happened. 

“Roach with Winter, Gaz with Soap, and Nikolai with me.”

Your team had foregone the pickup truck, it would’ve been easily seen and heard by the Russian’s guards and their surveillance around the forest. The trek through the forest was cold and quiet, you could see it a mile in, the compound stood out under the green pines with its white lights and the tall, grey walls. Your plan was to slip in through the back and take out the security system before Alpha and Bravo would go in. You and Gaz - team Echo - were tasked with taking down the two guards near the back entrance and from then, shut down the system and take out anyone on the way. 

“Team Echo in position, moving in, “ Gaz called, hand motioning you to take position and wait for his call to kill. One shot to the head, or a double tap to the chest. 

Your intel told you they had walked the same path every time, one man went left and the other, right, with a rotation every half hour. The last swap was five minutes ago, so you’d have around twenty-five minutes to complete your task. You followed the left man, watching through your night-vision goggle (NVG) his figure waddle between the trees. You moved quietly, approaching him with your handgun in both hands; you’d all agreed that it’d be a better option if you wanted to stay quiet, a muzzled handgun would echo less in an empty forest void of sound.

His steps were loud and careless, too used to being the only ones in the area, they covered yours and let you get closer to him. When you slid next to him, you shot out, side colliding with his back. He fell with a shout, eyes wide in shock as he reached for the rifle that fell a foot away from him. Before he could grasp it, you aimed for his head and fired, blood spraying from the wound as the exit hole oozed it. You searched his body, padding down his sides and hip until you found the keycard they used to leave and enter the facility.

You felt at ease, this was your field of work, killing was a better skill than healing in these moments, but being a field medic had its merit. Your hands were stable, your body moving by instinct - habits beaten in by your training - and your mind tuning the loud voices that swore at you. Everything felt colder, more numb when you were on duty, it was nearly calming to your mind, blocking out all noise when you were on the move - concentrate or you die.

“Gaz, what’s your status?” you called, standing from the body, sliding back into the dark.

“Good, meet me back,” he answered, and you could hear the snow crunch beneath his feet. 

You backtracked and flipped up your NVG, seeing him crouched behind a tree and nodded when you caught his eye. You showed him the keycard, both entering the clearing around the walls. The door clicked open when you scanned the keycard, it beeped before you pushed it open. You looked both sides, rifle aimed for anyone to turn the corner and walked in when you saw it was safe. The insides buzzed with a loud hum, booming enough to almost cover your shots, so you and Gaz would have to hastily make your way to the security room. 

You move in first, Gaz watching your back as you followed the instructions Laswell gave towards the security room, her plans were clear and simple: once inside, down the left hall and turn right at the corner, then turn right and up the stairs to the fourth floor, the target room was the last door on the floor with a bold Безопасность - security. You watched both ways before you turned right, and did again before turning and stalking to the stairs. The climb was quiet, no one had entered or walked the east wing and the stairs were vacant. It was a rapid climb to the fourth floor, where the only ultranationalist you saw was entering the security room. You turned to Gaz, nodding a silent message - one you’d conveyed many times before - and hastily made your way to the room’s door. 

You burst through the door, throwing a flash grenade into the room before you rushed in with Gaz behind you. You heard their screams - two distinct voices, both males - and shot them down when they blindly searched the tables, one for his gun and the other for his radio. You searched the whole room before radioing the others: “Security room clear. I’m watching the cams, Cap’n. The backdoor’s still open, you have less than ten minutes. “

“Copy, Alpha moving out,” Price answered. 

“Bravo out,” Ghost replied, he and Soap moved to meet up with Alpha Team. 

They would make their way up, clearing floor by floor while you and Gaz would search the fourth floor for mercenaries and information. It was quickly done, you swept the floor, going room to room with your rifles raised, watching Gaz’s back as he led. You assumed the floor was vacant since no one rushed in after the screams, giving you enough time to search the security room for stray files or anything Laswell would appreciate getting her hands on. 

“Floor one, clear.” They cleared the first floor, moving up to the second. 

There were four doors apart from the security room, two held bunks and were dirtied with stray clothes and other inconspicuous things. Disgusting, you’d be punished severely for having such messy barracks and rooms, laps around the base of extra training time, the Ultranationalists had no organization in this base - different from others you’ve seen. The third room was an archive of some sort, rows and rows of file boxes, all unlocked. They were old files, you swiped through each box and saw the dates marked on the manila folders. Some were dated from before the 21st century, the oldest from 1989 and the most recent from a month ago. There were too many to take, but Laswell told you to search for a computer and save whatever was on the drive.  

The last door led to a briefing room, albeit small, with a computer placed on the table. This was what you were tasked to find, you skimmed the side, searching for the disk or drive that held the information you needed. 

“Floor two, clear.” It had been quiet on their side, they met enemies on the way.

While you were preoccupied with the laptop, Gaz looked over the folders spread on the table, flipping pages and reading words he didn’t understand. Russian, they were written in Russian and none of you were able to read, nor speak it. Sure, you understood, but only enough to know the basics. Your finger nudged the small edge of a disk, the round corners of the plastic rectangle. You pushed it lightly and it slid out, grabbing the protruding cartridge and placing it in the pocket of your black jacket, under your vest. 

“Found the drive.”

“And I got the files, seems important enough.”

It was radio silence for a while, you waited for the other teams’ reply before moving down, watching the room’s door for gunmen. You locked eyes with Gaz, asking him whether you should move or wait for them. Although both sergeants, you trusted his experience in a field he was thrust into longer than you, he had the rank years before a greenie like you. If he told you to wait, you’d wait; if he wants to move out, you’d follow him out. 

“Floor three, clear-“ the radio cracked, Soap growled into his mic, a deep, throaty sound akin to Ghost’s roars. “We’re moving up.” The gravely tone told you all you had to know, he and Ghost met someone on their floor. 

From your position, you watched the door open and Price popped his head in, nodding his head towards Gaz - folder in his hand - and you - disc secured in your vest. With Price’s order for evac, you all followed him out, face snugly hidden under your black balaclava and thick clothes in the cold winter of Finland’s night. 

Price called Laswell once you confirmed you were safely back to Edvard’s cabin, jumping into a secure line and retelling your mission with the promise of giving her the disc and folder once you landed on British ground, back on familiar land with cloudy days and rainy evenings. While the colder air was refreshing, a sight you last saw years back, nothing felt better than familiar ground, the safety and comfort your barack brought or the thrill and amusement the pub you went to last week left you with, watching your team getting wasted on alcohol to a successful mission. 

You’d wait out the night, trading posts for night watch with the others, your team’s paranoia of being followed and never knowing if the enemy had called for backup after you reached the security room. So many times bad luck struck you, fate dealing you a bad hand in your endeavours. Ghost would go first, being the most paranoid out of everyone - for good reasons, he’d been betrayed too many times to count, and he knew the sharp edge of a knife better than anyone else - then you’d take his place, let him rest while he could, after you, Soap, Gaz, Roach and Price, the Captain would be able to wake everyone up in the early morning. 

You tried sleeping, rolling from one side to the other, one leg knocking the other while your mind stormed with wild thoughts and wandering words. Your eyes closed, ears muffled with the soft cover of your pillow, but sleep evaded you, chased away from stray thoughts. The voices, and the screaming pain from memories long gone haunted you when you weren’t on field, the drowned-out sounds of gunfire and grenades submerged the memories. Tonight, however, the cries were louder, more painful and desperate than they were yesterday or the day before, twisted and turning wouldn’t do you any good, nor would it do Roach any good, who slept a few feet away from you. 

So you left your bed, what harm would it bring if you took your post early, you couldn’t sleep and wouldn’t be able to either. Sound sleep had escaped your grasp the moment you touched Finland. Outside the door, you caught Ghost staring back at you, alerted by the sound and movement of your exit. You gazed back at him, silent as he was with his beautiful, brown eyes. 

“Mind if I join you?” you tentatively asked, voice low to not startle the others. You stopped on the other side of the couch, waiting for his reply. You were hyper-fixed on his eyes.

While your relationship with him had a bumpy start, you admired him, you looked up to the beast he was: solemn and strong-willed. He moved forward without looking back, seeing things until the end without an ounce of hesitation in his step, of fear or trepidation on his face - his warm eyes - and he never stooped low, head held high and powerful. His huge figure with broad shoulders and thick arms were distracting at times, when you saw him walk down the hall at the base, cloaked in black and a simple, skull-painted balaclava over his face than his masked one. 

He was your lieutenant, your second in command and you trusted him with your life as he did with you, months of working side by side had strengthened the link between you. From strangers to colleges to brothers in arms. You learned to read the smallest signs on him, from non-verbal, tensing shoulders to the dilated joy in his eyes when you watched the others stumble drunkenly. 

You moved when he nodded slightly, eyes watching you sit beside him before returning to gazing out the windows. Join him, you did, silently sharing this moment with Ghost, rare moments of calmness (even with the noise in your head). You sat in silence, a few calming minutes of respite, you traced the few visible stars from the inside of the dark cabin. The countryside had its perks, especially at night, where only darkness clouded the skies, this one was painted with stars, some bright, some dim. It was a sight for sore eyes for city dwellers like you, used to the grey skyline and bright skyscrapers that loomed over the houses and flats in the UK. 

“Couldn’t sleep?” Ghost’s voice was mellow, having a slight rasp from the small use of his voice. It was deep and soothing to your ear, it captured your attention and kept it on him. His question wouldn’t be left unanswered. 

You hummed, bobbing your head as you peered at him from the corner of your eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the dark lashes fluttering when he blinked. His face was turned towards you, his pretty eyes looking at you with calmness in them. Perhaps he knew your answer wasn’t satisfactory for him, or perhaps he knew you hid something from him. Something weighed on his mind, you could tell by his continuous staring. You wouldn’t urge him to ask the question that lingered on his tongue, not unless he felt comfortable to ask it. You learned quickly that he was as mentally guarded as he was physically, building a thick and high wall around himself, it rarely cracked but it did.

You tethered on the limit of his comfort, the nearness between you was as close as you could get to him without having him tense, however, physical touch was a negative. You did once touch him and he flinched, muscle rippling and freezing at your cool gloves, you hadn’t touched him since then. You knew the fear of being touched, you’ve been once before, though you worked it off slightly. You still jumped, but you wouldn’t panic. 

“Somethin’ bothering you?” he finally asked, pushing out the words after a tense moment in his body.

“Not really,” you shook your head, returning his stare. “Just feeling excited about returning home. It feels safer, no?”

This time he hummed, a distracting sound that rumbled out of his throat. You loved the sound of his voice, albeit rare for him to speak more than a few lines here and there, you cherished the moments he did. You could sit here, with him, gazing into each other’s eyes, admiring him for everything he was. Respect and loyalty were given to him, for his experience and his trauma. You knew the way everyone looked at him, fear from outsiders and warmth from the Task Force, they were your family as you were theirs.

“You won’t mind if I stay here ‘till I take over, L.T.?”

Next

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[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (January 21/2022) - Manual Labor

Mumza comes to visit the server for a vacation from her godly realm. 

Technoblade, meanwhile, must gather ludicrous amounts of building materials for definitely no reason in particular.

---

VOD LINKS:

Ponk

Philza

Technoblade

Eryn

Karlnetwork

---

- Ponk has built the Wonkey Donkey Donkey Farm and is now wondering about possible donkeyback duels in an arena. How to transport the donkeys to the arena? Well, maybe TNT cannons would work!

- He transports some villagers to the farm and sentences Cliff Pig to hang in the abyss for eternity

...

Phil: “Trust me, it’s going to work this time.”

Mumza: “I dunno man, I mean, this is kind of like attempt number 458 now?”

Phil: “Don’t laugh! I mean, I needed this time. This time – I’m a thousand percent sure it’s going to work this time.”

Mumza: “Okay...it would be nice to feel the sun again. I’ve pretty much forgotten what that was like now – ooh, and the wind!”

Phil: “Just a few more seconds...got it!”

Mumza: “How long did you say it would last again?”

Phil: “I’m not sure, probably an hour or so if we’re lucky – oh! Remember, with this method, I’ll be unconscious in my own mind trying to keep the connection between our worlds stronger, so if you need any more help...”

Mumza: “Yeah! I’ll just talk to the crows like we always do.”

Phil: “Yeah, okay. Are you ready?”

Mumza: “Yeah! Uh...definitely! I think you seem pretty confident, I think it’s gonna go well, I think it’s gonna be great!”

Mumza: “...Phil?”

There’s an explosion, and Mumza wakes up in the Arctic cabin! It worked! She wants to go on a vacation, live her best life and hang out

- First thing she does is go to the picture of Wilbur and say “Phil’s son” like Phil does

- Next, she wants to unpack her luggage like one does on a vacation. Except she doesn’t have luggage. So instead, she searches for some drinks

- She brews herself a cocktail and has a drink

- It’s time to leave the hotel. Mumza wants to go to the beach, but she’s a little drunk, so she wanders around with chat guiding her

- Chat gets her back to the main Dream SMP. It’s not a beach, but it sure is tourism

- Mumza finds her way to Las Nevadas and sets down her beach towel there. She explores around the area, then sips her cocktail at the pool

- She goes into Tubburger but there’s no one at the shop

- She leaves Las Nevadas. She’s heard Phil tell stories of L’manhole and goes to see it for herself. She takes a lily of the valley as a souvenir, then dives into the water

- From there, Phil takes back over

Phil: “Why do I feel drunk?”

- Technoblade logs on and tells Phil that he wants to gather 12,497 red terracotta, 14,068 sand, 43,730 sandstone and 4,032 oak logs. He wants to get together a work force to do manual labor to help him gather the materials

Techno: “For no reason in particular, other than they’d be nice to have. So let’s go, Phil!”

Phil: “So specific!”

Techno: “Listen, it came to me in a dream, okay?”

- They go to the mainland and meet up with Eryn and Ponk

Phil: (about Ponk) “Why’s he not got any shoes?”

Phil: “...I think he’s down bad.”

- The three travel to Australia, where they discover Dry Waters. They head out a bit to get away from Fundy’s area and set up a beacon to begin mining

- Once they have the terracotta, they go to the desert just past Las Nevadas and start mining out the sandstone. There’s a pillager outpost there, and they accidentally end up triggering a raid

- Once they have all of the stacks of sandstone, they devise a system where Eryn and Phil send Techno back and forth with ender pearl stasis chambers between the sandstone quarry and the community portal hub

- Techno runs to the New World and deposits the materials in double chests at spawn. BadBoyHalo logs on as well

---

[scrapyardboyfriends]

do you think the pub explosion has ruined the show? like I watch old eps back and so much of it was based there? also think it was a way of showing the relationships and friendships developing that they’re honestly lacking so much at the moment?

another thing why does 90% of stuff happen off screen now? it’s like “I talked to *insert name*” ok well let’s see it?!

also opinions on cain/moira? - is it just me or did they suddenly just remember they were back together? I know they’ve had the odd scenes in 2021 but all they seem to do with them now is make them argue or drag nate up again? (I mean I’m really not sure what the point of nate is anymore? do we really need for him to work at butlers again? Did he even tell Kim? like surely Kim doesn’t want Wylies to fail? who’s running it now? she’s interested in buying the pub but has an empty farm and a huge fine to pay for the hide? massive plothole!) I feel like they missed a real opportunity to show moira/cain being super vulnerable with each other, actually dealing with some of their issues and talking about their family and future? we could have seen them change, it could have made them stronger/closer or just y’know let them have a tiny bit of happiness in their lives (there is like no light and shade anymore) but feels to me like they just don’t know what to do with them now, so just a plot points to cause conflict / break them up for a bit?

100% agree with you, give matty a proper storyline!!

this is gonna be another one of my essays...I can feel it. haha

Do I think that the explosion specifically has ruined the show or even that aspect of the show? Not necessarily. I think 2 years of covid restrictions and not utilizing the pub as a central hub for the characters to interact put a massive dent in the quality of the show for sure. I also think they haven't handled this pub explosion story well enough at all because literally no one reacted to it happening, which is just bizarre because if the pub had blown up back in 2000 or something it would have been this massive crisis and would have affected everyone and now everyone's just like "meh" cause they barely went there anyway.

The pub also has been in big need of a shake up for a long time and I don't think that's going to happen, which is dumb because this was the perfect opportunity. I would have loved to see any number of people in charge. Bernice returning could have been fun. Bernice and Nicola running the pub with Jimmy the reluctant part time barman could have been amazing. Getting to your Coira point, I think Moira selling the farm and running the pub could have been fun too. Or my personal wish, a new family coming in. But at this point I'd even accept Kim if it meant it didn't just go back to the same old Dingles.

But I do think they need to make a real effort to rebuild the pub quickly and get people back on that set. Health and safety is important, but they need to find a way to bring the community back to the pub and interact with each other again because I agree with you, everything used to happen in the pub in the old days and now it just sits there. And yes there's the Hide and the Cafe and the Shop but none of those have the same feel as the Woolpack and I think they really need to remember that the pub is the heart of the village.

As for things happening off screen, yes, it is hugely annoying. Again, I know covid has restricted somethings but if they're going to talk about scenes and conversations that happened all the time then I want to see some of them, especially when they involve lesser seen characters that I would rather see than those currently on screen talking about these conversations. Haha.

As for Coira...they are definitely in a massive rut and really have been since they got back together in January 2018. I don't know that it was a total mistake for Iain to break them up back in 2016 but again, I feel like he did far better with the Robron break up than he did with Coira. I know they had to stay apart long enough for the secret pregnancy to happen so they could have that dramatic birth but while that was exciting, I don't know that it was worth it. As much as they try and show that Coira are meant to be when they want to put them back together and such, I think they've really just done a lot of damage to their characters over the years that it's hard to find that magic again.

I feel like Cain having a full on relationship with Harriet during that 2016/2017 break up probably wasn't the best idea. I think having Moira be the one to kill Emma was a pretty terrible idea because, while they dealt with it more than they do with other characters who kill and get away with it, I think it just damaged her credibility as a character a lot, especially how she dealt with Cain after he thought he killed Joe. I really wish they'd just had her discover like six months into the pregnancy or something that she was pregnant, maybe due to some kind of drama with Emma or something and then Cain could have had his whole crisis about having another kid but ultimately been therefor her during the birth which still could have been in the barn fire or whatever. I just think keeping them apart for so long was a mistake.

Plus I don't think they did a good enough job with their reunion. I just don't feel like it was ever clear enough why they broke up and I don't think it was clear enough why they were getting back together other than just...because. And as much as I complain about 2018 for Robron and them not having enough of a real plot, I do appreciate that they were on screen enough to really show that they had learned something from their break up and put those lessons into action again and again to show how much healthier they had become. And even if Ryan hadn't left, they still had the surrogacy story to go so they still had story left in them. With Coira it's like, they got back together and then really had nothing until Matty showed up, which was some of the best content they all had and was something that showed them putting lessons learned into practice because Cain wasn't supportive enough through the Holly stuff and he wanted to be with Matty.

But then they just didn't know what to do with them afterwards and the Nate thing was just such a massive massive mistake because there was just no reason for Moira to even cheat and they didn't even try and make up a reason afterwards. It was just like Cain went to Scotland without telling her for...reasons...and now she's gonna cheat on him. It was so weird and made no sense. And Nate was just the worst idea for a character on basically every level and yes...he is still useless and they still have conflict over him and my god is that exhausting.

It really does feel like they've just run their course because the show absolutely does not know what to do with them anymore. I mean Moira was only in 64 episodes last year. They got back together mid November of 2020 and have just done absolutely nothing with them. They brought Mack in but other than a few tense episodes, have done very little with him and Moira. I almost feel like Cain has had more scenes with Mack than she has. I also feel like half of those appearances were her just showing up for two seconds to drop a meat delivery off at the pub and say one line. So even though they've gotten back together, they really just feel like they've been in stasis because they've done nothing with them. And yet you can already see the cracks showing again because they don't know what to do with them other than give them random tiny conflicts every once in a while until they decide to just break them up again.

And honestly, if they do break them up again, I think that has to be it. And it's a damn shame too because back in 2013/2014/2015 they were a great couple. And they still have good chemistry every time they're allowed to actually have good scenes together. They could still be the power couple of the Dales but no one knows what to do with them. It's sad.

I know Moira's supposed to get some kind of story this year and I really hope it doesn't suck and that Cain can actually be a support to her so we can see them have strength as a couple because otherwise...what's the point? As you said, I want to see them be vulnerable with each other, grow and change as a couple and be stronger than ever. They have the range to do so and the show is not utilizing it. No one needs to see Cain arbitrarily kidnap someone again, just give him and Moira actual better content.

Also...yes GIVE MATTY A STORYLINE! (side note: he and Amy have been together for a year now and they've done zero things with them and I am sad)

Look! A rambling essay. I'm nothing if not predictable.

[mrneighbourlove]

Evil’s Bane: Ch 8. Looming Dread

Leere looked a round a massive red ballroom, with a large staircase leading up to more doors. There were chandeliers hanging above, and many routes that they could take. No exits outside of course. Turning to Bonegrinder, she was catching her breath with the other Mortuus. “Bonegrinder. And Hades? I’m surprised you made it here.”

"Bonegrinder?" Black approached the Anagari who was breathing hard. It was evident he was not fully healed. Hades did what he could, but it would take a while for Prama's magic to finish such horrible injuries, most of which could not be seen with the eye. The Wraith frowned, noticing how the Anagari was struggling to even stay upright. "... we need to go back. You're in bad shape."

"He has been in bad shape for a long time, Black." Bonegrinder always had that dry humor availible, despite the situation. "You will have to wait to go back. Summoning a portal is not easy work. He will have to rest some more."

“Can we wait here? What if danger makes itself known?” Bi-Hanzo asked. Grabbing his head, he shook it. Felt hot in the room. And, did he hear something in distance? Sounded like laughter. No. Must have been his imagination.

"Not unless you have readily available portal magic so we can leave." Black then stated. "If you want to go on, then be my guest. My responsibility is the princess. Not you."

"... this snake supposes that he should question where we are. There is a familiar feeling of this place... but worse than last time."

“Last time?” Leere asked.

Hades was pacing around, feeling uncertain about his surroundings. Kenshi wiped the sweat off his head, feeling sick.

"Wait... no... was that this snake or Prama?" Bonegrinder rubbed his forehead. "His memories... Prama's memories... when is where, and where is when..."

"Don't stress over it," Black knew this was not a good sign. Anymore stress, and his master's mind might snap again. Two souls in one body was really taxing and he had seen many of his master's so-called 'episodes'. The last thing the group needed was a huge blast of magic knocking everyone back and drawing the attention of Destroyer... or his minions. "We're here now. Let's focus on the here."

Leere paced, rubbing her head. There was something... bad. Something familiar in the air. And it made her feel anxious.

Kenshi suddenly looked up, feeble shock trembling in his voice. There was sweat gushing down his face now, and his widened eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn’t slept for days. “Franeska?”

Leere and the others turned to see Kenshi suddenly running off. Bi-Hanzo was shocked by this. “Kenshi! Where are you going?!” The man chased after his fellow villager. When Kenshi reached the door, he opened it up with a kick. Inside was a small room with no natural light in the room. In that room, a little girl with her back to him facing the direct corner of the room was all that could be seen. Unnaturally she was perfectly illuminated with a bright red coat that covered her face from view. Leere looked to Black, hurrying along. Kenshi kept himself in the frame of the door from letting anyone else in.

"Don't follow after that apparition!" Black told Kenshi, sensing danger when the man ran off, but he did not chase him. He stayed with Leere. "Bonegrinder... something bad is coming, isn't it?"

"Bad doesn't even begin to describe it, Black... it's much worse than you could ever imagine."

Kenshi drew closer, relief on his face. “Franeska? It’s your father. It’s me.”

As Leere got into eyesight, all her instincts kicked in so fast she almost threw up. Memories she buried of being underwater and trapped with nightmares flooded back. She could sense the unique brand of demonic undeath now. It tastes like iron and vomit on her tongue. As her breath grew dry, and she tried to get the words out, Kenshi felt it too. “Wait...”

What turned around was no longer his daughter. A hideous monster with bone claws coming out of its hands and a disturbing contorted face of twisted flesh. With a shake of its head, as if confirming it was no longer his daughter, it stabbed those claws deep into Kenshi’s chest. Over and over it tore him slowly apart. Leere and Bi-Hanzo stepped back. From inside the room, a gargled roar echoed in its chambers. Turns out, in the dark, there was long, long tunnel that stretched far and wide. And it was filled to the brim with monsters. Leere looked to the door up the stair case, adrenaline rushing through her. “RUN!!!”

"Again with the running, why can't humans ever listen?" Black hurried alongside Leere, rushing, but looked over his shoulder to see Bonegrinder and Hades. At least his master could still move, but his speed was greatly reduced. The ghouls snarled, almost trampling over each other to tear the group apart. They had so much energy and hate in their being then any other undead the Wraith had seen. Once the doors at the top of the staircase were open, and everyone was through, Black used a touch of his own magic to seal it for the time being. There were multiple bangs against the door, and he frowned. "We have to find a place where we can rest for a bit. All this running is going to take a toll on all of us."

The bang on the doors grew more intense, and the ghouls crawled over the walls and ran to other doors to find other ways of reaching them. There were hundreds of undead that chased them from that room alone. How many more were there? Leere gripped her shadow medallion, sighing. “Let’s keep walking down this hall for now.” Looking to Bi-Hanzo, she nodded solemnly to him. “I���m so sorry about losing Kenshi.”

“Least I know what’s happened to my missing people...”

"We need to exercise caution. We don't know what to expect from a place like this." Black walked beside of Leere, glancing back every now and then to check on Bonegrinder. The Wraith was concerned about the Anagari. He had not seen him look this bad in a very long while. Black was one of the oldest members of the Hive and he had been through harsh times with Bonegrinder, thick and thin.

Walking down the hallway, it started to curve. On the walls were pipes and lights. Leere heard of this before, and seen it in Danjur. Electricity. Little bulbs of light glowing faintly to light of the room.

There were doors every once in the while on the left side. Staying alert, they saw a Mortuus at one of the doors, fumbling with keys to get in. Leere looked to Black. “Should we risk taking a guide, or move on?”

"Judging from what transpired outside this tower, these people rather shoot off their own foot than help a stranger." Black did not sound too enthused. "Let us try to keep moving until Bonegrinder can summon a portal."

"We cannot trust these Mortuus, Leere." Bonegrinder told the princess in-between slithers. He had to stop to catch his breath every now and then. Seeing he was larger than the humans and Hades, he could slither a little then rest for a moment. "Remember what he said about friend or foe; that does not apply here. They are both."

“Agreed. I don’t want to talk with these cultists of damnation.” It seemed Bi-Hanzo was in a charitable mood towards Bonegrinder. So they waited until the Mortuus was gone before contributing onwards. Walking up a spiraling staircase, they started to gain a view of the outside. The city held the sights of people arguing, children running through the streets, and monsters eating anyone who was foolish enough to have their guard down. High in the sky, a dragon flew by silently. Leere cringed when she saw how little skin it had on its body when it become illuminated by the moon.

Arriving at the top of the staircase, they came across a purple and red door. Creaking it open, Leere peered inside. A giant ballroom filled with cultists were strewn about. They were cutting apart bodies, experimenting with wiring, and praying to statues of various gods and demons. It seemed to be an active hub.

"...!!!" Bonegrinder felt physically sick. His scales flickered, sensing the danger. Carefully, he pulled Leere back with his tail and shut the door, praying none of the cultists noticed. "... he senses foulness there, tiny princess. Let us keep going."

"... they were making more puppets, weren't they?" Black asked his master.

"Yes, among other things. This snake can sense his brother's presence nearby... that or his magic one. Destroyer and Chaos have riddled this place with their disease of seducing black arts."

As Hades was about to turn back down the stairs, he paused. His powerful sense of hearing often lead to dread. “Those undead abominations have found our path. Judging by the smell, they’d be upon us in fifteen minutes.”

"There's no way all of us can take down a horde of those things." Black knew he could simply hide in the shadows and wait it out, but pulling in three other beings with him? That'd drain his magic excessively. There was no way he could pull it off for long and he refused to leave his master's side anyhow. "Do you think we can find a way to the outside? It'd even be safer to hang off a wall at this point."

Hades looked down at the room, scanning its contents. At the far end, he saw a sign of hope. “Very end of the room. There’s an elevator going upwards. Our chances are much stronger if we fight our way through to there then back down. Bonegrinder. Can you manage it?”

"This snake can move, though he is concerned about the elevator." The Anagari told the Lynel. "He is very weighty and so are you, old friend. There is a chance we both might not fit."

“Then we can take turns. Let us depart.”

Down at in the ballroom, one cultist was conducting an experiment. With a rat maze, he had a small worm like parasite travel through a fog identical to the one that the group traveled through the cave. Once it made its way to the other size and in a bigger container, it grew nearly ten times its size to fill the glass container. As he was writing notes, his head suddenly turned into red paste as Hades club utterly destroyed him with one swing. The Lynel short teleported over your cause first blood and sew confusion amongst the cultists.

Leere was running down the steps to the elevator, when she paused in her tracks at a monument she saw. A red obelisk with runes glew a menacing light glow on and off, and a deep anger filled her being. It was a construct just like the Beacon she shut down decades ago. “Sweet mother of god...”

When a cultist tried to hack at her with a sickle, Leere twisted her body around to dance around her attacker. With a graceful movement of her arms, she positioned her scythe at the other Mortuus head. Activating her blade, the blue hum of the energy easily decapitated her target, sending the head rolling in Black’s direction.

Black was managing to keep the cultists away from Bonegrinder with ease. He was using the darkness to his advantage. One by one, he took down anyone foolish enough to try to harm his master. Still, there was no place safe enough to rest and recover. The group would have to keep moving. Though when Hades suggested that all of them take turns on the elevator, Black shook his head furiously. "I will not leave Bonegrinder while he's like this. If he is alone and attacked, and another episode occurs, he could bring down this whole tower and us with it."

“Then you go up with him first!” Hades bucked his feet backwards, kicking another cultist into a statue. Leere watched Bi-Hanzo race for the elevator. When they got closer, he realized how big it was. More so, looking up at the opening, how far it traveled up. “Hurry!”

One Cultist threw a spear and chain at Black, stabbing through his shoulder blade and pulling him closer. His eyes were a mess with bloodlust, and with magic, a ghostly green fire spread up the chain to burn the Wraith. As the cultist was ready to turn up the heat, Leere cut the chain off, following up with chopping Black’s attacker in half. It left a messy pair of legs to stumble around for a moment. “Are you alright?”

Bonegrinder managed to slither into the elevator, fitting his coils inside tightly. There was just enough room for Black when the Wraith was suddenly pulled backwards. As soon as the assassin was out of the elevator, the doors suddenly shut and trapped the Anagari inside. Black, however, released a piercing screech as the blade struck through his body. He did not know what the tool was enchanted with, some kind of dark magic, but it made his limbs feel numb. Almost like the Cultist was trying to force his will. As soon as Leere cut down the cultist, he held his shoulder. Little drops of blood floated around the wound, able to see clearly through the hole. This would take a while to fix. "... that magic was trying to force me to obey." The Wraith then glanced at the elevator. "And we're separated from Bonegrinder. We must find him."

The elevator suddenly shot up, leaving the group the watch Bonegrinder be taken away. “No! No!!!” Leere reached a hand up in vein. She wasn’t fast enough. Looking around, she saw a lever to call it back down. Pulling it, she didn’t know how long they’d have to wait. Although the last of the cultists were dead or scattered, the danger wasn’t over. Back at the door they entered, a cultist was about to flee, when she was suddenly snatched away by the swarm of the undead. The hideous ghouls looked down the stairs, looking at the group. With a war cry of terror, they ran towards the flesh. Leere gripped her scythe, taking a few breaths. “We just have to hold out!”

"Hold out?! There's too many of them." Black was never an optimistic person. "If one of us gets pulled down, we're not getting back up---!!!"

DING!

The Wraith was interrupted by the elevator's appearance... without Bonegrinder inside.

Too late. The monsterous creatures were already on top of them.

Bi-Hanzo magically blasted ice and picked up a sword to hack away at them. When one slashed at his stomach, bleeding him, he retreated back into the elevator after bringing up a wall of ice between him and some of the ghouls.

Black might have been impressed by how quick and furious Leere was if both weren’t concerned with staying alive. The Shadow Sage kept hacking away at the fast undead, limb after limb after limb. But there were just too many. Covered in blood, unsure how much was there and how many cuts they gave here, she didn’t know if they’d make it out alive.

That was when Hades launched a powerful stream of fire to burn away a wave of the undead. “Into the elevator! Flee! Now! You must live!!!”

The ghouls were endless, one after the other, and he was down an arm. The Wraith had to improvise, pulling the undead around with his shadows and using the area to his advantage. Yet, even he was tiring. When Hades bellowed at him to move, the assassin started to protest. Bonegrinder would have his head if he knew he left Hades, but also if he put Leere in unnecessary danger. Damn it, why did this always have to happen to him.? Black had never moved so fast in this second chance of life, if one would call it that, as he chucked Leere over his shoulder so she could still swing her weapon and launched into the elevator.

Leere was ready to save Hades when Black suddenly picked her up. Her concentration disrupted, she could have used the shadows to give him a fighting chance, or give him reinforcements. As she got her footing again, the last glimpse she saw of the Lynel was being swarmed by the ghouls when the elevator doors slammed shut, and they made their way up.

“No!!!” Leere slammed her fists on the door. Still angry, she turned to Black, clocking him in the face with a surprise punch to the nose. “What the hell are you thinking?!?! You disrupted my concentration! Again! I could have helped give Hades a chance had you not suddenly grabbed me from behind! You’re not a knight in shining armour Black!”

Bi-Hanzo was still catching his breath, looking at this blood covered woman screaming at her comrade. Glancing at his own wounds, he winced.

"..." Black barely flinched when Leere punched him. He wiped away the floating blood from his nose and then retorted, "Bonegrinder gave me an order to look after your ungrateful ass. I promised him I would. I'm keeping my promise, no matter how much I think this whole idea of yours was a fool's errand. Now are you going to stop screaming at me like a brat and help me find my master or are you going to continue to berate me for my job?"

“I’m going to berate you for not thinking properly. Yes, I wanted to come here. But I know exactly what I’m getting myself into! I’m a warrior Black! This type of shit is my expertise. And if you keep fucking around and treating me like a Princess, you’re going to get others killed, or me! You want to save your master? Then use your goddamn brain.”

Bi-Hanzo leaned back against the wall, taking deep breaths. “What kind of shit are we in?”

Leere took a moment to use her shadow magic to peel off the blood stains from her clothes and onto the floor. “Nothing good at all. These Mortuus must be magical geniuses or morons. I’m going to say the latter seeing how they found a way to open up a portal to a dimension of madness and the worst undead I’ve encountered in my life. There’s no telling what else we’ll discover here. All I know is I’m not leaving until I shut it down. Again.”

"... fine then. You certainly have the bitchy temper of a princess." Black used the shadows to 'stitch' his shoulder wound closed for the time being. It almost looked like a dark parasite latching onto the Wraith's skin, but it would have to do for now. "I'm going to search for Bonegrinder. You do what you like." Once the elevator stopped, the Wraith took a look at the surroundings before stepping out.

Outside, was a narrow, metal caged hallway. The steel was rusting something fierce, and the darkness was overwhelming from all directions around them.

“What happened to sticking together?” Leere finally took a look at Bi-Hanzo’s wounds, pulling out a sewing kit from one of her pouches to help him out.

"You obviously care more for this Prama-forsaken country than you do for the well being of the one who has tried to protect you from all this darkness for years. I don't understand you. You're not the hero, you're the Shadow Sage. Heroic missions are for that kid swinging around a sword in green." Black stated very bluntly, "Bonegrinder is by no means perfect, but he does care for you for some reason that eludes me. I'm not going to guard someone who doesn't want me to do so and I'm going to go and find him so we can get out of his hell on earth."

“And what are you Black? An undead blade to your master? Klinge minus the smug charm?” She pulled tight on one of Bi-Hanzo’s wounds. “What I do I don’t ever account to my daughter or other children. This isn’t a fairy tale of a hero. But this is good vs. evil. There is a nightmare I need to put an end to here. You go find Bonegrinder. Leave if you want. But you save the good that can be found in this damned corner of earth.” She turned to him, a fierce determination in her eyes. “Because fighting for the good of humanity is always a noble cause.”

"Heh, now Klinge was someone I would admire. He had the lethality of an Echidnan when he was undead but gave it up for that woman and to play house." Black told the princess with no qualms about his statement. "I am an assassin. I was a bringer of death in life and now I am in this state. I killed many arrogant bastards, some who deserved it, some may not have. Either way, what 'good' I have seen in this world is debatable." The Wraith told Leere. "I am not here to protect the 'good' left in this earth. I am here to ensure the safety of Bonegrinder, the one being who tried to help me during the time where I was lost. I am not here to save the many, I am here to save only one." He then said, "Have you even thought about what would happen if Prama was ripped from Bonegrinder too early? No? Of course you haven't. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here, in the last place my master should be, but no. No, he's here because you made a deal with that damn Prama and he feels guilty. You manipulated him." Black barely showed emotion, but this was definitely a button for him. "You're right, Leere. I am no knight in shining armor. Never aimed to be. Yet, I will keep Bonegrinder save with the last of what I am because he helped me when no one else would." He scoffed. "Good of humanity... humans caused all of this. They had a choice. These Mortuus had a choice. And look what they chose. I have very little faith in humanity."

“You’re right. And it’s my choice to save what I can.” Leere stepped off the elevator with Bi-Hanzo. Activating her scythe, she used the blade to light the way forward. With blood long stained on the floor, it didn’t look pleasant. Leading them, she smirked at Black’s thoughts on the o. “Gave up his lethality? I pity you Black. You and the rest of the Hive. And I think I finally get it.”

"You don't need to." Black admitted to Leere almost with a chuckle. "We're all monsters here. The fact is, I've embraced it." He then looked at her. "But you haven't."

“And you think that’s a good thing? You lack humanity. You lack empathy for those outside your immediate bubble. It’s our connections to family, friends, and those we love that makes us strong. Why would you want to be a monster Black? Monsters are what threaten the innocent.”

”You can’t save them”

A tiny whisper ran out in their heads individually. It was like the wind in the air, briefly passing by.

Leere gripped her head, shrugging it off to paranoia that she’d fail. “I can be as vicious, bloodthirsty, and dangerous as I can be. But that doesn’t make me a monster.”

"It is a good thing, because the monsters survive, Leere." Black thought it was rather amusing. She still had no clue of why Bonegrinder wanted her to avoid all of this madness. Yet, perhaps it would eventually be her downfall. If only she had listened, the princess wouldn't be in this place. "And I am not human. Therefore, my lacking of humanity is for naught."

“But you where human once. Surely that means something to you. Tell me. Who do you love the most Black. Who’d you give your all to that wasn’t your job? Who do you miss in your heart?” Leere’s scythe went out, and she never got her answer. “Black? Bi-Hanzo?” Leere searched around in the darkness, and the assassin and the Mortuus warrior were gone.

"I was never fully human, I was am a hy---!!!"

Black was suddenly alone. He pivoted on his heel. Where did the princess go? He looked up and then down. No, he did not fall through a hole. Nor did he activate his shadow magic. What was going on? The Wraith jolted when he saw an outline of his old home. It was faint in his memories, but he knew it was there. He also recalled the pain that was held there. Recollections he'd rather forget. His parents were very much in love, but his birth was a bad omen to them. Yes, his beautiful mother, a human, and his mighty father, a monster from some of Mother's adoptive children, as she called them. A enchanting Nokken, otherwise known as a shapeshifter. Some could reproduce with humans. Others could not.

"Filthy halfling, filthy halfling."

This was an illusion. His parents were long gone. These faces which tormented him were dead. He knew that, he killed them. Perhaps it was now his turn to be haunted. Yet, that would be silly. A Wraith? Being haunted? A ghost haunting a spirit? That was laughable. Yet, the words still stung. The way the other children would chant 'filthy halfling' always irritated him. There was no love for anything remotely human in the world of monsters. It was easier to be a full monster, then anything resembling human. So, Black wanted to make sure that no one would ever mistake him for a pitiful human ever again. He'd change his shape and blend into the shadows.

"Don't you want to be a full monster? What if we could help you?"

"A little too late to play mind games, don't you think?"

"You could be of more assistance to Bonegrinder rather than a weak halfling."

"That's true. I probably would be stronger."

"Then accept our help. Let us help you break free of these human restraints."

"No."

"No? We thought you hated humans."

"I do. They're rotten creatures. But... they're crafty. And I'd like to hold onto that part of me."

“How about a test then?” A voice that didn’t belong called out. A shadow swept through the area, materializing with horns and a smell of brimstone. With flickering red eyes and a body that wasn’t all there, the Shadow Man confronted Black. “A choice then. Human? Or monster kind?”

"... you're the one that Echidnans call Tzitzimime..." The Wraith did not seem afraid or bothered. It was hard to have emotions being in a state of limbo, he supposed. Though, for some odd reason, he could still feel frustration. "The embodiment of Chaos."

“A humble avatar for my master.” The Shadow Man chuckled. With the wave of a hand, two doors appeared. “You have a choice to make Wraith. On the left door you will be led down a path to the fallen Echidnan God. On the right, the Mortuus Sage desperately clinging to hope. Both are about to become in mortal danger. If you hurry, you might be able to save one. Human or Monster? And I’d chose quickly.”

"So I suppose Mother of the Monsters was correct. You are split into pieces." Black simply stood there. "I'm surprised you haven't tried to kill me. Giving me a choice instead?"

“Because it’ll be more fun to see you fail in protecting not just one, but potentially two of your companions.” The insidious malice dripping from his voice was piercing. “Be fun to see your face twist with anguish when you see them dead.”

"You are mistaken if you believe I think of that human girl as a companion." Black was as stoic as ever. "Bonegrinder told me to protect her. She told me not to do so. If she dies, then the world will be rid of another one of your potential hosts you've waited for, obviously for a long while or you'd be here causing your havoc already." The Wraith asked, sounding a touch... pissed. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

“I do. That’s why you aren’t dedicated in a choice regardless by now. Save your master, or go out to kill the girl to stop my first plan of choice.”

"Well, you see, you made a mistake. I care about Bonegrinder. Not that shitty god inside of him. Also, one more thing," Black held out his hand before jerking it back. "You have to pay an assassin to kill someone. I'm not seeing any loot. So goodbye." The Wraith took the door to his master.

The Shadow Man’s eyes flickered with a smile. Closing the door behind Black, he made sure to single Destroyah that now was the time. “All too easy.”

Bonegrinder was in a hell of his own. The Anagari was frozen, unable to move. His limbs would not work and he could not find the strength to slither. He was tormented by visions of his family, lost long ago. The way they spoke was like a drug. He had not heard their voices in years, seen their faces in ages. The snake was content to die here since he saw his family one last time. Yet, Prama was trying to draw the snake back to rational thought, will him to get up and fight, but if he risked using too much magic, it would draw the attention of Dhakk. He could sense his brother nearby. This had to be a ploy.

Luckily, Black knew just the way to gain his master's attention. "Forgive me, Bonegrinder, but I am doing this for your own good." Black had suffered under illusions before and the only way to break free from them was... pain. So he stuck the tip of his blade into Bonegrinder's tail, earning a yowl from the Anagari.

Leere turned to see a white light shine down on a dark silhouette in the distance. It was a woman standing up, yet crooked in her posture. When she spoke Leere froze. ”My sweet little daughter... you shouldn’t have come here. You should have listened to your friends.”

Leere held her ground as a deathly version of Zelda walked toward her like a puppet on strings. Her eyes were gauged out, with bloody trailing down her cheeks like tears. It was sickening to see her mother used against her again. Especially now that Zelda had passed on. “Get out of my head. You aren’t my mother.”

“Why? Afraid you’re going insane? It’s ok. You’ll be dead soon enough you stupid girl.” The puppet suddenly ran at a frightening speed towards Leere. With no hesitation, she swung her blade to cut Zelda in half down the side. With her body splitting apart, the upper half of this sickening doppelganger of her mother leaped towards Leere, pinning her down. Zelda’s hands reached around Leere’s neck, squeezing tightly with rotting fingers. ”You’re a disappointment to the family. And none of them will see your body again. I should never have adopted you from that cage.”

Leere gasped as she was losing breath. Reaching to her side, she grasped at empty air until she found her knife. Turning purple in the face and her eyes growing bloodshot, she thrusted up in Zelda, stabbing the nightmare in the throat. Twisting the blade, she grabbed a lose hand up and snapped her neck. Gasping for breath and tearing up, Leere chocked on air as she kicked frantically to stand up.

However, her torment was far from over. The area exploded into a rush of yellow lighting, and the eerie cackles of children called out. Leere saw a large light in the shape of a door way. All around were tiny zombified children hissing and running at her from the dark. Every last one of them was a freakish version of her daughter Joy. Grabbing her scythe, and relying on instinct, Leere ran to the light. Everytime she was forced to cut down a version of Joy, a piercing taunt ran out in her head.

”Don’t you love me mommy?”

”Why did you never come back?”

”My mother didn’t love me enough to return.”

”You’re hurting me!” ”Die with me mommy!”

”It’s you’re fault we’re dead!”

With a frantic scream, Leere ran through the light. On the other side, she tripped and collapsed onto a clear floor all alone. Shuddering, she bit her lip hard to feel anything else other than fear. Rising up, she let out a roar so angry, so full of wrath, it’d shake the hearts of any who heard it. “I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!!!! YOU’LL PAY FOR TAUNTING ME!!!”

Leere wasn’t going to let these fuckers get away with torturing her and her friends anymore.

________________________________________________________________

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/626094887593443328/evils-bane-ch-7-entering-the-tower

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/626630162211028992/evils-bane-ch-9-everyone-has-something-to-lose

[o-w-quinlan]

Game Journal: Anode/Cathode Tamer - Entry #03

Well, after a couple weeks of being very busy, I finally got the time to keep playing this game, conveniently allowing me to defeat the next major story boss once again. I have a feeling this game is shorter than I thought. Pictured at the top is the hub town of the game, since I never showed it in the previous entries.

Since last time around we were told that Server Continent was a land of evil, I decided to go check what I could do in the village to prepare. I once again went to Pixiemon to practice battles in a variety of different environments. I lost in every single one of them. I guess this is why I stick to single-player games.

If Re:Digitize taught me anything, it’s that I should stock up on every single item that could be useful before leaving town, so I went to visit the Tamagotchi reference dude at the shop. Like in the virtual pets, digimon have neccessities, so I bought a lot of meat, as well as health items. I have yet to figure out how to use those last ones.

Since I’m showing every part of the village I find useful, here’s Datamon at the nursery-equivalent, where I get the new digimon every time I clear a dungeon. Cool guy, that Datamon. Definitely not like his evil cousin.

Anyway, I finish my (failed) training, step into the portal and- WHOA WHOA WHOA! Look who came back with the rest of the villains? I have no idea why PicoDevimon is still working with them considering how that ended up for him last time around, but then again dude was never the sharpest tool in the shed. Anyway, after a failed attempt at deceit, he informs us that they were expecting us and we will never succeed because the path to the next part is sealed. Sure, PicoDevimon, whatever you say.

There’s a random dungeon before the main one, so I go inside to train. I pick the Tentomon and Palmon we got last time, along with Agumon, because why not use my rewards?

Oooooooh, MetalGreymon. Right before what I assume is the Etemon fight. Coincidence? I THINK NOT.

Anyway, I barely beat the dungeon (which convinces me using purely child levels might not be a good idea), grab my reward (a Shellmon this time, thus giving me a third Adult-level), and go face the actual main dungeon, so that the door can be unlocked. The digimon are not stronger than in the previous one, but the fights happen in water-heavy environments, which limits the movements of some of my digimon.

Anyway, we get to Etemon after 2 fights rather than 3. He’s alone and he’s more pissed than I remember him being in the show. Still, the lack of mobility have hurt me somewhat, and I barely manage to win the fight. Time to move on to the next-

Wait, how are you still alive? What’s going on?

No. Nonononononononono. NOOOOOOO!

... I have no excuses. Anyway, I think of training my digimon some more to increase the ammount of variable moves they can use, but even one more would mean clearing at least 4 dungeons I’ve already beat, but really 7 or 9 for the actual useful moves. So I take a different strategy:

Meet my new team (a bit injured because of some battles). 2 Veedramon, which is the strongest digimon I have access to, and a Shellmon, because for some reason Etemon territory is water-heavy. With these new partners, I get:

The complete and utter annihilation of my enemies. Goodbye, you psychopathic wannabe-singer.

And we rescue two more Chosen Children! Once again, Sora shows she already knows of Ryo somehow (she doesn’t even have a computer like Koushiro, so I assume Etemon told her) and tells Piyomon to help us. Takeru does the same with Patamon, except he specifically asks him to help Agumon. Why they don’t stay to help their friends (and in Takeru’s case, his brother) is something I guess has no answer.

Lizard Boi is touched. I guess from his perspective this is his mission, with Ryo and the rest of the digimon being helpers instead of partners, who he has gathered for his plan, and thus this whole story is, in his mind, about how he saves his friends after being separated from them.

Good ol’ Lizard Boi.

Anyway, PicoDevimon is shocked, shocked to find gambling is going on here Etemon has been defeated. The doors open, because apparently they were kept shut by Etemon’s magical powers (first time I’ve heard he has magic). And, of course, next time around I’ll have to go up against the most iconic villain of the Adventure continuity, Vamdemon!

But first let me see what I got as a reward.

Oh C’MON! YOU DON’T EVEN TURN INTO N.E.O. IN THIS CONTINUITY!

Anyway, that’s it for this entry. So far, Ryo has been pretty much a blank slate except for a couple interesting phrases in the opening cutscene, but it’s interesting to think of this story from Agumon’s perspective, since he actually has more agency than in the original show. We’ll see how this turns out later on in the game.

See you soon (and I mean soon)!

[guardianofmemes]

Mojave Morality; or Why Some Factions are Mixed but Legion Bad and Can We Stop Denying it

When it comes to asking which faction is Good and Evil, you may first think the NCR are the clear good guys, or that Mr. House will lead to greater standard of living. But friends, we should take into account the futures of these factions and the potential social changes that would take place within them, Vegas or not!

The Republic is an imperialist, expansionist nation with economic disparity and a government controlled by the rich few. Still, it is possible for a social and political revolution to take place, as the people still can directly vote and there are few senate seats, and they are EXTREMELY sick of the right-wing policies that have occurred over the last two decades, which are a recent departure from the rest of the nation’s history, under Tandi and Aradesh. And it is still entirely possible the people could overthrow the government with some measure of ease. The nationalistic nature of the United States has not yet had chance to fully take root in the Republic, most people consider themselves citizens of the Boneyard or Hub before being citizens of the Republic, members of the military included. The draft isn’t popular. And while their war crimes are less than America’s, they exist.

Independent Vegas, well this one isn’t really detached from the big factions, its entirely dependent on you choosing that path for that specific territory. But from cut content we can see that the Strip was barely being held together under Mr. House as it is, and it all goes straight to chaos as soon as you come to power. Still, the actual villages and towns of the Mojave are rather well-off and prosper under their own rule, as independent settlements under no central authority. With this comes a lack of centralized ability to project force and protect the lone  communities, so they are left to their own defense as well. Tiny micro-nations.

Mr. House has always been more machine than man, even before he got hooked up on life support gone wrong. He lacks empathy, does not consider other people to actually be people, just pieces to move around on the game board, a game he is playing against reality. He wants to spit in the eye of the mystic, the divine, in the belief of human kindness and capacity for peaceful co-existence. This is just how the man is, a true Ayn Rand protagonist, the Great Man wrought to existence. And how would the Great Man rule exactly? Through force of arms, but not even with a slight veneer of self determination or free will. A board of directors to rule his new galactic megacorporation empire made manifest, yet it would be a board he could overturn at any moment on a whim. He alone, playing the entire human race like a video game, Civilization IV or Stellaris, just looking at the spreadsheet of numbers as little pixels move around, making decisions that simplify the equation, like wiping out the Brotherhood because they are a stray variable he cannot account for in his grand plans. He has the ability and intellect to rebuild the industrial sector, maybe even take us to space, but that’s the problem with the Rich isn’t it? They’d rather abandon this planet and just find an easier solution than get their hands dirty fixing this world. 

And we come upon him at last, the tyrant of tyrants, he who wishes to defy his fate even more desperately than Robert House himself. The plagiarist with a real severe case of hypocrisy and Brain Disease, its time for Caesar. Why do I say Caesar instead of Caesar’s Legion? Because he is the faction, he is the glue that binds the whole operation together. Its not at all a hot take, even in the game itself they acknowledge as soon as Caesar dies, the Legion will split among its squabbling generals and the territory will fall to chaos, because his men follow the man himself, not his ideals. As a fascist, he has no true ideals, the man shifts with whatever works best. Guns are normally forbidden to them, but a Centurion conquered an entire tribe of strong warriors with his minigun? Well now give him a suit of special commemorative armor and let him keep using it. No modern medicine yes, men must be stronger than such luxuries? But he will very openly tell you about the auto-doc he bestows upon those he favors, and has no problem with you removing his tumor. The man is weak of spirit and will, he seeks to make himself known in history, to last beyond his death. And so we come to his mid-life crisis, life under Caesar’s Empire. One could say yes, its safe to live in his territory, the regular patrols excise the tumor that are raider gangs and hostile wildlife. But is that a reason to excuse the tithes one must pay to his Legion? The young men taken to serve, the women taken for slave labor and much more horrible things? The public executions and mass torture over minor trespasses, such as possessing recreational drugs? A total lack of political freedom, zero social mobility; a world that even if you somehow view going back thousands of years in terms of social, technological, and political progress to the age of the tyrant as GOOD, will collapse as soon as he dies of his brain tumor, old age, tripping over a landmine, or assassination? If that is really what you see as the ideal world, or somehow a neutral society in terms of morality, I really don’t know what to tell you. I wish I knew what to say.

[inanotherworld5599]

Anata

Prompt: Side By Side, Sasusaku Day 2

Summary: I’m your wife Sasuke-kun, so depend on me.

If there's anything Sasuke's learnt about his wife over the past few months of their travelling, it's the fact that she's annoyingly stubborn.  He'd always known she was persistent, more so than even Naruto but the streak of stubbornness was something that he'd just discovered.  When they were genin Sakura's main objective had been to agree with almost everything that he said, her stubbornness only surfacing the few times she chose to defy him.  But now they were on equal terms, well at least that's what most people seemed to think but the fact of the matter was that Sakura had him completely wrapped around her finger which is why Sakura more often than not got her way, stubbornly disagreeing to everything he said. He never thought he'd actually say this but he missed the Sakura Haruno who used to follow him around like a puppy, her eyes wide and bright as she asked him to go on dates with her.  "Sasuke-kun!" Grown up, Sakura Uchiha argued,"Do you think I'm an invalid?"  Calling her invalid is nothing short of a joke especially when he's seen what she's capable of. Sasuke has never been one to crack jokes either and he certainly won't ever make the mistake of saying this.  "No." He says irritatedly,"I'm just telling you to sit this one out."  "But why?"  He gives her a pointed look.  You know.  She looks back at him her green eyes confused.  Know what?  He sighs.  "You're pregnant."  While Sakura doesn't really look pregnant, it's barely been three months since they found out, Sasuke has already become overprotective treating her like she was incapable of doing anything in her own.  While at first Sakura glowed under the attention being showered upon her, the effect wore off really quickly and caused the two of them bicker endlessly.  "So what difference does it make?"  He looks at her dumbly.  "Sakura stop being annoying."  "Sasuke-kun!" She whines,"If anyone should sit this one out it should be you. You've been out of sorts for days now with that fever of yours and you refuse to even let me come near you to treat you." "It's nothing serious." Sasuke persists, it's true that he's been feeling lightheaded and feverish for the past few days but it's nothing he can't handle. He's got sick plenty of times before when he was alone and he's handled it perfectly well.  Besides he doesn't want to risk getting Sakura sick, for her pregnancy seems to be hard enough as it is with her puking every morning like clockwork.  Surprisingly Sakura doesn't mind, she bounces right back after it with a bright and happy smile on her face never once complaining. Sasuke knows that it takes a toll on her however unnoticeable it may be and has made the resolution to help ease her pregnancy in anyway he can. "I'm fine." Sasuke states,"I don't want you to get sick by coming near me. Especially not now." His eyes flicker to her stomach for extra emphasis. Sakura rolls her eyes.  "I'm fine." He insists,"And as I was saying. You can sit this one out." "No." He blinks. Sakura has rarely been this adamant about anything and almost never been this curt with him. The only reason she's not got around to treating him yet is because Sasuke has been extra vigilant to flash step out of her way and even take another room in the inn they are staying just to be safe.  She's tolerated this behaviour for the past few days to humour him (actually it was more on the lines of getting a break from his overprotective hovering) but she was starting to reach the end of her patience.  "There are children there Sasuke, if they're hurt, you don't have the medical expertise to treat them, I do. In fact right now you're a pretty sad excuse for a shinobi right now because you're sick and you won't let me treat you. So you're damn well going to take me along with you or else I'll go on my own." 

Sasuke sighs. He knows the situation is grave for Sakura has rarely ever referred to him without a suffix. Besides he very well knows that if he just left her behind she would just follow him and blindly run into danger. Knocking her out wasn't even an option for it could harm the baby and not to mention that Sakura would pulverize him as soon as she woke up.  So he conceeds,"Fine but you're not going to fight." "I won't fight." She says reassuringly,"If that's what your worried about then I won't fight even if it's against a couple of civilians who can't even touch me."  He blinks. The sarcasm in her tone is not lost on him. She's angry at him but he can handle her anger over the possibility of her getting hurt.  "You have to give me your word that won't fight."  "I swear on Kakashi's porn collection."  This time even Sasuke can't help but smirk but none the less he looks over at her sternly,"Sakura."  "Fine, fine." She talents,"I promise I won't fight."  The entire matter had actually begun when the two of them had stumbled onto a small civilian town nestled beside a lake because Sakura had been craving a proper bed and shower for days.  They'd been surprised to know that the small run down town had once been a prosperous hub for merchants but due to frequent visits by bandits, the town had fallen to ruin.  Recently a group of slave traders had stumbled onto the small settlement and in the past few weeks there had been over fifteen kidnappings of young children and the two of who'd narrowly escaped were critical.  Well they were critical until Sakura arrived.  It didn't take much for the people of the town to recognise Sakura, once she was done healing them. With a combination of her pink hair and healing prowess, while she was far younger than most people imagined, she was easily identified as Sakura Haruno, the pink haired wonder medic who was a hero of the war, the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage who'd surpassed her master to earn the title of the Slug Queen, friend of the Naruto Uzumaki the saviour of the five nations and a student of the current Hokage, Kakashi of the Sharingan.  She'd been rather flattered of all the titles given to her of course but to be perfectly honest Sasuke had felt rathered bristled that her identification mainly revolved around knowing others rather than her own achievements which were far more illustrious. Even he knew Naruto and Kakashi and frankly being associated with either of them was a pain more than an honour.  Well that's what he told Sakura but she was well aware that his irritation had stemmed entirely from the fact that they hadn't called her Sakura Uchiha and she’d made a point to correct them. They knew him too, but his introduction was unsurprisingly a more hushed affair than hers for his past and his associations were not nearly as commendable as hers. But he was a hero of the war too, the best friend of the blonde haired idiot and while others might not know it both Sakura and Naruto were well aware that despite everything he was still Kakashi's favourite student.  But barring that aside the word of their travels had also spread, two of the legendary neo sanin traversing the lands together helping rebuild and heal villages.  Thus unsurprisingly as soon as Sakura was done healing the two kids they found almost the entire village standing in front of them begging for their help. The village was entirely isolated from any of the five nations and didn't fall under the jurisdiction of the Damiyo's leaving them to fend for themselves without any manpower or money.  The Uchiha's agreed immediately of course. Even if they hadn't been asked they'd have gone ahead and rescued the children.  Well at least Sasuke would have gone, he'd thought that both him and his wife were on the same page of letting him take the lead on this one whilst leaving Sakura behind in the village but of course Sakura had other plans.  "We should get going." Sakura tugs on his sleeve,"I want to rescue them as soon as possible." Sasuke sighs as they head towards the hideout that they had sensed a few miles away. When they're just a few metres short he lets his chakra flare up while Sakura beside him did the same.  Both Sakura and Sasuke have maintained the practice to suppress their chakra to a civilian level through out their travels. Despite that they've never been abused because the way they carry themselves is enough to make most people scramble.  (Well at least the way Sasuke carries himself, Sakura seems approachable, sweet and gentle until she gets mad.) And right now she's mad.  Its clear by the way she stands in front of the huts, disgust lacing every inch of her delicate face. Sakura, he'd learned felt strongly about things, whether it would be anger, sadness or love, Sakura gave her hundred percent to all of it.  Sasuke wonders just how many acres of land his wife was going to end up destroying this time. But his curiosity has to take a back seat in these matters for right now his wife is pregnant. Her physical prowess may be unmatched but Sasuke doesn't like taking risks, especially not when it comes to Sakura. If he can handle it on his own there's no need for her to fight.  And he can handle just about everything on his own. Their chakra serves as a warning to the slave traders to tell them that these are not people to be messed with it as well as an out for them to quickly surrender. Both Sasuke and Sakura don't enjoy unfair fights for controlling their powers to a level where they might not accidently kill them is far harder than fighting all out against a stronger enemy.  And sure enough the enemy, at least a few dozen have instantly become alert and in an instant the pair is surrounded.  "There are jounin amongst them." Sakura comments offhandedly as she inspects the enemy around them. Most were civilian but the number of ninjas were astounding none the less.  His eyes flicker briefly to the scratched out headbands,"Rogues from Sand. We'll have to inform Kakashi and Gaara about this."  At the name of the Hokage and Kazekage the rage on the ninjas face is palpable.  "Who are you?" One of them ask. They are rightfully weary of the both of them.  "That's none of your business." Sasuke replies curtly. While their surname should be enough to make these traders back off, Sasuke knows better than to reveal his location to a bunch of rogues. He’s sure that there are plenty of people searching for him to obtain his Sharingan. While he's sure that he can handle all who come after his eyes with ease, he's aware that he's not alone anymore. Avoiding conflict was the best way to keep Sakura and their baby safe. "They seem familiar." One of the ninjas comment,"I think-"  "We don't want any conflict." The leader presumably speaks up,"If you leave us in peace then we will too."  "Then free the children." Sakura's words are sharp,"And we shall consider asking the authorities that we hand you over to,to be the slightest bit lenient."  A ripple of unease passes through the crowd but it's suppressed by the leaders laughter.  "You're arrogant for being such a small thing aren't you?" He comments and then his eyes flicker to Sasuke who stands placidly behind her,"I wonder how well your dog can protect a pretty little thing like you."  Sakura's eyes flash but she remains calm. Normally this is enough to set her off but she's made a promise to Sasuke to not fight which is why she just smiles.  "And you're pretty arrogant for a no name jounin who kidnaps and sells children. I wonder how well your abominably large ego will be able to protect a heartless bastard like you."  The shock on his face is palpable but Sakura hardly gives him time to react as she grabs his hand and twists it away in a way that's unnatural with her regular amount of strength.  "Go to hell bastard." She hisses and then kicks him sending him flying back into two others.  So much for her promise to not fight, Sasuke thinks as the attack begins. He's careful not to activate the Sharingan, the villagers might keep his secret but he knows better than to flaunt one of the most sort after doujutsus in the face of people like them.  While Sakura's hair is a dead giveaway to her identity thankfully it seems like no one has recognised her amongst the group of rag tag ninjas and civilians without seeing her healing abilities and Sasuke wants to keep it this way.  Sasuke swings the katana over Sakura's head to pin down the bastard who was running at her whilst Sakura bends down and sweeps her leg underneath the opponent that was attacking Sasuke.  In a moment they change positions, their backs against each other.  "Sakura you promised. Go now." His voice is sharp and he can feel her hesitation from behind him but none the less she agrees,"Fine cover me."  He can't use his Nagashi and take all of them out at once, for he's not recovered completley from his fever and is afraid without his Sharingan he can't control it precisely enough to make sure that Sakura and the children who he detected just behind the army will be spared.  Sasuke grits his teeth knowing that he's left with no choice but to activate the Sharingan but before he can Sakura speaks up as she punches yet another ninja who attacks her,"Activate your chidori when I give you the signal. I'll control it's path."  While Sasuke has no idea how Sakura intends to do it but he's long since learned that his wife's strategies fall second only to Shikamaru's.  He dodges another one of the enemies attacks impatiently. The longer Sakura stays in the fight the more she's at risk.  "Suiton: Ryūsuiben no Jutsu." Sakura's voice calls out loudly and instantly Sasuke realises what his wife intends to do. A water whip materialises and Sasuke doesn't need his Sharingan to admire the level of chakra control displayed as Sakura wields it with ease controlling its movements with extreme precision. Sasuke has rarely seen Sakura use water release, her fighting style has always been partial to taijutsu and genjutsu over ninjutsu.  In fact the first time she had used it against him had been during one of their spars to counter his Katon. He'd underestimated her grossly, thinking he’d be able to take her on without using his sharingan and had paid the price by getting punched right in the face for assuming that Sakura was just a one trick pony whose moves were predictable.  After that he promised to never insult her by thinking that he could defeat her without his Sharingan activated. His lightning crackles through the water whip and Sakura controls it's path perfectly sweeping it across the army in one perfect circle.  While it isn't enough to take out the more skilled jounin's who've managed to avoid the technique but in one fell sweep it's lessened their numbers considerably weeding out the weaker civilians and ninjas giving Sakura enough place to escape and head towards the children in the hut. She gives him a look right before she leaves, Stay safe.  Sasuke thinks it's entirely unnecessarily, after all this group hardly possesses a threat to him but none the less he nods and Sakura reassured disappears from his line of sight away from the danger of the army.  Sasuke falls into a pattern as he fights. Block, dodge, strike. One down. Three down. Four down, he keeps delivering blows making sure to keep it on a level where he doesn't accidently kill them.  One jounin, more skilled than the others almost blindsides him with an ice jutsu but he dodges in time throwing a shuriken.  His nose itches slightly and he realises that his cold isn't faring well. It’s fine though he’s fought plenty of battles on his own when he was sick and at that time he’d never had Sakura by his side, he’d never had anyone.

One jounin throws a shuriken his way and Sasuke raises his katana to deflect it... And then sneezes. The great Sasuke Uchiha sneezes.  The shuriken promptly gets embedded deeply at his side and Sasuke stares at the red blood that's quickly spreading in shock.  It's been so long that someone has actually managed to wound him that he can't help but be utterly baffled as to what’s happening. Did he just sneeze in the middle of a fight? He quickly steps back, the surprisingly persistent group of jounin had the upper hand now. He realises that his movements are sluggish and his eyesight is already getting blurry.  Shit, it's poisoned.  His opponent grins and lunges at him. This time Sasuke has no choice but to activate his Sharingan to dodge the attack and the jounin catch a glimpse of his eye their eyes widening in recognition. His katana feels like lead in his hand and he contemplates finishing everybody off with Amaterasu but he's afraid that he'll pass out before he can put it out. Starting a forest fire would be a sure shot way of burning the nearby town down as well as effectively trapping Sakura and the children.  Shit. He stumbles as he dodges the next one and the ninja raises his blade over Sasuke's head. Sasuke quickly activates Susanoo but the poison is potent and the purple shield flickers cracking against the blade.  The others don't hesitate and attack from behind and Sasuke dodges a second to slow.... But it doesn't matter because a resounding crack is heard through out the clearing sending the jounin back brutally into the ground in a way that sends dirt up all around them. When the dust clears he sees Sakura standing in front of him, blowing a lose strand of pink hair out of her eyes glaring at the jounin who'd almost got him.  "Don't touch my husband."  The other attackers are instantly on guard looking at Sakura apprehensively. She’s the bigger threat now and her stance is clearly protective as she stands in front of Sasuke. "You need to get out of here." She tells him not taking her eyes off the ninja who were slowly regrouping. 

He doesn’t move though, he can’t let her fight alone, what if-

"Sasuke-kun." She says,"Believe in me. I’m not weak" 

No, his wife was definitely not weak. And yet-

“I’m your wife Sasuke-kun.” She says her green eyes soft as she looks at him,” So depend on me.”

So Sasuke does as she’s asked and teleports himself in front of the children.

Sakura's evasive skills are far more superior to both his and Naruto's and she has no trouble dealing with multiple enemies and while her strikes are few in number, they’re smart and each hits it’s mark perfectly sending another opponent flying back. The ice jounin is smart and has quite a few tricks up his sleeve and he creates a large ice wall and sends it flying towards her. Sakura doesn't seem daunted, not even the slightest bit and Sasuke's mouth twists into a smirk as he recognises the signs she weaves to counter the ice. "Katon: Gokakyo no Jutsu."  The measly ice wall has no chance against Uchiha clans signature jutsu and it melts in a handful of seconds.  While Sakura's never really had an affinity towards fire jutsu's her speciality lying in water and earth this was one jutsu she'd perfected.She always claimed that it was because she had an exceptionally good teacher although Sasuke knew he was hardly worth that praise.  It was because while Sakura may not have a drop of Uchiha blood in her she was still meant to be one. And Sasuke had known that from the very beginning.  She gives a sidewards glance to Sasuke and he gives a short nod in response. He understood that she was going to end it now and he activates his Susanoo with whatever chakra he had. "Shannaro!"  Her fist slams into the ground sending chunks of rock up into the air, creating a massive faultline in its wake. Sasuke's Susanoo protects him and the children from the sheer show of strength his wife displays without even trying that hard.  As the dust settles Sakura's sillouhette is the first to appear followed by all the remaining ninja who lie unconscious at her feet.  Sasuke slumps in relief, the Susanoo fading as Sakura jumps off the rock she was standing on and lands in front of him smiling brightly.  She grins at him, dust covering her from head to toe and a shallow scrap on her right cheek,"Well that was fun."  All the children look at her gape mouthed as one says,"That. Was. So. Cool." He agrees with him wholeheartedly. Sakura bends down in front of him one palm on his cheek the other on his wound.  He grabs her wrist,"Later. I'm fine."  He thinks she might protest but she nods. She knows her husband is a proud man and showing weakness in public  It's only after the children are safely returned to the village and they're in their room in the tiny but comfortable inn that the townspeople have put them up in does Sakura talk again.  At first she stares at him, her green veridian eyes scanning him up and down. He thinks she might hit him, he sure as hell deserved it but instead she just smiles widely. "Thank you Sasuke-kun."He blinks at her surprised,"Thank you for depending on me. I’m glad we could fight side by side.” He doesn't respond so she continues. "I'm not going to let myself get hurt." She says firmly brushing aside his fears,"But more than that I will never let anybody touch my family. That includes you and our baby. I know my limits and I'm strong enough to protect both of you. So thank you for letting me, I know it can't have been easy.  But I’m here now and I’m your wife so please depend on me from now on."

”I will.” Sasuke promises and he’s surprised by how quickly he answers, “And I’m sorry.” "For what exactly?" She demands but she's smiling. 

"Everything." He reaffirms just as he'd done all those years back after his fight with Naruto in the Valley of the End. "You better be.." She pauses,"Anata." His eyes widen at the term of endearment and Sakura suddenly pauses her hand resting on her stomach. "What's wrong?"  Sasuke asks, panicked. "The baby.." she looks at him, her eyes gleaming,"Kicked for the first time.”

Sasuke eyes widen and he gently puts his hand on her slightly bulging stomach. 

”I think it happened when I called you Anata.” And once again the baby kicks and Sasuke sucks in a sharp breath.

“I think our baby likes it when I call you Anata.”  Sakura giggles as the baby kicks again.

And at that moment he can’t help but marvel at this woman who was the mother of his child and then he remembers the girl who’d once stood behind him crying begging to stay promising him that she’d give him happiness. 

And that’s exactly what she’d done, hadn’t she?

Sasuke pulls her into a kiss, it’s soft and gentle and when he pulls away he gives her a smile, a smile that’s for her and because of her.

A smile that’s only for her.

“I do too.”

_________________________________________

So this was in my works ever since I saw that Sasusaku scene in Gaiden where they interchanged. I hope you liked it and reviews are always appreciated. I’m sorry it’s a bit late though.

[fortunehasabandonedus]

Day 1: One Bad Day...

Welcome to Kenshi, the game about living day to day in paranoia, hunger, and depression. I decided to make this blog just to show my friend Cori that this game is worth playing even if it isn't the prettiest game. Ugly games deserve love as well and especially when they have a passionate team behind it. Kenshi i have found to be among the best when it comes to organic story telling.

I feel like I should warn you, this game is not for the faint of heart. We got the Sims for that ;)

Our story begins with choosing my starting game and character creation. I began with the start called “The Nobodies”. The description says “A group of five nobodies, with nothing to their name, ready to go out and do something about it.” So I designed my team of five as my best friends and myself.

This is me. I’m not fit looking but the more fat options just make me look bloated. I’m hoping to be the tank of the group. Probably gonna do manual labor for the group if we get a village.

Alfonso is next, he is the tallest but I also think he will be our glass cannon. All damage but not much armor to attack quickly. Hopefully keeping him alive wont be an issue. His jobs will probably be farming/processing ore.

Cori is next. She wanted to be the scientist/engineer of the group so hopefully I can establish a little village relatively fast. She will probably also be a medic because in every game we play which honestly is just Overwatch she is a healer extraordinaire.

Gabe is next, he is probably the most fit of the group and in real life has been a  physical person so I think he will be a martial artist here. He also likes to make things so probably gonna be our brewer or artisan if and when we have a village.

Amanda is next and she has always wanted to farm in real life and also study architecture so she will be our engineer/farmer.

So there is the fated five of us. Spawning at the default town known as The Hub in the center of The Border Zone. All of us were immediately hungry and penniless. WELCOME TO KENSHI!

Quickly we ran outside the town walls, I was leading. There was a copper vein I had spotted not far off and a bar was close to it on the far side.

However, as we ran there we heard a commotion. The sounds of distressed shouting and shrieks of pain.

There was a fight between Dust Bandits and Bonedogs. It looked pretty even, Bonedogs are quick at attacking and the Dust Bandits have some armor and some numbers. 

So we waited for one group to fall so we can use the opportunity to strike. After all, this is the world of Kenshi. A world where you cant afford not to take chances.

The Bonedog fell and off we went to finish off the dust bandits. They were hurt and we had numbers. This confidence made us blind. 

We had just finished dominating the bandit when two Bonedogs attacked! We had no armor, we only had rusty clubs, and we were weakened from our fight with the dust bandits. Our confidence withered into despair. 

Alfonso was the first to fall.

Amanda followed suite. 

Cori did her best but fell shortly after.

Amanda managed to rouse her self into consciousness and decided to try and bandage Alfonso as best she could.

I was next to fall, leaving Gabe to face the dire odds by himself.

Unfortunately, the more Bonedogs appeared and noticed Amanda and Alfonso and attacked!

Meanwhile, Gabe finally fell. He showed enormous strength and courage. I was very proud.

Alfonso’s injuries were severe after the second attack by the dogs. He began to bleed out from his chest. If he didn’t receive medical attention soon, he would die.

So there our team lay, having made a decision that seemed favorable at first but costed them dearly. Some of us lay dying, others slowly got worse. I felt like this might be one of my shortest playthroughs.

Some how, by some miracle, Amanda regained consciousness! Her legs were badly injured and she couldn’t walk but she was alive.

Slowly she crawled to a nearby dust bandit corpse in hopes that she could locate a medkit to save Alfonso.

Cori woke up shortly after, impressing me further. This team is made of stronger stuff than I thought. 

She spotted another corpse nearby and decided to investigate.

The shockingly, Gabe woke up. He fought the longest and the hardest and still is third to, albeit begrudgingly, get back on his feet.

Gabe, the hero. Gabe, the savior. He picked up Alfonso and...

...immediately got attacked by Bonedogs he didn’t see. Nobody is perfect.

Amanda and Cori both crawled stealthy to the two having successfully aquired medkits. 

Alfonso was minutes away from death but with the two of them there was a chance.

It was only then that I realized that I was also on the brink of death, having sustained a really nasty injury and not immediately having it seen to.

Cori decided to split the medical help and heal me.

Amanda managed to stabilize Alfonso, dodging the title of first to die by a narrow margin.

Suprisingly, Gabe seems to be superhuman and woke up once more and bandaged himself a bit. Meanwhile, Cori managed to stabilize me. it looked like our group would live to see tomorrow after all!

The three conscious members decided to take refuge at a nearby trading post/bar. There they had beds to rest and heal faster.

Unfortunately this meant leaving Alfonso and I at the mercy of the wilds.

Gabe saw movement and quickly played dead. He began to truly grasp just how dangerous this world could be. Especially when you have so many friends you can’t afford to lose.

So he sneaked back while the others continued to crawl towards safety. He decided to bring at least one person with him seeing as he was the only able to walk upright at the moment. 

While Gabe became even more heroic, Cori panicked as she saw a stranger approaching. It was an Escaped Servant of the Holy Nation, wandering away from the giant cities of religious obsession. Cori held her breath...

...and the guy kept walking. Finally, some good news!

Gabe decided to take Alfonso with him. He was the one one nearest to death so proper care would do him better. I could wait, he decided.

Along the way to the bar, one of the injured dust bandits had a few words to say to Gabe and there were...

...quite rude.

Cori was the first to enter the bar and the barkeep said hello before deciding just to state at the woman crawling to the upstairs roof area. If he thought it was weird, he didn't show it.

After such hardships, she lay down in a bed and passed out. 

Amanda was second to arrive and once again the barkeep said a brief hello and just watched. Maybe this was a regular occurrence?

Gabe came shortly after and said hello to the barkeep who this time chose to remain silent and just stared at Alfonso’s butt.

Amanda lay down, her legs aching and she wished for nothing more than the pain to go away.

Gabe lay Alfonso down frowned at how guilty he felt. Though he fought his hardest, he knew that there were other options he could’ve chosen other than to fight to the end. He almost lost all his friends today.

The bar guard just stared at the beat up figured and TSKed in disapproval.

As most of the group enjoyed the safety of the nearby building, Jonathan lay unconscious with a group of Hungry bandits searched him for food.

They were quite rude about it.

Gabe had decided to come get me but the Hungry bandits spotted him!

He turned around and ran as fast as he could but because of his injuries could only manage a quick hobble. To his surprise, the bandits ran passed him!

They decided instead to attack a better armed and better trained guard outside the bar. Gabe thought he had nothing to worry about and in fact could use this as a money making opportunity.

Unknown to him, there was a cause for concern. A hungry bandit had snuck into he bar and found the sleeping warriors. Amanda had heard him running up the stairs and leapt into action. She had endured so much, she had shown much care and resourcefulness. She saved the group once, she would save it again. At any cost.

The cost... was her leg.The bandit struck her already weakened legs and severed the left leg. Amanda got half her wish, the pain in one leg was gone. The bandit heard his comrades losing outside and was determined to escape alive and ran downstairs.

Gabe saw a bandit running downstairs and a guard rushed to kill him. The dead bandit had some good loot on him so the payday would be decent today.

Outside, Gabe noticed a dead Bonedog and his stomach growled. Meat is meat, he supposed.

All the bandits taken care of, the bar once again fell to its lazy silence and gabe walked up to the barkeep to trade and purchase.

He got enough money for some first aid kits and some cooked meat which he ate gleefully. He would make a fire later and cook the bonedog meat for the group.

He went upstairs to check on the other and that is when his face drained. Amanda’s missing limb stirred an anger in him he had never felt before. Just then he remembered that I was out there still.

Gabe dashed out and began to run towards where I lay.

Movement caught his eye and he saw a dust bandit crawling away, the one that threatened him as he lay defeated in the sand earlier. The rage boiled inside him and changed course to the fleeing bandit. Kenshi, A world where you cant afford not to take chances.

With bloodstained hands, Gabe left the naked corpses and walked with his new set of bandit armor towards me. 

He dressed my body in armor as well from other bodies and began to carry me back to the others.

It was then that Alfonso woke up and saw the faint outline of Gabe in the darkness. He ran outside, careful not to exacerbate his injuries, and began looking for Gabe and maybe food for the group. He felt the guilt of being the first to fall.

He had no problem finding armor.

Now all he needed was food.

He found a recently vacated den of Bonedogs nearby and the attacks became clear. They were just protecting their pups this whole time. He found a piece of meat by the pile of bones and a polearm weapon. Probably belonging to a past victim of their protective parenting.

Alfonso walked back to the bar and found the security force fighting what seemed to be the last Bonedog in the area.

Meat is meat, Alfonso also concluded.

Gabe reached the bar as well and laid me in bed. Alfonso and Gabe both looked at each other in exhausted relief that for now, they were together once again.

[kneipho]

Law's Challenge (Short(ish) ) Story

Written and submitted by the demiurgic @dreamwriter5000

-

Law’s Challenge

“It’s gotten worse. I can hardly feel it anymore.” Her twin, Gavin said, coming out of the light trance he used to find and collect magical energy.

Mara shivered with dread. Without magic, they would have to rely on fire for heat, and their own skills for the other amenities of life. After so many generations of magic use, there were tasks where she wasn’t sure those skills were sufficient any longer.

“Did you See anything?’ Gavin added as he held out a hand in a request for help getting to his feet.  She complied, helping him up and helping him balance on his good leg while he retrieved his staff. He’d been born lame, the victim of a curse cast on their mother when she was pregnant with them. The curse had caused the ankle bone in his left leg to warp, making standing or walking on it very difficult. Healers had been unsuccessful in their efforts to counter the curse’s effects. Gavin could manage with the aid of a staff and on a horse he was the equal of anyone in the clan.

“Yes.” Mara said carefully. “I’ve seen the one who can help us.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Gavin asked, puzzled by her somber mood. Firelight danced in his blue eyes and caught highlights in hair so pale, one could be forgiven for thinking either of them was wearing a cap of snowbird feathers.

“The one I saw is a bone priestess.” As she expected, Gavin’s disquiet became a tightly controlled anger. He hated the bone people, holding one of their priestesses responsible for the curse cast on their mother and for his own disability. He said, “Are you sure she is one who can help us, and not one who is responsible for the fading of the magic?”

“No, the vision was nebulous. I saw the priestess and I saw her familiar, a dark haired ape. Aside from this, there was only the sense that I needed to find her and that her familiar was central to the return of the magic.”

Mara shivered again at the memory; a sallow skinned woman with dark, tightly braided hair. She’d worn a purple and black headscarf with floral patterns and her face, above the lips was covered by the mask that identified her as a priestess.

Their mother had shown them such a mask once, taken from a defeated enemy. They were made of carefully carved and decorated bone.  The decorations on each mask declared not only the priestess’s level of skill with magic, but also her family affiliation and the number of enemy magicians she had defeated.

 The decorations Mara had seen on this woman’s mask included  a yellow ellipse on the forehead, a dark half circle beneath it, and three short lines bisected by a fourth beneath the half circle. Ten vertical lines had been painted along the mask’s edge above her lip. When Mara described it to her mother, she’d learned the masked woman was a junior priestess from an unknown family who had won at least ten arcane battles.

Gavin said, “Have  you spoken to the Elders about what you saw?”

“Yes. I was with them before I came here. They are discussing who will come with me.”

“With us.” Gavin corrected.

“I hope so.”

“There is no question. I will not allow my sister to face a Bone Priestess alone.”

Mara dropped her eyes and did not utter her doubts that their parents would be willing to risk both their children to such a venture.

###

It may have been a longer road, but it’s better than declaring war on the Bone People. Mara gave her horse’s rein to Jag, one of the five clansfolk chosen to accompany her and Gavin as they sought contact with the priestess Mara had Seen, and dismounted. The rest of their party did the same.

Jag was a horse caster. He’d mastered spells for communicating with, healing, and controlling horses. As with almost everyone else, his spells were less effective now that the Magic had faded, but so far, his experience was making up for the lack.

This village was a trade hub called Tolerance Point. A prominent sign at the city gates listed an impressive number of rules forbidding persecution or harassment of any visitor and the punishments handed out to those who broke them. Mara had already reminded Gavin of the list twice as they passed travelling members of the Bone clan. When one of those had plainly been a priest of the Bone clan, Mara had wondered for a moment if the reminder would be enough. It had, barely.

Sheki was a finder. If she knew what she was Looking for, her spells led her to it. Of all of them, she was the only one who’s spells had maintained their efficiency, becoming noticeably stronger the closer they got to their target. Not even Torg, their mage, knew why. Mara might be able to See the Priestess, and know she was involved in the Magic’s loss, but Sheki would be the one who led them to her.

Torg had studied combative magic, particularly counter spells and spell breaking. With help from Gavin, who Collected Magic’s energy and could conduct it to a spell’s caster, Torg would shield them from arcane attacks, but his primary job was to figure out why the Magic was fading and counter whatever was causing the loss..

Karn was their master of stealth. He knew more ways of hiding and moving silently than anyone in the clan. He had his own collection of spells, but he’d also studied purely physical techniques of moving silently and avoiding notice. His skill with a dagger was unparalleled. He hunted by approaching without being noticed and cutting the throat before the prey knew he was there.

Shae was their Envoy. She knew spells for charm and for reading another’s intent.  She also knew what the Clan Elders would and would not approve in terms of contracts and treaties. If they did run into Bone People, she would handle any negotiations. At the moment, she was securing lodgings for them.

With this group, one wonders why I am here. I’m not sure why a Seer is needed now that Sheki has her focus. Mara thought. She had other skills that would be useful on the trip; she was a particularly good at cooking without magic, for example, but nothing the others didn’t also possess.

“You can provide  a reminder if Sheki loses her trace.” Gavin murmured as they waited for Sheki to finish her latest search. “Your presence also keeps the rest of us focused. Without you, Sheki will forget she does not have Shae’s sweet tongue and try to take on the first unfortunate soul that gets in her way. Torg would lose himself in the pool of magic I create for him, Jag would do the same with the horses, and Karn would decide it might be fun to see how many Bone People he can surprise.”

Mara met his gaze with a raised eyebrow. He always knew when she was troubled, and generally had a pretty good idea of the reason. When they were younger, she’d thought he should train as an Envoy, but he could only read her. Their mother thought it came of being twins.

“And  you? What do I keep your focus from?”

“Joining Karn.” He said with a grin, before adding, “If I thought I could. More likely I would become lost in a Collector’s version of twiddling my thumbs. There is beauty in power, especially when a Collector has the leisure to structure it as he wishes.”

Mara made no reply, remembering how Gavin had listened to many of Karn’s lessons. He’d even learned some of the spells. He accepted training as a Collector only when he had proved to himself that he would never be able to master the physical skills Karn was learning. Mara was certain he still felt envy for Karn’s ability to move and kill silently.

The Bone People would be a smaller tribe if he could.

She looked to Sheki, who had completed her search and now gestured toward the better of the town’s two inns. Mara said, “Is she there?”

“Not at the moment,” Sheki said. “She’s off in that direction.” Sheki pointed toward the market square before adding, “She was there this morning, and has been in and out for the last three or four days.”

“Then it’s good that they have rooms left.” Shae said, returning from her hunt for lodgings. “I got the last two rooms. One on the ground floor, the other on the—”

“She’s mad!” Gavin exclaimed suddenly, drawing stares from more than one passerby. Mara signaled sharply for him to watch his words. His next words were quieter, but equally fervent. “Torg! Look at the third floor room, what do you See?”

Mara had no ability to sense magical energy, she could only watch as not only Torg, but everyone else focused their magical senses on the indicated room. After several moments, Torg’s breath caught and he muttered several obscenities. The reactions of the others were not as strong, but clearly something was amiss in the room Gavin had noticed.

Mara tapped Gavin’s shoulder and raised a questioning eyebrow.

Gavin glanced back briefly, shuddered, and then faced her and said, “Whoever did this, they’ve twisted the magic so that it feeds back on itself. This draws in more and more magic, like a metal blade will attract a lodestone.”

“Why is that wrong? I thought that was what you did.”

“It is, but here, the magic is confined, not allowed to disperse when there is nothing for it to do. If whoever did this was not constantly draining it, it would—combust or explode. The release of that much uncontrolled magic, it would overwhelm even set spells. Everything would get washed away. Those who can see magic, we’d be blinded; temporarily if we’re lucky, forever if we’re not. The energy might even leak into the physical world, causing fires or earthquakes.”

The others had turned their attention away from the source of magic and Shae had noticed an increase in the attention passersby were paying them. She said, 

“Perhaps we could continue this conversation inside. I don’t know about everyone else, but I could use a bath and a meal before I have to contemplate an uncontrolled explosion of magic.”

“So,” Mara’s soft words reached only Torg’s ears. “How likely is this explosion of magic?”

“Not very.” Torg kept his own voice low. “ The containment and whatever is draining power is stable. I would not have dared such a situation, but whoever set this up knew what they were doing.”

Torg shrugged and headed inside. Seeing his confidence, the others  followed, except for Jag, who took the horses to the Inn’s stable. They split the rooms, with the men taking the ground floor room and the women taking the one on the third floor, where three doors separated them from the magic’s source.

When Jag returned from caring for the horses, everyone collected clean clothes and met in the common room. Shae directed them to the bath house and arranged for a meal.

Clean, and anticipating food she had no hand in preparing, Mara returned to the common room with Sheki to find the Torg and Shae already digging into a generous dinner of spiced beef, sautéed vegetables, and bread. She had her choice of beer or cider to drink. The others trailed in soon after and they all dug into the food with enthusiasm.

The door to the main entrance opened and a woman paused at the threshold while her eyes adjusted to the lower light level.

Sheki drew a sharp breath and gripped Mara’s shoulder. She said, “That’s her.”  Mara tried to see past the glare of the sun shining behind the woman and failed. The woman’s dress was very similar to the one she’d seen in her vision and her hair was drawn back in a similar fashion. Details required waiting until the woman entered the common room.

Their quarry felt their regard and, as her eyes adjusted, she recognized their costume. Her posture became defensive and one hand went to the largest of the medallions hanging from her neck. She said, “I don’t want trouble.”

“And I won’t have it within my walls.” The innkeeper added. “Take your issues outside.”

Torg laid a restraining hand on Gavin’s wrist and Shae put on her Envoy “face”. An abrupt sense of calm told Mara she’d cast a spell to prevent any hasty or violent actions. The Bone woman apparently had an impressive shielding spell, for she remained tense and defensive as Shae said, “ We don’t want trouble either, only answers to some questions. Will you eat with us?”

The Bone woman relaxed a bit and her hand left the medallion. She nodded and Jag got up long enough to purloin a chair for her from another table.

“I’m Shae, of the snow clan.” Shae introduced the rest of their group and said, “And what shall I call you?”

“Laroi. Of the House of the Rising Sun.” She said. A waiter arrived with Laroi’s dinner and Shae waited for him to leave and for Laroi to take several bites of food before saying,

“Has the Rising Sun clan noticed the fading of magical energy in the lands to the north?”

Laroi took her time in answering, so much time that Gavin almost hurled a barbed conversational goad. Instead, Laroi nodded and said, “Yes, but it is not only the northern lands, it is happening in all the lands surrounding our home.”

“Not in your own lands?”

Laroi shook her head. “Do you know why? Shae asked.

“I do not know,” Laroi said, her tone flat, not hostile.

“You have suspicions?” Shea answered.

“There are always rumors.” Laroi admitted.

“What is the most prevalent rumor?”

Laroi didn’t answer, preferring to inquire, “Why do you want to know?”

“Because my companions and I have been charged with finding out why the magic has faded and how to restore it. If you cannot tell us, we must find someone who can.”

“And what will you do, when you find him, or her, or them?”

“That depends on whether they agree to help us.” Gavin snapped. Shae glared at him and he subsided, but his expression was rebellious.

“My companion is…impetuous, and forgets his manners on occasion, but he is correct.” Shae admitted.

Laroi went silent again, plainly debating some internal question. With another warning glare at Gavin, Shae settled back to wait and see what she decided. Eventually Laroi said,

“Are any of you skilled in spell breaking? Exceptionally so, the spell I have in mind is not for amateurs. Breaking it will be no idle lark for a rainy day that holds nothing better to do.”

“Such skill is why I am part of this group,” Torg said. “Do you speak of a spell working in a certain room on the third floor?”

Laroi dropped her gaze and nodded. She said, “It was set on, you would call him a familiar, I think. He is more than a pet and less than an equal. Having charge of him is a sign of favor within my House. His kind do naturally what I think your impetuous companion has learned to do, collect and direct magic’s energy.

He was given to me when I achieved my current rank within the temple. At the time, I thought decisions regarding his welfare were entirely mine, unless my superiors thought I was neglecting or abusing him. I have learned that is not the case. The spell was cast without my consent. Since its placement Joso’s health has been slowly failing.

Among the members of my House, there are three magicians who are riding a wave of growing power. One of them created the spell. All three worked together to cast it on Joso and five other familiars. All I know of the spell, besides what it is doing to Joso, is that it forces him to collect far more energy than he would normally and store it, rather than pouring it into a spell. My superiors have decreed that it must remain in place until I complete my assigned task and return home. I do not think Joso will live that long.”

“What is your task?” Shae asked.

“To present a new treaty to each of your clans. Once it is signed, or refused, I would advise my superiors and they will release the magic. Only when that is done, will I be given the counter spell.”

“So, tell them you finished and everyone refused.” Gavin said, his voice drenched in sarcasm. Laroi ignored his tone and caught Mara’s eye.  Mara could almost hear the thought behind her expression.

Baby Brothers. Can’t live with them, and once they reach a certain age, you can’t give them punitive chores.

Mara couldn’t stop a smile. Well, she was older than Gavin, by a few minutes. Technically, he was her baby brother.

Laroi said, “I cannot. Even if I traveled at a pace that would harm Joso, I could not reach all of your clans before next fall.”

“Assuming I can counter or remove the spell, what will happen when I do?” Torg asked. Laroi blinked in surprise, and said, “I’m not certain.” She admitted. “I hope Joso will release the magic he is holding and its energy will become available to everyone again. Then Joso should recover.”

“But the shock could cause him to release it without control and we have the explosion the spell currently prevents.” Torg pointed out. Laroi sighed.

She said, “Yes. I understand if you are not willing to risk it.”

“Of course I am. I wish to know why you are. Your seniors hope to profit by this spell. That should benefit your people. Why are you willing to act against them?”

Laroi stared at him, speechless with horror that he thought she would consider not helping Joso. She gave a small shudder and said only, “Follow me, please. “ She got up from the table, leaving the last bits of her meal uneaten. Her invitation had been to Torg, and the others remained, reluctantly, seated, but Mara’s curiosity was too strong and she followed, relieved when Laroi did not object. They reached Laroi’s room and she opened the door and ushered them inside.

It was a well-appointed room, with a couch and several chairs covered in plush cushions surrounding a low table. A fire had been laid in the hearth and it was warm enough that if they were going to stay for any length of time, Mara would become uncomfortable.

She didn’t have to worry about the heat for long. One look at the dark furred primate asleep on the couch inspired a different and more unpleasant kind of discomfort.

 Joso was covered with a woolen blanket. Despite the cover, Mara could tell he was not well. Beneath the fur, he was far too thin. His skin, where not covered with fur, was black, and did not show pallor, but there were bald patches on his neck beneath a dull white torque that appeared to be made of bone. When he woke at their entry, his eyes were cloudy.

“If you had spent the past five years responsible for his care, responsible for gaining his trust and friendship, would you leave him like that? Could you?” Laroi demanded.

Torg looked distinctly unwell as he said, “I would not leave one of your clerics in such a state, never mind a child of the forest. Will he allow me to sit near him?”

“Yes.” She went to Joso,  and switched from trade tongue to her own language. She spoke  quietly for a moment and Joso chittered back and closed his eyes again.

Torg turned to Mara and said, “There is nothing you can do here. I must study the spell’s structure. Would you ask Gavin to join me and bring my pack?”

Mara nodded and did as he asked. Karn helped Gavin with the stairs and Mara took a seat before the common room’s fire and tried to forget the pitiful figure she’d seen.

“Torg got his answer, I take it.” Shae gave Mara’s shoulder a sympathetic squeeze.

“Yes. They’re in Laroi’s room.” She turned away, plainly not interested in explaining further, so Shae changed the subject.

“All right. I looked at the treaty they gave Laroi. It’s plain robbery. In exchange for the return of magic, we become vassals of her House; owing an exorbitant  yearly tribute and compelled to help defend against anyone who offers violence. Most of the Clan Elders I’ve met would have laughed her out of their territory, if they didn’t kill her and send her head back to her own people first.”

“You think she knows that?”

“Unless she’s a lackwit. She’s made some powerful enemies back home, that’s for certain.”

Jag had gone out to check on the horses, but Karn had returned and sat with Sheki nearby. Karn was sharpening his knife. Sheki was repairing a weak spot on her horse’s bridle. Both were listening to Shae’s words.

“Let’s hope Torg can accomplish something.” Mara said, and quiet settled over their group.

###

“It’s like a huge collection of ropes holding back the tree that is about to fall on you.” Gavin muttered. “If you untie them in the right way, you lower the tree safely. If not, it squashes you like a bug. You can’t just cut them away, but untying them without letting the tree fall is going to take forever.”

“And don’t forget the venomous snake that looks like a piece of rope hiding within the mess.” Torg added. “We certainly won’t be bored.” He leaned forward, held one hand over the back of Joso’s neck, and began his study of the spell. A moment later, Gavin joined him.

It was past midnight when Torg leaned back and stretched. He rubbed his face briskly with both hands and finished off the cup of tea Laroi had left for him.

Gavin slouched in the other chair, napping. He’d spent the afternoon creating safe draining conduits for the magic’s power in case Torg failed in his efforts to find a counter spell. Until Torg had a plan, there was nothing more for Gavin to do.

Laroi had fallen asleep with Joso’s head in her lap. Now she woke and met his gaze with inquiry.

“I can do it, but Joso will not enjoy the process.” Torg said.

“Why?” She asked.

“When I break the spell some of the energy will feed back to him. Gavin will be able to deflect some of it, but not all. It will hurt. A lot. Can you keep him from attacking me when it does?”

“Yes.” She spoke with unnerving confidence.

“As weak as he is, he may not survive my efforts. Are you sure you want me to try?”

“Better that than continue to suffer as he is. If you can break the spell, please, do.” Now her tone held only ironclad resolve that told Torg she would try and break the spell if he did not. She was as utterly committed to ending Joso’s suffering as the spell’s casters had been to inflicting it.

Yes, She understands those who cast this spell. She knows they will probably not honor their promise to free Joso, even if he does survive the journey. She knows she is not likely to survive either, but is determined that Joso will suffer not more than is absolutely necessary.

Torg nodded and reached over to jostle Gavin’s shoulder. “Time to go back to work lad.”

###

Gavin rubbed his eyes and sat up. He said, “What’s the plan?”

“We’re going to try and let the tree down slowly.”

They set to work. The spell was hideously complex and held several clever traps. Laroi sat next to Joso, immersed in her own form of trance, holding one of the familiar’s  hands. Gavin took the energy Torg fed him and sent it down the drainage conduits he’d established. Torg reached the last ‘knot’ as dawn broke. “This is it.” He told Laroi. “You ready?” She nodded and said, “I will be working a spell to calm Joso, do not be alarmed.” She gave Joso’s hand a brief squeeze and took a deep breath.

Torg began working at the magical ‘knot’ and Laroi began her spell. Gavin didn’t have much attention to spare for what she was doing, he was too busy monitoring the flow of energy. So he was unprepared when the energy backlash hit Laroi, and not Joso.

Joso chittered frantically as the energy writhed over Laroi and was transmuted by her spell into something that flowed from her to Joso, healing him and causing the white torque to crack and fall off in two pieces.

Torg leaned forward and took her hands, concern blossoming across his expression.

“That was foolish.” He said quietly as Laroi panted with pain and exhaustion. If you were able to break the spell, why did you ask me to?”

“I would not have been able to heal Joso. He would have died. You have helped me pay a debt. I am grateful.”

“What debt ?” Gavin asked, watching with horrified confusion as her spell devoured the last of the back lash and began consuming her personal energy. If it continued to do so, she would not live much longer. He tried to pull energy for her, but the magical field was in chaos. It was like trying to hold the wind with your bare hands.

“What could he have done that demands you risk your life?”

“He stayed with me, even when he found out what the seniors planned for him. I told him to go, but he stayed. Now, he’ll be able to go. Help him go home. Please.”

She took a last shuddering breath and departed.  Joso uttered a long, keening wail, touched her forehead briefly, and left the couch to go to the fireplace and begin damping the fire.

Torg got to his feet as well and said, I’m going to alert the innkeeper and the authorities. Are you alright staying here? Or do you want to rejoin the others?”

“She was supposed to be a monster.” Gavin muttered. “They’re monsters. Caring people don’t curse unborn children.”

“And monsters don’t sacrifice themselves for others.” Torg agreed sympathetically. “She didn’t curse your mother. She’s not a monster. Do you want to grant her request? Shall we take Joso to his home?”

Gavin nodded, but remained immersed in the question that haunted him. Who am I supposed to hate now?

-

(please do not remove writer credits)

[yellowroseanddreamstorm]

With Don’t Make Deals with Demons on its way to being published I thought it would be fun to dive into the lore and fun facts of the world the characters inhabit as we wait for October to come. So, let’s talk about Lumen Solum. More under the cut. History and slight culture lesson time!

Lumen Solum

Lumen Solum is a land made up of four big continents and four smaller continents, all united by their capital, Central City State. The land used to be one big continent many centuries ago before a huge earthquake split the land into the continents everyone knows today. It was both a tragic event and a much needed one.

For you see, before the earthquake had happened, a huge civil war was raging between the inhabitants of Lumen Solum. A huge argument that had devolved into chaos on how the land should be run and who should be in charge. It seemed like it would never stop, nothing to calm the anger of those fighting. When the earthquake hit, the fighting came to a near standstill. Areas where battle lines had been were now drastically seperated by water, many were injured from the earthquake’s effects and the importance of taking care of ones comrades became more important than taking out enemies.

It was during this time of silence that people began to think, wondering if this whole battle even had a point. That maybe this wasn’t the best way to settle the matters that brought them to this state. There were many who still wanted to fight but they soon grew tired and were outnumbered by those who had enough, especially the leaders of the various troops that were fighting each other.

Within time, all came together and agreed that the fighting should stop and that all should instead focus on rebuilding their beloved home and rise together as something stronger. It was that day, Central City State was established as the capital, a place where all parts of Lumen Solum were united as one and was the sign of their unity and their new found peace.

Central City State

Central City State is the capital of Lumen Solum. It’s where all parts of Lumen Solum come together and is seen as the sign of their unity. Central City State is the hub for all big things, from the most recent steam technology discoveries to the latest advances in medicine and so on. It’s also the place for the leaders of the respective continents to meet and discuss matters and make sure everything is running properly. It’s a great place to meet all kinds of people and definitely a place for someone to try and get their start on something big if luck happens to be on their side.

Protea

Protea was the first continent to re-establish and rebuild itself after the earthquake. Proteans are well known for their strong builds and endurance, so it was no surprise to anyone when they were the first to rise back up after the war. They have the greatest sources of pure metals, minerals and many other things thanks to all the mountains that populate their land. They were huge contributors in helping build Central City State and rebuilding the towns and cities of the other continents with their resources and their skills in craftsmanship. Proteans are also known for being rather friendly and practically treat everyone around like they were family. It’s also said extreme temperatures are nothing to them. Along with the cold mountains they tend to inhabit, they also have the vast deserts below they have learned to survive in with creating oasis stops for people take refuge in when traveling and even whole villages. Hot or cold, nothing can seem to stop any Protean from accomplishing their tasks.

Lotalily

Lotalily was right behind Protea in re-establishing and rebuilding itself. While they had their part in the war, the people of Lotalily did what they could to keep as far away from the war as possible. Despite they participation in mostly just defending themselves, they are a very pacifistic people. When the war ended, it was a huge relief and they were more than happy to help everyone recover. The people of Lotalily are skilled in the ways of making beautiful jewelry and fine clothing, having access to many resources on their continent that allow them to do as such. They are also skilled in the ways of using their lotus and lily flowers as means of healing, which was a huge help in recovery for those affected by the earthquake. People of Lotalily are often described as silent but sharp in their words. They will tell the truth but they will be gentle as well, as a means of being of polite and showing a kind hand. A way of life that many of Lotalily strive to live by.

Rosaria

Rosaria was one of the last to recover after the war. Their land had taken the hardest hit from the earthquake and it was unsure for the longest time if it would ever be restored to its former beauty. But with time and much help from the other neighboring continents, the land regained its beauty and the people were able to get back up on their feet. Rosarians are known for being very innovative people, in art, technology, medicine, many things. They like to try everything and put a new spin on it. Many of the other continents do this as well but many joke that Rosarians somehow have it in their blood to always put a new spin on things. Not that it’s a bad thing, some of the greatest technology developments in regards to steam engines came from Rosaria, especially from Apollo Halitus and his associates, who developed the pipe mail system everyone uses and the railways. So, while many joke that Rosarians can be crazy in how they handle certain things, they are rather helpful and as many have noted, are always more than ready to step in and lend a hand.

Iris

Iris is the smallest of the continents in Lumen Solum and was also one of the ones to recover the fastest from the war. Irisians are survivors as many say. They don’t have a lot to their land but they know how to live on the bare minimum and work resources to their advantage. What they lack in quantity they make up in quality. No one can deny their craftsmanship in weaponry and their skills with taming animals, horses especially. During the war, they were a force to be reckoned with and many were fearful if they ever saw soldiers riding in on horses with well made armor. It was a sure sign that they were from Iris. After the war, they dedicated themselves to helping establish a proper defense system and means of keeping the peace in Lumen Solum. They also helped and still do to this day with food distribution to those who need it desperately. The system’s not perfect, but they do what they can, often working alongside the priests and priestess from the Church of Angels as a relief effort for those suffering from natural disasters or need help getting back on their feet. While once feared by many during the war, those of Iris are now seen as some of the most charitable people you’ll ever meet.

Jasaree

Jasaree was the last to recover after the war, right behind Rosaria. The earthquake had a caused a massive flooding throughout the continent that eventually resulted in the creation of the three great lakes that sit in the middle of the land. It was said those of Jasaree had lost the most thanks to the water drowning many of their people along with spreading sickness. It was a miracle they hadn’t been wiped out entirely. They were very grateful when help came and did what they could to repay the favor. Mainly, in record keeping. No one has better records of the war and stories than Jasaree. To them, history is very important and must be kept as accurate as possible. Even with the flooding, they had done everything to preserve scrolls and books from getting tarnished. After they were able to re-establish their land, with the help of others, they built what is considered the biggest library in all of Lumen Solum, containing all records of history and many folk tales and much more in their shelves. If you need information, that’s one of the best places to go to learn about anything. Jasaree plays a huge part in book distribution  in Lumen Solum along with being a contributor in education for everyone. Not every Jasareen is a writer or a teacher, but across all of them, none of them deny that sometimes nothing is better than a good book to read after a long day of chores or personal hobbies.

Maravilla

Maravilla is the biggest of the smaller continents and was able to recover after Lotalily. Maravilla is a place of wonder to many. It’s one of the hottest places yet one of the most beautiful. With towering forests full of trees of the fruit bearing nature, a beautiful lake and small natural hot springs scattered about the area, it’s definitely seen as a vacation spot by many. For the Maravillians, there’s nothing they take more pride in than their land and their culture. Their efforts in rebuilding Lumen Solum ranged from helping provide meals (Well cooked meals according to them. Many account saying they were determined to make sure no one was scrawny. In fact, this is still noted to happen in present times and it is advised you should never say you’re starving at a Maravillian dinner table.) and helping people cheer up with dances and songs from their culture. Maravillians are very very sociable, right up there with Proteans in friendliness and are also fierce. The fiery people with big hearts as some people have come to know them as. For them, family is everything and to those they care for, they become a larger part of that family.

Hibis

Hibis recovered around the same time as Lotalily and Maravilla. This continent in particular is considered one of the most diverse in setting. From mountains, to forests, a lake and even small beaches. All of this allows them access to many different resources which helped in the war and most certainly helped during relief efforts. Hibisians, while having access to many things, are mainly known for their flower talents along with gardening as a whole. Their relief efforts involved helping establish irrigation and crop systems for the other continents to use that was suited to their land and alongside Maravilla and Iris, provide food for those who were in need. Present day, they’re still the seen as the biggest food provider for Lumen Solum and for their flower arrangements. Beauty is something they treasure in Hibis and the best way they show their pride in such a thing is the flowers they grow for all to see and enjoy.

Sakuran

Sakuran is the second biggest of the smaller continents next to Maravilla. Like Lotalily, they did what they could stay out of the war but still defended themselves when the time called. Unlike many others, the damage from the earthquake hadn’t affected them as much but they still suffered some damage. Once they recovered, they pitched in the efforts to help others, mainly in construction and development of technology. It was thanks to some of the lead scientists in Sakuran that new systems were developed to help buildings withstand earthquakes better along with other natural disasters. To this day new technology is still being developed to help deal with natural disasters and keep as many as safe as possible. Sakurans are very much seen as innovators and have paved the way for many future developments. To them, it’s better to look forward rather than look back.

And that’s it. Hope this was enjoyable and be sure to look out for more lore and fun facts stuff for Don’t Make Deals with Demons and many other things.

Where do you think you would live in Lumen Solum? Would you be a Protean, a Lotallian, a Rosarian, an Irisian, a Jasareen, a Maravillian, a Hibisian or a Sakuran? Anyone can come from anywhere so, what would it be? 

And that’s it for now. Catch ya later! Be sure to look out for Don’t Make Deals with Demons in October!

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[meliecho]

Hearts and Heroes: One Shot - chpt: 10 - A Second Chance

The final chapter. (There may be an epilogue. This is 69 pages on my open office document, and I am so freaking proud of myself for that beautiful accident.)

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Summary: An old teammate makes an appearance. Sun wakes up and learns what Blue’s team did to save her life. She’s given a second chance, and Mark realizes that in saving her, he’s given himself a second chance.

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The Markihub – same night…

The portal opened in a colorful swirl of energy just ahead of the back wall behind the stage. 2 teams of 4 stepped out onto the stone floor and heaved collective sighs of relief. One of the older guys with dark blue eyes and gifted with an athletic-yet-trim 6’ tall frame carried the rescued mission target on his back.

A short girl who looked to be about 16 years old with cropped curly brown hair and wearing a dirty white dress rested her head against his shoulder at the fringe of his shaggy chestnut colored hair. The leaves speckling her locks, and the dirt smudges on her clothes and skin suggested her nightmare took place in a forest setting.

The two teams thanked each other for the help, and went to restock their supplies and to take care of injuries. The leader of team 1 adjusted his square black framed glasses and carried the mission target to the infirmary.

A few passerby in the hallway give him a warm 'welcome back,' which he returned. They were also other oldies to dream rescues. The hub still looked like a barely-populated NPC village. He knew time zones were a thing, and if kept track of time right, the USA west coast should be starting to rouse.

People were gradually finding their way back from the hubs of other various personalities peoples’ hearts followed, but it still saddened him to see the place he'd called a second home speckled with small holes in the surfaces, and cracks spidering along the walls. He, himself, had only found his way back three weeks ago. He knew something was wrong when he couldn’t access the hub, so he did what many of the oldies did: helped coordinate people of this hub who’d been sent to others. It sucked that he couldn’t remember much when he woke up.

Whatever had hit Mark had done enough damage to leave this place in derelict condition. Even after a month and a half, it was still in the process of repairs.

And that meant so was Mark.

He had faith that the leader of his home hub would come back even stronger from whatever it was that took him down. He was sorry he hadn't been there to help, but at least he knew who was.

He laid the rescued girl on the bed next to Blue, who continued to stare at the ceiling. “S'up, Blue?”

“You're mom.”

“Sass game: strong.”

“Always.”

“Good.”

She didn’t want to leave until her team had awakened. So far, Purple and Jade were the only two to return to the waking world. She watched Red’s body disappear in a rush of blue light as he woke up. Good. Now all that remained were Peach and Mark.

She also wanted to make sure Sun would be ok. She understood Mark's need to save her more than ever, now. Had that been Teal, she'd have been in Mark's place, gladly giving whatever she could to save her life.

But now they were home, recovering, and everything would be ok.

Tim bobbled over and hopped up to treat the wounded girl.

The one who’d brought her in moved across the aisle to where Mark sat watching over a girl in a blue hoodie and red scarf.

He tapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Hey, nerd.”

Mark finally moved for the first time since the energy transfer ended –not because he was upset, or moody, but because he was drained, dead-exhausted, and really didn’t have the strength to do more than breathe. “Hey.”

“Whoa. You look like shit.”

“Nice to see you, too, Nate.” Mark stretched.

“What used you as a pinata? I haven't seen you this beat up from a mission in forever.”

“It was...involved. You’re up in Vancouver for that thing right now, right? Shouldn’t you be awake?”

Nathan shrugged. “Eh. I woke up once already to pee and fell back asleep to finish the mission. We just got back.”

“How’d it go?”

“We got her,” he glanced across the aisle. “Rescued her from a survival game called 'The Forest'. We found our mission target hiding in a tree house from Terrorlings who looked like cannibals.” The bed springs creaked as he sat next to his friend. “Her name is Liz. She’s just a kid, but she’s a fighter. I think she’ll be able to do some good here once she finds her bearings. I already know who should be here when she recovers to show her around. Marly could use someone else on her team. She has 7, but 8 is a good number.”

Mark nodded and turned lazily back to watching Sun. “Good. Yeah. Marly. Good call. She's a solid leader.”

“What, no witty retort?” When he received no reply, his eyes moved from the girl to him and back, and the tenor of his voice turned more sympathetic. “Was it really that bad?”

Mark exhaled and worried his face. “Yeah. She, uh...” He didn't want to bring up the lost teammate's name, or invoke that memory. Sun's nightmare came too close to being a repeat experience.

Nate’s chest clenched from a shot of dread when he noticed his friend’s dim hero mark. “Dude, your heartlight…” he swiveled quickly toward the other row of beds across the aisle. “Tim!” He called over to the little box.

“Calm your tits, Mom. Tim already got to me. I’m recovering before I leave.”

His friend settled down. “Yeah, it’s just…call me paranoid, ok? What the hell happened to you, anyway? You look…no joke, man, you look terrible.”

“It’s a long story,” Mark muttered.

“You're being avoid-y. I don't like it when you do that.”

“I just don't want to talk about it right now, k?”

“Fair enough.” He pursed his lips. Something had transpired between him and this girl—perhaps his mission target—that brought up painful reminders that only existed here in the dream world. He was thankful most memories of this world left him and the others alone while awake. He cleared his throat and tried to lighten the mood. “She’s kind of cute. I bet she has a cute laugh. I wonder if she’s single…” he rubbed his chin.

A light snort left Mark. That was just like this friend, the womanizing ladies man. He wanted to tell him that this girl carried a Somni that could bust his balls, but he wasn’t in the mood to explain anything now, even if it was to an old teammate. “Just go wake up, ya bastard.” He lost the mirth. “I’ll explain everything later.”

He watched as a girl in a peach colored hijab on a bed in the row ahead of them returned to the waking world. “Was your entire team in here?”

Mark nodded.

“Damn. Maybe you guys should take tonight off.”

He shook his head. “I know my team.”

“Yeah. It sounds like you do,” Nathan smirked and squeezed his friend’s shoulder in support and reassurance. “Take care of yourself, pal.”

His friend left the infirmary and disappeared back to the waking world.

Mark exhaled. Once more, he was alone –save for Blue, whom he knew would stay until he disappeared back to physicality. He’d do the same; in fact he was doing just that. Call it a curse of the Team Leader. As hub leader, he never lost that habit.

He remained as a guard over Sun for the next ten minutes. She would crack open her eyes occasionally, then close them. Tim had explained that her spirit was adjusting to the massive amount of life energy within her. It had to settle down and join her own, but he didn’t know how long it would take since that particular method of saving someone had never been applied before.

Blue's, Red's, Purple's, Peach's, Jade's, and his life energy were all a part of her, now.

A soft repetitive sound tickled his ears and his vision began to fade. He recognized it instantly as the one thing that could override his willpower: the ringtone set as his alarm to go off at 8am.

The sound grew louder. He saw Sun’s eyes open again and tilt toward him just as his world faded out. “I’ll come back,” he whispered.

And then he woke up.

Their mission lasted the entire night.

* * * *

The Infirmary – around 10pm PST the next night…

The din of the infirmary reached her ears. She heard footsteps as the rare person walked by along with the tell-tale thump thump thump of Tiny Box Tim's hopping motion in a doppler effect.

She inhaled the sweet, faint aroma of flowers. It smelled like lavender. That was always a scent that soothed her. She didn't know if it was real or sense memory tricking her. Either way, she enjoyed it. It smelled so nice.

She remembered being taken from the tower through a portal that looked like someone swirled colored dye with oil in water, and then the rush of people moving swiftly around her as she was carried through a large room into one with multiple beds. Everything was a blur of faces, emotions, and then darkness.

Hear heart slowed. The pink light at her sleeve faded away. For a very brief moment, she heard a high-pitched mechanical beep like from medical monitoring equipment, followed by an unfamiliar woman's voice so quiet, she could have imagined it; 'We're losing her. Call the doctor!'

However, something stronger replaced it.

It pulled her out of the void back to her body, and she felt the pink energy pulse through her, igniting the heartlight. It pulled her into it and surrounded her.

The stranger's distant voice returned; 'She's stabilizing? How?' another spoke; 'I don't know, but thank god.'

It faded out of her hearing just as quickly as it came.

Five new colors joined it. The new torrent of energy refused to let her go. It contained familiar voices, images, and the presence of people she knew that formed phantoms within the void; it was the team that saved her.

She'd heard them, and made a promise to them and to herself to live.

All six colors of energy braided through her so tightly, it became hers. The first and last of it, a steady stream of pink iridescence, tied it all together.

Shadow retreated and stayed quiet, locked away.

After running forever, she could finally rest.

She existed within that cocoon where time had no meaning, and dreamed within her dream. Images of places that felt familiar flashed through her mind long enough for her to process what they were, but not enough to be identified as specific locations: the ocean, the setting sun, a Ferris wheel, a city. The team was with her. They were there, all of them, and she was happy.

The sounds of shifting fabric nearby urged her to pay attention. The greater fraction of her made of the pink energy flashed for no longer than an eye blink, and for some reason, she knew she didn't have to worry about who'd just arrived. In fact, she was curious to see whom that energy belonged to. Her perception of those colors dissipated and she was left with the darkness of the backs of her eyelids.

Sun opened her eyes and blinked to bring a languidly revolving ceiling fan into focus. She sat up slowly. There were beds in a row ahead of her, and a 'Keep Calm' kitty poster on the wall. A few cracks adorned the smooth surfaces, like this room had gone through an earthquake, and someone was in the process of filling all the breaks with plaster. An empty bed next to the wall set to her right, and to her left sat the most familiar person in her dream world life, and the source of that pink energy.

She blinked. “Mark?” Her voice—like herself—felt raw.

Mark sat on the bed with his hands clasped between his knees and smiled. “Welcome back, Sun.”

She looked around. “Where am I?”

“Home. You're in the infirmary of the Markihub.”

She regarded him curiously, “What’s a Markihub?”

“It's,” he searched for the right words, “Like a safe zone. It's our HQ.”

“Oh,” she rubbed a warm point just below her clavicle, but paused and took the end of the red scarf in hand. “I guess everything was real after all.”

He nodded. “Yup. Extremely. How are you feeling?”

She ran a quick mental check of her senses. “A little tired, numb, kinda cold, and eviscerated. And confused.”

“That sounds about right.” He knew what she was suffering through right now without any further explanation. “It'll hurt for a while. You basically ripped open a wound and dumped rubbing alcohol on it. You're going to feel like you have no skin for a few days.”

She shuddered. “Because of Shadow?”

He nodded. “You're going to feel it clawing at your psyche. It damaged you pretty good, but you've got it under control. Believe it or not, you won. It might not feel like it, but you did. You'll be ok, though. You'll figure out which voice is yours and which is hers.”

“How?”

“I'll help you.”

Her head bobbled lightly in acceptance. “How long have you been here?”

“I just got back. It's technically night, at least where I am.” He scratched at his hair. “You remember what I told you, right? About you being in a coma?”

She took a deep breath. She felt alive, like this was her body, and it wasn't lying in a hospital somewhere on life support. “Yeah, I remember. I remember everything from the past year, but still nothing before it.”

“Give it time.”

Sun recalled his face whenever she'd open her eyes after the others had gone. He'd stayed within her line of sight. He'd said he'd come back, so that must have been when he woke up. She'd believed him.

“Ya know what was weird? My wrist hurt the entire day. I had to wear that damn brace the whole time.”

“From when Shadow grabbed you?”

“Yup.”

Her gaze dropped to her hands in her lap. “I sorry I couldn't stop her. I tried, but I wasn't strong enough. She had full control and all I could do was watch as she forced me to hurt you and I hated it. I felt so helpless and terrified. I didn’t want to hurt any of you guys. I kept screaming at her to stop, but...”

“That's not your fault. Believe me, I know how hard it is to fight that thing.”

She looked back at him, into his sincere expression, and knew he told the truth. She now had someone on the sidelines that she could look to, see him nod, and know he understood. He was perhaps the only one who did.

“I mean,” he continued, “this isn't the first time I've felt the after effects of a difficult mission, but it was up there in ‘pain-in-the-ass’ annoyance.”

She tried to stand up, but lost her balance and braced herself against the bed. The new energy left her stronger than before, but it wasn't native to her, so she had to compensate. She felt light headed.

“Easy. You should take it slow for a while.”

Her legs felt heavy, but she forced them to work anyway. The more steps she took, the simpler control became. To her relief, Shadow stayed locked behind her wall. Sun's body was hers again without interference.

She moved up the aisle to the middle of the waiting area.

Mark walked casually behind her, hands in his pockets.

A couple of people entered the infirmary, making her step aside to give them room. One of them limped as their friend helped them sit on the bed Mark just vacated.

A high-pitched, small voice caught her attention from the floor at her feet. “Hi, Sun!”

Sun looked down at her sneakers to a small wooden box with a smiling face, big blue eyes, and skinny arms sticking out from the sides. It waved at her. She stepped back almost into Mark. “Y-you're a tiny box.”

“Yup, I am,” Tim's grin remained.

“And you're talking,” She blinked.

“Sometimes you can't get him to shut up,” Mark joked.

“Hey,” Tim looked up at his friend, “You have no room to talk.”

He held up one hand. “I...pfffft....whatever, blah blah, Tim, blah blah.”

She crouched down on one knee to get a better look at the little animated guy. “I haven't seen anything like you before.”

Mark shifted to his other foot. “You don't know who he is?”

Sun shook her head. “No idea.”

“And you don’t know who I am at all?”

She shook her head, ashamed at the feeling that she should implied by his question. “Sorry.”

“Nah, nothing to be sorry for. I'm just a guy.” He felt a swell of relief. Sun had accepted him for who he was not based on any previous knowledge of his public life. He realized the only 'Mark' that she knew was the one she met here. He wondered if that would change if her memory came back. It surprised him that a small part of him didn't want it to.

That eased her concern. “So, where’d you find him? Out there somewhere?”

“Oh, I came from Mark,” Tim stated calmly. “I'm a Somni. My job is to heal the heroes who come back from missions, like you guys.”

Sun's face snapped to instant fear and she fell backward. “A Somni?!” She scooted back on her hands until she hit the wall, and held up her right forearm in defense, suddenly wary of this adorable box boy.

Tim pouted and reached out. “No, I’m not like that.”

Mark knelt down to scoop up the little box in his hands. “You don't have to worry about Tim. He's one of three Somni here, but he's not like Shadow, or—“

“Or that giant jerk, Dark,” Tim growled.

“…Or that giant jerk, Dark,” Mark accepted that answer. Why not? Seemed accurate enough.

“He knows about Shadow?” Her hand covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Oh no.” She stood and flopped down in the nearest seats.

He sat next to her. “Listen. If there's anyone in this place you can trust, it's Tim. Your secret's safe with him.”

“That's right,” Tim saluted and smiled.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” he assured her.

“Well, I trust you, so,” Sun reached out and flinched a little when Tim took hold of her hand. “I guess he is pretty cute.”

The little box blushed, “Ah, jeeze, Sun. Thanks.” He hopped back to the floor. “I wouldn't recommend you leave the hub yet. It took a lot to bring you back. Healing from that and from a Demonling possession won't happen over night.”

“What do you mean by that?” She asked.

Mark found his shoes to be more interesting at that moment. “He means you were kind of...almost damned close to...well, dead.” He noticed her surprise and continued before she could blurt anything out. He kept his voice low. “We had to pull some drastic measures to save you, and it worked, and here you are. So...Yay.”

“What he's trying to say is that they gave you their life energy. Yours was pretty much gone. They saved your life by replacing it with theirs,” Tim clarified.

“We didn't even know if it would work, but we're all glad it did.”

Her eyes widened. So, she hadn't imagined it. What she'd felt truly was them. “How...” she cleared her throat. “How much of me was left?”

Tim answered softly. “From what I could tell, about 5%.”

Shock at her almost-reality zapped through her. “5%?” she whispered. “Then I really was... And everything else isn't me. It's...”

Tim gave her a 'no' motion. “No, it's yours now. Captain Overkill, here, and the others gave you a ton. You just have to wait for it to settle down. This hasn't been done before, so whatever happens from now on that you don't understand, you can talk to me about it. I'm here for you, Sun.”

Mark rubbed at his eyebrow, not able to look her in the eye. She was quiet, and when he did turn to lock eyes with her, he saw disbelief, and confusion, but mostly gratefulness. She recognized what they had given her. She was still stuck in a coma, but alive because of them.

Oddly enough, he felt that connection, as well as the sense of the Somni within her. Now that Shadow and Dark has interacted...ish...that part of him could tell it was there the same way Shadow detected Dark at the Glen when they'd found her. 

He cleared his throat. “That was a bitch to do, let me tell ya. Don't want to do that again.”

“A-are you ok from that?” She still couldn't believe it. “It sounds super serious.”

Tim interrupted the awkward moment. “I checked Mark when he got here. He's not at full power yet, but he's fine—up to about 65%.

“69. Don't sugar coat it for her.”

“The others should be ok, too. It'll probably take a couple of days for everyone to get back up to 100, so don't worry about them.”

He stretched. “Felt like 30 when I woke up.”

Tim poked him in the shin. “I had to tell you to stop.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know.”

Sun leaned forward, trying to come to terms with the fact that only 5% of her own life energy remained.

“Well, I gotta patch up some heroes, so I'll see you later,” Tim waved. “Good luck out there!”

She watched him bobble down the aisle to help with the two who'd walked in moments ago.

Mark stood. “I need to get going, too. The team should be here soon and we need to prep for the next mission.”

She looked up, worried. “You're going back out there already? Those things are out there, and Tim said—”

“Hey, no life draining procedure ever stopped me from doing something that's potentially stupid.”

His humor reached her and she smiled slightly. “That made no sense. Are you sure you're ok?”

“This is nothing kicking some Terrorling ass won't fix.” He shrugged. “If you're up to it, you should explore the hub,” he offered. “But I’d steer clear of the Weaponry for a while, if I were you.”

“Why? What's wrong with the Weaponry?”

“It's not so much what’s wrong with the place as it is the guy,” he dragged the last syllable out to emphasize the instability of Wilford. “Look, just trust me, ok? If you see a guy with a pink mustache, do not approach. In fact, come back to the infirmary. He doesn't like it in here.”

“Is he dangerous?”

“Eh,” he pitched up his voice and it cracked, “To a degree, but he won't hurt anybody here. I made sure of that.”

“Oh-kay...” That wasn't very reassuring. She got to her feet. “Hey, when you see your team, please tell them I said thank you.”

“Nope,” he said. “They'll want to see you before we head out. You can tell them yourself.”

That sounded reasonable, and more preferable. She wanted to see them again, too.

He opened the door.

“Mark?”

He paused in the threshold to look back.

“I know who you are.”

He paused with that knot of concern in his chest. Shadow has said his voice was the last one she heard before she fell into her coma. Maybe her memory had started to return. The possibility of her perception of him changing due to his profession gave him a twinge of loss.

“You’re the one who called me back. When Shadow had full control, I heard you. I held onto that. So, …you’re…you're a…friend.” This man was no longer just a random stranger she came across in this world. She felt comfortable around him. He was important to her. After everything he'd gone through to save her, she thought he should at least know that much.

For the first time since they'd found her in the dream world, he saw her smile genuinely and completely. It brightened her spirit, and poured into the depths of her words that only a feeling could convey. He picked up on all of it. A thousand pages would never be enough.

“Thank you.”

He returned it in kind. “You're welcome.”

Sun watched him leave and exhaled.

She walked up to stand in front of the ‘Keep Calm’ kitty poster. “Now what?” she whispered to the adorable kitten in its scuba suit and clear round helmet. It gave a thousand-mile happy stare as an answer.

A few veins of cracks etched into the walls from beneath the poster. She'd noticed there were random areas like this all over the room. A couple of larger ones, some medium breaks, but mostly hairline fractures in clusters, or alone in jagged lightning strike lines. She touched the edge of a crack near the poster, and jerked her hand back when it suddenly sutured itself together. The damage healed completely. “Whoa.” She was pretty sure she’d never witnessed a building self-repair.

She felt like she was suddenly inside a massive creature that went through a gruesome battle and was slowly regenerating from getting its ass kicked. Was this another aspect of the dream world?

Shadow’s whispers—her negativity—tried to surface, but she shut her eyes against it and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering from an internal cold. She had 7 reasons to fight it, now, even if she didn’t really know what she was doing yet.

“Sun!” An exuberant squeal of delight resounded through the room.

Sun turned around just as Purple dashed down the center aisle and glomped her in a tight hug. The force of the hug-attack made her stumble back, but neither of them fell. “Wuh.”

“You’re awake and you’re ok!” Purple’s cheek squished against the scarf.

“Purple?” She recognized her, even though they hadn’t had a conversation before. Whether that familiarity was due to the mix of energy gradually becoming hers or not, she accepted it. This little girl with two-toned colored hair was part of the team that saved her. She'd bravely fought the horde of Terrorlings that Shadow summoned to take down the group. Though small, she was definitely not powerless. She was precious. Sun hugged her back. “Purple.”

“We were so scared. You fought so hard, and we went through all that, and we were scared to lose you, and... I’m so happy you’re ok!” A tear of elation slipped down her cheek.

“I’m up, aren’t I?” She held on tightly. “It’s because of you. Thank you, Purple.”

Purple’s grin reached ear to ear and she smooshed her face harder into the fabric. She wasn't useless, and now she knew she had saved a life, and that life mattered to her.

“Sheesh, Purple, don’t put her back in the hospital bed,” a taller boy in a beanie and warm hued flannel strolled over with his hands lazily in his jeans pockets. “As soon as she heard you were up, she took off.”

“Red,” Sun didn’t want to take her eyes off of him. He was beautiful. He came across as coarse and brash, but what he’d given her was strength and loyalty.

“Sorry,” the white mage apologized, but didn’t let go.

Four others followed behind their companion.

“Sun, you’re all right!” Peach jogged up and hugged her from the other side, since Purple refused to give up her spot in the middle. “We were so worried. I couldn’t concentrate at all today.”

“Peach,” she smiled.

“It’s about time you woke up!” Jade bounced down the aisle and gave Purple a run for her money when it came to hugs. “What were you going for, a world record?”

“Maybe, Jade.”

“Guys, come on, she just woke up,” Blue chuckled as she and Mark tailed the group. Though she couldn’t help herself and joined in on the group hug. “Let her breathe.”

“Says the team leader adding to the problem,” Red smirked. He felt the same joy at seeing her up and around, since the 6 of them had given her a part of themselves to bring her back. “Ah what the hell.” He wrapped his arms around her from Peach’s side. It was rare that he’d choose to be this open about his feelings, but he and his team had gone through enough together that they were some of the few people he was ok with. Besides, it’s not every day you give up part of your life energy to save someone else.

“Guys…” Sun sniffled as the immense amount of caring from those surrounding her poured out as tears. She knew all of their names. She didn't know how, but that mystery didn't matter. Shadow’s whispers faded away. Even if she wanted to drop to her knees, she couldn’t. These people were holding her up.

Mark folded his arms and just watched. He remembered this from Sun’s position, and knew how therapeutic that moment between him and his team had been. It stayed with him as part of the lock that kept Dark behind his wall.

“Hey, Mark, get in here. You’re the only one missing,” Blue held out her hand.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, keeping his voice light. “We had our moment.”

Sun looked over Purple’s head and gave an understanding nod. It was fine if he didn’t. She was ok with that. She’d said what she needed to earlier anyway.

Purple shuffled slightly sideways and held out her hand. Jade, Peach, and Red did the same. They all knew their teammate was still healing.

“You’re the main reason we even got her out of there,” Purple’s smile came out in her soft voice. “Blue put it together that you’d be the only one who could get through to her and you did. And Tim wouldn’t have been able to max out his healing spell without you. I don’t think any other team here could have rescued her. We fought our hardest, but if it wasn’t for you, Sun wouldn’t be here.“

“Yeah, being crushed by a bunch of nerds,” Jade added with a grin.

“The best nerds,” Peach wrapped her other arm around Red.

He knew they were right. He was the only one in this hub to experience possession of a Somni-Demonling, but he also knew if he’d gone into Sun’s dream alone, despite his story, skill, or history, he wouldn’t have been able to rescue her. He may even have fallen into darkness again trying.

Blue's team was a bunch of sensitive, ass-kicking memers—himself included—and dick jokes were the norm. Then again, he had a collection of tear-filled vlogs the world could view at any time, so he really didn’t have room to talk—like Tim said.

Sun was surprised when Purple relinquished her precious spot to let him in, but more surprised when he accepted it. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Purple squeezed back in between him and Blue and the group filled in the circle.

He was only a few inches taller than her. This was part of the dream world. They were spirits. But they were so warm. Tears of joy spilled from Sun's eyes. If only to these 6 people, she held value.

The pink glow from her hero mark remained steady—a constant reminder that a part of this team lived within her. She may fall down as she healed, but she wasn’t alone anymore. She could pull from their strength to continue, and maybe even wake up from her coma. The only thing she wanted was to always remember them. She would do the best she could to never betray that gift.

They let her go one by one, renewed and ready to go save someone from the Terrorlings.

“Come on, guys, we’re burning nightlight,” Jade bounced on the balls of their feet. Though they weren’t back up to 100% yet, they were psyched.

“I’m not sure that’s the right expression,” Purple giggled, “But I guess it fits, since it’s currently night time.”

“I’m going full throttle on this one,” Peach clenched her fists, ready for action. “We’ll rescue our mission target in record time.”

“And then we’ll be dragging your exhausted ass back,” Red stated.

“Red has a point. Let’s take it easy on the next couple, ok, guys?” Blue said.

The team accepted their leader’s ruling. They bid Sun farewell, said they’d be back soon, and talked to each other as they headed to the door.

…All except Mark.

She glanced back.

He remained hugging Sun tightly. He didn’t speak, and neither did she. It was an intimate, wordless conversation no one else would know the details to.

Blue caught the glint of a tear slipping down from behind his glasses. At first she was concerned that he was slipping backward—as had happened before—, but then she noticed his expression. It wasn't sadness, regret, or guilt. It was acceptance, and the evaporation of a very old weight.

Sun's expression changed to kind support and her arms tightened around his waist. Tears slid down her cheeks as she rested her head on his shoulder. Whatever she picked up, it had turned from 'I'm glad you're alive' from his end, and 'thank you,' from hers, to 'I understand. You'll be ok' from her, and 'I'm sorry. Forgive me' from him.

Her new knowledge of his past let her understand a fraction of that conversation.

He wasn’t embracing only Sun.

He was also embracing the one he couldn’t save.

Blue felt herself smile. Saving Sun had let him fully forgive himself and accept that the death of his teammate wasn't his fault. ‘You kept your promise,’ she told him in her heart, ‘Your teammate would be proud.’

“Hey, you comin', Blue?” Red caught her attention.

“Yeah,”

“What about him?”

Blue rested her hand on his upper arm. “He'll catch up. We're not leaving without him. Come on, let's stock up on ultra balls.” Hopefully soon, one of their missions would lead to Teal, and a second chance. She and Red left their two friends to take their time.

He had found closure in the most circuitous, introspective, unique way possible.

After 5 years, Mark could finally let go of the guilt and truly say good-bye. 

 ------------

TBC

Prologue: A Light in the Darkness

Chapter 1: Weekend Warriors

Chapter 2: Something’s Suspishy

Chapter 3: Chasing the Sun

Chapter 4: The Nightmare’s Truth

Chapter 5: Light and Shadow

Chapter 6: Lifeline - part 1

Chapter 7: Lifeline - part 2

Chapter 8: Phantom Power

Chapter 9: Mark’s Past

Chapter 10: A Second Chance

Chapter 11: Learning to Breathe

Epilogue: Ad Infinitum

[melodymgill49801]

New York City Is in the Middle of a Filipino Pop-Up Renaissance

In a scene playing out across sidewalks all over New York City these days, the makeshift patio in front of Kabisera, a small coffee shop in Manhattan's Lower East Side, is now so bustling on the weekends that one might wonder what alternate universe the critics claiming "New York is dead" inhabit.

Over the course of the pandemic, Kabisera has become a Filipino food hub, not just for their own menu but also for a rotating cast of pop-ups that share their space. The line of people outside might be waiting for drinks from Kabisera and food from the stand on the sidewalk, as a vendor grills skewered meat over coals. To Augelyn Francisco, who owns the shop with her boyfriend Joey Payumo, Kabisera's adoption of the pop-up scene is a way to pay back the community.

Francisco started Kabisera's coffee run in April, bringing baked goods and drinks to frontline workers at dozens of hospitals using donations of food and money from the community and other businesses. Through this effort, she connected with new people and organizations, and when Kabisera began to re-open, she reached out to those new friends to offer a platform to sell their products. "It started [as] a small payback for all of our friends who have been helping us through the pandemic," she said. Through the pop-ups the shop hosts on the weekends, Francisco finds it "very beautiful" to see "how everyone here thrives from what's happening."

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The specter of being "the next big thing" has hung over Filipino food in the United States since at least 2012, when chef Andrew Zimmern shared this forecast, and it shaped how American publications have covered the cuisine ever since. It is always "up-and-coming" and just on the verge of breaking through to a white American audience, though it's never clear what's needed to tip the balance before it's no longer "the next" big thing, but simply a popular part of American dining. In New York City, it's time to stop framing Filipino food as something “on the rise,' and to firmly declare it as not only here to stay, but an integral part of the community.

With options from traditional to re-invented, affordable to high-end, meaty to plant-based, pop-up to brick-and-mortar, the Filipino food scene is growing, diversifying, and even thriving—even amid a pandemic that has hammered the restaurant industry. When it comes to pop-ups in particular, the city is in the midst of a Filipino food renaissance, with so many event options some weekends that it can be hard to figure out which one to visit.

The old school Filipino joints in Queens' Little Manila and mainstays like Jeepney and Purple Yam set a baseline for Filipino food in New York, but with that basic familiarity established, new food entrepreneurs are taking more liberties with their approach, especially through pop-ups. As newcomers have entered the Filipino pop-up scene over the past seven months, joining existing projects like Flip Eats and Woldy Kusina, they've also helped diversify the city's Filipino food.

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As one of 2,000 people laid off from Union Square Hospitality Group in March, Kimberly Camara started Kora, a doughnut pop-up that had a waiting list of 800 people as of last month. Lamon Lagok wants to expand the idea of Filipino food beyond lumpia and pancit through modern dishes paired with tiki drinks, drawing on the long history of Filipinos in the tiki scene. With dishes like chopped cheese silog, Big Papas Tapas makes "Filo-New Yerrr"-style breakfast bowls that riff on the formula of garlic rice, fried egg, and meat. The Dusky Kitchen describes its desserts as Milk Bar meets Red Ribbon, with nostalgic options like ube cheesecake with SkyFlakes saltine crumbles; The Boiis Co. makes cookies and balls of mochi. Mama Guava cooks Hawaiian Filipino food, while Sweet Angel Baby's brings Filipino cuisine to Ridgewood. You're not lacking for options if you're looking for Filipino food in New York.

It might seem like a bad time to start a food business, with the continued restrictions on indoor dining and predictions that as many as half of the city's restaurants could close permanently within the next year. But the rise of pandemic pop-ups makes sense, as Taste and Resy have explained: Without ties to establishments, cooks—especially those out of work—can be more flexible and creative, and the pop-up format makes their food easily accessible, at the same moment as diners look for new experiences.

So Sarap NYC Filipino street food pop-up outside Kabisera | Photo courtesy So Sarap

Though the pandemic initially seemed to dampen launch plans for So Sarap, a new street food pop-up, it actually forced the hand of co-founders VJ Navarro and Sebastien Shan after both were furloughed from their jobs. "We were thinking like, what better time than now?" Shan said. "We're at home doing nothing. Let's just do something." Serving barbecue skewers and fried fish balls from a curbside cart just as Navarro's father did as a street food vendor in the Philippines, So Sarap is now booked for the entire month of October, with events in Manhattan and Queens.

That's, in part, a result of So Sarap having established popularity at Kabisera. To Shan's recollection, all of So Sarap's September appearances took place at the coffee shop, as a way of giving back after Francisco and Payumo welcomed them with open arms. "I think doing pop-ups is great because it's a good way for us to help small businesses, or big businesses, that have been suffering and have been hit hard," Shan said. Though pop-ups have historically been seen as a path toward traditional establishments, pandemic pop-ups can be a survival strategy.

The Lamon Lagok pop-up, for example, operates out of restaurants during their downtime. Though co-owners Gelo Honrade, CJ Lapid, and AJ Palomo were ready to go all in on a restaurant of their own, they chose to pursue pop-ups thanks to encouragement from the East Village Filipino restaurant Ugly Kitchen. (In a testament to the small world of New York's Filipino food community, I learned during reporting that my father knows Lamon Lagok's co-owners.) This model has worked well, and Lamon Lagok is now aiming to hold events every two weeks. "It's just the spirit of COVID and hospitality where people try to help each other out," said Lapid, a co-owner and a bartender who was briefly put out of work by the pandemic. "It's always a win-win thing for both parties: for us, for the establishment."

The logic of the "next big thing" tends to position food cultures, especially those outside immediate white American familiarity, as fleeting trends that have the spotlight only until something bigger and newer comes along. It implies that there isn't room for everything to succeed all at once, and that idea of scarcity can breed competition as people vie for the same rare, few spots. But New York's new Filipino pop-up scene is proof of a model that sees success as a shared effort, rooted in collaboration instead of competition.

The patio outside Kabisera during a pop-up event | Image courtesy Craig Nisperos

At Kabisera, Francisco helps new pop-ups by tasting the food to make sure it's good; notifying sellers of interest online so they can prepare accordingly, without food waste or hungry guests; and if there's more than one vendor at once, making sure their menus don't overlap so the pop-ups aren't at odds with each other. The idea isn't for one to be the most popular pop-up, but for all of them to drive business to each other through complementary menus. Instead of a model that puts a few projects on a pedestal at the top of the scene, this network of Filipino pop-ups is making space for more people to succeed.

"That's actually what we're [trying] to create: that it's becoming stronger and louder if we go all together as one pop-up," said Francisco. "It's hard to promote if you're a single business and you're doing a pop-up, but if you are collaborating [with] four or five pop-ups, you help each other, promote each other. It will become louder."

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via VICE US - Munchies VICE US - Munchies via Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network

[azvolrien]

The Hawk Steppes - Chapter One

I was originally going to wait until I’d actually finished this story before I started posting it... Then I decided ‘fuck it I’m starting now’. So here begins another tale of the continent of Stranatir, in which Wygar’s long-time friends Calburn and Rhona finally get some well-deserved time in the spotlight and we learn a little more about the often-mentioned but never-seen Hawk Steppes and their people.

~~~

           Calburn stared out of the window and drummed his fingers on the sill, watching the scenery pass by.

           “This feels weird,” he announced.

           Rhona did not look up from her book, but she lifted her chin slightly to show she was listening.

           “I mean, it’s never really been just two of us before, has it? It’s always been either all of us on our own, or all three of us together. You and me and Wygar. Never just you and me, or me and Wy, or you and Wy.”  

           Rhona turned the page. “He’s got a newborn baby and a convalescent wife to look after,” she said. “He can’t exactly go halfway across the Empire at the drop of a hat these days.”

           “S’pose, yeah. Still.”

           “Just think, though,” said Rhona, smiling. “You’ll have the chance to show off all by yourself without worrying about any flashy warmage work upstaging you.”

           Calburn sat up a little straighter. “Ooh…”

           “I thought that’d cheer you up. Besides, think of all the exciting new infrastructure we’re going to see.”

           Calburn looked away from the window. “Y’know, I still can’t always tell when you’re kidding or not.”

           “Oh, come on. You were dying to see an iron ox in action and you know it.”

           Calburn grinned sheepishly, and turned back to the window. “Yeah, I was. Think they’ll let me have a closer look at the next supply stop?”

           Rhona shrugged. “You never know. How much of your paraphernalia did you bring?”

           He patted the broad belt that lay coiled on the seat beside him. “All the usual stuff,” he said. “What’ll fit in here, plus a coupla flasks – the little one and the big collapsible one. All set for whatever they’ve got me doing out there.”

           Rhona closed her book and set it aside. “What all do you keep in that thing?” she asked, nodding towards the belt. “You’ve hardly been without it since the day we became journeymen.”

           “Have a look.”

           She hefted it over to the seat beside her. It was heavier than it looked; the belt itself was thick, sturdy leather, even without considering the various satchels and pouches attached to it. At the front, tooled loops supported a trio of glass vials, each one filled with a different coloured powder. Rhona vaguely recognised them as ingredients for spell-fluid, the viscous green liquid in which constructs grew, but could not have explained in any more detail. The biggest satchels, stitched in place on either hip, contained tools: pliers, screwdrivers, a set of spanners, a small hacksaw, and three hammers all sat in their own compartments within the satchels. A smaller pouch contained a sewing kit, though not for mending clothes: the thread within was a fine, smooth fibre, almost like horsehair but more elastic and with a peculiarly fleshy texture to it. Another pouch at the back held a syringe and a small device for sterilising it.

           Finally, Rhona unclipped a drawstring bag twice the size of a clenched fist from the front of the belt and weighed it in her hand, before tipping some of the contents out into her other palm.

           “…Marbles? You carry a bag of marbles around with you?”

           “Those marbles are of great sentimental importance,” said Calburn primly.

           “Fair enough… They look expensive, though! These are solid stone!”

           “Leftover black granite from when they were building the Harbinger Gate,” said Calburn, grinning. “They sold loads of offcuts as souvenirs – my aunt got me those. She worked on the construction.”

           Rhona plonked the marbles back into their bag one by one. “I will never understand you.”

           “Nor I you,” said Calburn amiably. “Poking around with people’s insides when there are constructs to be made?” He shook his head.

           Rhona coughed and glanced out of the window. “Yeah. Well. So, how far d’you think it’ll be until the next supply stop?”

           Calburn just shrugged and settled back in his seat, taking a book from the rucksack beside him. “Dunno. All sorts of little towns have sprung up along these new railpaths, just like they did when the canals were built. With any luck, we’ll stop overnight and won’t have to sleep in here again.”

           “Too right – you snore like a sawmill.”          

           “I did offer you earplugs.”

           “I can never sleep with earplugs in.”

           Calburn just gave her a pointed look at that and opened his book.

           The train of carriages rattled onwards, the clatter of the wheels constantly underlain by the steady thud-thud of the iron ox’s footsteps. The Eastern Lakes passed them by, and the cultivated fields and pastures of the Great Plain fell behind. The train slowed as the railpath curved to bypass the city of Lagara, the last major outpost of the Imperial heartlands, but did not stop. As the sun sank lower in the sky, the settlements grew smaller and further between, until there was nothing to see but the vast grassland of the Hawk Steppes. Only when the sun had vanished altogether did the train squeal and sway to a halt.

           Calburn did not immediately notice.

           “…and the heroine’s a great character, the action and everythin’, that’s great, but this villain’s just incompetent! I mean, what kind of rank amateur needs to fuel his war-constructs with human souls? It’s not just evil, it’s inefficient!”

           “Calburn.”

           “And, I mean, all right, the whole ‘soul’ thing’s a matter for priests an’ philosophers an’ all that, but you’d think logically that an adult soul would give you more energy than a kid, wouldn’t you?”

           “Calburn. We’ve stopped.”

           “Huh? Oh.” Calburn stowed the book in his rucksack and got awkwardly to his feet. “Oof. Been sitting down too long. Supply stop?”

           “I think so.” Rhona slid the window open and leant out for a look. “Not sure if it’s an overnighter or not.”

           “Probably will be.” Calburn braced his hands against the small of his back, grunting as his shoulders gave a small pop. “They’ll need to let the iron ox cool down for a while – it’s like with Vrand; big constructs make a lot of heat, and I doubt this thing cools down as easy as Vrand does.” To emphasise his point, he tapped his knuckles against the fist-sized summoning stone hidden beneath his tunic.

           “You’re the expert there,” said Rhona, squinting into the dark at a large sign reading, both in letters and in symbols, ‘NO WEAPONS’. “But if it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll ask the drivers just in case. I don’t want to get stuck here – wherever ‘here’ is.”

           ‘Here’ was the settlement of Horse Rock, bigger than just a trading post but too small to really be considered a village. It consisted of a small warehouse, a natural well, a temple to some local horse-god, two houses and an inn, which showed signs of several large and recent extensions. A few tents were pitched further from the rails, gathered around an engraved boulder; some people with the facial tattoos of Steppe tribesfolk watched for a while as travellers disembarked from the train, before returning to their camp.

           Calburn tied his belt, swung his rucksack onto his back, and followed Rhona off the train. At only four carriages long, each one containing three cabins, it was barely a third as long as some of the trains Kiraan had begun using in the heartlands, carrying goods and passengers between the Imperial City and other hubs of trade; accordingly, while those trains were often hauled by whole teams of iron oxen, only one stood in harness at Horse Rock.

           It was quite impressive enough all by itself. While Rhona went to bother the drivers, Calburn could only cover his mouth and stand back in admiration. In shape, it was something like his riding construct Mostol, with powerful shoulders, four stocky limbs, and horns curving upwards from the sides of its head, more like a bison than an ox, but the similarity ended there. Each limb was armed with three blunt claws instead of hooves, set wide apart for a stronger base, and it stood taller than an icefield mammoth: from the cabin on its back, the drivers could have looked comfortably into the windows on the top floor of the inn. Steam wafted gently from vents set into its back behind the cabin, and the metal creaked as the construct gradually cooled.

           “Isn’t it beautiful?” breathed Calburn as Rhona returned.

           “If you say so,” she said doubtfully. “It’s a bit mechanical for my tastes – I prefer grown constructs like Tyren or Mostol.”

           “Oh, but that’s the beauty of it!” said Calburn, gesturing wildly with both arms. “It is a grown construct! Well, sort of – it’s kind of a fusion of growth and building, know what I mean? The Emperor himself funded the research, saying Kiraan had enough – more than enough – war-constructs and it was time for some better transport constructs instead! And some of the best Constructists in Kiraan got together, and – well, you know how almost all constructs in the Empire are built, right? Stormhaven and the Sea Loch Country’s about all where grown constructs are more common, and Stormhaven Constructists definitely grow the best constructs.”

           “They’re the most modest, too.”

           “I’m allowed to brag, I grew a dragon. So anyway, these Kiraani Constructists came to the College to study how we grow our constructs, went home, and started putting everything together, you know? But using a different formula for spell-fluid – higher metal content. So they built the skeletons for the iron oxen the usual way, then put the metal skeletons into these purpose-built sort of flask-rooms, and let the rest of it grow around them. But with the extra metal in the spell-fluid, what they got was this!” He pointed emphatically at the foreleg nearest them. “It’s like muscle, it acts like muscle, but it’s almost a steel cable! But they knew all that metal would heat up fast, so they used the space inside the ribcage for a water tank; the water pulls the heat from the metal – there are sort of fins or prongs sticking out into the tank, gives it a bigger surface area – then the heat can escape as steam! Isn’t that clever?”

           “I stopped listening at ‘spell-fluid’,” admitted Rhona.

           Calburn rolled his eyes and gave her shoulder an affectionate thump, not noticing her flinch. “Hey!” he shouted up to the driver still perched on the iron ox’s shoulders. “How fast does it go?”

           The driver finished refilling the water tank and clambered down to the ground. “Harnessed or unharnessed?” she asked, pulling off her gloves. “Hauling the train, her top speed’s about sixty miles an hour. With just her, she can get up to a hundred.”

           Calburn gave an impressed whistle. “That’s quite something. My main riding construct can hardly manage thirty – though he goes like a battering ram, you know? Not much to brag about acceleration-wise, but there’s not much that’ll stop him once he gets up to speed.”

           “Yeah, Longstride here’s the same,” said the driver, patting the great construct’s foreleg. “We need to slow down carefully when we’re coming up to a stop, and make sure we signal the brake van in time. Else all the carriages would crash into each other, and Siraki knows there’d be complaints about that! You work with constructs yourself, then?”

           “Work with? I make them!” He held out a hand. “Master Calburn Sayer, Stormhaven College, School of Constructs.”

           “Athi zeHadres,” she replied, shaking it. “Imperial Railpaths.”

           “Nobility?” said Rhona, raising her eyebrows. “You’re a long way from the Imperial City.”

           “We’re a minor house, and I’m a long way down the succession ladder,” said Athi with a shrug and a smile. “We can’t all lounge around sipping wine.”

           “I admit, that’s about my mental image of what Imperial nobility does,” said Rhona. “We’re here for work – the Ironstone Mine has hired us to try and sort some things there. Rhona Carnwennan, by the way.”

           Athi nodded and glanced between her and Calburn. “Are you two a, uh…”

           “A couple?” Rhona shook her head. “Nah, just old friends. He’s got a girlfriend back home, and I’ve sworn off romance.”

           “One of them chaste sisterhood deals? You see all sorts travelling the Empire.”

           “No, just personal reasons.”

           Calburn frowned and opened his mouth, but Athi kept talking before he could say anything. “We’ll be parked here until about nine in the morning,” she said. “You’ll want to get yourselves some space in there,” she nodded towards the inn, “unless you fancy begging a tent off the tribesfolk.”

           With a room booked up amongst the eaves, there was still time for a stroll around the sights of Horse Rock, such as they were. The boulder, admittedly, was quite impressive in its own way; it was about six feet tall and still mostly natural in shape, but carved silhouettes of horses daubed in red paint galloped in rows encircling almost every inch of its surface.

           “Well,” said Rhona into the stillness, “I can see why they called this place Horse Rock.”

           “Yeah, it’s pretty distinctive, isn’t it?” said Calburn. “I wonder how old it is? The carving doesn’t look too weathered, but the paint’s a bit faded.”

           “Couldn’t say,” said Rhona. “Though I suppose a historian would know.” She reached out and rubbed her thumb against one of the carved horses. A little of the red pigment came away on her skin. “It’s a pretty hard rock, though. The carvings could stand up for thousands of years out here.” She brushed the paint off on her trousers and folded her arms, frowning. “Thing is,” she continued, “you don’t really picture stonework when you think of Hawk Steppes art, do you? Even today, they’re mostly nomads. You think of things like… weaving, and leatherwork, and…”

           From somewhere out in the dark came a sudden crack of splintering wood, and a horse shrieked in agony.

           “…Horses,” finished Rhona, before both she and Calburn broke into a sprint towards the source of the noise.

           Whatever had caused it was long gone by the time they got there; all that remained was a faint thunder of hooves somewhere out in the night, and an empty livestock pen with an enormous gap in the fence. A dozen tribesfolk had gathered at the scene, half of them debating in their own language – probably about what to do with the pen – and the other half trying to get close to the injured horse thrashing on the ground. One foreleg looked badly broken.

           “Do something,” Calburn whispered from behind his hands.

           Rhona shoved forwards through the gathering crowd. “Let me past! I’m a healer, I can help!”

           It took a while to get the horse to lie still enough, but afterwards it was a simple bone-setting. Rhona stood up and dusted her hands off as the confused animal lurched back to its feet. The horse’s owner turned to her as another tribesman led the horse away to another pen with the rest of the band’s mounts.

           “Thank you,” he said, folding his hands over his heart and bowing his head. “She’s a fine mare, and I’d hoped to get a lot of foals from her yet; I didn’t want to have to put her down.”

           “It’s no problem,” said Rhona. “I’ve mostly trained to heal humans, but I grew up around horses back in Stormhaven. I know how they fit together.”

           Calburn edged up after her and scuffed his toe across a cloven hoofprint in the dust. “What happened here?” he asked.

           The tribesman spat on the ground. “Charek,” he said bitterly.

           “Charek?” asked Rhona.

           “Filthy reivers!” he snarled. “Worse than thuru! They won’t herd, they won’t trade – they just steal!” He waved a hand towards the broken pen. “Thirty head of cattle, vanished into the night because they’re too damned lazy to breed them and too damned greedy to buy them!” He took a deep breath to compose himself. “And they’re getting bolder,” he said, more calmly. “Even a year ago, they’d never have raided a camp this near Horse Rock. Gods alone know what’ll happen if they try anything at Khan’s Kurgan, especially right now…” He shook his head.

           “Is something happening there?” asked Calburn.  

           The man stared at him. “Well, yes,” he said. “The Great Khan is there. Half the bands on the steppes will be there. Maybe more than half!”

           “Well, I’m afraid we’ll have to give the festival a miss,” said Rhona. “We’re going to be too busy for the next few weeks.”

           “Yeah,” said Calburn sadly. “Khan’s Kurgan is a bit of a distance from the Ironstone Mine.”

           “We weren’t originally planning to go, but I suppose we’ll need to meet up with some others after this,” said the tribesman, gesturing towards the livestock pen. “Who knows, maybe we’ll see you there after all.”

           By the time the iron ox got moving again in the morning, a couple of hours after first light, the tribesfolk had long since broken camp and headed out into the grasslands, leaving no sign of their presence but a few circles of ash and a dispersing cloud of dust.

           “So that was Horse Rock,” said Calburn, settling back into his seat as Longstride’s footsteps began to echo back along the train.

           “Yes, quite the metropolis,” said Rhona, taking her book from her satchel again. “Next stop, hopefully, Ironstone Mine.”

           The carriages gradually emptied out as the train rattled onwards, shedding passengers at each brief stop until finally Calburn and Rhona were the only ones left. Close to sunset, another dust cloud rose into the sky up ahead, this one far too high to simply be stirred up by the hooves of livestock. Rhona put her book away and, keeping her glasses in place with one hand, leant out of the window for a better look. The iron ox was moving fast without the extra weight of so many passengers, and the dust cloud swiftly moved closer. Soon they could make out the distant clanking of metal and grating of stone above the thud of the construct’s feet.

           At long last, just as the sun touched the horizon, the train came to a standstill at the edge of what was almost a small town at the foot of a towering headframe.

           “I wonder how far down it goes?” wondered Rhona as they both gazed up at the huge pulley-wheels, the metal spokes reflecting red in the sunset.

           “I suppose we’ll find out,” said Calburn. “So what now? Do we just hang around here, or… Oh, hello.”

           A middle-aged woman with broad shoulders, dark olive skin and short sandy-brown hair hurried across the platform towards them.

           “You the wizards?” she asked, tucking a pair of heavy work gloves into her belt.

           “That we are,” said Calburn, shaking her hand. “Calburn Sayer.”

           “The Constructist, yeah? Then you’d be the healer?”

           “With a capital H,” said Rhona, also shaking the offered hand after a moment’s hesitation. “Rhona. Rhona Carnwennan.”

           “Marissa Kedran, mine overseer. We don’t get many Stormhaveners out here,” she said, stepping down off the platform and waving for them to follow her. “Not like there aren’t wizards nearer by than half the continent away – but everyone says if you want the best mage-work done, you have to write to the Stormhaven College.” She paused, and added, “’Course, they don’t always say it happily, but they do say it. You two’ll have a lot of work to get through, because the mine’ll be running at way less than full capacity until you’re done.” She opened a door stencilled with the word ‘OFFICE’ and waved them both inside, where she sat down at a cluttered desk. “First – Healer.”

           “Rhona.”

           “Whatever. I’m told you’re good with lungs.” Kedran propped her elbows on the desk and steepled her fingers. “Dust lung. A lot of the miners suffer from it. You need to fix the ones who have it, as far as you can, and stop the ones who don’t from getting it. That’s what you’re here for.”

           “Understood,” said Rhona.

           Kedran nodded and turned to Calburn. “And you. Pit ponies.”

           Calburn leant in slightly. “Pit ponies?”

           “That’s what I said.”

           “But – d’you – d’you not have pit ponies?”

           Kedran glanced at Rhona and very, very slightly raised her eyebrows. Rhona gave the tiniest shrug in response. “Yes, we have pit ponies,” said Kedran, in the tone one might use to explain a difficult concept to a small child. “We also have a culture of horse-loving warriors for landlords, and they aren’t terribly pleased that we have pit ponies.” She pointed out of the window, across the rails and out over the grassland, to an encampment of around twenty sizeable tents. “That band has been hanging around for a couple of months now. One of their kids comes over every few days to keep an eye on us. Politics being what they are…” She held both hands out in a helpless shrug.

           “Oh, right. Gotcha.” Calburn cracked his knuckles. “You want me to whip up some diggers as well, or just cart-haulers?”

           Kedran glanced up at the ceiling, working her jaw from side to side. “Replacing the pit ponies has priority,” she said, “but once that’s done, sure, I wouldn’t say no to some diggers.”

           “You want ’em built or grown?” asked Calburn.

           “Grown,” said Kedran with a firm nod. “Less weight for the hoists.”

           “Good, that works.”

           “Right,” said Rhona, placing her hands on her hips. “I’ll need a surgery. He’ll need a workshop. And then… I think we can get started.”

~~~

One of the things I enjoy writing about this setting is that it isn’t just a straightforward Mediaeval-type fantasy; they’ve actually got something of an industrial revolution going on. It just so happens to be an industrial revolution based on magic rather than steam, and so things aren’t developing along quite the same routes that they did in our world.

Portals are the fastest method of long-distance transport, but they’re expensive, aren’t always reliable, and can’t stay open for longer than more than a few carts’ worth of goods at a time, so people have still been investing in less... space-bending infrastructure as well. Although I’ll admit that the iron ox’s heat sink was just so I could keep a little of the classic steam train aesthetic.

[darkspellmaster]

Two Voltron Trailers thoughts

So for the official trailer:

We start off with a ship coming at a larger space station like ship, let’s just call this the Deep Space 9 space station since I don’t know exactly what it is.

It’s clear that the focus is on the ship coming in and coming to the ship. Could this very well be the ship that is bringing Prince Lotor to meet with Haggar? I’m pretty sure that’s what’s going on here since this trailer is clearly about him and all aspects seem to indicate some sort of connection to the Prince. So keeping this in mind. Let’s talk about two things here.

Firstly we see that the ship is smaller, a nonmilitary vessel. This very well could be connected to the second trailer where we see the two Galra commanders, one which is Throk (thank you @aquaburst07 for the reminder) and the other whom we don’t have a name for. (I’m going to hazard a guess and say Commander Holtis who was in charge of the outer planets defense) watching Lotor in an arena. This could very well be after those events and the duo have dragged (persuaded) Lotor to come with them back to the ship and see Haggar. I get the feeling that if she did hail him he ignored that and she had to send others to find him and get him to agree to come back.

Secondly, let’s talk about the size of this ship. While previously we’ve seen the space fortresses that Zarkon has mobilized, this is almost a cross between a station, white base from Gundam, and the Macross. 

A large city like structure that seems to be a hub for a lot of activity. This brings me back to a theory I’ve had for a while, that the Galra don’t have a home planet base, but like the Quarians from the Mass Effect franchise, they’re mobile in nature and willing to invade to find a place to live.

Which brings us to scene two, the discovery of Haggar watching over Zarkon.

This is a rather powerful scene. Haggar is set distantly for a reason, clearly she’s trying to decide how to approach Zarkon. She knows he must rest, but it also seems like she’s waiting for Lotor to come and join her there. Normally in a sequence like this the child, in this case Lotor, is sent to see their dead, or injured, parent alone and the nurse or aid, or in this case vizer of sorts, waits off to the side to give them some privacy. I have a feeling that that is what we’re seeing here. Haggar is waiting on Lotor to come and see Zarkon and say his thoughts or prayers or whatever that Galra will do.

This is probably going to be a moment where Lotor makes a pledge to take on the role as ruler, although he will probably still come in conflict with Haggar over things. This is probably going to be an emotional scene, though we have no way of knowing for sure as of yet.

Following this we have a bunch of jet fighters getting ready for a flight in the hanger area.

We see that the red lights light up as they are switched on, so there’s going to be a war going on very soon. Someone is sending in the troops, that much is clear.

So next we have a city. The architecture reminds me of a Middle Eastern, or South American village or smaller city from the desert area. There’s also roman architecture there as well, which is interesting since there’s a gate way (portcullis?) that’s leading to a walkway sort of like how they had it in Rome during the “great age.

We see a man on a roof dealing with some pots (the way they’re lined up remind me of a Zelda reference), and people walking a main road. There looks to be some larger buildings in the distance. The homes look to be a of rock nature, and there’s sand there on the ground (or at least something similar in nature).  We see a large shadow come looming over darkening the clearly bright day and the man has a look of shock and surprise on his face as he turns to look up at whatever it is that is flying overhead. My guess, one of the Galra fleets larger ships.

We also get the first words of Lotor, “My father built our empire on the back of (something, screaming gets in the way so I can't tell what he's saying there) our (his) enemies (?)”

We then get a shot of the fighter ships shooting and attacking civilians on the ground.

Take a note of the ship off to the right of the picture, that ship design will be important later because similar ships show up in a later scene that has me worried that since Zarkon lost control the Galra haven’t been so noble in their actions. Or that’s the rebellion attacking the allies of the Galra and not caring who they hit.

People are running away, there’s a woman with a baby on the right, a guy to the front of the screen. I’m not sure what the large silver things are, since they seem a bit blurred to me, but they possibly could be launch areas? Or defense stations –actually I think they are defense turrets since it looks like there’s someone on top shooting back.

The shot that follows is a cut from the ground being hit to an explosion and the city being blown up.

This is the same city that we see the man on the roof from, so we can hazard a guess that this is from the same episode. So the Galra, or someone, is blowing up this city. Possibly to get Voltron’s attention. Possibly to root out a rebellion.

Next shot is interesting because we see a ship going through a worm hole and it’s not the Castle.

What does this mean? Well there’s been a lot of speculation about the type of person Lotor is and I’ve been saying I think he’s going to be more science base then magic base like his father was. In this case this could confirm that the Weblum Galra that we saw was indeed Lotor and that he did take the scaultrite for use of creating a way to do a wormhole. The fact that it’s just this ship that goes through, also pretty much confirms that he’s doing it for his own uses rather than the Galra as a whole, which does show that he doesn’t view the whole of the Galra with the same respect that his father did.

This very well could mean that he doesn’t fully embrace that side of himself and that he’s willing to embrace part of his other side the Altean, something that his counterpart didn’t seem to want to do, and his Japanese counterpart, Sincline, didn’t known about and it drove him mad. This would be a very different take on Lotor if he’s not so unwilling to use that Altean side of himself for his own goals.

So the ship flys through the wormhole and ends up at the end in a battle area.

We see a gray moon sized planet in the distance as well as larger ships that are firing off at something. So clearly the Galra are trying to attack some planet. We can see that this ship has arrived and is heading towards the battle. It’s interesting to note that unlike Zarkon, if this is Lotor’s ship, then he’s willing to head out to fight earlier then his father and want to be involved. Making me think we’re going to see a sort of Char Aznable like character where there’s good in him but also he’s very much for his own cause and if that means killing and destroying things to get to his end goal, well then so be it. He also says during this moment, “The Universe can no longer doubt our strength.” Next shot is a bunch of purple ships, more than likely Galra, flying away from a location.

 The weird thing about the shot is that the ground area reminds me very much of the shot from the ground with the teaser trailer had where the five lions fly past some mountains. This was later the location of the Olkarion, however this might not be the same planet. It’s hard to tell as we could be looking from a view port window as the ship goes up.

There’s one thing to note here, there’s no shooting so the Galra here are not fighting with others. So when these ships were made there wasn’t a war going on, or at least there wasn’t a fight going on at this moment in time. This also seems to allude to the fact that he’s not going to go out of his way to war with others as a later line shows this.

Next shot we see a new sort of ship flying over two horned aliens (one green male, single horn, and one duel horned pink female), who are standing with each other as this giant ship flies over head. The female is hiding behind the male looking over his shoulder at the ships as they fly over, and there are strange glowing lights, could be connected to the quintessence of the planet.

What’s interesting is that the two scenes are of the same ships. The first one is of them leaving a location, the second is of them flying over another area. These ships are far bigger than the smaller fortresses we’ve seen in the main story.

Again they very much remind me of the large world ships that the Quarians live in in mass effect. 

As the fortresses 

reminded me of the fortresses used in Escaflowne, 

these seem to be settlement ships as they are large, move slower, and are probably of limited fighting capabilities. The fact that they are so big makes me again think the population of the Galra home world had to leave the planet and was forced to see the world die. We know that the Weblum was found in the ruins of a planet that was unnaturally destroyed, and that the galra was there as they knew that would be where the Weblum was to be found. What’s interesting is that Hunk noted that the area was supposed to be in one piece and that it wasn’t, Keith then noted the fact that it seemed to have died unnaturally.

Could what we be seeing in these shots is the Galra having to evacuate their home? And then of them trying to find a new one?

During the next scene we hear this line from Lotor, “Each ally gained only makes us stronger.”

We see a number of Galra stand, three in the front stand out.

The first one has a red armor piece on his fore and upper arm and only on the right side of the body. The one next to him reminds me very much of Commander Mogor who helped out Lotor, and the one before him reminds me of Cossack, Mogor’s replacement.

I think at the very least we’re seeing a new type of officer with the red armed one. Also the shot is them standing up and saluting someone. My guess either Thork or Lotor. One or the other is making a rousing speech to get them on his side. Honestly I think this is where Lotor’s speech we’re hearing is coming from and we’re seeing the end reaction to it. There’s probably a “Join me” line in there at the end because this doesn’t sound like a complete speech.

Then following this shot we have the Voltron crew looking like they’re preparing to deal with trouble.

This shot I think is rather important. It frames things in a unique way, and possibly subtle look at some conflict to come up in the series, maybe?

So to break down this frame let’s start with what we see point blank. Keith is standing clearly center front where Shiro normally is meaning that he’s starting to embrace his role as leader. Then we have Pidge to his left, who is almost standing next to him, and slightly behind her is Hunk who is right behind her. Across we have Lance who is on his own, and behind him and Keith, framed, is Allura and Coran. Allura is before Coran, and Coran is in the back of them all.

Breaking the shot down even more it’s clear that they want your eyes to wander around the page from Keith’s side to Lance’s and then back to Allura. Leaving Lance on his own could mean a number of things. It could mean that it’s a visual cue that he’s feeling left out of the group and has embraced things having Keith be the leader. It should be noted that He and Keith are almost equal in where they’re standing. Meaning that while they may not be seeing eye to eye on things, they’re probably on the same wave length about whose the real enemy here.

Also important is how Pidge and Hunk are both set up. Pidge is nearly side by side with Keith which could indicate that he’s putting more responsibility in her and her role in the team. He’s also trusting her more as his left hand man, so to speak, in this case. Hunk is right behind her, showing that he’s got her back and that of Keith’s in this case.

Then you have Allura and Coran in the back, both are standing in a refined way, Allura in the front standing like a lady of the court would with Coran seemingly having hands on hips.

Now the interesting thing here also is how they’re dressed, body language and the hands in this case. Lance and Hunk seems to be sharing a curious but not trusting look as they stare at something. Lance’s hands are less clenched meaning he’s open to what they’re seeing, but that he doesn’t trust or believe everything that is being fed to him, which is good since Lance is far more trusting then Keith is. Hunk at the same time has learned from his time with the mermaids and is clearly not willing to buy in to things at sight. In this case he looks more like he’s questioning what he’s seeing and hearing.

Pidge and Keith on the other hand are not quiet opposite each other but they convey different emotions here. Pidge looks curious, almost sad. She’s the most relaxed at this point and seems less worried then the others are. It’s like she’s trying to figure out what she should believe in this case, or is curious about this. This makes me wonder if she knows the person that they’re looking at, maybe this could be a rebel who knows where Matt is? Or it is Matt? Conversely we have Keith who is clearly not buying any of this at all, he looks very untrusting and suspect of the person that they are with and seems to be giving them side eyes. His fists are also clenched, meaning that he’s being resolute and firm about something. The fact that his thumbs aren’t tucked in means that he’s not ready for a fight but he’s not going to back down either.

Allura and Coran are showing different meanings as well. Hands folded in the front as she’s doing means that she’s trying to show respect and confidence, but really at the moment she’s feeling very vulnerable and worried. Her face, though blurred, shows something of confusion or worry as well. Coran, I can’t see his face, but it looks like his hands are behind his back and that normally means confidence and that he’s being serious. He’s trying to show an air of intimidation, or protection over the Princess and the others there.

It’s also important to note that they’re in their normal attire. This means that this is not a mission situation, but rather someone has invited them some place as this isn’t the ship, and they left their suits behind. So this is someone they’re trying to show trust in, thus the whole letting their guard down in this case, but being on edge here. Again, I’m going to guess the Rebels or some similar group.

Lotor states over this and several other scenes, “All those who (something) appear (?) choose (?) to stand against us...Will be crushed.”

Following the shot of the Voltron crew we have a ship that looks like a gun that fires out a laser blast.

We haven’t seen this before. Most of the ships that engage in battle are the smaller ones or the Robeasts, so this is new and rather frightening that the Galra are now firing lasers. To make matters worse, it looks like the next shot shows them blowing up a bunch of civilian ships.

So remember that ship from earlier I mentioned when the smaller fighters were firing on the ground? 

Yeah I think that the ships that were taking off from there were attacked and what we see in this moment is what happened to them as they were trying to flee the planet. The fact that this shot with the “Will be crushed” line tells me at the very least that Lotor isn’t playing around and that he intends to destroy anyone that gets in his way, or at least that’s what he wants the Galra to think so he can control them. What that means for the character as a whole I’m not sure.

However this very dark shot is then followed by an even darker image. We see Voltron knelling down on rocks looking defeated.

I think this might be a volcano, maybe Keith’s lion will get some much needed boost ala Pidge, Lance and Hunk last season. Not sure what’s going on, but clearly there is going to be a hard fight for the group.

As for the speech, this I think is making things clear at least in regard to how Lotor WANTS to be seen by his men. He starts off noting the accomplishments of his father, whom is well loved among the general population as shown with the various officers in the army, although the Commanders have other thoughts, this speech though isn’t for them. As you see in that one shot there is no Commanders or Generals there, only officers.

The reason he starts off this way is to call to mind who he is related to. He notes “His Father” meaning he wants that connection in the minds of the officers. He goes on to list that his father built the Galra Empire on the backs of his (or our) enemies. If it’s his, then he’s trying to invoke the accomplishments that his father achieved against those that he warred with and that he built the empire on those that fell before him. If it’s our, then he’s indicating that the Galra empire has been built with the help of the people and that they have pushed down those that would oppose them to build a great empire (very much like the Roman empire in a lot of ways).

He then goes on to say that the universe can no longer doubt how strong they are. Meaning that at some point in time the Galra came off as a weaker group and that others didn’t believe that they could achieve what they had done. This indicates that he wants them to feel pride in what they have accomplished and that others now can’t reject them and that they are the ones in power. The other cities and planets will have to know their power and strength. Again very much like a roman Emperor here.  Note too he says Universe, meaning that it’s not just one solar system, it’s the whole of the universe, and even places they have yet to go to.

Then Lotor goes on to say that each ally that they gain makes them stronger. Again this seems to very much mimic some of what the Romans did during the time that they were the Holy Roman Empire. Lotor is telling us that each time they gain someone to their side it only makes them more powerful, stronger, and more capable of achieving what they need to achieve. He’s trying to show that there is strength in numbers and that the Galra should not reject or ignore those that are allied with them, rather embrace them and move forward using their abilities. (This has me thinking that the Pollux plot will either be in this season or the next since the notion of the Galra having allies means that he’s going to go for diplomacy which could help them out in showing that the Galra are more benevolent at points.)

Then he goes on to say that those that oppose them will be crushed. This is key here. I think again they’re trying to invoke a lot of Rome into the Galra with how they operate, and in this case Lotor is trying to get his men to not only feel that they have achieved something, that they’re strong and powerful, that others are willing to stand by them, but that if those who come after them try and defeat them, they will crush them.

Note though, crush doesn’t mean destroy. Crush means to violently control or subdue something. Break the will and they will follow you then. You don’t need to eradicate them. Destroy means to wipe them out completely, and I think this shows something about Lotor. He doesn’t want to destroy others, he wants to control them. So we’re not going to get a killer Lotor in this case, we’re going to get one that uses a lot of unconventional ways of dealing with issues.

What we can tell from the speech is that clearly Lotor wants to be seen as a powerful person and one that his troops can rally around and he can hold the empire together, and it looks like his men buy this. On the other hand we can tell from his choice of words that he’s not like Zarkon. Zarkon was serious, relying a lot on Haggar and was very contemplative about his actions. He wouldn’t engage with Voltron directly, rather he would let other things go after them. Lotor seems to be more proactive on this front.

However where they differ is that Zarkon, while he wanted Voltron, he had no intention of keeping the Paladins alive. This is where I think the difference will come into play. Lotor wants to control over possessing. He probably knows that the lions have picked their Paladins and will want to get the users under his control. It’s also clear that he’s not against making allies, which means that he’s probably going to be more diplomatic and making concessions, unlike his father who seemed to just invade and take over. This I think will make things harder for the Rebels as well as allow others to come join the Galra for not only protection, but to get some political power as well as land and colonization.

Then you have the April fools trailer, which has some key notes as well.

It starts off with the fighting arena. This I think is the same place that Shiro went to.

Note the four claw finger rocks that seem to form the barrier for the fight. We see two mini people in the area and it’s clear that one has been bested. People are cheering, so this is a normal fight night.

We then cut to Throk and another commander. They are watching the fight and the larger of the two says, “Who’s this little fella.” Meaning that he doesn’t recognize the Prince that’s in the ring.

This one is leaning back meaning he’s less impressed and that he’s relaxed, not as interested in what he’s seeing. Throk though is leaning forward, clearly interested in what is about to be revealed and wants to know what’s going on. By the way his eyes go wide then narrow as he speaks meaning he’s curious but also a bit annoyed by the fact that this smaller person won.

Throk says to his fellow commander, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.”

This indicates that Throk frequents this arena, and that this is the first time that he’s seeing the Prince there. This could also mean that Lotor hasn’t come here often or at all and that he’s testing something out in a place of battle. What that could mean, who knows. New skill or a new item that gives him an advantage in a fight. Maybe a teleporting device based on teladove tech?

Next shot is of Lotor and we see him standing there in his armor.

This is interesting as it’s very similar to the Weblum Galra, but there’s some slight diffrences. Either because this was newly animated for this piece, or a different animator group (B group) did this shot for them. In any case what’s important is that the color’s match, as does the neck ring around the collar. What’s odd is that he doesn’t have on the shoulder pads, but does have on a waist cape. So we do still have some of that “I’m hot and I know it and I want to look fine,” aspect of Lotor still in there.

We see that the waist cape has the blue markings, much like the Galra from before, and now the arms are covered at the top, meaning that he changed his outfit some but is retaining that custom look that he has. His sword is also unique. It is similar to the sword that Lotor used in DoU, but has pink on the hilt showing the same glow as Allura (hints of them being related?) and on the top as well. This energy at least tells me that he can use some form of magic, after all why have it at all if he couldn’t?

Then comes the zoom in and the hair reveal.

And we at once see he has Altean ears, meaning we can at least confirm that he’s half Altean. We also get a sense of scale on him as well, and I think possibly his fighting theme. Also that hair looks great.

Since we don’t get his face, well we do get the front of the armor and that’s where things get weird.

While the neck marking is the same as the weblum with the orange V shape, the chest marking is different. 

This is either because it’s a different set of armor, as @aquaburst07 mentioned to me, which is the most likely, or the Weblum Galra and Lotor are two different people and they work for him. Either way we can at the very least say that the armor is similar.

Outside of that, it’s a animation error and will be fixed later. 

Not much to add on this speculation at this point. Other then I think he’s gonna look great and then Throk is going to recognize him and be like “Prince Lotor!” as if shocked to see him there. Question now is, what has the Prince been doing all this time?

[mcvfd]

S05E02: Don’t Drink the Water in Baldur’s Gate

Nissa gets drunk. Carlos drinks his own pee. Kanye sees a puppy. Um wonders if asking the gang for help was a mistake.

TL;DR: The gang’s first assignment is to investigate a disease outbreak that the Queen thinks is caused by a deliberate contamination. Um, having already investigated this, quickly helps the gang find evidence that the outbreak is being caused by Taldic Lowery of Fresenius Restoration, who has been stockpiling medicine to cure the disease.

Background:

Long story short, we're no longer wanted criminals! We got pardoned, had a party in the castle, Queen flirted with half of everyone and invites everyone to her room at night

Okay Queen isn't actually flirting with us, she's actually a dragon and has had her eye on us since Master P, had very mom things to say.

She's secretly running things as an effectively immortal being, "steering the ship" for humanity's own good. We've now joined a secret group of problem solvers, not quite special ops. It comes with perks!

We haven't been told who the baddies are exactly - there's an implication that there are other immortal beings who don't like order as much - but the queen's plans are so long term they won't have any impact on our lives anyways

We have some special equipment and a job ready for this session

Bracers/magical items:

Nissa got a sweet ass belt buckle in the shape of a dragon

Carlos got a lighter on a Beastie Boys style chain

Um got a ring

Averlyth got a dangling ear cuff

Kanye got horn-rimmed unassuming hipster eyeglasses

Our first assignment:

The dragon queen suspects that the recent outbreak of eyerot along the Crimmor river is caused by deliberate contamination. Your assignment is to investigate the epidemic, resolve as per code of ethics.

Um remembers relevant info from when he had gone home for therapy after we brutally murdered Burnie Cinders:

Um had discovered there were lots of blind people around, infected by this disease caused eyerot

He had discovered a company, Fresenius Restoration, had started up pop up clinics that only had cures that worked for a couple days

And then later he found the owner - Taldic Lawrey, broke into his house, found records of various properties they owned (including a house not in a major city)

And then he went there and found a bunch of eyebright - either a plant or the name of the potion you make from the plant - and essentially this company is hoarding it

So Um went back with some and distributed it to Baldur's Gate and then got frustrated and then teleported into the future

Jarrod: "I'd like to make a suit of armor that looks like a suit and tie

Scott: "There it is. Good to have you back, Jarrod"

We can use our teleporters to fast-travel to the Baldur's Gate field office whenever we'd like (DM’s note: This is not accurate. You can teleport once to get to your assignment, and once more to get back home when it’s over)

They have resources available for us, e.g. they can figure out a distribution method for the cure, they can hire lawyers

[The group is informed that the intent of the magical item is fast travel and not to game with the possibilities of teleportation]

Jarrod: You know, we could just sell the real cure

Scott: That's right, we think Fresenius is on the right track

Mart: This is what happens when a character misses out on the entire morality arc

Brainstorming

We could profit from selling the real cure

We could take over a pop up clinic and sell the real cure

We still don't know where eyerot is actually coming

The group fast travels first, works with the field office

Nissa asks for records of the infection

They don't have computers but they can send magic crows and gather the info in a few hour

Carlos proposes having Averlyth check out the water until the water isn't that fucked up

Averlyth proposes infiltrating the pop up clinics and replacing the temporary cures with the permanent one

Um regretfully informs Averlyth that the temporary cure is actually just healing from clerics, not a medicine

Carlos proposes having a concert to dose everyone with the permanent cure, with the Cure playing

Kanye immediately proposes breaking the game mechanic of teleportation to have Averlyth doing both healing and the searching

The group decides to head down to the river.

Averlyth uses some kind of detect magic to look at the contamination - there's all sorts of gross things in there, but there's something that's definitely poison, although very faint

We wander up river for a couple of hours, leaving the bounds of the city hiking through the field. The traces of contamination don't seem to be changing in intensity, pointing to a possible source much further up river. Seems to confirm that it's not natural.

A magical raven shows up that can talk, but chooses not to (Kanye: The raven peers at you in disdain). Nissa takes the scroll and thanks the bird, he sorta rolls his eye and leaves

The scroll tells us that the initial research is that the outbreak has been happening up and down the river and that the outbreak was stronger but less numerous upstream.

They were able to discover there were no outbreaks above the city of Elturel.

Nissa verifies with the DM that we can't just teleport to any field office that we want to

Kanye verifies with the DM that we didn't all just get free far-speech from the magical bracer

DM: I'm going to write a book called don't play D&D with engineers

Carlos verifies with the DM that a permanent cure does not make you immune to further infections

DM: I mean, if you get penicillin after the clap, you can still get the clap, right?

Steve: ....why are you asking me?

Um reads off a possibly stolen scroll, reciting the background of eyerot and eyebright for the group in a dry doctor's voice

Averlyth: So from now on, for the couple days trip, no one drink anything until I purify it

Nissa: What if we bring a keg?

Averlyth: I'm just offering my purification services, you don't have to take them

Carlos: Got it, I'll just drink my own pee

The group has learned that Kanye might have PTSD from Gorevan reanimating fish on the boat during the original trip away from Mulmaster

Nissa questions how the group is supposed to expense the wagon

Kanye questions the per diem

DM clarifies there is no per diem or reimbursement, we're paid via access to stuff and loot

Averlyth: Do they have a limo-sized wagon?

DM: They do now. There's a dude out back frantically nailing together three wagons

Um: And three horses

The group acquires a stretched horse cart and several kegs of the finest quality ale and no fish

The group decides to stop by the warehouse, Fort Morninglord, (couple days trip) before heading up river to the city that may be the source of the poison. The plan is for Um to steal some of the cure (again) overnight before we make our way up towards dangerous waters.

Nothing has changed since Um's last visit. He waits until there's a gap in the patrol, then makes his way in. He sees a large stockpile of what must be thousands of doses of cure, a whole assembly line for making potions and drying racks of the herb.

He loads up his bag of 30 doses (10 full cures) and gets out without being noticed in like 15 minutes, group has barely sat down.

The group continues to the village of Elturel. There's couple of taverns, some inns, a church - it's more like a stop on the road rather than a trading hub.

Averlyth goes to the river bank to detect the magic again - the poison is diluted still, but definitely stronger here. It stops just up river of the village.

Kanye: All right! Let's kill the mayor

Kanye thinks he's drunk holy water and there's a very strong placebo effect

Nissa pores over the research, noting that there was a spike in the infections every few days for a couple of months now, and the last one was under a week ago

It doesn't seem like there are any obvious tracks around the river

The group splits up in the village!

Carlos goes to the LO-LYF Pub

Carlos pretends to represent a chemical company trying to figure out how to dump shit

Everyone knows he's bullshitting, but it's just how these people talk, they get how it works. Doug the Thug (tattooed on his knuckles) with a weird ear and a scar over his eye talks to Carlos. Doug P Thug. Douglas Penelope Thug. Of the New Hampshire thugs.

Carlos is able to find out that a bunch of local guys have been taking work at a dilapidated fort a couple days down the road, mostly ferrying chemical and drugs of some sort (no body really knows what) to and from various cities

Carlos questions how the jobs are happening, Doug says it's mostly a word of mouth kind of thing. One of the guys was working for a buddy of his, just keeps going on and on.

Carlos offers a pomegranate pipe for more info on how to get this job

Doug reveals there's a crew of guys heading out in the morning for the fort, and that if you meet them on the road at sun-up, you could probably just tag along with them.

Carlos pays the dude's tab.

Doug: "Take her sleazy"

Nissa goes to the High-life wine & dispensary (across the street)

The people have no idea what's going on

The weed is very good

Nissa gets extra weed for Carlos

Averlyth goes to the church (not a church of Bane) and unceremoniously performs some blood sacrifice and possibly graffiti

Averlyth gets kicked out, but she didn't try to talk to anyone anyways so whatever

Averlyth looks around for a pop-up clinic to see if she can help and possibly get info

There are no pop-up clinics in town since it's too small, but the doctor lets her know that he's been referring people to the next town over

Um lurks quietly at the Lo-Lyf

Saw Carlos working the room

Continues lurking and listening

Kanye is posted at the river

Kanye keeps a very active eye on people coming and going

Kanye doesn't seem any nefarious types carrying a biohazard oil can or any trench coats (although it is 2 in the afternoon)

Kanye: Maybe they're just trying to figure out the permanent cure and they need help, they've been using the warehouse to try and figure it out

Averlyth: They're also just poisoning people

Kanye: You're right we should just kill them all

Carlos and Kanye decide to go for the job

the others will go on the party wagon and try to stealthily trail behind them by half a day or so

We may not actually be that stealthy, there's sorta glass rolling around on the floors and things

Carlos spots the guy nominally in charge of these dudes, there's like 4 or 5 of them. He gives them a super complicated handshake. Guy goes "who's your friend?"

Kanye keeps trying to raise his shield of pedigree and Carlos keeps pushing it back down

Carlos's rental horse is Hyundae Alantra

Kanye has a rental miniature giant horse (it's just a pony but it's fucking ripped)

We're not sure if there's a real horse or if it's just a cardboard box cutout of a horse

Woodhouse is making clopping noises with coconuts

Carlos and Kanye ride up to the front gate of the fort in the morning. They're welcomed in, recognized as friends of Doug the Thug.

Nissa, Averlyth and Um are aways down the road. Um knows of a clearing up on a bluff with a view down on the fort, so we park the wagon and sober up.

"Professor" Proctor comes out of the fort. There's a squad of maybe 12 guys (the group that came in is like 5 or 6 dudes, plus some dudes that were already in the fort or came up this morning). It becomes clear that they have these freelance jobs on a regular basis - some of these guys look like they've been here bunch of times.

Proctor rattles off some instructions, for shipments, notes that there's a secret mission. Carlos volunteers for it, Doug the Thug says Carlos is a cool dude, Proctor says both Carlos and Kanye go with him, everyone else goes out and makes their delivers to Fresnius.

Not Fresno, a neighborhood in Neverwinter

Nissa has sobered up and was watching the guard rotation and stuff; she's guessing there's maybe about 15 guards in the place, not counting the thugs that just rolled in for assignments. A guard in the tower, guards patrolling the perimeter, etc, guards likely sleeping in the barracks.

Carlos and Kanye are led into Warehouse #1 - on one side of the warehouse is an enormous stack of padded crates containing cures (some of the guys are taking them and loading them onto horse carts). Near the middle of the warehouse there's sort of an assembly line production going on where dudes who are obviously junior alchemists are processing the herb and bottling it up, etc. There are drying racks, etc. Everything Um told us already

The alchemist takes the two of them to the far side where there is a smaller lab, which seems to contain about a gallon of a sickly green fluid in a receptacle hooked up to an apparatus. He takes it off, stoppers it and hands the two of them a letter and the gallon of sickly green fluid. The letter has a set of instructions telling them to bring the gallon all the way back to Elturel and depositing it at a very specific time for maximum potency.

On the way out of the fort, Carlos is looking around for any opportunities to place traps or leave backdoors open. Before he knows what's going on, Kanye has shoved the jug of poison into Carlos's arms and made a running start for Warehouse #2.

He makes it to the doors and slams straight into the sliding barn doors

The three start heading down the hill as soon as they see a large figure barreling towards the warehouse

Carlos pretends he doesn't know him and keeps walking

Kanye doesn't knock himself out but he is knocked flat on his ass for a second

Carlos (yelling to the closest guard): "It's okay, he thought he saw a puppy"

The guards don't know what to make of it because 1) It doesn't look like an attack, and 2) He hurt himself in the process

Kanye starts yelling about puppies

Carlos asks if there are puppies in the warehouses

The guard says he should leave

Carlos and Kanye communicate through fartie talkies that they're okay - Averlyth, Nissa and Um head back up to the wagon, and then the group reconvenes.

Averlyth is able to confirm that the poison is the concentrated shit that was seen in the river.

Significant group brainstorming

Plans to contact the authorities to arrest Taldic Lawrey

Carlos and Kanye will go confront TL

Nissa, Averlyth and Um will stand by at the fort

If he confesses to the poisoning plan, let the drake guard take it from there. Then, Nissa, Averlyth and Um can attack the fort, going for the cures and the alchemists at the same time (no chance for them to escape)

If he doesn't confess, then follow him to the house

If it turns out he's not the big bad........... will figure out then

Carlos: Yeah, and then we'll just call off the sting by farting into the fartie talkies

Averlyth: You realize that the fartie talkie does the farting, not us?

Carlos: Ohhhh I've been using it wrong this whole time