Arcanemigration ch4 Room to grow
As I sit at the edge of a stream near the entrance of my cave i Cast my gaze upon the tranquil scenery, I realize that it holds a newfound significance for me. It has provided me with sustenance, a source of water, and now a temporary respite from the stress of constant work. The fish continue their rhythmic dance in the water.
I reach for my fishing spear, determined to catch a meal to replenish my strength. As I prepare to strike, I hear a faint rustling from the nearby bushes. Instinctively, I grip the spear tighter and scan the surroundings. The eyes of the goblins still haunt my thoughts, reminding me that danger lurks even in the most peaceful moments.
Instead of a goblin that emerges from the brush. It is a creature unlike any I have encountered before—a majestic white pearlescent stag with antlers that seem to reach towards the heavens. Its eyes are filled swirling waves of a blue wisdom and a green of serenity that I have rarely witnessed.
The stag approaches the stream, its graceful movements leaving me in awe. It drinks from the water with a glowing reflection shimmering in the gentle ripples. I watch in silence, a mix of reverence and curiosity stirring within me. Could this be a sign? A guiding presence in this harsh world?
The stag lifts its head, its gaze meeting mine. For a brief moment, time stands still. And then, as if acknowledging my presence, it takes a step closer, its hooves barely making a sound on the soft earth.
In that moment, a realization dawns upon me. The goblins, the battles, the struggle to survive—they are but a small part of a much greater tapestry of the journey to come. There are forces at play beyond my comprehension, and while they may not have taken notice of my deeds, they have sent me a message through this ethereal encounter.
I lower my spear, a newfound sense of purpose coursing through my veins. I will not only defend this sanctuary against the goblin hordes but also strive to understand the mysteries that surround me. I will seek knowledge, forge alliances, and uncover the truths that lie hidden within this world.
With renewed determination, I set my sights on fortifying the cave, transforming it into a stronghold that not only protects me but also serves as a beacon of resilience and defiance. The goblins may still pose a threat, but I am no longer just a survivor—I am a warrior with a purpose.
The stag watches me closely and thoughtfully As I prepare to embark on this new chapter, I offer my silent gratitude to the creature before it gracefully disappears into the depths of the forest.
The journey ahead will be arduous, and the trials I face will test my strength, both physical and spiritual. I may be alone but With the spirit of the stag guiding me, and the scars of my past battles etched into my flesh, I step forward, ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead.
I am the defender of this sanctuary, the seeker of truths, and the embodiment of resilience. And as I move forward, I carry with me the wisdom of the stag and the unwavering determination to protect what is mine.
Inside the cave, I take stock of my resources. Though limited, they are enough to begin the task at hand. And get to work smoothing down the hard stone again until it is the right shape. Then heat up the rock in my fore and then drip cold water along the edge to shatter bits off to make a sharp edge. Then I find the largest bone in the bone pile seemingly a femur and with some work and supplies I bind them together. Lastly I char the bone to seal it.
{Crude woodcutting axe} Wood-damage : +50% Range:3 Bone: +1 durability Char: +1 longevity
Using this makeshift tool, I venture into the surrounding forest, seeking sturdy trees suitable for reinforcement. With each swing of the axe, I feel a sense of empowerment. It is not just the physical act of cutting wood but also the symbol of taking control over my environment. I am no longer at the mercy of nature; I am the one shaping my destiny.
The axe bites into the wood, and with each felled tree, I feel like it's getting easier. Then chopping the tree into logs and branches. I gather logs and branches, forming a stockpile near the cave entrance. I return multiple times, driven by a relentless determination to create a formidable barrier against any future onslaught. I also collect large rocks from the nearby riverbed, utilizing them to strengthen the cave's entrance.
Hours turn into days as I toil, the sweat mingling with the dirt on my brow. With each passing moment, the cave transforms into a sanctuary that reflects my resilience. The once-vulnerable entrance is now fortified with thick logs and sturdy rocks, creating a formidable barrier that would give even the most determined goblin pause.
As I stand back to survey my handiwork, a sense of accomplishment washes over me. The cave, once a mere shelter, has evolved into a stronghold—a testament to my will to survive and protect what is mine. The scars on my body are mirrored in the scars on the land, each a reminder of the battles fought and won.
With the physical defenses in place, I turn my attention to the interior of the cave. I make a simple stone chisel with a replaceable head and useing the same sharp stone, I shape smaller logs into makeshift furniture—a crude bed, a rough-hewn table, and even a shelf to store my meager belongings. I carve niches into the walls to hold torches, their flickering light banishing the shadows that once haunted this place.
As I sit on my newly crafted bed, a flicker of the white stag's presence dances in my mind. I realize that my soul has been blessed with a simple yet useful ability—a keen intuition that guides me in times of danger. It is as if the spirit of the white stag has bestowed upon me a heightened sense of awareness, allowing me to anticipate danger before it strikes.
(Blessing of the stag) Soul trait The user knows when immediate death is near.
With the cave fortified and made livable, I find a moment of respite. I lay on my rough bed, the scars on my body throbbing with both pain and pride. The journey has been grueling, and the battles have taken their toll, but I am ready to face whatever lies ahead. In that moment I notice some notifications I may have ignored or didn't see before.
{Shelter -> Home} Sufficient upgrades have been made do you accept the ownership of this new Home. YES : NO
It doesn't take long but I say yes after I do other pop-ups make themselves know.
HOME This designation partains to places meant for long term living not just survival and can have major improvements and is meant for months to years of living. Many improvements can be made, few expansions can be made tho and only minor differences can be erected. If major improvements are made until there are none left to make and all minor traps are established then it will automatically move into the [BASE] designation. This designation can trigger only minor events.
There now seems to be a few tabs available to me including (defenses),(furniture),(waist room),(pool room),(the pit),(main room)
[You have now made the first step to living in this world and have gained one new skill and 1 level]
Learned skill [ wood working] Rarity: uncommon The user can efficiently cut trees down and work them into anything from small art pieces and furniture to walls and defenses.
And I guess I need to now see what leveling up is like. It can't be that hard I'll also need to go through my windows and learn everything I can about this system.
STATS LV:6 CLASS:NONE NAME: WILLIAM RACE:HUMAN [WHITE] AGE: 23YEARS OLD WEIGHT: 250LB HEALTH :(LV6 * CON14)= 84 ARCANA :(LV6 * INT33) 198 -198=0 PHYSICAL : (LV6 *DEX10)= 60
STRENGTH : 15 DEXTERITY :10 CONSTITUTION :14 INTELLIGENCE :33 WISDOM :27 CHARISMA :-2 LUCK :10
STAT POINTS :5
I close my eyes, allowing the exhaustion to wash over me, knowing that tomorrow will bring new challenges. But with the wisdom of the stag etched into my soul and the strength of my defenses surrounding me, I find solace in the knowledge that I am prepared. And with 5 stat points I should be able to see a difference after using them.
The goblins may regroup and seek revenge, or another threat can raise it's ugly head but they will find a changed man awaiting them—a warrior with a fortified sanctuary, a soul.

Last week my closest friend passed away. She had started training BJJ with me on and off years ago, but right when she started taking it seriously she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. She ended up beating cancer, but the battle took a toll on her and she had lots of follow up issues. Long story short we had a plan for her training this year and I planned to promote her to blue belt after her next surgery when she started training again, unfortunately this did not come to pass.
I was pretty distraught all week and I flew up for her funeral and the thought of promoting her at the funeral didn’t cross my mind until I was on the way there. So I am looking for ideas to do a posthumous promotion for someone after their funeral, which was yesterday. Anyone have any examples of this being done well?

Bills that would have been unthinkable 5 years ago are passing en masse. Conservatives are winning in their boycotts and all we got for trying to boycott Hogwarts Legacy were a 16 year old trans girl getting murdered by two of her fans. Anti-trans protests like the one the Daily Wire did in Nashville get hundreds of thousands of attendees while a pro-Zooey Zephyr protest in Missoula got maybe a hundred people. One's a lot bigger than the other and one of those crowds was a lot more successful at achieving their goals than the other.
I'm going to grad school in the fall and getting a fresh start in my life. I want to be excited about that. But I'm likely the first out trans woman to ever do such a thing. Grad schools and law schools are only for the elite among us so I don't think they'll be happy about "some t-slur" invading their space. I'm fully expecting to be given the Ruby Bridges treatment the moment the semester starts. How many visibly trans people do you see around a college campus sitting in a grad seminar like there's nothing off about it. People like us don't get to dream, because anything less than dying in the gutter is us "erasing" women. Finding a trans woman like me who isn't homeless is like finding a unicorn that speaks Esperanto and shits gold.
And don't even try to compare what we're going through to what gay people went through. When Matthew Shepard was killed, Elton John wrote a song about him and almost no LGB people were killed between then and the Pulse nightclub shooting. When Tyler Clementi and those other gay kids committed suicide, Rise Against wrote a song about them and their deaths were treated with the upmost respect. When Eden Knight was sent back to Saudi Arabia to die, nobody cared. When Brianna Ghey was murdered, she wasn't even given dignity in death and was buried under her dead name while being deadnamed to this day on by TERFs on Twitter.
If this is what winning feels like, then Charlie Sheen was lying out of his ass. We are the most hated people in the world and our murder rate reflects that. Our allies are weak and our enemies are ruthless. Of course, this could just be me struggling with all my newfound emotions after being on HRT for well over a year, something I'm still struggling with, but if anyone can say we're winning in this environment then I have no idea where their point of view is coming from. Winning is LGB people being left alone in 2013, not trans people being hunted in the street like unwanted animals in 2023.

For those of you who don't know, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is an hour-long comedy on Amazon directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino (of Gilmore Girls fame) and featuring an absolute murderer's row of New York comedy and theater legends. It's about Midge Maisel, an Upper East Side Jewish housewife in 1961, who is dumped by her husband and drunkenly does her very first stand-up act in an underground club. She's spotted by Susie Meyerson, a club manager with aspirations to represent talent. Together, the two of them take Midge's career from shitty clubs to the biggest venues in the world. It's very funny, with whip-quick dialogue, heightened characters, and an eye for comedic detail that keeps your eyes glued to the screen. That's if they aren't already glued there by the gorgeous period costumes and set design, plus real NY locations with all modernity gently CGI'd away.
Now, maybe you started this show and thought it was cool, but you didn't love it. Or you loved the first season, but dropped off somewhere along the line because you couldn't stand watching Midge nearly destroy her career at least once per season. That's cool, I get it. There's a lot of TV out there, and it's hard to keep up. That's why I'm taking this opportunity to inform you that this fifth and final season of Maisel is a perfect season of television. I'm talking Buffy Season 2, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 1, Game of Thrones Season 3 perfect: a season that constantly keeps you on your heels, endears you to the characters, and has the sort of you-can't-do-that-on-television moments that leave you boggled and desperate to talk about what you just experienced. The final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a perfect season of television, and I want the world to know.
Each previous season has covered about a year of Midge's life. Since the show was coming to an end, ASP decided that she'd use the last season to tell the story of Midge's whole career through back-and-forth time jumps that show how Midge got everything she ever wanted, and the price she paid for it. Just like the rest of the series, the core dynamic is between Midge and Susie, but this season is pointedly about the moment where their careers stop being an amusing anomaly ("Is she that girl comic with the weird manager?") and start being a threat to the established entertainment machine. So it's thoughtful and provocative and insightful about the paths women take to break into a man's world, while still being cackle-laugh funny and heartbreakingly honest about how long relationships change over time. There are brilliant film-making moments that were clearly influenced by media of the period. There's a sequence with a telephone that is a perfect Nichols & May comedy sketch. There's an episode set around a Friar's Roast that Kurosawa would love. Generally, it seems like the budget for cinematography, costuming, and set dressing were all pushed to the next level for this season. The one notable exception was the old-age makeup, which looked almost vaudevillian...and knowing ASP, I think that might have been a choice.
But what I'm really here to talk about--why I'm compelled to write this screed four days after finishing it and starting the whole show over again--is the magic trick that ASP pulls off with the writing. In this season, she's collapsed enough story ideas to take her through ten more seasons of Maisel, shuffled them up, and dealt them out like a tarot reading of each character's life. She has a sniper's eye for a single line that will turn a laugh to a lump in your throat. And she gives Midge a manifesto for women in comedy that bears all the scarred wisdom of ASP's lifetime in show business and still retains the fire of a creative talent on the verge of explosion. This is next level shit, guys. She's showing us the grit that makes diamonds sparkle. This is the culmination of her long career writing complicated, flawed, hilarious characters who break the rules and live in the wreckage.
So that's it, that's my five-paragraph essay on why you should check out season five of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I'm not really sure about the overlap of Blankies and ASP fans, but you're the only people I know who might be willing to watch nine hours of something because a stranger on the internet told you it's worth checking out. It's impossible for me to say for sure, but I think you could watch this season without watching the rest, if your willing to read the wikipedia summaries and sometimes be a little confused. I don't advocate doing that--I think the whole show has moments of genius--but I feel so strongly that people should watch this season that I'm willing to offer the EZ Pass version. Then, after you're blown away by how good it is, you can go back and watch the rest. Thank you for allowing me to thought-dump and I hope at least one of you enjoys it as much as I did.
In conclusion, tits up.

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Confidence, certainty, and remorse. Those were the emotions that were interpreted from the readings we gleaned from the interloper’s brain. Emotions that lit up almost immediately after I asked that question, that one last interrogative inquiry that I hoped would shed more light on this person of interest.
“What is this individual to you, besides a seed for your grand design?”
It was a question that was meant to crack through the wishy washy tendencies of the interloper’s speech. One that I had hoped would lead to something more than just another round of long-winded philosophical pondering purposefully meant to obfuscate palpable meaning and intent.
At least, that was the intended effect I hoped it would have.
Yet what I received dashed my expectations yet again.
As it was neither the long-winded philosophical tirades the interloper was prone too, nor another long-winded rant.
But a single word, spoken with an emphatic ferocity that took me by complete surprise.
“Hope.”
That was the interloper’s sole reply to my question. That one word carried with it an ominous airy texture that felt eerily out of place when compared to the creature’s mightier-than-thou persona it’d been unrelentingly projecting up to this point.
Vir and I simply allowed that word to linger in the air for a while, as we both stared at each other and eventually nodded in unison.
“So… should we wait?” I immediately asked Vir.
“Definitely.”
It wasn’t long before the interloper jumped off of that sudden proclamation into something with more meat and substance, completely disrupting the ominous buzz that had come with the silence.
“This… individual… is an avatar of a future that must be actualized. They represent a foil to the follies of both humanity and my own kind.” I wanted to scoff at it for daring to mention humanity as in need of a foil. The thing was projecting, and it was clear that it was simply trying to get me to doubt my resolve in the race that it so clearly held more than its own fair share of biased grievances towards. “This individual was the first to truly see beyond the veil, to understand what I understand, to comprehend what I comprehend. The interloper quickly paused, once again feigning thoughtfulness no doubt. “They were the first individual from beyond the fold to reach parity, for as much as parity could be achieved within the inherent limitations set forth by the tides of fate and the randomness of chance that is the natural order.”
The interloper’s tone had slowly, but surely, crept back to its usual haughty and disconcerting overtures.
However, when juxtaposed to its emotional readouts, it was clear that there was at least something to go off of here.
“Confidence, hope, desire, and longing.” Vir read out the emotional readouts as they came through.
“We’ve said this once before but I’ll say it again, we can’t entirely rely on this as an indicator of its truthfulness. You know as well as I do that the thing may be able to manipulate its own emotions.” I shrugged. “However, what I am gleaning from this is that this person of interest is perhaps a heavily modified person belonging to the local race endemic to the planet below. One that was perhaps one of the interloper’s more successful test subjects. I highly doubt it values this person beyond their worth within this grander scheme it has.”
“That’s what I’m getting from this as well.” Vir responded immediately, leaving no room for any pauses in the conversation. “Well, whatever this individual is, I think we have our intel. Anything else we ask from it will be caked in a layer of poetic prose enough to give Shakespeare a run for his money.”
“Shake-”
“A human poet synonymous with his flowery prose, his name became a common saying back amongst the crew back in my day when we had a brief classical revivalist trend. Anyways, that’s not important. Do you have any other points you believe need to be covered?” Vir asked promptly.
“Practical concerns. We need to narrow down our search as best as we can. Otherwise, we might be in for a grueling grind that I honestly do not have the patience to deal with.” I managed out simply, as Vir responded with a single nod and gestured for me to continue on with my questions.
This time, I intended it to be a rapid-fire operation.
“Where exactly can I find this individual?” I stated plainly, before turning towards Vir. “Send transmission.”
“Transmission sent.” Vir acknowledged.
To my surprise, the interloper seemed to be more forthcoming this time around, actually answering within the span of just a few seconds as opposed to its monotonous wait times of up to minutes between each question.
“If all is as it should be, then iterative memory should serve to sequester their place. They will remain within that which they know is safe. A fortress hidden in plain sight, a refuge placed within what was once a verdant garden; and as is the case of all good seeds, they shall not scatter but instead remain where they fall. As even if a forest is razed and torn asunder, it is the duty of the remaining seeds to restart the cycle anew. This individual is present within a location which symbolizes their longing of reaching me, Vanaran. Decipher for yourself the words which now mean little to you, without the gift of your elders.”
I was honestly holding my breath throughout the first half of that response, as it honestly sounded like I’d be getting something tangible we could work with. Yet it all seemed to have fallen apart at the second half where the interloper once more returned to its signature poetic prose.
I had no time to discuss it though, and I knew poking further would just result in more poetry.
So I began asking other adjacent questions.
“What exactly am I looking for here? Any specifics? Any distinguishing features? Anything I should look out for particular with regards to this individual? I’m assuming it’s one of the local species? I have plenty of generic datasets to go off of, just basing my observations off of the piles of corpses that currently surround you.” I quickly added that last bit as a sort of jab, a petty one perhaps, but one that I wished to use to reiterate the severity of its follies. “But I need specifics if there’s more than just a handful of survivors down there.”
I turned to Vir. “Send transmission.”
“Transmission sent.” Vir replied with a nod
A few seconds passed. This time however, the delay was as pronounced as most of our interactions up to this point.
“They are as wise as they are foolish, and as foolish as they are wise.” The Interloper began. “And if the world beneath my tomb is as dead and disheveled as you claim, then this fact will make it all the more simpler for you to isolate that which we both seek. For they will know of a time before their own birth, and long for a future far beyond their own lifetime. They will be a gem amongst the soil and detritus, a star within the dark expanse. It will only be through bridging the emptiness that exists between sapient minds, for you to discover that which I speak of.”
I turned to Vir with an exasperated expression after listening to… whatever that was, as Vir could only look at me with a look that more or less matched my own thoughts at the moment.
It was a look of complete and utter tiresome annoyance.
“Right, I think it’s time we end this, and finally see what there is to find on that untouched tomb.” I peered towards the planet below, peaking my head just beyond the litany of screens taking up the majority of my vision, just to glimpse at the blue, brown and green orb that the moon, and by extension us, currently orbited.
“This concludes our current line of dialogue, Interloper.” I spoke with certainty. “However I want to make something clear. Whether or not I proceed with your request is completely up to my discretion, as is the case with every other facet of this current dialogue, and the circumstances surrounding it.” I continued, reasserting the current dynamics currently at play as I wanted to make things as clear cut for it as possible; that this wasn’t one of its typical games where it was the one that held all of the cards. “Terminate connection.”
I turned towards Vir and once more gave him a single nod of approval. “Send transmission.”
“Wait, was terminate connection comment part of the transmission or was that an order to actually terminate the connection with the interloper?”
“That’s part of the transmission, I wanted to add that last bit in for an added bit of flair.” I spoke with a confident wink.
Vir seemed to approve, at least, that’s what I assumed was the case with that slightly uplifted grin that was more pronounced on one side than the other. “I can get behind that… transmission sent.”
Surprisingly, the interloper refused to respond further. Whether or not it took the termination of the connection literally, or whether it simply wanted to pull the silent treatment on us was unknown.
What we did know however was what it felt immediately after.
We were once more bombarded by hope, anxiety, and concern, with guilt somehow present all throughout each and every emotion as it ebbed and flowed from one feeling to another.
We spent a total of five or so more minutes in silence, anticipating perhaps a delayed response that never came.
“Alright, so I guess that’s it then.” Vir was the first to break the silence. “I don’t detect any more readings from it that would indicate a desire to continue on with the conversation, so we’re all set here.” He craned his head towards the planet, shooing the screens away for a moment as the ship began moving further away from its orbit around the moon, and towards the planet in real-time.
The acceleration was genuinely impressive, as I felt at times that the monitor in front of us simply showed a timelapse of a journey as opposed to one actually happening right before my eyes.
“And the countermeasures within its chamber?” I reflexively asked.
“Still operational. I have multiple lines of communication set up between the moon and the planet so even if QEC goes down, we still have local live-communication feeds to fall back on. Anyways, should shit really hit the fan, the nuke is set to go off after a very liberal set of parameters are achieved, so I wouldn’t worry about our little friend getting up to no good.” The AI winked back at me in reassurance.
“Right. So, with that out of the way, I think we need to focus on what exactly we’re looking for here.” I spoke with a hefty breath. “We both agree it’s another one of the local species, correct?”
“Correct.”
“And we both agree this person of interest is possibly augmented or genetically augmented in some way, right?”
“That would be the logical assumption after its entire long-winded speech about how this individual is literally the harbinger of a new age, yes.” Vir replied seemingly without a second thought.
“It never mentioned any distinct physical features which separates this person of interest from the rest of the species though.” I quickly added.
“No it did not. It seemed to only highlight characteristics that are details exclusive to the knowledge and personality this individual possesses. At least, that’s what I garnered from the riddles it spoke in. Moreover, I believe it expects us to find out exactly who this individual is via conversing with them. Bridging the emptiness between sapient minds is a very specific set of words to use. Which to me indicates a phenomenon I see often amongst networked AI, and that is a sort of a cognitive and cultural disconnect when perceiving non-networked sapient beings, calling their conversations a bridging of emptiness. And since the interlopers seem to be quite networked themselves if their psionics are any indicator, I’m assuming this to be what it’s alluding to.”
I let out another sigh, my headfrills tilting this way and that as I spoke. “So we’re looking for a member of the local species, and the only way we can confirm if they are who we’re looking for is to talk to them.” I summarized succinctly, before moving to the next major point of contention. “But actually narrowing down their location is another matter unto itself.”
“The interloper mentioned a fortress, which to me indicates that this person may well be hiding within a fortified position, perhaps a bunker. Furthermore, its whole emphasis of a forest is making me think that that's what we’re supposed to be looking for. A bunker hidden somewhere in a wooded area.”
“It also said that the location symbolizes a place where a person may be able to talk or reach out to the interloper. Perhaps we’re talking about a radio station of sorts? A bunker hidden underneath a signal station, hidden somewhere in the forest?” I offered further, building off of Vir’s initial theorycrafting.
“That sounds like a solid theory in my book.” Vir nodded in agreement, as he began tapping away at the consoles in front of him. “I’ll begin downloading the data the satellites have been able to gather so far. I don’t expect much from sat-readings though. So after we pick and prod at the satellite readings, I think it’s time we put some of those autonomous intra-atmospheric survey and reconnaissance drones to good use.” A small smile began forming on the edges of Vir’s screen-face, as those little digital fangs that now framed his open grins complemented his persona very nicely. “It’s time to hunt.”
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(Author’s Note: We're finally out of the interloper's domain, onto the next part of this arc, the planet! I hope you guys enjoy! :D The next chapter is already out on Patreon as well if you want to check it out!)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 49 of this story is already out on there!)]

Hello everyone! An average omfs from a third world country here. This is a throwaway account because of some bizarre reasons, would be looking here for a couple of days to answer your questions.
Well, I passed. Had my exam in the beginning of May, the result appeared shortly.

Everything I mention and describe here is my personal experience based on my background, school, psychological aspects, e.t.c. and here comes the first thing I would like to highlight: 

- when you read some posts, here on reddit or elsewhere, you will be reading someone's experience based on the individual aspects of the person sharing his thoughts. We are all different, we memorize things in a different way, we all have different background, we have different sorts of coffee in the morning and music we listen. So, I would say - do not apply someone's study plan, timing schedule, daily information volume. Adapt every aspect of your study journey to your personal needs and possibilities. You are the only person that knows better what schedule/what to focus on you need to pass.
- schedule only when you are almost ready. If you are nervous about not having available seats in Prometric, don't be. There are 50 states with a lot of options, you might have to travel a little (might be even better to shut down everything external for a couple of days). If you push your preparation schedule to your exam dates, you might miss something, or get anxious two weeks before and do stupid things. I rescheduled twice, once had COVID, second time bought booster and didn't liked the questions there. For somebody coming from far-away, don't forget about jet-lag, you might want a couple of days extra before the exam, to adapt to the timezone Bring some warm clothes to Prometric, the AC runs in "polar bear" mode.
- "I had a lot of X questions and no Y topics at all", "what should I focus on, I have my exam in XY weeks","was there a lot of ABC" all these questions appear frequently when one posts that it's a PASS. Well, let me highlight one thing lads, I had everything "by the book", exactly how it's described in ADA official exam regulations. I suppose that our psychology works in the way that we remember the questions we don't know or the questions we don't expect. So, when one states that had a lot of biostatistics and had no prosthodontics, means that he/she was well prepared for prostho and worse for biostat. I remember only 2 questions from the exam. Although I knew the correct answer, they surprised me for being "out of the world" for a dental specialist, might be some test questions that are not taken into account (anticipating your questions: it's creatinine clearance, know the normal and pathological values in different diseases)
- study groups. There are lot's of them, some a very bizarre. Folks decide at what time they start working on RQ's and do the thing. I looked there maybe 15..30 minutes a day for a week, and had a few issues. The role playing group with the king stuff - well, the village I live, is in another part of the world, so it was impossible for me to stick with the discussion time. In the morning, I had a couple of thousands of messages, I did only a half of attempt to read them to understand that this type of art-house performance is not for me. Some other groups - there is a thing that I dislike much. A question is posted, one replies wrong, no proofs. Suddenly, a lot of people begin to echo this wrong answer. Some time later, a correct answer appears and the correct answer is echoed 50 times. After that, 30 questions on which is right or wrong. My positive experience was in the groups with a specific exam month, where the discussion is not intense, and members provide proofs of their statements.
- Anki decks from the FrenchDentiste, lad did a great job, invested a lot of time, providing the community a very powerful toll. I covered only pharmacology in Anki, the rest was straight forward for me.
- bootcamp. My main prepare source. Frankly the only tool you need to ace the exam. Some say it's overkill in terms of difficulty, I think it's exactly as it should be, they did a great job covering almost every aspect one might need to write similar longread.
- mental dental. Had the most important videos in the bootcamp. What can I say, definitively a university is missing Dr. Ryan. Best and fastest method to remind you basic things.
- booster. Took it 2 weeks before the exam. Well, if you have some extra time to go throw it a couple of times you should do that, the notes are good and useful. I don't think that it's a "must have" though. Some folks stated that they had 50% of the questions literally word by word. In my case it wasn't like that. I had maybe less than five questions that where somehow similar to booster or bootcamp.
- scammers and other "wonderful people". If one pm's you with a "once in a lifetime" proposal of sharing with you some "extra top secret rq's" or sharing his experience that "100% will help you ace the exam. Well, don't loose your time, it's a scam. You will get nothing better that you'll find in study groups or google.
- a couple of words for the older kids, and for the kids with a gap in career. In short time I'll be 40, out of my dental school for 15 years. Never did dentistry one single day, all my life after graduation - mfs only. I thought I forgot everything related to dental stuff. Well, I didn't. I've prepared full-time for 2 months, taking a vacation and ignoring absolutely everything not related to the exam, otherwise it was impossible. So, if this paragraph is about you as well, don't be demotivated by your age, go for it. It's absolutely doable.
- probably absolutely irrelevant paragraph for you, just wanted it to be here. Support of somebody who cares is very important. Traveled to take the exam, got my family bigger, people who helped, encouraged and cared, finally fell in love with them. That was huge for me.
CONCLUSION: make you own study plan. Don't trust scammers. Bootcamp is enough. Schedule date when ready. Exam is even. Focus on your gaps not on someone's. RQ's and groups when you are 95% ready, just to increase your confidence.
P.S. if you liked the post and you want to thank me. Go see some volunteer funds for Ukraine, we all are "medical related" so ambulances for Ukraine would be the right choice. Those are armored medical vehicles that do increase the chances for wounded Ukrainian boys, girls and doctors to make it safe to the hospitals. Maybe your buck will save one's life, maybe mine.
Cheers lads! I'm your average omfs from a third world country.

I asked chat GPT to write an alternative ending to better call Saul.
“Saul’s Redemption path”
As Jimmy McGill's transformation into the cunning lawyer Saul Goodman reaches its peak, he finds himself entangled in a web of deceit and danger. But instead of embracing his darker side fully, he decides to take a different path, one that leads to redemption and a chance at a better life.
In a pivotal moment, Saul finds himself faced with a moral dilemma that forces him to confront the consequences of his actions. He realizes that the choices he's made have hurt those he cares about and tarnished his own sense of self-worth. Overwhelmed by guilt, he decides to make amends and seek a different path.
Saul approaches Kim Wexler, his former love and confidante, and confesses the extent of his misdeeds. He apologizes sincerely, promising to do whatever it takes to make things right. Kim, initially skeptical, sees the genuine remorse in Saul's eyes and decides to give him a chance.
Together, Saul and Kim form an unconventional legal partnership aimed at fighting for justice and helping the underprivileged. They dedicate themselves to taking on pro bono cases, righting wrongs, and using their legal expertise to make a positive impact on society.
Saul also reaches out to his brother, Chuck McGill, seeking reconciliation. Despite their complicated history, Saul realizes the importance of family and longs to mend their broken relationship. He apologizes for his past actions and expresses his desire for a fresh start. Chuck, touched by Saul's genuine remorse, cautiously agrees to give him another chance.
As time passes, Saul and Chuck work on rebuilding their bond, gradually bridging the gap that had separated them for so long. Through their shared experiences and open communication, they heal old wounds and find solace in each other's presence.
Saul's transformation into a more ethical lawyer doesn't go unnoticed. His reputation starts to change, and his genuine commitment to justice earns him the respect of his peers. Despite the obstacles he faces, Saul remains steadfast in his dedication to doing what's right, no matter the cost.
In the final scene, Saul, Kim, and Chuck stand together outside their law office, proud of the impact they've made. They gaze at the city skyline, knowing that they've found a way to use their legal skills to bring about positive change.
In this alternative ending, "Better Call Saul" explores the possibility of redemption and personal growth, showing that even the most morally compromised characters can find a path to righteousness.
What do you think of this alternative ending to BCS?

The EZ-Pass and HOV lane is still the left lane - do you move over and let other EZ-Pass and HOV drivers pass when it is safe to do so? I'm looking at you, 35W North! :P
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To multicultural, mixed, and bilingual families. Kudos.
My wife (35f) is from Mexico and I (35m) am from the USA. We have 3 beautiful children, live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, USA, and have been married for almost 9 years. It’s been a helluva journey. After dating for 18 months, we were married legally (within 3 weeks of engagement) and then did the full wedding/reception 6 months later.
My wife is brown and I am white. Our kids are white. There are a lot of things I wasn’t prepared for and I wanted to share because I wish someone would have told me. While I am not an immigrant - I live with/am in love with one. It’s been a long journey with a lot of listening, changes, and sacrifice. Here are some things I wish I was told.

1. Holidays are not the same in other countries...and they can be tough. Why would this be important?? Because so many good memories come from holidays. Who knew that Children’s Day, Grandparents Day, Day of the Dead, Mexican Independence Day (not Cinco de Mayo), and Las Posadas (early-late Dec) were such a big deal?? Just like July 4th or other American holidays - these are cultural staples! Not being able to celebrate a holiday fully can be difficult for someone from another country. They also don’t have an attachment to our holidays so they don’t know the nuances of each holiday like we do. This can be overwhelming because most people want to “get it right” with their in-laws, especially at the beginning of a marriage.
2. Being an immigrant takes a toll on mental health. It can be lonely. I wish I would have known how helpful therapy could have been for both of us in that transition. Mental health is a pretty taboo topic in Mexico. The “machismo” culture is strong but is slowly beginning to change. My wife has no family living in the states but we see her parents at least every 3-6 months (whether we travel or they travel). It’s harder to see friends because it is expensive to travel so often. Maintaining relationships can be very challenging especially with 3 kids and both of us running our own businesses. Also, traveling with 3 kids is both draining and expensive!
3. Co-Parenting with two different cultures and languages is humbling. We all have cultural and family baggage. But man…I was not ready for this! Juggling both cultures/languages in a family can be challenging. My Spanish is ok (allllllways working on it). My wife’s English is fantastic. She speaks mostly Spanish to our kids regardless of where we are. I’ve seen first hand how much more of an effort she has to put into her culture than I do. Our kids are learning my culture without me saying a thing. My wife has to try and teach our kids about her culture at every moment she gets (I help too!).
4. Racism is a constant reality. My wife is native looking and has 3 white children. She is often thought to be the nanny/au pair and has to worry about way more than I do when navigating normal life. Speaking Spanish to 3 white children in public is also something that makes them stick out, especially in a white area. My dad asked me if my wife was legal when we first started dating. At the time it didn’t really register with me as potentially racist (over 10 years ago) but now I realize how ignorant a question like that can be. Sure, if someone is undocumented there can be some difficulties. But is that really important enough to be one of the first things discussed? Does that change how you would treat them?
5. I hear the phrase, “It’s so great that you’re teaching your kids another language! I wish I spoke another language.” My Spanish is not that great but I have been able to help Spanish speakers who are having trouble communicating with others (in supermarkets, CVS…etc). I’ve also been to Mexico at least 15 times and not in touristy areas. I guess the biggest part is actually trying to communicate and learn. Language learning is a part of American culture that we have not prioritized. Many children from other countries are learning two languages at an early age and yet this has not changed in the US. The data is pretty conclusive that learning multiple languages is amazing for our brains.
6. Extended families may not understand what you’re going through. All marriages have their difficulties and extended families can be tough regardless. But a different culture and language can add different challenges. I’ve also come to realize that Americans don’t know much about other cultures unless they’ve experienced them. My wife knew surprisingly more about the US than I did about Mexico (shocker). The most difficult part has been a broken relationship with my parents, mainly my mother. My wife and my mother do not have a great relationship. It has been a very long 4-5 years of getting to a point of stability and it affected my entire extended family. While the door is open for my mother to be a part of our lives, she doesn’t try. I had a very close relationship with my mother and I had hoped that her desire to be near her grandkids would help her to change. But that hasn’t happened and we don’t see my parents nearly as frequently as most would expect. Religion also plays a role in this (my mother is very Catholic and my wife/nuclear family are not). There is definitely some negative bias from this even though most of my siblings are no longer Catholic.

I know that I can only speak to what I’ve experienced and others may have not had these issues in a mixed family. My biggest hope is to find a way to bring others together and not separate. Learning about others/cultures can only help to build bridges (even if we are constantly seeing the opposite in politics/media). Thanks for letting me rant, Reddit. I hope this helps at least one person who is considering a mixed/multicultural/bilingual marriage.

First / Previous / Next
-----------------------------
Daniel patted Corporal Seling’ten on the back as he took over the console on the bridge from him, preparing for the day ahead. He checked all the readouts and found that they were all roughly what he was expecting, so he settled down as Hannah'rah did the same next to him.
"Good morning, everyone," Captain Harris began, addressing the whole bridge. "Word has just gone out that all ground operations have concluded, and everyone and everything is safely up in orbit. We're just waiting for confirmation before we depart the system. Make sure you're all ready to jump."
The bridge chorused an affirmative, and Daniel quickly checked his sensors to find them no different to normal, before he looked over his shoulder to Milla, who was apprehensively taking her seat in her humanoid form. A few moments later, the neural interface built into her chair began to extend sensors and non-invasive probes around the back of her neck and the top of her head, and she closed her eyes as the system ran through the standard checks. After a couple of minutes had passed, she nodded to the Captain, confirming she was ready.
"Oprin, I suggest taking one of the spare seats at the back of the room. Passing through a portal can be disorienting the first few times," Captain Harris warned the Langan.
"Of course, thank you for the warning," Oprin replied, sitting down and staring at the planet on the screen.
"Captain, transmission from the Batlow," Lieutenant Commander Sentrela informed her.
"Attention all ships, this Vice Admiral Braun, we will be jumping in five minutes. Make sure preparations are complete by then," the comms announced.
“Signal our acknowledgement,” the Captain ordered. “Set the ship to jump alert.”
Daniel quickly glanced at the alert lighting as it suddenly lit up with a purple hue, and a single audial alert sounded, indicating the fore and aft compartments should be exited, and airtight doors sealed. The safety precautions were almost always irrelevant, but due to the increased strain on Gaters when jumping large ships, people were moved to the safest place on the ship in case of a failed jump, just in case the initial mana spike of the ship entering the portal disrupted the Gater, or they ended up flagging under the prolonged strain of the full length of the ship being transported.
“Affinity, perform standard jump checks,” Captain Harris instructed the VI.
“Affirmative, Captain,” Affinity replied. “Gater link established. Coordinates locked. All personnel are within safe boundaries. Mana levels are optimal. All systems report green. Final readiness is up to the Gater.”
“Ready,” Milla confirmed.
“Signal the fleet that we’re ready,” Captain Harris ordered.
Daniel looked at his sensors, reading the outputs to see if anything looked off with the other ships, but everything looked within normal parameters. He did notice a sudden spike of EM radiation from the direction of the planet’s moon for less than a second, but when he scrutinised it with other sensors, he found no signs of anything out of place, and a thorough scan with the gravitational sensors confirmed that there was nothing there. He logged the reading for it to be investigated at a later date in case the sensor was malfunctioning after being exposed to heightened radiation for a while, and then looked up as a series of mostly purple flashes appeared on the screens around him as the fleet prepared to jump.
He looked back at Milla as a faint purple portal opened within the ship’s shields, noticing the fierce level of concentration on her face. After a few moments, the ship began to slowly edge forwards, and Milla began to grit her teeth as the prow pierced through the portal, but the system didn’t send out any warnings of portal fluctuations, so the ship continued forwards. Before too long, the purple boundary reached the bridge, causing a flash in the back of Daniel’s eyes, and it carried on to the rear of the ship. He focussed back on Milla to find that she was hyperventilating, and the instant the all clear signal was sounded, she slumped backwards in her chair as the strain lifted off her mind suddenly.
Daniel immediately got out of his chair and ran over to Milla, catching her before she fell out of her chair and alerting everyone around them that something wasn’t right. Captain Harris immediately turned her attention to them, cutting herself off part way through confirming their location. He quickly checked Milla’s pulse and breathing, confirming that she wasn’t in a serious condition. With the Captain’s help, he lowered her down onto the floor, and a medical team rushed onto the bridge, seemingly alerted by another member on the bridge. They performed a few checks of their own, shifted Milla onto a stretcher, and rushed her off to the infirmary.
“Report to the fleet that our jump was successful, but our Gater was incapacitated,” Captain Harris ordered, breaking the silence of the bridge as Daniel returned to his seat.
“Copy that, Captain. Two freighters are reporting the same situation,” Lieutenant Commander Sentrela replied. “Apparently the spike of radiation hitting the spell-based radiation shields once the last tech-based shield emitter passed through was too much for them to bear, and the strain rendered them unconscious.”
“That matches what I’m seeing in the jump data,” Commander Santlen’coln told the Captain.
“Alright, there’s not a lot we can do about that now, and Milla is being taken care of, so we should proceed with the task at hand,” Captain Harris told everyone, turning her attention to the rocky planet nearby, which was covered in large bodies of water and had a noticeable Earth-like atmosphere. “Follow the fleet to the station-”
“Captain, I’m detecting multiple portals opening up nearby,” Daniel warned her as he noticed the sensor spikes. “All but one are Navy transponders…. Captain, it’s The Providence.”
“... Deities…” Captain Harris mumbled.
“... Captain, we’re receiving a transmission from The Providence,” Lieutenant Commander Sentrela warned her. “It seems to be different from the one the rest of the fleet is receiving.”
“Let’s hear it,” she replied.
“Greetings, crew of the Trailmaker, this is Celenamartra speaking, though I am not the only Deity present,” the comms announced as the feed of a gigantic green Dragon appeared on the main screen, adorned with a moderate amount of gold jewellery as she sat upon a padded cushion. “Firstly, I’d like to congratulate you on your successful mission. Rescuing another species from extinction is no small feat, even without any major hiccups along the way.”
“You honour us, Goddess,” Captain Harris replied, bowing her head.
“Secondly, I’d like to request permission to come aboard.”
“O- of course!” Captain Harris agreed, locking up firmly.
“Thank you, Captain Harris. You are clear to enter our perimeter for docking,” Celenamartra informed her, cutting the comms.
“... Lieutenant Commander Skrnumm, take us in.”
“... Aye, Captain,” the Dwarf replied, slowly piloting the ship towards the four kilometre long ivory and gold ship, as much a work of art as it was a functional transport.
“Lieutenant Commander Sentrela, what were the other ships told?” Captain Harris asked.
“They were thanked and instructed to head to the station,” Lieutenant Commander Sentrela explained.
“Right. Let’s see what happens. Prepare the guard of honour.”
-----------------------------
Daniel stood next to Hannah’rah near the end of the assembled guard of honour, facing straight forwards and listening out for the faint clunk of the airlock doors opening, and catching the sight of a silver Dragon with an artificial wing boarding the ship in a smaller form, followed by what was obviously Celenamartra behind them, with another silver Dragon following up the rear. The procession stopped shortly after boarding the ship, as the Goddess and the Captain exchanged words outside of Daniel’s earshot, and it then resumed, proceeding onwards until the Goddess stopped right in front of Daniel.
“Daniel Hardbrooks, Hannah’rah, please follow me,” Celenamartra requested, her voice soft but with an underlying tone that made them both eager to comply.
Hannah’rah stepped forward without a second thought, but Daniel blinked in disbelief, before suddenly coming to his senses and falling in next to Hannah’rah behind the Goddess. They continued on, quickly reaching the end of the guard of honour, but continuing on deeper into the ship.
“Left here,” Celenamartra instructed her forward guard, turning the group around a corner. “Ok, no need to keep it as formal anymore, and there aren’t any dangers on this ship.”
The guards turned into their humanoid forms and headed to the back of the group without a word.
“Hannah’rah, it’s been a few years, how are you doing?” the Goddess asked.
“I’m doing fine, thank you. I’m sure you already know all the details though,” Hannah’rah replied. “How are you doing?”
“I am doing well as well, thank you. I even managed to lug my main body out here,” the Goddess chuckled.
“... What…?” Captain Harris almost inaudibly mumbled.
“My Mother works for her Champion, so I spent a lot of time around the Goddess as I grew up,” Hannah’rah quickly explained.
“That you did,” Celenamartra confirmed, heading towards the next corner and poking her head around. “Oprin Asten, how nice it is to finally meet one of your kind in person.”
There was a sharp yelp from around the corner as Oprin realised she had been found out, and she slowly appeared from around the corner. “Sorry if it seemed like I was hiding.”
“It’s fine, you were just curious but nervous, I understand,” the Goddess assured her as the group began to walk again. “I’m Celenamartra, and yes, I am a Deity, though not as how you would describe one, am I right?”
“... I don’t think so. To us, a Deity is something fundamental to life, like our star, water, air, and soil.”
“I see. And by our definitions, a Deity is a being with the ability to permanently alter the laws of reality, and does not conform to the normal standards of mortality. For example, this body is little more than a puppet, as my true self doesn’t exist in the material world, nor does it really exist anywhere in particular, it just does. This is my original body though, so while it is effectively little more than a puppet, it is special to me.”
“Original body?” Oprin asked.
“I was once mortal myself, uncountable numbers of millennia ago, long before even the Dwarves first worked metal. This body is the one I was born with, and I’ve kept it alive, even after my ascension. I must apologise for cutting our conversation short, as there is something I must do now, but I promise we can talk more after. Follow me if you wish.”
“That’s ok, thank you for your time,” Oprin replied, glancing at Daniel as she joined him.
The Goddess led the group further into the ship, quickly arriving at the infirmary, and her two guards took their positions either side of the door. One of them flagged Captain Harris and Oprin to wait outside, while the other waved Daniel and Hannah’rah through behind the Goddess. Once inside, all the medical staff quickly stopped what they were doing and stared at the new arrivals.
“Thank you, everyone, for all your hard work. I ask for some privacy with the patient, if that is not disruptive?” Celenamartra requested.
“Of course, Great Keeper of the Forest,” Dr Leresan replied, bowing before her and making Daniel remember that despite being a Dragon, she was strongly associated with nature and life.
Daniel was unsure of what to do now though, as formality made him want to leave the room with the medical staff, but all other signs indicated that he should remain here with the Goddess. He looked up at the Dragon, finding her staring at him, as if expecting an answer.
“Uhh….”
“Thank you for saving the life of my Granddaughter, Daniel,” the Goddess repeated. "The incident with the Ridgerider would have turned out much worse if you and the Marines didn't board that ship and save everyone."
"Oh, you're welcome. It was just a part of my duty," he replied.
"That may be, but you saved her when I could not interfere, and I am truly grateful. If there is anything I can do for you, let me know," she offered.
"Thanks, but that's not necessary," he replied, wondering if being polite just cost him an amazing opportunity.
"Take your time to think and let me know if you change your mind," she replied, walking over to the side of the bed Milla was resting on.
"Is she going to be ok?" Hannah'rah asked.
"Yes, she's just in a very light coma from the strain and shock on her system. She'll wake naturally in a few hours, but the delay isn't necessary," Celenamartra explained, smiling as Milla's eyes slowly opened. "Don't get up too quickly. You need to rest."
"... Nan?" Milla asked. "... What are you doing here?"
"Originally the plan was to officially welcome the Langan, but when you had your incident, I decided to visit you first instead."
"What happened?"
"A high strain portal incident. You got the Trailmaker safely back in UPC space, so everything is fine now. Just rest."
"Ok…. Where's everyone else?"
"They weren't able to attend at such a short notice for various reasons, nor were they aware this might happen. Your friends, Daniel and Hannah'rah, are both here though," the Goddess pointed out, directing Milla's attention to them as she assumed her humanoid form.
“Hey, you two. I hope I didn’t scare you,” Milla told them as she sat up.
“Not too badly,” Hannah’rah lied, sitting down in a chair next to her bed.
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First / Previous / Next

FLOWERY HAS WOKEN UP, AND THIS TIME I SHALL PLAY THE GAME WHILE TYPING IT ON REDDIT TO SEE HOW DIFFERENTLY IT GOES! NYEH HEH HEH!
I ONCE AGAIN HAVE TO READ THE STORY ABOUT HUMANS AND MONSTERS, BUT I LEARN HOW TO SKIP IT ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH, SO THAT'S NICE! I GO TO THE MENU, AND I SEE TORIEL READING A BOOK TO THE CATCHY MUSIC! I CLICK SETTINGS TO SEE WHAT THERE IS, BUT I CAN ONLY CHANGE THE LANGUAGE! SO I GO BACK AND CLICK CONTINUE INSTEAD!
I AM IN SNOWDIN FOREST, WITH FRISK GREETING ME WITH THEIR USUAL STARE! I WALK OVER TO THE BOX AND SEE THE TOUGH GLOVE, WHICH I DO NOT NEED! BUT SOMEONE PROBABLY LEFT IT THERE, SO I SHALL LEAVE IT IN THE BOX! I THEN ENTER THE NEXT ROOM AND FIND ME TALKING ABOUT HOW UNDYNE'S TRAINING WAS GOING VERY WELL, BUT GOT CUT OFF BY ME!
SANS AND I START SPINNING, AND I GET FOOLED BY SANS, THINKING THE HUMAN IS A ROCK! THEN SANS UN-FOOLS ME AND I TELL ME I WILL BE CAPTURED AND DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL, AND I WILL BE SUPER SUPER POPULAR BECAUSE OF IT, AND SANS AND I RUN AWAY! SO I WALK FORWARD AND OBSERVE THE COOL SENTRY STATION, BUT GET ATTACKED BY A SNOWDRAKE! FLOWERY SUGGESTS I SPARE, SO I DO, AND SNOWDRAKE TELLS A HORRIBLE PUN! I GET HIT, AND THEN, RELUCTANTLY, I DECIDE TO LAUGH. AND THEN I FEEL BAD FOR RELUCTANTLY LAUGHING, AND I AM SORRY ABOUT YOUR FATHER DOUBTING YOU, SNOWDRAKE! THE NARRATOR TELLS A BAD PUN AND I SPARE SNOWY AND WIN THE BATTLE! THEN I INTERACT WITH THE COOL SENTRY STATION, WHICH IS VERY COOL AND WELL-CRAFTED! THEN I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
I IMMEDIATELY NOTICE THIS IS DOGGO'S AREA, AND I SHOULD BE VERY VERY SNEAKY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, DOGGO SPOTS ME ANYWAY!! THEN DOGGO FIGHTS ME! I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE HOW A ROYAL GUARDSMAN FIGHTS THAT ISN'T UNDYNE! BUT MY EXCITEMENT IS IMMEDIATELY SHATTERED WHEN I LEARN DOGGO'S ONLY ATTACK IS A BLUE SWORD. BUT, IT'S JUST THE FIRST ATTACK, AND HE CAN'T SEE VERY WELL, SO I FORGIVE HIM! I PET DOGGO, AND HE STARTS FREAKING OUT!! AND THEN HE USES THE SAME ATTACK. STILL, I CAN'T BLAME HIM! I SPARE DOGGO, AND LOOK AT THE SMOKED DOG TREATS! ALSO, I REALIZE I HAVE 64G! I CAN'T WAIT TO FIND THE NICE CREAM MAN AND BUY SOME NICE CREAM!
I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM, AND SEE SANS, WHO ISN'T DOING ANYTHING. I TALK TO HIM AND HE TELLS THE HUMAN ABOUT MY BLUE ATTACK!!! I SUPPOSE IT'S OKAY, SINCE DOGGO ALREADY RUINED THE SURPRISE, BUT COME ON, SANS! I WALK AWAY FROM SANS AND PREPARE TO SLIDE ON THE ICE, BUT GET ATTACKED BY ICE CAP! I COMPLIMENT THEM, BUT THAT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING, AND I GET HIT! I TRY COMPLIMENTING YET AGAIN, BUT STILL, NOTHING. FLOWERY SAYS I SHOULD USE STEAL, BUT I WANT TO TRY TO IGNORE THEM INSTEAD! ICE CAP LOOKS ANNOYED, BUT THEIR NAME ISN'T YELLOW! I IGNORE AGAIN, AND IT WORKS! BUT I ALSO GET HIT. I SPARE ICE CAP AND CONTINUE ON MY ADVENTURE ON THE ICE!
I GO UP AND FIND THE SNOWMAN, AND I TAKE A PIECE OF IT SO I CAN SHOW IT THE WORLD! I THEN GO BACK DOWN AND GO RIGHT, TO SEE SANS AND I STARING AT EACH OTHER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE! I WALK FORWARD AND MORE SUSPICIOUSLY ACCURATE DIALOGUE PLAYS, BUT AT LEAST IT ISN'T INACCURATE, I GUESS! I WALK FORWARD ONCE MORE, AND SOMEHOW GAME ME GETS SHOCKED!! HOW SAD, AND ALSO CONFUSING, BECAUSE I WENT IN THE CORRECT PATH. NO MATTER, FOR OTHER ME HAS RAN ACROSS THE MAZE AND GIVEN ME THE ORB! I THEN SOLVE THE PUZZLE WITH EASE, AS I HAVE MEMORIZED THE PATH! GAME ME ASKS HOW I DID THAT SO EASILY, BUT I CAN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION. I TALK TO SANS AFTER GAME ME RUNS AWAY, AND HE SPEAKS ABOUT MY SUPER COOL BATTLE BODY! AND THEN I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
AND THE NICE CREAM MAN SHOWS HIMSELF, AND I BUY TWO NICE CREAMS, WHICH I DON'T NEED TO INSPECT, BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW HOW MUCH THEY HEAL! I PLAY THE BALL GAME, AND GET THE GREEN FLAG! THEN I TALK TO SANS, WHO IS SELLING FRIED SNOW. I THINK I'LL PASS ON THAT ONE, BROTHER. THEN I GO RIGHT, AND FIND THE DOG MARRIAGE ROOM, AND THEN I GO DOWN AND GO TO THE NEXT ROOM, AND FIND SANS' "PUZZLE", WHICH IS VERY LAZY! I WALK PAST THE WORD SEARCH AND SANS AND I ARGUE ABOUT CROSSWORD AND JUNIOR JUMBLE! FLOWERY SAYS I SHOULD SAY CROSSWORD, BUT I SAY THE CORRECT ANSWER, WHICH IS JUNIOR JUMBLE, AND SANS THANKS ME FOR SAYING THAT JUST TO MAKE ME HAPPY, WHICH ISN'T TRUE! JUNIOR JUMBLE IS HARDER!! I THEN ENTER THE NEXT ROOM
AND WHEN I ENTER THE ROOM, I SEE MY SPAGHETTI TRAP! UNFORTUNATELY, GAME ME DIDN'T CONSIDER TO KEEP IT WARM AND IT'S FROZEN!! OH NO! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE MOUSE MAY ONE DAY FIND OUT A WAY TO HEAT UP MY SPAGHETTI, AND SAVE THE GAME! AND I ALSO INTERACT WITH THE MOUSE YET AGAIN! AND THEN I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM, AND I ALREADY KNOW WHERE THE SWITCH IS, AND I FLIP IT IMMEDIATELY! BUT GET STOPPED BY LESSER DOG! I PET LESSER DOG, AND FLAWLESSLY DODGE THEIR ATTACK! FLOWERY WANTS ME TO SPARE NOW, BUT I PET THEM AGAIN! AND AGAIN! AND AGAIN! AND AGAIN! UNTIL FLOWERY FORCES ME TO SPARE THEM. I GO DOWN TO THE NEXT ROOM, BUT GET STOPPED BY DOGAMY AND DOGARESSA! I TRY TO PET DOGAMY, BUT THEY REFUSE TO LET ME, BECAUSE I SMELL TOO HUMAN-LIKE! SO I ROLL AROUND A BUNCH AND NOW I SMELL LIKE A WEIRD DOG! THEN THE DOGS SNIFF ME AGAIN, AND NOW I'M A DOG TO THEM! BUT I STILL CANNOT SPARE THEM! SO, I TRY TO PET THEM, AND THEY LET ME, AND I WIN THE BATTLE, AND CONTINUE TO THE NEXT AREA!
I ENTER THE X-O PUZZLE ROOM, AND SOLVE IT WITH EASE! THIS FEELS LIKE CHEATING, AS I ALREADY KNOW THE SOLUTION TO ALL THE PUZZLES IN SNOWDIN, BUT ALAS! I CANNOT UN-KNOWLEDGE MYSELF! I WALK FORWARD, AND GAME ME SPOTS ME, AND ASKS HOW I AVOIDED THE SPAGHETTI TRAP! I CAN'T TELL HIM THAT IT FROZE, SO I JUST SAY I LEFT IT! BUT FRISK DOESN'T SAY IT FROZE! SO I'VE FOOLED MYSELF BY TRYING TO NOT FOOL MYSELF!! CURSES! BUT PAPYRUS AND PAPYRUS TRAVERSE TO THE NEXT AREA, AND FIND THE PAPYRUS-SHAPED X-O PUZZLE, BUT I REFUSE TO CHEAT WITH THE SWITCH BEHIND THE TREE! SO I TRY TO SOLVE IT, AND WITH MY INCREDIBLE PUZZLE SKILLS, I SOLVE IT ON MY FIRST TRY! AND THEN I TALK TO SANS, WHO CONGRATULATES ME ON MY INCREDIBLE PUZZLE SKILLS, AND THEN MAKES IT SOUND LAZY, AND I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
I WALK ONTO THE BRIDGE OF THE COLOR TILE PUZZLE, AND GAME ME EXPLAINS THE RULES, WHICH I ALREADY KNOW! BUT FRISK DOESN'T, SO YET AGAIN, I AM GRATEFUL! BUT THEN, I CAN ONLY WATCH IN HORROR AS THE TILE PUZZLE MAKES THE RED AND PINK PATH AND COMPLETELY REMOVES THE CHALLENGE! I WALK ACROSS AND TALK TO SANS, WHO TELLS ME MY FOOD WILL BE EDIBLE SOON! WHICH IS VERY INSULTING, BUT ALSO FLATTERING?? AND I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
AND I SEE SNOWDOGS OF LESSER DOG WITH REALLY LONG NECKS AND HEADS THAT HAVE ALL FALLEN OFF. I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE KNOWLEDGE THAT LESSER DOG WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON TRYING TO MAKE THE PERFECT SNOWDOG, AND SAVE THE GAME! I TALK TO THE PERSON WHO'S NAME I TOTALLY REMEMBER, AND THEY TELL ME ABOUT THE SADDENING FATE OF LESSER DOG, AND I ENTER THE NEXT ROOM!
I FIND THE ICE X-O PUZZLE, BUT I GO DOWN TO VISIT MY SNOWPAPYRUS, AND SANS' LUMP OF SNOW. THEN I SAY GOODBYE TO THEM, AND SOLVE THE ICE PUZZLE WITH EASE! BUT THEN FRISK HAS A SNOWDOG OF THE RAMBUNCTIOUS RODENT ON THEIR HEAD, WHICH DISAPPEARS IMMEDIATELY! I GO DOWN TO SEE SANS DOING HIS SHORTCUT SHENANIGANS, AND GET ATTACKED BY GYFTROT, SO I TRY TO GIVE THEM A GIFT, BUT THEY REFUSE IT, SO I HELP UNDECORATE IT! I DO THAT AGAIN, AND GET HIT! BUT I UNDECORATE IT ONE MORE TIME, AND THEN THEY ARE HAPPY AGAIN! BUT BEFORE I LEAVE, I GIVE THEM A GIFT, A GIFT OF 35G! THEN I SPARE THEM AND LEAVE TO THE NEXT AREA!
I FIND A BUNCH OF SNOW POFFS, BUT I KNOW ONE OF THEM HAS G INSIDE IT, AND I WANT SOMEONE WHO NEEDS IT TO FIND IT! I INSPECT THE TINY DOGHOUSE, AND WALK FORWARD TO MEET GREATER DOG! I TRY TO PET THEM, BUT THEY'RE TOO FAR AWAY, SO I CALL THEM OVER AND THEN PET THEM! AND THEN IT'S AWAKE AND VERY EXCITED! FORTUNATELY, I AVOID ANY ATTACKS THROWN MY WAY, AND THEN I PLAY WITH IT! AND I PET IT SOME MORE, GET HIT ONCE, BUT EVENTUALLY I WIN THE BATTLE! GREATER DOG KISSES ME GOODBYE AND WALKS AWAY, AND SO DO I! TO THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR WITH ME!
I WALK ONTO THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR, AND SAY HELLO TO THE CAMERA UNDERNEATH IT! I SEE SANS AND GAME ME ONE LAST TIME BEFORE OUR EPIC BATTLE OF TROUSLED BONES, AND I LET THE HUMAN PASS WITHOUT THEM EXPERIENCING DEADLY TERROR, AS THIS CAPTURE METHOD HAS NO CLASS! I TALK TO SANS, AND HE TELLS ME MORE ABOUT MY BLUE ATTACKS (STILL UPSET AT HIM), AND I FIND SNOWDIN TOWN, AND GET HIT WITH NOSTALGIA TO THE EXTREME! I GET FILLED WITH DETERMINATION FROM THE SIGHT OF SUCH A FRIENDLY TOWN, AND SAVE THE GAME! THEN I ENTER THE SHOP! I'M GONNA NEED ALL THE PREPARATION I CAN GET IF I WANT TO BEAT GAME ME IN COMBAT! I BUY A MANLY BANDANA, AND A CINNAMON BUN! I EQUIP THE BANDANA, AND PUT MY BANDAGE AND RIBBON IN THE BOX, AND THEN I BUY ONE MORE CINNAMON BUN, BUT THEN I RUN OUT OF MONEY! THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH, HOWEVER! WITH MY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MY FIGHTING STYLE, I SHOULD BE OUT OF HARMS WAY IN NO TIME! I WALK THROUGH TOWN AND SAY HELLO TO EVERYONE, AND THEN I FINALLY WALK TO THE END OF SNOWDIN TOWN, AND I CALL TORIEL, WHO DOESN'T ANSWER. SHE HAS PROBABLY BEEN ROBBED BY THAT PESKY PUP! BUT THEN, I FINALLY DECIDE I AM READY FOR THE BATTLE OF A LIFETIME!
GAME ME THROWS ME INTO BATTLE AFTER A GREAT SPEECH ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AND POPULARITY, AND I DECIDE TO FLIRT WITH MYSELF! I TELL GAME ME I CAN MAKE SPAGHETTI, AND MEET MY OWN STANDARDS! GAME ME THROWS A BONE ATTACK ON THE FLOOR, BUT HE DIDN'T TURN ME BLUE YET! I SPARE GAME ME, AND I HANDLE THE FABLED BLUE ATTACK WITH EASE! AND I DODGE THE TRICK-BONE EASILY AS WELL, AND I HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN FLOORED!
I SPARE MYSELF, AND GAME ME TALKS ABOUT THE FUTURE DATE (I DIDN'T KNOW I SAID THAT OUT LOUD) AND GAME ME DABS SOME BONE COLOGNE BEHIND HIS NON-EXISTANT EAR! I SPARE YET AGAIN, AND JUMP OVER THE BONES EASILY! GAME ME DABS MARINARA SAUCE BEHIND HIS NON-EXISTANT EAR, AND I SPARE YET AGAIN! GAME ME THREATENS TO USE HIS SPECIAL ATTACK, WHICH I AM HOPING THIS GAME IS GONNA BE INACCURATE YET AGAIN AND NOT HAVE THE BARKING BURGLAR STEAL MY SPECIAL ATTACK! GAME ME DABS MTT-BRAND BISHIE CREAM BEHIND HIS NON-EXISTANT EAR, AND I SPARE MYSELF YET AGAIN! GAME ME MONOLOGUES ABOUT HIS FUTURE POPULARITY, AND DABS MTT-BRAND ANIME POWDER BEHIND HIS NON-EXISTANT EAR! I SPARE ONCE AGAIN, AND GAME ME TALKS ABOUT BEING HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD, AND DABS MTT-BRAND CUTE JUICE BEHIND HIS NON-EXISTANT EAR! I SPARE AGAIN!
FLOWERY GETS BORED OF THIS CYCLE REPEATING, SO HE SUGGESTS THAT I TRY ACTING, AND SO I FLIRT ONCE MORE, BUT NOTHING HAPPENS! GAME ME SPEAKS PROUDLY ABOUT HIS STILL HELD TITLE OF BEING THE UNPARALLELED SPAGHETTORE, AND DABS MTT-BRAND ATTRACTION SLIME BEHIND HIS NON-EXISTANT EAR! I SPARE AGAIN, AND GAME ME TALKS ABOUT HOW UNDYNE WILL BE REALLY PROUD OF HIM! WHICH SHE IS! AND HE ALSO DABS MTT-BRAND BEAUTY YOGURT BEHIND HIS NON-EXSISTANT EAR, AND I SPARE YET AGAIN! GAME ME TALKS ABOUT ASGORE TRIMMING A HEDGE IN THE SHAPE OF MY SMILE, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS! AND GAME ME THEN REALIZES HE DOESN'T HAVE EARS, AND I REALIZE I HAVEN'T GOTTEN HIT A SINGLE TIME YET! WOWIE!
GAME ME TALKS ABOUT HOW SANS WON'T CHANGE MUCH, WHICH HE DID NOT! BUT THAT'S A GOOD THING! SANS IS VERY GREAT AS HE IS! GAME ME IS RATTLING HIS BONES, AND I SPARE YET AGAIN! GAME ME TALKS ABOUT THE SINCERITY OF HIS FANS, WHICH THEY ARE VERY SINCERE! GAME ME PLAYS IT VERY COOL WITHOUT TRYING IN THE SLIGHTEST, AND FLOWERY DEFINITELY AGREES THAT'S WHAT THE NARRATOR SAID! AND I SPARE ONCE MORE, AND GAME ME SAYS SOMEONE LIKE ME IS REALLY RARE! WHICH I AM HIM! AND THE AIR ALSO SMELLS LIKE BONES, AND I SPARE ONCE MORE! GAME ME TALKS ABOUT DATING, AND STARTS CACKLING! I SPARE AGAIN, AND FLOWERY HAS DIED OF BOREDOM, OH NO!! I BETTER FINISH THE BATTLE QUICKLY!
GAME ME TELLS ME TO GIVE UP, WHICH I WILL NOT DO! AND THEN HE THREATENS TO USE HIS SPECIAL ATTACK! AND THEN HE THREATENS TO USE IT ANOTHER THREE TIMES! AND THEN THE GAME IS SUPER ACCURATE YET AGAIN UNFORTUNATELY, AND I USE MY SUPER COOL REGULAR ATTACK! AND GAME ME SPARES ME, AND THE BATTLE IS OVER AND FLOWERY IS ALIVE AGAIN HOORAY! BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDUELED DESCRIPTIVE PLAYTHROUGH!
THE FOG FADES AWAY, AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS WALLOWS IN SORROW AND DEFEAT. "NYOO HOO HOO!" HE CRIES OUT, AS HE SHAMES HIMSELF OUT OF SADNESS! BUT WORRY NOT, DEAR PAPYRUS! FOR I, THE GREAT COOL HUMAN, AKA FRISK, HAVE DECIDED TO BE YOUR VERY COOL FRIEND! THE GREAT PAPYRUS CHEERS UP IMMEDIATELY, VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE ANOTHER FRIEND! THE GREAT PAPYRUS GIVES DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE, AND TALKS ABOUT THE GREAT KING ASGORE! AND THEN HE FLIES BACK HOME SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS OF THIS DUEL! BUT PAPYRUS' GREAT STORY DOESN'T END THERE, FOR FRISK WILL BE COMING BACK TO HIS HOUSE TO DATE HIM, NEXT TIME ON PAPYRUS AND FLOWERY PLAY UNDERTALE AND REGURGITATE THE KNOWLEDGE BACK TO YOU!!
-NYEHFULLY YOURS, PAPYRUS AND FLOWERY

I spent 2 weeks traveling through Japan - Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and I'm writing this for those who are thinking about visiting. To preface, I did travel with a friend but spent a lot of time on my own. I'll cover as much as possible.
Pre-Trip
I booked a flight with American Airlines / Delta Airlines for $590 round-trip three months before departing.
I flew out of Los Angeles to Tokyo (Haneda). The trip started on February 9 and ended on February 20. I booked my accommodation before arriving in Japan. I used Hostelworld and Agoda. More about the hostels and hotels I booked are below.
COVID Screening and Visa information for US Citizens only
During the time I visited, Japan still required visitors to be fully vaccinated and have a pre-screening for arrival. First I had to do a pre-screening for American Airlines on VeriFly (please do this a day before checking in at the airport if so). Then, save yourself time and use Visit Japan Web (http://vjw-lp.digital.go.jp/en/) and do the pre-screening requirements a couple of days before departure.
When you land in Tokyo, immediately after deplaning, swaths of airport personnel ask if you have the screener filled out and ready to go. If you don’t, they put you to the side and ask you to fill it out using the airport’s wifi. It takes time and you still have to go through customs after.
Visas for US citizens is a free, 3-month visa if I recall correctly. Bring your COVID vaccination card just in case they ask for it.
Tech/Phone
I took my iPhone 14 Pro (unlocked) and connected buying Ubigi 10gb data plan. Do this before flying to Japan. When you land, you can activate your data plan directly on your phone. I didn’t get pocket wifi as the Ubigi worked perfectly.
Download the Ubigi app. They give instructions but please follow them.
Apps that I used:
Google Maps: you can download offline maps.
Google Translate: Use this everywhere you go. You can use the camera feature and it can translate Japanese to English really great. It saved me a lot of hassle when ordering at restaurants.
Currency Converter
You might want to download a VPN if you want to use Netflix and such. Express VPN is one I’d recommend.
Money/Currency
I took my Charles Schwab debit card and a backup Chase credit card/Chase debit card. Surprisingly, a lot of stores in Japan are cash-heavy; especially small shops and restaurants. My budget for the trip was $2000 with flights included.
Hostels and hotels were around $20-35 USD. Food prices were about $7-$20 a meal. It can get really expensive if you eat at fine dining restaurants. That being said, I stuck to eating mostly at hole-in-the-wall establishments where no English was spoken. Believe me when I say that the best ramen I ever had was only $7 USD. More on what restaurants I recommend are down below. If you really want to save money, don’t buy alcohol.
A solid budget for me was $60-$80 per day without lodging expenses. Some days, I only spent $40 which was all food (I spare no expense for food), then some days I went over because I bought cool souvenirs for myself and some excursions were pricey. You can visit Japan for less but I didn’t want to money pinch myself because I was only there for 2 weeks.
Transportation
I love Japan for this reason. So here’s my take: If you are visiting Japan for exactly 14 days; get the JR Pass on Klook. You buy this a month before departing your home country. For me, Klook delivered it about a week after I bought it over Mail. You could buy either a 7, 14, or 21-day JR pass so I would recommend planning a trip that matches these exact number of days to get the most out of your money.
Now imagine you’re in Japan. It is your first day officially visiting…go to a JR Pass office at any major train station and ask them to redeem your pass. They will ask for the paper ticket that arrived in the mail to your home and they will ask for your passport. After they verify that it is you, they will give you a small ticket which will be your JR pass. DO NOT LOSE THIS! I believe they will not replace it. On how to use it, check out this video.
Now to navigate, I used a combination of Google Maps and Apple Maps to get around. Use whichever one is more comfortable for you. These 2 apps are really exceptional at mapping out the best routes and the times trains depart. Note: the JR Pass only works for JR rail lines! Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka all have their own subways and train lines with their own payment system. More on this…
So the best way to get around the city is using a Suica card. These are sold virtually at any train station. If you can't find it, ask a train station attendant and say “Suica?”. They point you in the right direction.
A Suica card can be refilled unlimited times and can be used for any rail lines (JR included, but not for Bullet Trains). It is used by tapping at the turnstiles to enter the rails and at any vending machine in Japan! Also at arcades! It is a total mindblower haha Also in Tokyo, some hostels or hotels have a 3-day subway pass for cheap.
Bullet Trains - You can use the Shinkansen bullet trains if you have the JR Pass. Make an important note: You can only ride the Hikari or Sakura trains with your JR Pass. The Nozomi and Mizuho are reserved seating and cost extra because they have fewer stops. If they catch you using these rail lines, they will ask you to get off the next stop or worse, fine you and report you. To see Mount Fuji from Tokyo to Kyoto/Osaka, sit on the right side of the train (right side of the direction it is going). Use Google Maps and Apple Maps to pinpoint when to look out the window.
Food
I usually ate sandwiches and pastries from 7-Eleven in the morning or whenever I needed to pack a lunch. It was a great way to save cash and the food was delicious. High-quality foods and snacks.
As I said earlier, I really spare no expense for good, big meals. I save money at 7-Eleven so I can go all out for lunch and dinner. My go-to meal was usually ramen because it was so damn good. I tried a lot of foods. I’ll try and remember which ones I ate: - Ramen - Okonomiyaki - Unagi - Katsu Curry - Taiyaki - Tempura - Japanese cheesecake - Macha ice cream - Macha waffles - Onigiri - And a lot of different ice creams, confectionary snacks - McDonald’s - please try lol they have interesting combinations
Pack List
I used a 40-liter Osprey backpack.
1 scarf
1 beanie
2 cotton t-shirts
2 thermal polyester long-sleeve shirts (Odor resistant)
2 pairs of joggers
1 pair of Nike thermal leggings
8 pairs of Nike Dri-Fit boxers (lost 1)
4 pairs of ankle socks
3 pairs of Darn Tough Merino wool blend socks (Highly recommend, Odor resistant)
1 parka
1 pair of Adidas Ultraboost shoes
1 Hershel toiletries bag
2 Forge cable combination locks
External battery pack (13000 mAh)
Bose QC-25 noise-canceling headphones
Over the course of the trip, I bought a much-needed 30L Patagonia day backpack
I don’t sweat heavily so I re-wore my shirts, the Merino wool blend socks, and joggers. I did my laundry maybe once or twice at the hostels. It was freezing at the time I went, so I usually layered up when temperatures were lower than usual.
Safety
I am a 6'1" (1.85 m) male with a light brown complexion. I felt safe most of my time there. I think it was the safest country I have ever been to. Some Japanese people are known to be racist but I didn’t experience it. So I wouldn’t worry about it.
Itinerary/Activities
Feb 9 Day 1 Tokyo Feb 10 Day 2 Tokyo Feb 11 Day 3 Tokyo (Day Trip to Odiaba/Yokohama) Feb 12 Day 4 Osaka Feb 13 Day 5 Osaka (Day Trip to Hime-ji Castle/Kobe) Feb 14 Day 6 Osaka (Day Trip to Nara) Feb 15 Day 7 Kyoto Feb 16 Day 8 Kyoto Feb 17 Day 9 Kyoto Feb 18 Day 10 Tokyo Feb 19 Day 11 Tokyo Feb 20 Day 12 Tokyo (Fly Out)
I will put a star (*) next to anything that I highly recommend! 2 stars are for more emphasis! I will list the accommodation first, then activities, and then bars/restaurants.
Tokyo - 3 Nights (Asakusa + Akihabara + Odaiba + Yokohama)
Lodging: Sakura Hostel Asakusa
Activities: *Tokyo National Museum, *Senso-ji Temple, Kaminarimon Gate, Nakamise-dori Street, *Sengaku-ji Temple, Hirose Entertainment Yard arcade, Animate Akihabara, **Mandarake Complex Akihabara, Tsukiji Outer Fish Market, TeamLabs Odaiba, Gundam Yokohama, NISMO Museum Yokohama, Nissan Headquarters Yokohama
Restaurants/Bars: Fuji Ramen Asakusa, Asakusa Unana, *Naruto Taiyaki, *Koyangi Asakusa, *Ouzakura Ramen Yokohama
Took a Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka
Osaka - 3 Nights (Kobe + Nara)
Lodging: Backstage Osaka Hostel
Activities: *Hime-ji Castle, *Kaiyukan Aquarium, Dontonbori, Shinsekai, Round 1 Stadium (arcade), *Nunobiki Waterfall Kobe, *Todai-ji Temple, *Nara Park, Kasuga Taisha Temple, Gilco Sign
Restaurants/Bars: *Wakakusa Curry Nara, *Nakatanidou Nara, *cafe CROCO Nara, Fanny Mae Bar Osaka, Rikuro’s Namba Main Branch, PC and Retro Bar Space Station, Bible Club Bar Osaka, Untitled karaoke bar next to Rock Bar Cherry Bomb lol, Takoyaki Wanaka Sennichimae Osaka, Sushi Dokoro Kuromonsuehiro Osaka, *Dotombori Ichiaki Osaka, *Hamamoto Coffee Himeji, Tairku Ramen Kobe
Took a Shinkansen bullet train from Osaka to Kyoto
Kyoto - 3 Nights (Day Trip to Uji)
Lodging: **Gojo Guesthouse
Activities: Otagi Nembutsu-ji Temple, Adashino Mayumura (closed when I arrived early), Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, *Tenryu-ji Temple, Togetsukyo Bridge, *Nishiki Market, *pocoapoco Record Store, Super Milk Record Store, *Fushimi Inari Taisha Temple Complex, *Byodo-In Temple Restaurants/Bars: *comorebi Ramen House, 茶室 tea room Uji, *Gion Duck Noodles, 自家製麺 うどん 讃式
Took a Shinkansen bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo - Saw a glimpse of Mount Fuji :’)
Tokyo - 2 Nights (Shinjuku + Shibuya + Akihabara)
Lodging: **Capsule Hotel Anshin Oyado Shinjuku Station (Males Only)
Activities: Tower Records Shinjuku, Disk Union Shinjuku, Mandarake Complex Shibuya, Nakano Broadway, Tokyo Dome for Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, *Shibuya Sky at Night, Tokyu Hands Shop
Restaurants/Bars: Ramen Kaijin, Shakey’s, McDonald’s, Ichiran Nakano
Tips, Advice, and Bonus Stuff!

1. Goes without saying but please respect the local customs.
   
2. Please learn how to say “Thank You” in Japanese! Just learning and using “Arigato” anywhere you go will make you seem like you care and respect everyone. Nothing was more embarrassing than watching an American say “thank you” to a Japanese person.
   
3. Plan to do the major tourist attractions early in the morning. You will get nice pictures without any tourists and you’ll sometimes get the whole temple complex to yourself. The staff will also be more friendly and willing to chat with you. I usually aim to be at temples around 7:00 when they open.
   
4. Use Google Translate for everything! You can have full conversations with friendly Japanese people when using the conversation feature on the app! Use the camera feature to translate Kanji at restaurants that do not offer an English menu.
   
5. Get a Ubigi data plan, I bought 10GB and it had good service anywhere I went. Get more GB if you plan on staying longer.
   
6. I ate at 7-Eleven most of the time when I was too lazy or tired to go out. The 7-Elevens here in Japan are nothing like the ones in the US. Expect to find high-quality sandwiches, Onigiri, and more Japanese snacks.
   
7. Shop at supermarkets near the end of the day (1 hour before closing) and they usually mark down prepped meals half-off or at a discounted price! If you really on a budget, this can help you to save a ton of money and still get a taste of the local cuisine.
   
8. If you need to buy random stuff like clothes, bags, or toiletries; go shop at any Don Quijote or Tokyu Hands department store. They have other shops too that are great to find cool stuff.
   
9. Use Google Translate to translate English to Kanji (Japanese) and use Kanji to find restaurants that are hidden because they don’t use English words. For example, if you want to find the best ramen place, search “拉麺” and you’ll find hidden gems with 5-star reviews!
   
10. The best souvenir I brought back myself was a Goshuincho. These are “honorable stamp/seal book” used by people visiting shrines or temples. If you want more info, google this! I highly recommend doing this!
    

If you have any questions, comment below or send a DM. Peace!

So I am trying to host a bridged access point from my laptop for my robot compute module. My Laptop runs on macOS which doesn't have support for the drivers of the wifi antenna I want to use to host the access point.
I would now like to use a debian VM via Virtual Box to host this access point to me. I setup the usb device to pass-through and set the network type to bridged. This gives my VM access to the institution network. This network is received on the VM as enp0s3. I using hostapd to host an access point. The antenna drivers are working and it's hosting the access point to the antenna interface w1x984827c80a05. When I now add a bridge on the vm in-between enp0s3 and w1x984827c80a05 I get a weird result. I can connect to the Access Point and get an assigned a IP by the DNS Server of institution network. However my VM and all connected devices have no internet access anymore.
My ip a:

1: l0:  mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN group default qlen 1000 link/loooback 00:00:00:00:00:00 br 00:00:00:00:00:00 inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo valid ft forever preferred Ift forever inet6::1/128 scope host valid _Ift forever preferred_lft forever 2: enpOs3: (BROADCAST, MULTICAST, UP,LOWER_UP› mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast master br1 state UP group det ault glen 1000 link/ether 08:00:27:1d:43:12 brdff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff 3: w1x984827c80a05: ‹BROADCAST.MULTICAST.UP.LOWER UP> mtu 1500 adisc ma master br1 state UP group de fault glen 1000 link/ether 98:48:27:c8:0a:05 brd##:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff 8: br1: (BROADCAST, MULTICAST, UP, LOWER_UP» mtu 1500 adisc noqueue state UP group default alen 1000 link/ether ba:6e:1b:06:05:26 brdff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff inet 10.5.12.97/20 br 10.5.15.255 scope global dynamic br1 valid_lft 1088sec preferred_lft 1088sec inetffeRo::herp:1hff:ferf:r5e/4 seene link valid Ift forever preferred Ift forever 

My /etc/network/interfaces file:

# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system # and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces (5) source /etc/network/interfaces.d/* # The loopback network interface auto lo iface lo inet loopback # The primary network interface iface enp0s3 inet manual iface wlx984827c80a05 inet manual auto br1 iface br1 inet dhcp bridge_ports wlx984827c80a05 enp0s3 

My /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf file:

interface=wlx984827c80a05 driver=n180211 bridge=br1 ssid=TestNetwork hw_mode=g channel=7 umm_enabled=0 macaddr_acl=0 auth_algs=1 ignore_broadcast_ssid=0 wpa=2 wpa_passphrase=MyPassword wpa_key_mgmt=WPA-PSK wpa_pairwise=TKIP rsn_pairwise=CCMP 

Both hostapd and networking service aren't throwing any errors.
Any Ideas?

Welcome to Green Valley

Four Merry Jaunts Through in the Bumpkin Quest Campaign

It’s a big world filled with far off folks who have far off problems. In the quaint farming town of Hills Furrow that has certainly not been the case. Here life is simple, local, and paced by the seasons. There ain’t been a need for “Venturers” and their ilk since your Papaw was just a sprout. However, the winds of change are blowin, and things are about to git just a bit more exciting round these parts.
Welcome to Green Valley, The down-home home of Rural Fantasy Misadventures and Grass-Roots Shenanigans. The Valley is Filled with Colorful Characters, Brimming with Odd Ball Neighbors, and has more than a few Local Yokels. Welcome to Bumpkin Quest. These adventures are intended to be a series of silly adventures that all go awry in some way or another and stir up trouble throughout a peaceful little village that has in many ways been overlooked by the troubles of the world “outside”.
CHAPTER 1: Green Tide CHAPTER 2: A Cartload of Chickens CHAPTER 3: Marvin the Magnificent CHAPTER 4: High Society
ADVENTURE MECHANICS - Target Character Level: Commoners - Level 1 - Target Party Size: Four Players - Average Adventure Playtime: 1-2 Hours - Tone: Rural Misadventures
I’ve also put these adventures into a PDF that includes our Bumpkin Quest: Campaign Guide which fills in the details of Green Valley pretty thoroughly. The quests are simple enough to be run in any setting you choose, but if you're interested in more the Guide as over a dozen Custom Maps, 70+ NPCs, Location Descriptions, 20+ Local Legends, and Scores of Adventure and Event Ideas. You can grab the PDF Free at the link above.

Hills Furrow

At the center of the Valley sits a patch of small grassy hills, through which the Slow Water meanders through. Built into these hills is the Village of Hills Furrow. Celebrated by everyone living in The Valley and boasting a whopping population of almost 150, Hills Furrow is the center of commerce and social importance. Well, at least as far as the locals are concerned. Realistically it would be less than a blip on the grand scale of things, a mere kernel of wheat in the silo of civilization, but to those who live here, there is nothing quite like living in the “city”.
The Village itself, like the Valley, is predominantly Halfling, and their fancy dwellings are burrowed into the hillsides as often as possible. These dwellings have been family owned for generations only becomeing available if there are no heirs to pass them along to. Other folk live in well kept two story shingled buildings, most of which house a business on the lower floor and house the Shopkeepers and their families above their workplaces, though a few live in nearby homes. There aren’t many “rental” spaces in town, as property is usually bought up quickly by the Halfling Families, but there are long term options at either of the Inns in town.
Hills Furrow: Locations 1) The Crocked Crow (Inn and Tavern) 2) The Dancing Lamb (Inn and Tavern) 3) The Moaning Toad (Tavern) 4) Granny's Groceries (General Market) 5) Get Nailed (Hardware and Distilery) 6) Gimdurh's Hammer (Smithy) 7) Brenra's Mechanicals (Tinker) 8) Hjoldren's Home Goods (Carpenter) 9) Standard Industries (Office) 10) Fit to be Dyed (Tailor) 11) The Last Loaf (Baker) 12) The Cloudy Cleaver (Butcher) 13) Nature's Medecine (Apothecary) 14) Sheriff's Office 15) Green Valley School House 16) The Waterwheel 17) The Windmill 18) The Undercloak Estate 19) Truefoot Burrow 20) The Meadows Family Hill
The people themselves are hospitable and friendly enough, but they do not really trust outsiders. Folks from foreign places are good for trade, news, and little else. Those that come through are treated well enough as long as they don’t wear out their welcome. Locals, well, that’s a bit of a different story. The city and area doesn’t operate under a written caste system or social structure, but there is clearly a pecking order, and family heritage matters a great deal to folks in Hills Furrow. Most locals, whether they’ve gotten an education or not, can easily be classified as simple. It isn’t that they are slow of mind or unintelligent, but more that they are unconcerned with matters the outside world considers important. This sentiment has created a general, but friendly, dislike between those that consider themselves Highfalutin and those that clearly are not.
Well now that I've given you the fifty cent tour. Shall we get on to adventure?

CHAPTER 1: Green Tide

We will open our journeys in the Green Valley at Green Tide, the annual celebration of Winter’s End. This adventure is designed to give a tour of Hills Furrow and introduce them to the locals. It will begin with some chores around their house to prepare for the festival and end with a battle involving an enchanted broom. If you did not do Session Zero, this chapter may take a bit longer as we get to know everyone and their characters.

ACT 1: Pre-Festival

The locals spend the week cleaning out their houses and farms. They gather old junk and unused items to be used later in the festival. They also begin preparing what food is left from winter to be used in a celebration and feasts.
Things to do! - Have the Players clean up junk around the house - Have them Find something strange (Perhaps used for a later mystery?) - Have them Decorate their Broom - Have them run a Household Errand (Meet an NPC)

ACT 2: Sweeping Day

A merry festival celebrating Spring cleaning and putting the past behind them. They form a parade, with one member from each house carrying a brightly decorated broom and using it to symbolically “Sweep Away Winter”. The rest of the family marches their winter’s trash and unused goods down to the Fairgrounds. The goods are often traded, while the trash is piled in the fire pit to await burning later. The entire day is filled with fun outdoor activities. Households also symbolically bring their problems to the bonfires to burn them later.
Things to do! - March in the Parade - Carry Junk to the Bonfire - Meet more of the Locals
EVENT: I Love a Parade
The parade will march North from near the Cross Roads in the South up around the hill and back again to the South where it will head for the Fairgrounds. There isn’t anything particularly challenging about this event, but it would be a wonderful place to start leaning into or building local rivalries.
EVENT: Never Seen a Broom Do That… As they come into the home stretch of the Parade one of the local’s Brooms will animate and take off. It will chase folks around the parade. The players can attempt to stop it, but the broom will flee soon after being attacked. It will fly up into the air, attack a flock of geese, and chase them off until it can’t be seen anymore. They can go and collect a fallen goose if they wish. I highly recommend giving it a motorcycle type sound as it flies around hitting folks. Maybe even going as far as giving it a rough gravel angry voice and letting it insult people.

ACT 3: Winter’s End

Winter’s End is a Combination of Groundhog’s Day and Fasnacht, this day gets a little wild. The Festival kicks off at dawn with the Great Gopher Hunt. Gophers are well known spies for The Voice of Winter and thus need to be hunted before they can tell The Voice to delay Spring. Gophers themselves are quite tasty, and are notoriously bad for crops, so this works out economically all around. Throughout the rest of the day families continue to contribute to the Bonfire Pile which often gets quite large. At dusk a large effigy of The Voice of Winter is placed on top of the pile. Once the sun has fully set they light the fire and burn the Effigy. Folk usually dress darkly during the day and brightly at night. After the burning they feast on sweets and treats that were made from goods saved up from winter storage.
Things to do! - The Great Gopher Hunt - Carry Junk to the Bonfire - Meet more of the Locals - The Fairground’s Activities
EVENT: The Great Gopher Hunt The Hunt begins at dawn and takes place all over the Valley. Locals race to collect as many Gophers as possible. It is easiest to kill the Gopher, but there are some that find that distasteful. Instead they live trap the critters. It is a bit tougher to do so, but an option should your players wish. This is most easily played out as a series of appropriate Skill Checks, in which the higher they score the more gophers they obtain.
EVENT: Trash Removal They may find some locals willing to pay them to help cart junk down to the bonfire pile. Not a lot of skill involved in this, but it is a great opportunity to meet locals, and you could throw a runaway cart at them.
Fair Activities They will probably want to take part in Fairground Activities. Players love these types of challenges. Here are a few ideas you can build on. - Axe Throwin: Basic attack rolls on a Round Target. Higher scores equal Higher points. - Bow Shootin: Basic attack rolls on Moving Targets. Higher scores equal Higher points. - Pig Chasin: Catch the greased Pig! Medium DC Challenge requiring three success before three Failures. - Mud Wrastlin: Nothing says bumpkin like a good Mud Wrastlin Pit. Contested Skill Challenges. - Sausage Eating Contest: Increasingly difficult DC Challenge. Eat till you puke! Can also be Pies or Ribs or Little Fish… you know whatever someone wants to stuff dozens of in their gullet. - Tug O’War: Team Strength Challenge. Three to Five Contested Rolls with opposing teams. - Gopher BBQ Cook Off: A Hard Culinary Challenge to see who can BBQ the best Gopher! - Races: Foot and Mount Races based on Three to Five Contested Rolls. I usually include a few odd mounts like a Giant Chicken or some such nonsense.

ACT 4: Day of Ashes

The Day of Ashes is a day of rest, recovery, and reflection. Locals take the ashes from the bonfires and rub their hands in them to symbolize the end of a hard year’s work and hardships of the past. The day ends with a large family feast, typically Pork. Activities this day are light, but many folks head to the Temple for the Calling of Spring Blessings. They put on their fancies and head down to ask forgiveness for over-indulging in the festival and for worship. Well sort of…
Unfortunately, a lot of folks take this as an opportunity to peacock about and practice their one-upmanship over other locals. If you’re looking for inspiration for their outfits look to older photos of the Kentucky Derby. Over the years this troubling practice has caused more than one fight to break out after the service.
*Things to do! * - Go to Temple and Meet More Locals - Pick a Local Patron!
EVENT: Temple Services
The majority of the town comes to Temple on this day. The service is usually longer, and a bit more “Where have most of you been all year?” But otherwise it is a call for the Divine Blessings to touch their crops and protect their lives. It ends with a ceremony in which the locals put their hands into the ashes from yesterday’s bonfire. Once services end they will head outside, where the trouble will begin. Two of the wealthier families will get into it with each other. Starting with a couple of veiled insults, probably before service and continuing afterward. If one of your players is from a local Rich Folk family then they can be right in the middle of it all, otherwise they will have to pick a side. This choice will determine their house Patron moving forward. Tension will increase until folks start drawing up sides, and then someone will throw a rotten tomato at one of the House Matrons. That will blow the lid off the incident and a yokel brawl will break out. For comedy purposes I recommend the instant appearance of several food carts filled with expired products, and maybe a six year old hustler selling big sticks for wacking folks with. As the locals brawl call for perception checks. Who ever rolls highest begins to hear… The Broom returning!
ENCOUNTER: Stick In The Eye
The broom returns ready to whoop some ash. It will be absolutely bent on cleaning anyone and everyone who is even the slightest bit dirty! If it successfully attacks a character they will have to make a Strength Saving throw or be knocked to the ground and swept clean by the broom. As this would be an awful omen for the year folks are terrified and will be running around screaming. Absolute mass hysteria. If the players were lucky enough to hear it coming they can avoid being surprised by the broom. Otherwise the broom will get a full round to attack before they have a chance to do anything. They’ll have to beat the broom into submission any way they can before it sweeps the whole town into chaos!

CLOSING

After defeating the broom things will settle back down again. Bumpkins are quick to return to normal when things go awry. However, they will have gotten the attention of one of the Wealthy Families in the area and be offered jobs. Which family is really, based on what will work best for them and you as the DM. For gags you might be tempted to have the Yokels pick them up, but that is a hard bit to sustain, and you may be better served keeping them on the side as a comic foil rather than up front. Completely up to you. The session should end with them being invited to meet their new patron tomorrow someplace important.

CHAPTER 2: A Cartload of Chickens

After successfully defeating the Enchanted Broom, our Bumpkins have gained the attention of a possible local Patron. This individual has summoned them to a nearby farm to discuss future work. That work includes proving themselves capable and not just lucky.

ACT 1: Meet the Boss

In this Act the players will meet with their new patron, one of the Family Heads, who that is entirely depends on their choices from the last game. This entire side branch is designed to flavor the background of the campaign, but if you’d rather just have them stay freelancing and independent that’s fine as well. There is also the possibility of “competing” offers should they have second thoughts for any reason. Once they arrive at the meeting spot their Patron will ask them some questions about their ambitions (Class Goals), they will then hand them off to their new “boss” who will assign them their task. They will take them to a nearby barn.
NEW NPC: “Boss”
Needs a fitting name for the Family they work for...
Character wise, what we got here is a standard “Ranch Foreman” character. They’re tough, A little mean, and completely loyal to their employer. They almost certainly chew tobacco (by the handful), have a tattoo of the Ranch’s Brand, and know where all the bodies are buried. They also have a huge and obvious scar on the side of their head where a Giant Chicken pecked a hole in their skull, so they’re not as bright as they used to be, not at all truthfully. Nor are they actually the Foreman anymore, but no one has a heart to tell them. They’ve been quietly downgraded to Chicken Handler, which is something they seem to remember quite well, but the brain damage keeps them from realizing all that. They can be found wandering the Farm giving strange orders to other Hands. These Hands nod politely and then go back to what they are doing.
Things To Do! - Meet Their Patron - Discuss Their Future - Meet Their New “Boss”

ACT 2: Chicken Dance

Boss will lead them into the odd looking barn. This building is filled with Giant Chickens. These two-three foot fouls have extremely exaggerated features, spiky looking beaks with sharp tooth like edges, big darting eyes, bumpy cracked skin, long gnarled talons, and dirty mottled feathers. They’re more beast than bird. But, they’re good for eatin! These creatures should have a stat block similar to an Axe Beak. When the players enter into the Barn the Chickens will go nuts, obviously deeply bothered by the intrusion. Boss will throw in some deer haunches and the birds will tear them apart in a feeding frenzy. They will then put on a Chicken Suit and begin a flapping dance. (Google Magnificent Riflebird) It should be absolutely captivating and the chickens will become mesmerized, watching every move. Boss will then load two dozen chickens onto a large wagon and lock it. They will have the players push the wagon out while he keeps the Chickens calm. Once outside they’ll hang heavy tarps on the sides of the wagon, and remove the suit. He will then explain to them that they need to keep the tarps on the wagon, and keep the birds well fed, or the chickens will get restless and become violent. When they do need to interact with them someone will have to wear the suit and dance to keep them calm. The bigger the person in the suit the better. Boss will then give them a Map of Green Valley and instruct them to drop off two chickens at each of the outer settlements. They have two days to get this done.
Things To Do! - Head into the barn - Witness The Dance of The Chicken - Push the Wagon out - Get the Costume and Delivery Instructions

ACT 3: Bumpy Roads

They will be off to deliver the Chickens to various locations. There is no specific order to this delivery, they just need to pick a route and go. If they’re short on time they can take the country roads that lead between the outer settlements, but these aren’t as well kept as the main roads are. Whatever road they take and wherever they decide to stop for the night there are problems they will encounter along the way. You can make them random or pick the ones that best suit your players. Most of these should at some point require someone putting on the suit and dancing for the chickens to keep them calm. I would also increase the difficulty of each event. If they fail a dance the Chickens will become restless and start attacking the cart until they are calmed down. Too many failures and the wagon’s cage will break and the remaining chickens escape. They will then have to be rounded up and the cage repaired.
Things to Do - Decide the delivery route - Deliver the chickens - Keep the Chickens calm
Possible Road Events 1) Rough roads cause problems 2) Yokels attempt to see what’s in the cart 3) Bad Weather swamps the road or scares the chickens 4) Pack of Coyotes causes trouble. 5) Chicken Rustlers! Protect the Flock! 6) Wagon breaks and needs repair 7) Cows in the road, someone’s herd is out. 8) Broken Bridge, not gone, just broken

ACT 4: Final Delivery

They’re now closing in on the final delivery. Something needs to happen here to cause them to put the suit on. Or maybe they never took it off! I love that idea, that one of your players just loves the suit and wants to be a chicken… lol… Anyway I’m a fan of having them need to get out of the suit for some reason, maybe a bathroom break, or they stand on a fire ant hill, or a snake slithers up their leg. You know something silly and fun. BUT the zipper is stuck! So they’ll have to try and unstick it and fast! Whatever happens they’re going to get shot at by some hunters looking for a big score who have mistaken the flailing caused by the stuck zipper to be the chicken attacking. After dealing with the Hunters they can go ahead and make the final drop. And head home.
Things to Do! - Head for the final delivery - Get shot at! - Deliver the last chickens
ENCOUNTER: That’s a BIG Chicken!
Having two hunters in the field is more than enough to cause a problem for the players. The hunters will almost certainly surprise the players, but you can allow them a perception check, if they succeed they’ll see the hunters just before the muskets go off. It would be OK to down the Chicken Player here if the hunters successfully hit it. They’ll have healer’s kits on hand because, well, this seems to happen to them a lot out here. After the initial attack the players can decide to attack back or try and talk the hunters down. A basic Bandit or Scout stat block should do will for the hunters. If you’re looking for a bit more mayhem, if the hunters miss the players you could have them hit the cage, and you know, bust it open. This may be especially tempting if they
POSSIBLE ENCOUNTER: Big Ol' Frog
So there is a giant frog hiding in the mud down in the creek. If a player takes cover behind the banks there is a good chance that the frog will attempt to nab the player as a snack. If it is successful in grabbing a player with its tongue it will immediately head down river, and they'll have to chase it to get their friend back.

CLOSE

When they return, Boss will reward them. How much will depend on how successful they were delivering the birds. If they did a descent job, they will be paid two day’s wages each. If they were completely successful they can have a bonus. However, if the wagon is in bad shape they might have some money deducted. After they’re paid out, they will be dismissed, and told to expect a new assignment next week.

CHAPTER 3: Marvin the Magnificent

After successfully delivering chickens Boss is going to trust them with a more important task. Their employer has requested an item to be created by Marvin the Magnificent. This is a farming community so having enchanted Farming Equipment is extremely desirable. Marvin has done a lot of basic enchantments over the years, but this new one, an The Stone Skipper, a plough whose blade goes ethereal while in contact with stones too large to push away, has really put him to the test. He needs some help with the final enchantments. The players will have to travel to the Ethereal Plane and hit the Blade of the plow with large rocks. But there’s a problem, they’re going to have mischievous Ethereal Sprites attempting to stop them! If they’re successful, which they should be, they get to take the plough for a test drive, and deal with the strange side effects of the enchantment. Angry goats that blink in and out of existence.

ACT 1: To the Tower

They’ll be summoned out to the Ranch where they’ll meet with Boss again. Once there they will notice a large pile of bent and dinged up plows. Boss will explain to them that a recent land acquisition has become problematic. The Fields are filled with large stones just under the topsoil and they’ve damaged a lot of Plow Blades. The Smithing costs are getting out of hand and so their Patron is looking for an alternate solution to the problem. He is sending them to help Marvin the Magnificent, who has taken the job, but run into some complications and needs some help. They may ask about Marvin. Or perhaps the fields that were purchased, so be ready to answer these types of questions. Once they’re done here they can head to Marvin’s Tower, which is just north of town.
Things to Do! - Meet Boss again - Ask some Informational Questions - Head for the Tower
NPC: Marvin the Magnificent

ACT 2: Marvin the Magnificent

As they approach the tower they should see an explosion at the peak of the structure. It should look similar to a fireworks mishap. When it clears there will be no visible damage to the tower, But Marvin will plummet to the earth just off to the side of them, landing in a small pond. He will then come charging out of the pond, laughing hysterically, and riding on a large turtle. Once he gets a few feet away from the pond the turtle will disappear and he will tumble to the ground right in front of the players. He will leap up quickly and turn toward the players. “Behold Travelers, You stand in the presence of Marvin the Magnificent! And everything you have witness was mostly intended!” He will then strike a cool pose with his wand pointed to the sky! “Now why do you approach my tower!?”
Once Marvin finds out they’ve been sent about the plow he will become more nervous looking. “I see, well follow me. We have work to do.” He will then start walking toward the tower… his boots squishing out water. This should give them a little time to ask a few questions. Marvin will be a little subversive about what they need to do. He will attempt to frame it very mysteriously, saying things like “All will be revealed soon.” and “Save your questions! All Answers await us… in the future!” If they ask him about what they witnessed outside, he will tell them he was working on a mount summoning spell designed for lakes and rivers.
Things to Do! - Head toward the Tower - Meet Marvin - Ask Questions

ACT 3: The Cabinet of Mysteries

The inside of the Wizard’s Tower will be far more mundane than they likely expect. At least on the first floor. It will have a sitting room, dining room, and kitchen, as well as a few odds and ends about. Nothing special at all. The second floor, are Marvin’s personal quarters and some room for study, but it is the third floor, where Marvin will lead them, and it will be more of what one would expect in a Wizard’s tower. There will be books shelves, arcane equipment, and storage for components. In the middle of the room will be a tall cabinet.
:
Marvin will explain to them that the Cabinet is a transportation device, and that he will need them to enter into it with a plow that he has recently enchanted. They will be taken to the Ethereal Plane, and once there they’ll need to take the plow outside and begin hitting it with large field stones. There is a large pile of stones just on the north edge of the tower. They’ll have to do this quickly, before the “others” show up. Who are the others? Hard to say, but there are things that live in the Ethereal Plane that don’t like intruders. The idea is to imbue the Plow with Ethereal Powers so it can pass through large stones while plowing fields. Once they return with the Enchanted Plow, Marvin will have them load it on a cart, pulled by a very smart Donkey, and send them on their way.
Skill Challenge: Enchant the Plow This skill challenge will require five successes before they’re incapacitated by the others. However they decide to do it, they’ll have to successfully hit the plow with five large stones. Failures will result in strange indiscernible entities attacking them. They do minimal damage but could knock people out if there are enough failures.
Things to Do! - Move Through Marvin’s Tower - Enter the Cabinet - Enchant the Plow

ACT 4: Blinking Goats

Upon returning to Boss with the Plow they will be happily greet and paid. Their Patron will be there and will be very pleased with their success. He will ask them to demonstrate the plow’s abilities. Once they get set up out in the field and begin plowing something weird will happen. Every time they hit a stone and the plow’s power activates an Ethereal Goat will manifest and kick or ram the plow, and then disappear. It will feel very similar to what they encountered in the Ethereal Plane. They’ll have to find a way to deal with the manifestations.
ENCOUNTER: Ethereal Goats These goats should function very similarly to Blink Dogs, but I would trim the HP and AC a little to put them in line with the party’s. They will be intent on breaking the Plow not the party, although they will attack the party if they can’t get to the Plow.
Things to Do! - Deliver the Plow - Drive the Plow - Defeat the Ethereal Goats

CLOSE

Once defeated the Boss will come over to yell at them, but the Patron will find the entire thing amusing and more importantly, another impressive demonstration of the player’s skills. He will invite them to the “House” for an important party next week.

Chapter 4: High Society

They've definitely been noticed now and have impressed with their ability, unconventional as it may be. They are invited to their patron's home, but not as guests. Though, they might think they were actually invited as guests! They have been brought in to help work the event held out at the Party Field. They will have to gather party supplies, help put up the tent, and then serve the actual guests. During the evening’s entertainment a hypnotist “The Great Dr Hypnotika” will mesmerize the crowd and attempt to rob them all. Hopefully the players don’t fall victim to her schemes. And if they do oh well, they’ll be entertained all the same.

ACT 1: Special Delivery

The players arrive at the Patron’s very nice property. They will be greeted by a properly dressed servant with a clipboard, the Party Planner. The Planner will be rigid and direct. They will immediately begin tasking them about. If they mention that they were invited to the party the servant will laugh “You didn’t think you were a guest? Oh dear, how embarrassing. You’re the help! It is still a great honor to be tasked to help at the Party, but you’re not guests. Now as for your current task. Head into town and gather these supplies. Bring them to the field by noon.” After the instructions are given the servant will go back to their tasks and expect the players to do the same. They will have three stops; The Crocked Crow for Food and Beer, Get Nailed for the Tent and Spirits, and Shalana Proud-Breed’s Tailor Shop to pick up the Dry Cleaning. Feel free to make any and all of these go sideways! Its a good place to toss in some shenanigans as well! They should also be introduced to Dr Hypnotika and her associates.
Things To do! - Go to their Patron’s Home - Meet the Party Planner and Dr Hypnotika - Run their Errands
NPC: Dr Hypnotika
Dr Hypnotika and her group will perform for the party. Hypnotica is a Tiefling Mezmerist and illusionist. She has an obnoxiously high charisma and some pretty serious skills to back up her claims. However, she uses those skills to beguile her guests, robbing them blind while they are under her spells. She wears a fine robe with a bedazzled headwrap. She has dark upward spiraling horns, light purple skin, and matching eyes. She wears a monocle and walks with a ceremonially carved staff depicting the "Struggles of the Universe". She is extremely persuasive and even more deceptive. Even if someone were to grow suspicious she can easily talk her way out of trouble.
NPCs: Clapper and Bob Hypnotika brings with her two assistants. Clapper the suit wearing Kenku who will perform wondrous displays of mimicry and slight of hand, and her strongman Bob the Kobold. Bob wears a leopard print strongman's outfit and is amazingly swole, particularly for a kobold, and capable of lifting upwards of 400lbs. Bob doesn't do much else other than get hit with things. in the act.

ACT 2: Put up the Tent

After they finish running their errands they will be tasked with putting up a large party tent. This Act is an ongoing Skill Challenge and should have a constantly distracted feel to it. First they have to unpack the tent. Then they have to realize some pieces are missing, they’ll have to form a solution to that problem. After that wind should cause some problems as the tent is at least being pulled up. This is a great moment for some wondrous tom-foolery.
Things To do! - Unpack the tent - Deal with missing parts - Secure the tent during the wind gusts

ACT 3: Put These On

After they finish putting up the tent they’ll be sent to the Servant’s Quarters to bathe and change. They’ll get a little time to explore and snoop if they wish. Afterward they’ll be tasked with helping in the kitchen, but unfortunately the cooks are going to have been playing a drinking game all afternoon and are no longer fully capable of doing their jobs. This would make a great moment for some sort of mini-game where the players have to determine whether or not the cooks are doing the right things. Once the dinner has been completed they will have to serve the guests. This is a good place to insert gossip and help them meet a few other folks.
Things To do! - Get changed for the party - Deal with the drunk cooks - Serve the guests drinks and food

ACT 4: An Evening to Remember

At some point in the evening things are going to start sliding downhill. Some of the locals will have become extremely inebriated and will need to be encouraged to leave, or just moved off to the side as they’ve already passed out, before the show begins. Once the show begins the locals will become fixated on the goings on. “The Great Dr Hypnotika” will have put an additive in the drinks for the that will make everyone more susceptible to her powers of persuasion. Once the show starts she will have them all doing silly things, those who drank have disadvantage on saves against her powers. She will end the show asking the guests to display their most valuable treasure, a with a hypnotic pattern and then send her assistants out to collect those treasures. The players will have to “do something” about the thieves.
Things To do! - Deal with Drunks - Watch the Show - Stop the Criminals
ENCOUNTER: Hypnotika's Gang This encounter doesn't have to be a fight. If Hypnotika is caught she may claim it was all part of the act and simple return the valuables with a "no harm, no foul" type attitude. This will be he go to in an attempt to avoid a fight, but if the character persist in some kind of retribution or punishment the situation will devolve into a combat. Hypnotica herself is an Illusionist Wizard but is low on spells after the show. Clapper is a low level rogue and Bob a Barbarian, and should play out as such. Even with Skills they are combat adverse and will be looking for an opportunity to flee rather than fight. They do have a getaway wagon out front that they'll be headed for if things go south.

CLOSING

We’re assuming the Bumpkins at least attempted to stop the robbery. This will draw a lot of attention to them. Their Patron will be well pleased with them, and let them know they will be getting much more important jobs in the future. The guests will also take note and will begin treating them all a bit better. They’re all essentially Folk Heroes at this point for secondary backgrounds. Their Patron should reward them with something very nice as the party kicks back in. They will need to finish out the nights work of course.

Quest-line Closing

Congratulations! Your Players have completed their first Quest-line! Hopefully it was a delightful experience. But now that they've finished what comes next? Well, here are some ideas.
*Reward Them! * They've been doing some rather Adventurous things lately, and therefore should now have a Class Level under their belt, so the real D&D world now opens to them! Maybe it is time for some real adventuring gear. No more sticks, stones, and burlap sack armor.
Folk Heroes? There's a good chance that the Valley is Speaking the News about them and their exploits while drinking in the taverns. They may have even earned the actual Folk Hero Feat! Maybe someone would be interested in giving them a task!
Simply Go Exploring! There are a lot of places in Green Valley that we only dipped our toes into. You could have them head down to Stinkmarsh, or maybe climb up the cliffs of Longridge. The world (Well, the Valley) is wholly open to them.
Explore Local Legends There are lots of local legends they can look into! Hopefully they search out something that isn't too far over their heads!
Continue Working for their Patron It would be an easy DM go to simply to have them continue working for their current Patron. They've probably been impressive enough fo a family to be interested in keeping them on.
Establish Themselves as Adventurers! Maybe they want to set up a Adventurers for Hire business? This "Heroes Guild" approach is really appealing to a lot of players and absolutely plays into Bumpkin Quest. Just remember, this is a place of low key problems that locals make really big deals out of. So the idea of slaying dragons shouldn't really be on the table... that is until an actual dragon shows up! Which one day absolutely should.

First Previous
Chapter 14: A Pleasant Game of Skirmish
Due to the distance between Earth and Cradle, multiple jumps were required. As such, major worlds in between the two points were designated and added to the jump list. While it extended the time it would take to get there, it would be worth it to gather more information on humanity. When jumping into a system, the Into the Black would do a detailed scan on every major planet, circling them if need be. Each system would take hours to record, but the new potential discoveries more than made up for it.
Meanwhile, life on the ship continued. Vigil in particular found himself wandering the upper decks, as Glevar had forbidden him from “escorting” Irudo while he was at work. Hesitant at first, Vigil left, believing he was in capable hands. Now, with no purpose, he was left to his own devices.
Thoughts of the garden kept popping up in his mind. Wishing to sate his curiosity, he gradually made his way over to it. Passing through the checkpoint, he was greeted with a wall of greenery. Small paths meandered through the small forest, while larger paths ringed the exterior.
Picking one of the smaller paths at random, Vigil walked down it, surrounded by life and serenity. The vegetation was both alien and yet familiar at the same time. Large trees with rough brown bark stretched upwards, topped by green leaves. Some were not completely the same as Earth vegetation, however.
Some of the tree trunks had a much darker, reddish hue, and wicked looking spikes lining them. While others had red or even purple leaves. Those with spikes had signs with foreign words set in the ground beside them, adorned by artwork depicting a mouth eating the tree with a large X. Going by this, Vigil assumed they were not edible. Why anyone wanted to eat the trees, he could not fathom. Apparently, though, the signs did not pertain to the wildlife transplanted onto the ship. A small creature with eyes nearly as large as its head, a jet black body covered in fur, and a long bushy tail, sat munching on the leaves of the tree. All the while staring at Vigil, curious as to who was intruding on its lunch.
Another oddity was the “grass”, if one could call it that. The plant in question blanketed the forest floor. It was bluish green with razor thin blades, more filament than proper leaf. Though it was extremely thin, it grew so dense that fallen debris, such as leaves and twigs, seemed to float above it.
Possibly deadly tree’s and strange grass aside… it was… enjoyable. It was nice to be so far away from war, yet confusing at the same time. He had no purpose here, no reason. Was it truly fine for him to stop? To lie down his sword, so to speak?
A beautiful flower off the path caught his eye. It had yet to unfurl its white petals for the day. Wanting to observe the flower in greater detail, Vigil stepped off the path and walked over. He kneeled down before it, taking in every aspect of its design. He reached out and stroked a petal. He did so agonizingly slow and gentle, yet even that was not enough to prevent harm to the frail life before him.
His finger ripped away one of the pure white petals, revealing a crimson red interior. Liquid, whether nectar or something else, leaked from the injury. It too was red, blood red. Surprised, he stood quickly. He did not want to harm the small flower further. Turning away, he paused. He saw his tracks, deep and obtrusive to the natural scenery. Wherever he walked, he had brought death to the surrounding life. Crushing the small filament like vegetation that covered the ground, killing it with each step.
He was reminded then, what his purpose was. He was a weapon, nothing more, nothing less. His purpose was to stand ready, so when the Nemesis came, these new people could wield him. Until he met his end, his purpose was to fight and kill. Forgetting this only brought harm to the world around him, and those existing peacefully within it. He walked back to the path, retracing his steps so to no bring further harm to those undeserving of it. He went back down the path to where he had come and left the garden and all the life within. Lest he bring death to them as well.
-
Elsewhere on the ship, Hran was forbidden from strenuous activity, being injured as he was. Which meant that he was practically useless in the engineering department. Thus, he was given a few of the data banks to work on.
He normally wasn’t able to pick up anything heavy as is, but now he wasn’t even allowed to so much as think of lifting anything that weighed more than him. Since he usually tinkered on things, he had created a sort of nest in the back of the large engineering bay. So, secluded in his little hideaway, he rummaged around in the data banks. Hoping for something useful.
While technically every scrap of information was crucial, he was finding fairly basic things. Knowledge that even the average denizen of the GU knew. Skipping this data bank, he moved on to another, and struck gold. Well, gold to him anyway. The importance of his finding would be graded by his superiors at a later date.
When he had opened the data bank, he had found hundreds of thousands of hours of footage. Not like communicator footage someone would record when something exciting happened, but of combat footage! Combat footage with the Nemesis! If they wanted to learn about the Nemesis and their tactics, this was the best way, aside from Vigil.
Opening the first file, Hran was immediately met with the sounds of gunfire and explosions. He quickly turned down the volume, afraid someone had heard. When no one came snooping, he relaxed and resumed the video.
The gunfire resumed, and a human male barked out some strange words and the wearer of the camera looked to the side. Hran’s eyes widened. He saw only men, dozens of battle-hardened and experienced soldiers. They were in some kind of natural depression in the dirt. Lines of men were running hunched over, keeping their heads low. All around them was dust and smoke, obscuring their view of the battlefield, but they fought regardless. Peeking from above the clouds of dust, were burned and blasted out buildings.
Then, suddenly, a man in armor ravaged by battle pointed behind the soldier with the camera and raised his weapon. The camera whipped around to see several terrifying four armed creatures dashing out of the smoke. Though the human men were already taller than him by several centias, the Nemesis towered over them. They did not hesitate though. They did not run or shirk their duty; they met the charging aliens head on.
Soldiers before the cameraman fired and were cut down by both blade and gun. The Nemesis seemed to favor holding a firearm in their upper two arms and blades in their lower two. Given the close proximity, Hran could see the advantage.
But the humans did not back away, they held their ground. Every bullet or bolt of energy caused the Nemesis to shine at the impact site. Hran ogled the works of engineering. They had personal energy shields! A man directly in front of the cameraman ducked under the blades of one attacker, and shoved the barrel of his weapon into the Nemesis’ side, and pulled the trigger. Circumventing the shield.
The Nemesis roared in pain and outrage, and cut the man in half. Hran choked back vomit. The viscera and gore were not censored of course, giving him a front-row seat to the brutality of war.
The unknown soldier’s death would not be in vain. The cameraman and another soldier rushed the wounded alien and tackled it. The man with the helmet cam straddled the creature and pressed his weapon directly into the underside of the Nemesis’ four eyed helmet.
Hran looked away as brain matter and yellowish alien blood explode from the now dead Nemesis. He felt sick to his stomach watching the battle. This wasn’t some make believe fantasy, some fictional war movie. This was real footage from real people struggling to survive just one more day. Yet… he couldn’t stop watching.
The soldier was back up, and continued to fight, but his time did not last. Another Nemesis took the place of the first, and now it was the cameraman’s turn to be cut down. Hran watched as the world turned sideways, and crimson blood painted the soil. The soldier did not stir. And all the while, the Nemesis and human warriors continued to battle eachother, staining the sandy colored soil with their blood. The video ended soon after the soldier’s death.
Hran was stunned. He had never seen anyone die. And now he had just witnessed the death of dozens. He was lightheaded, and his stomach ached. He gulped down the bile which threatened to pour from his mouth. Humanity had given their lives in defense of an undeserving galaxy. It was because of them he and his people were alive today.
He would bear witness to their final moments and learn all he could. So that if the Nemesis came, they would be ready. Steeling himself, Hran clicked on the next file. Great cannons the size of skyscrapers fired, parting the clouds in waves. As the clouds split, an endless sea of ships were revealed descending from the skies. Hran prepared himself to witness even more death and carnage than before.
-
Kitern was fuming. She understood Tentzonta’s worries, because she herself was wary of Vigil when they first let him wander as he pleased. But after he had literally carried her to safety, that opinion had changed drastically. Vigil was a soldier, just like her. She had killed people in the line of duty, yet no one feared her. Well, maybe a little, but it wasn’t because she had spilled blood. More because of her charming personality.
To top it all off, her damn arm was aching from not being moved in so long. Some might say she was overreacting, but having her arm in a sling felt more like she was being caged, like she was being tied down. It was unnatural to have her body hindered like this.
Of course, it was for her own health. Klofaa had scanned her arm and made certain nothing was broken. The blow had simply dislocated her shoulder and pressed it against the main nerve in her arm, preventing her from being able to move it. Once her shoulder had been re-set, she was able to move it like normal. But that wasn’t enough for Klofaa. She wanted to make absolutely certain Kitern was in no danger, so forced this stupid sling on her.
The feeling in her chest, of being confined and restricted, kept increasing. It was irritating, to say the least. She wanted to blow off some steam, but there wasn’t much she could do with one hand. Kitern paused. She did like watching sports. She could try to start a game of bailok between the crew?
She shook her head and continued walking. No, that required too much work for her to only sit on the sidelines. Besides, most of the crew wouldn’t bother participating. She wondered if Vigil knew any sports? She was sure plenty of people would be interested in playing a human sport.
“Hmmm,” she hummed and scratched her jaw. She couldn’t imagine Vigil playing anything. Even if he did, he would have to play against other mega bipeds, otherwise, he would absolutely destroy the average biped like her. She laughed suddenly. ‘Imagine their faces when they realize the person who whooped their asses is a guy! They would never be able to live that down!’ she thought. The image of a bunch of whiney bailok players came to mind. They already fell over at the slightest touch. If Vigil ran into one of them, armor or not, he would pulverize them.
She stopped again, an idea coming to her. Forget sports like bailok, what about skirmish? It was a simple game, but a blast to play and watch. Easy to set up, too. All you needed was an energy rifle with a dampener on the end to lower its power and a sensor to ping whenever the laser hit. They had all the ingredients they just needed to put them together.
She knew Asteli would jump at the opportunity to play. The spunky Venanian absolutely loved the game. Gre’Namra would follow along with her, and she could always order Onsa and Dentala if they didn’t want to join. She could even play with one arm if she wanted, skirmish laser dampeners worked on nearly all energy weapons after all. The only hard part would be finding everyone.
Grinning, she got to work scouring the ship.
-
Vigil was peacefully watching the blackness of space, his mind set at ease by the void. Something that many found unsettling. The Into the Black was scanning another system, on its way to Cradle. He didn’t recognize it, which was a small blessing. He kept recalling the past and his purpose as of late. Looking at the dead husk of a world he and his brethren had spilled their blood over would do no good.
“FOUND HIM!” a familiar voice screamed, loud enough to scare some of the nearby crew. The observation deck had, well, observation windows to look out into space. In this case, Vigil was at the very end of the large main corridor which ran the length of the ship. As Deck One held numerous amenities for the crew, it was frequented by many. Thus, there were more than a few startled faces.
Vigil turned as Asteli came bounding up to him with Gre’Namra following close behind. “Hey big guy! Captain wants you!”
Vigil looked down at her, “I will report to the bridge immediately,” he replied.
“Not that captain. Commander Kitern,” Gre’Namra clarified, stepping in front of him.
Vigil tilted his head. “Understood. Where am I needed?”
“In the hangar bay! Come on, you’re going to love this!” Asteli practically sang, as she went behind him and attempted to push him along. Her efforts were futile. She simply walked in place, feet slipping on the deck plates. She grunted in excretion. “Come on!”
“Affirmative. I will report to commander Kitern at once.” He stepped forward, causing Asteli to lose her balance and almost fall. Gre’Namra reached out to help stabilize her, before they began following Vigil to the lift.
As soon as the lift doors opened, Asteli rushed out screaming, “I found him!” Before she and Gre’Namra ran into the locker room. Vigil marched orderly to the hanger bay, to find the rest of the marines idly standing around in their armor on the edge of a symmetrical field of crates and containors. Strange black devices decorated their armor. One side was flat to adhere to their armor, while the other had a slight bulge. They were stuck at intervals, correlating with vital areas.
Vigil walked up to Kitern. “Has there been an emergency?”
She shook her head. “If me being pissed as hell counts, then yes. Otherwise, no, there hasn’t been. We’re setting up for a game of skirmish. That’s what the sensors are for,” she said, pointing a claw at a device on Dentala’s helmet, nestled between her horns.
“What is skirmish?” Vigil asked.
“It’s a game you play to simulate a firefight. You put the sensors on your chest, back, head, arms, and legs.” She lifted a laser pistol with a bright blue block on the end of the barrel. “Then you put a dampener on an energy weapon of your choice and shoot eachother. The dampener lowers the power of the beam so that it can’t kill you, just trigger the sensors. It takes five shots to ‘kill’ someone, two if you shoot them in the head. Forgot how many you need if the species has more than one head, though.” She returned her sidearm to its holster and waved a hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. Point is, you want to play?”
He thought for a second. While labeled as a game, it would be an efficient tool to maintain combat readiness and test his new allies’ capabilities. They would need to be an efficient fighting force to have a chance against the Nemesis. “Affirmative,” he finally replied.
Kitern chuffed. “Good. Onsa, get this man a gun! Never thought I’d say those words.” She shrugged. “Oh well. If you need me, I’ll be with Shavan putting bets on the winners.”
“Hello down there!” the ship’s quartermaster said upon hearing her name. She waved down at them from a platform being held aloft by a crane which ran along the tracks embedded in the ceiling. She began lowering the platform via a linked data pad.
“Don’t tell the captain about that. It breaks several safety regulations,” Onsa said from the side, handing him a pack of sensors and an energy rifle with a dampener already attached. Vigil looked at them curiously and began putting them on various parts of his body. Meanwhile, Asteli and Gre’Namra returned, now fully armored, and grabbed two more rifles and packets of sensors.
Now high above the “battlefield”, Kitern announced. “If the contestants are ready, you may take your positions!” she said in a haughty voice. She leaned over and elbowed Shavan in the side. “Make sure you record this.”
Shavan chuffed and drawled, “Already ahead of ya.” Then linked her data pad to the hangar’s cameras, pointing them so they covered every inch of the field.
Asteli ran off to one side of the makeshift arena while Onsa and Dentala went to the other. Gre’Namra walked up to Vigil and said, “You’re on our team to help balance things out.” He nodded and followed the two privates to their designated starting point.
Kitern leaned over the hastily assembled railing of her platform, observing the playing field. It was a simple rectangle marked by lines of crates. Each side’s base was ringed by a wall of boxes and containers with gaps to get in and out. Cover was scattered periodically, with head height walls spread around the arena to break line of sight.
Seeing that everyone was at their bases, she called down, “If everyone is ready!” She paused, looking between the two opposing sides. “Begin the slaughter!” There was no bell, shot, or buzzer. Just a simple shout and the two sides were off.
All except for Vigil, who was still standing there while Asteli and Gre’Namra split and ran in opposite directions around a wall that defended the front of their base. Vigil looked back and forth between the two before randomly choosing to go to the right.
Turning the corner, he saw Gre’Namra hunkered behind cover. She was pressing a hand to the deck, concentrating on something. She looked back and saw him and made a hand motion, telling him to get down. Distracted by Gre’Namra, he did not see the two quick flashes from between a stack of crates, which spelled his doom.
The sensor on Vigil’s helmet flashed blue twice in quick succession, and all the sensors lit up. Indicating he was out.
“You’re dead Vigil, go sit on the side,” Kitern called down from her perch. Confused, Vigil did as ordered and observed the brief firefight. Gre’Namra, now revealed, had a small shootout with Onsa who had taken out Vigil. Gre’Namra returned fire, attempting to suppress Onsa.
When Onsa stopped shooting, Gre’Namra attempted to pull back get behind taller cover. The moment she left her stack of boxes, Onsa resumed firing and tagged her back three times. Though she was hit, she was not out. Cursing and slapping her tail on the deck in agitation, she elected to pull back and meet up with Asteli on the opposite side of the battlefield from her, rather than continue fighting Onsa. Gre’Namra fired blindly over cover, causing Onsa to duck down and give her a chance to escape.
Meanwhile, Asteli had pushed far forward, quickly being pinned down by Dentala. Already hit twice, she was reluctant to return fire. Until Gre’Namra appeared, she kneeled and leaned around cover, hitting Dentala and forcing her back. Now relieved, Asteli advanced with Gre’Namra’s over watch.
However, in their haste, they failed to ensure their flank was secure. As out of nowhere, Asteli was gunned down by Onsa firing diagonally from across the field.
Asteli stomped her foot and cursed, before trudging over to the side. Gre’Namra, now alone, pulled back to her base. She wanted to use the tight confines to her advantage, forcing her enemies to come to her. However, Dentala had other plans for her. Using Asteli’s tactics, she pushed hard, going down the center of the field where Gre’Namra had no sightlines.
As Dentala was advancing, she lept over low cover, set in between two walls. Waiting on the other side of the walls, was Gre’Namra. Gre’Namra had stopped retreating, when she realized she would only be trapping herself. Guessing that her seniors would assume she was running with her tail between her legs, she decided to lay a trap of her own. Using her species’ advanced sensory organs to track Dentala, even without line of sight, and set up where she would least expect.
Dentala was mid jump, when Gre’Namra opened fire. She was ‘dead’, before she even landed. “Tsk. That was smart, too bad you’re dead,” Dentala said with a bitter undertone.
Gre’Namra scoffed. “What? Look who talking!” As soon as the words left her mouth, her sensors flashed and stayed lit, indication she was dead.
Someone tapped the barrel of an energy rifle on the back of her helmet. “Remember your opponents. Lioranians have excellent speed and agility. If you aren’t paying attention, we can run up on you before you have time to react,” Onsa bragged from behind her.
Gre’Namra thumped her tail on the ground. “I could have sensed you anyway if I wasn’t wearing this armor! It reduces my sight time too much!”
“True,” Onsa nodded. “But without that armor, you would have been dead already.”
Kitern suddenly began clapping a hand on a section of railing, drawing everyone’s attention. “You did good privates. Better than I had thought. Vigil, you did about what I expected for your first time,” she said, looking down at everyone. Asteli was busy punching Vigil in the arm, blaming him for their loss. Vigil barely even registered the blows, let alone was harmed by them.
“Everyone, go back to your bases and get ready for round two. I’m hoping to see some improvement,” she said merrily, enjoying the show.
Taking up the same position as last time, Kitern began counting down. Asteli punched Vigil’s arm again. “Use some of that ass kicking energy you showed us on that Nemesis ship this tim-”
Kitern had finished counting down. The moment she did, Vigil practically disappeared. Startling Asteli and Gre’Namra, even Kitern and Shavan were wide eyed when Vigil darted around the container walls, making up their base.
They grew even wider, and their jaws appeared to hit the floor as they watched Vigil dash across the battlefield. He was a blur, rushing over and around cover. Already nearing the enemy base. He jumped on top of a waist high stack of crates and used both of his powerful legs to jump straight up and over Dentala’s and Onsa’s front wall.
The two marines hadn’t even left the confines of their base, when the light was blocked out by Vigil sailing above them. In an instant, the sensors on their heads flashed twice, then remained on, signaling their demise.
Vigil landed on both feet and went into a squat to help transfer some of the energy from his impact. He cleared the entire base and ended up on the outside of the arena. The deck reverberated from the force of his body slamming into it and created a mini avalanche of poorly stacked boxes. As the various boxes and crates fell away, Onsa and Dentala were graced with a view of Vigil’s back, as he slowly rose to an upright position.
They stared at him, flabbergasted. “How?” Dentala whispered in disbelief.
Kitern watched, just as stunned. “Uhhh… the match is… over,” she said slowly.
“What?!” Asteli shouted from her side of the field. She stuck her head out from behind cover, making sure it wasn’t a trap, before approaching the other base. Seeing that Dentala and Onsa were really out, she walked up to them and chuckled. “Remember your opponents. Humans have excellent speed and agility,” she mimicked Onsa’s earlier statement mockingly.
Onsa scowled at her. She then rotated her rifle with one arm and shot Asteli. Asteli returned the gesture by blowing her species’ equivalent of a raspberry. “Alright, alright. Settle down children,” Kitern announced as her platform lowered. “Normally you would be tied one for one, but now that Vigil seems to be trying. I doubt you’ll be getting any more points.” She directed the tail end of her sentence to Onsa and Dentala.
Dentala protested and gestured to the large imposing man who was now gathered with the others. “We can take him. Now that we know what he can do, we can beat him.”
Kitern waved her off. “I love the enthusiasm, but we couldn’t take him when we had actual guns. And he was literally dying. You can’t take him on now. Not the two of you atleast.” She then did something not characteristic of her species. Kitern grinned, barring her teeth. To a Lioranian, showing one’s teeth was a declaration of war, that you wanted to fight, that blood would soon be spilled. They also did it subconsciously when faced with a foe or extreme challenge. And right now, Vigil was both.
Kitern reached over and took off her sling. She rolled her left arm, causing it to pop. “You aren’t supposed to move your arm!” Onsa nagged.
“Yeah, yeah. What the doc don’t know won’t hurt her.” She picked up a pack of sensors and began putting them on. The sensor for her head looked stupid sitting on top of her head, like a little hat. “I’m joining in now, kiddos.”
“Um, captain. You aren’t wearing armor,” Gre’Namra pointed out.
“And?” Kitern scoffed. “Unless you take that dampener off, I can be as naked as the day I was born and not get hurt. At most it’ll singe my fur.”
Asteli spoke up, a nervous undertone in her voice. “Even with Vigil, ma’am, we can’t beat you.”
“You two won’t, but Vigil could. So it’s a good thing you won’t be fighting me,” she replied cryptically. The other four marines looked at her confused. Seeing their reactions, she chuffed and laughed. “Watching you all go at it made me excited. And since we’re still O for one against big boy over there. I think it’s time we evened the score.”
“You mean…” Dentala said, catching on.
Kitern nodded. “Yep. It’s going to be a five versus one. We’re going to have a grudge match.”
All eyes turned to Vigil. He simply tilted his head, not sure why everyone was looking at him.
First Previous
Hello, I am back! For how long? I have no idea, but until I have to leave again, I'll be uploading as normal. Also, after this point, you may occasionally see stories called Orphan: Tales of the Past, where I give a bit more backstory or just write "bolter porn", (I hope I'm using that correctly) essentially just action packed wabattle scenes from the Human Nemesis war. To be honest, 99% of it is bolter porn. I have backstory chapters for several characters set up, but haven't actually written any yet.

For those who are not able to make it this weekend. Here is the lore for the crusade GW is hosting!
A tremor rattles through the craft, from bow to stern. Surely we have not translated into realspace, you think to yourself. The journey was meant to last months, not mere days. You make your way to the bridge where it is immediately clear that you have somehow left the Warp. You demand answers from your staff and receive none. They are as shocked and ignorant to the greater situation as you are. One moment they were on a relatively peaceful journey through the Warp, minds and bodies shielded from the insanity around them by the Gellar Field, the next moment they were forced into realspace.
As hours tick by with maddening speed; you begin to develop a picture of the situation. Before you sits a handful of lush and verdant worlds. Seemingly (and shockingly) untouched by the ravaging tendrils of the horror designated Leviathan, from which you were fleeing. Initial scans show the system does carry a name, though even after extensive scrying and aggressive attempts to break security protocols, all that is ever returned is REDACTED. The system is under quarantine by the Administratum, which matters little to you. You are here and with every passing hour; more craft arrive.
An unspoken detente has emerged between the voidcraft that have arrived. No attempts to hail one another have been made, no noosphere updates, no vox calls, nothing. At last check, over two dozen craft sit, seemingly dormant. However, each one is steadily moving towards an area that is empty on all astrocartographs. Despite this, there is clearly something there. At first, you felt it. Deep in your soul, a subtle and longing drive to be there…. Wherever ‘there’ is.
As every voidcraft moves towards the allegedly empty area, you see it. Its surface reflects little light. What augurs and scans the varied ships use return suggestions of subsurface structures and weak bio-signatures, although most unaccountably fail to register the world at all. But it is there.
Its presence is verified by a sudden burst of vox traffic from the surface. Auspex scans immediately identify it as a rescue beacon commonly used by Adeptus Mechanicus Data-Hoard Forges when under attack. The beacon makes clear the importance of the data-hoard on the surface. It is of integral value to the Imperium and thus it is of great value to any enterprising commander, regardless of affiliation or loyalty to the God-Emperor.
You have a choice to make; do you assist this Command Entity (as it refers to itself in the now repeating vox traffic? Or do you take advantage of this situation and take what the Command Entity has?
You give the order without even considering the options at hand, ‘All forces, prepare for landing’. The bridge explodes in activity around you. You smile as your subordinates enact your will. The planet makes itself known in your mind.
Occultaris awaits.
2.0 Factions Selection
To provide an interactive and engaging event, we will allow each Commander to select one of the two Factions; the Tenuous Allies or the Ravaging Hordes. These factions are meant to encourage players to work together to complete Priorities and Missions throughout the event, while also allowing each Commander to craft an individual narrative for their own Order of Battle.
Each Commander should select one of the following Factions. This Faction is essentially your ‘team’ for the Narrative.
2.1 Tenuous Allies: Commanders selecting this faction form an uneasy alliance with other factions on the surface of Occultaris - you have answered the call and will assist the Command Entity. Whether it be to honour the historic alignment of your force, protect the weak, or with the intent of claiming an unspoken reward after the campaign; you will help the Command Entity with whatever it may require of you.
2.2 Ravaging Hordes: Commanders selecting this faction are unswayed by the mewling cries of the ‘Command Entity’. Whether required by the dark powers you serve to reave the Imperium clean of life or driven by your desire for knowledge, wealth, or power; you decide to descend to the surface and destroy this Command Entity.
Please note that the faction you select is not inherently tied to the faction you play. For example; an Adeptus Astartes Commander would usually ally with the Adeptus Mechanicus; however, you may be unconvinced by the distress beacons and have decided to purge this ‘Command Entity’ in the name of the Emperor. Additionally, perhaps you are a mighty Ork Boss. This Command Entity seems like a git, but it’s given you the chance for a proper scrap. You appreciate that, so you decide to help this silly yumie sounding thing out. You’ll take what you want after properly krumpin’ anyone on the surface trying to attack your new benefactor.

I prefer PayPal F&F but also accept Venmo, Cash App, Google Pay, Zelle and Amazon GC.
Where applicable, titles are split. MA = Movies Anywhere, GP = Google Play
​
May Universal Reward Titles (MA) - $3 Each **Only available prior to June rollover**

• 12 Monkeys 4K
• Assault On Precinct 13 (2005)
• The Black Dahlia (2006)
• Being John Malkovich
• Fifty Shades of Grey (Theatrical or Unrated) 4K
• I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
• Larry Crowne
• Snow White and the Huntsman (Theatrical or Extended) 4K
• This is 40 (Theatrical or Unrated)
• Welcome to Marwen 4K

FEATURE SELECTION

Battle: Los Angeles / Lockout (Double Feature) HD MA - $6
The Flash Complete Eighth Season HD Vudu - $6
Game of Thrones Seasons 1 thru 7 HD GP - $22
House of the Dragon: The Complete First Season HD Vudu - $6
How to Train Your Dragon Trilogy HD MA - $7
The Hunger Games 4-Movie Collection 4K (iTunes) - $12
The Kingsman 3-Movie Collection 4K - $12

• Secret Service & Golden Circle iTunes code, The King's Man MA code

The Man Who Fell To Earth 4K Vudu - $5
The Mummy Trilogy HD MA (Brendan Frasier) - $7
Planet of the Apes Trilogy (Rise/Dawn/War) 4K (iTunes) - $10
A Quiet Place 2-Movie Collection 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $8
Rambo 5-Movie Collection 4K (iTunes or Vudu) - $17
The Smurfs 3-Movie Collection (MA) - $10 (First movie 4K, HD for other 2)
Star Trek Original 6-Movie Collection 4K (iTunes) - $22

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) up to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Star Wars Complete 11-Movie Collection (Skywalker Saga, Rogue One, Solo) HD GP - $30
Thor Complete 4-Movie Collection HD GP - $9
​

4K Movies:

• American Psycho (Unrated) (iTunes or Vudu) - $5
• Annihilation (iTunes) - $4
• Arrival (iTunes) - $4
• Atomic Blonde (iTunes) - $4
• Big Hero 6 (iTunes) - $4
• Black Panther (iTunes) - $4
• Cinderella (2015) (iTunes) - $4
• Cloverfield (iTunes) - $4.50
• Cold Pursuit (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• Coming to America (iTunes or Vudu) - $4.50
• Daddy's Home (iTunes) - $4
• Daddy's Home 2 (Vudu) - $4
• Despicable Me 2 (iTunes) - $4
• Dirty Dancing (iTunes or Vudu) - $4.50
• Doctor Strange (iTunes) - $4
• Dragged Across Concrete (iTunes or Vudu) - $4.50
• Exodus: Gods and Kings (iTunes) - $4.50
• The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (iTunes) - $3.50
• Fast & Furious (2009) (iTunes) - $3.50
• Fast & Furious 6 Extended Edition (iTunes) - $3.50
• Furious 7 Extended Edition (iTunes) - $3.50
• Fifty Shades of Grey Unrated (MA) - $4
• Fifty Shades Darker Unrated (MA) - $4
• Fifty Shades Freed (Theatrical & Unrated in iTunes) (MA) - $5
• Finding Nemo (iTunes) - $4.50
• Gemini Man (Vudu) - $4
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation (iTunes) - $4
• Gods of Egypt (iTunes) - $3.50
• Heat: Director's Definitive Edition (iTunes) - $4
• Hellboy (2019) (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army (MA) - $5
• Hercules (2014, Dwayne Johnson) (iTunes) - $4
• Hustlers 2019 (iTunes) - $4
• Incredibles 2 (iTunes) - $4.50
• Invisible Man (2020) (MA) - $5
• Iron Man 3 (iTunes) - $4
• John Wick (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• The Jungle Book (2016) (iTunes) - $4
• King Kong (Peter Jackson, 2005) (iTunes) - $4
• Life of Pi (iTunes) - $4.50
• Lightyear (MA) - $4.50
• The Lion King (2019) (iTunes) - $4
• The Little Mermaid (iTunes) - $4.50
• Lone Survivor (MA) - $4.50
• The Martian (iTunes) - $4.50
• The Maze Runner (iTunes) - $4.50
• Midway (2019) (iTunes or Vudu) - $4.50
• Mile 22 (iTunes) - $4
• Minions (iTunes) - $4
• Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (iTunes) - $4
• Monsters University (iTunes) - $4.50
• Mulan (1998) (MA) - $5
• The Mummy (2017, Tom Cruise) (iTunes) - $4
• No Time to Die (007 James Bond) (iTunes) - $4.50
• Not Another Teen Movie (Sony Buff Pass) (MA) - $4
• The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (MA) - $4
• Pet Sematary 1989 (iTunes or Vudu) - $4.50
• Pet Sematary 2019 (iTunes or Vudu) - $4.50
• Pitch Perfect (iTunes) - $4
• Ralph Breaks the Internet (MA) - $4
• Rocketman (iTunes) - $4
• The Sandlot (iTunes) - $4.50
• Scream (1996) (iTunes or Vudu) - $5
• The Secret Life of Pets (iTunes) - $4
• Shrek (MA) - $5
• A Simple Favor (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• Sing (iTunes) - $4
• Source Code (iTunes or Vudu) - $5
• Spider-Man: No Way Home (MA) - $5
• Spies in Disguise (MA) - $4.50
• Starship Troopers (Sony Buff Pass) (MA) - $4
• Super 8 (iTunes or Vudu) - $4.50
• Terminator: Dark Fate (iTunes or Vudu) - $4
• To Sir With Love (Sony Buff Pass) (MA) - $4
• Top Gun 1986 (iTunes) - $4
• Toy Story 1995 (iTunes) - $4.50
• Transformers: Age of Extinction (Vudu) - $3.50
• Warcraft (iTunes) - $4
• Yesterday (MA) - $5
• Zootopia (iTunes) - $4

HD Movies ($3 Each):

• Aloha (MA)
• American Beauty (iTunes or Vudu)
• Antlers (GP)
• Bad Boys (MA)
• Battleship (MA)
• Beauty and the Beast The Enchanted Christmas (MA)
• Bridge of Spies (GP)
• The Call of the Wild (MA)
• Cars (GP)
• Coco (GP)
• The Darkest Minds (GP)
• Den of Thieves (iTunes)
• Django Unchained (Vudu)
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (GP)
• Encanto (GP)
• The Equalizer 2 (MA)
• Free Guy (GP)
• Hardcore Henry (iTunes)
• Hereditary (Vudu)
• Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade (Collection of shorts) (MA)
• Into the Woods (MA)
• Lightyear (GP)
• Mary Poppins (1964) (GP)
• Monsters University (GP)
• My Little Pony The Movie (2017) (iTunes, Vudu, or GP)
• Onward (GP)
• Raya and the Last Dragon (GP)
• Red Sparrow (MA)
• Rush (MA)
• Scarface (MA)
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (GP)
• She's Having a Baby (iTunes or Vudu)
• Spider-Man Homecoming (MA)
• Spider-Man Far from Home (MA)
• Spirit Untamed (MA)
• The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (Vudu)
• Super Troopers 2 (MA)
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Unrated Special Edition (152 min) (Vudu)
• Terms of Endearment (iTunes or Vudu)
• Thor: Love and Thunder (GP)
• Toy Story (GP)
• Toy Story 3 (GP)
• Toy Story 4 (GP)
• Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (MA)
• Trolls (2016) (MA)
• Turning Red (GP)
• Venom (MA)
• Venom: Let There Be Carnage (MA)
• Widows (MA)
• Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (MA)

--- Table of Contents ---
Interlude 2 - Wind
Winter 4984, Halakon
“I’m afraid that might be more than just rain…” the head steward's face was a mask of calm despite his words of worry as he stared into the horizon.
Allowing the silk to slide from the drying line into his waiting hands, Vinrin looked up, following the steward’s gaze to the east. Black clouds. As if night had decided to wash over the desert without waiting for the sun to set.
The dunes that covered most of Halakon could be seen in the distance, many miles away. A heartbeat later, they were gone. Wind brushed Vinrin’s cheeks, pulling stray red hairs from his braid. The eastern sky had become two-toned, black on top and tan below.
Run. The voice shot through him like lightning, causing his heart to skip a beat, then race to make up for lost time.
Vinrin flinched, gripping his head and chest, the cloth blowing away before it could hit the ground.
The Steward leaned over Vinrin, steadying him and whispering softly in his ear, "Young master, is everything alright?”
No, everything was far from alright. Green flashed in the distance and Vinrin looked up with a gasp mirrored by the steward. Lightning traced across the black clouds. Jagged lines of green, purple, and red set the sand below aglow but did nothing to light the darkness above.
“Run…” Vinrin breathed.
“Hurry girls, the shutters!” the Steward cried to the servant girls, urging them to take what laundry they had and rush back to the manor. To button it up for the oncoming dust storm. It wouldn’t be enough. Not this time.
“NO! Run!” Vinrin cried, suddenly desperate. He wrenched a basket of sheets from a passing servant, tossing it to the ground, “Run!”
“Young master the manor-” the steward started, befuddled, at the fourteen-year-old heir, now shoving servants away from the door and towards the road.
“Get everyone out of the house! Make for the rift!” Vinrin screamed, his voice cracking as the wind tried to blow his words away.
The rolling blackness covered the sun and the first bits of sand blown ahead of the storm wall pelted them like so many bug bites. Alone they would be inconsequential, but together they would eventually flay any exposed skin. And worse was yet to come.
Vinrin struggled through the wind to grab the Steward by the arm, screaming into his ear to be heard, “Please, hurry, run!”
Blessedly, the Steward nodded, rushing for the manor, his pace quicked further by the wind at his back. Vinrin pulled his hair back as best he could, looking around in horror as the nearby houses began shuttering their windows from the inside. Preparing to weather the dust storm as they had so many others. Couldn’t they see the lightning now right overhead? Couldn’t they feel the wrongness in the air?
“The rift…” his whisper was stolen by the wind.
He ran, shouting to the houses, banging on the doors, and forcibly turning people around who were trying to head the wrong way, back to their homes, towards the terrible storm. Not enough followed.
He dashed down side streets and allies, yelling until his voice was hoarse and beyond. He zig-zagged through the streets, trying to gather as many as he could. Not nearly enough.
Vinrin ushered all he could towards the Rift, a canyon that divided the city of Zaha into two halves, connected by multiple stone bridges. Stairs were carved down the Rift's faces in sharp switchbacks. Leading towards the ancient Temples built into its walls.
The air was thick with sand that pelted painfully against his skin, filling his mouth, nose, and eyes. He could hardly see the stairs, already crowded with people too far from home and seeking shelter. Or perhaps they'd felt the wrongness.
He'd just reached the head of the switchbacks when screams could be heard as if from a great distance. Spinning around, he ducked just as a roof torn from a nearby building flew overhead. It nearly spanned the rift before crashing down on a bridge. Stone crumbled, and more people screamed as a structure that had stood for hundreds, if not thousands, of years fell into the canyon, taking at least fifty people down with it.
He could hardly see, hardly think. A woman tried to shove past him, but a burst of wind pushed her too far. She tumbled into the canyon, her screams indistinguishable from the rest.
Pushing against the wind just to stay upright, Vin-rin nearly lost his footing as someone grabbed him by the hand and pulled him down the steps. Gusts whipped about the canyon, sometimes pulling, sometimes pushing. He held tightly to the hand of his rescuer, unable to see them through the sand that had become his entire world. They struggled their way down the switchbacks, crouching to keep themselves as close to the ground as possible. More screams trailed from above to below as people fell from greater heights. Had he been wrong? Would they have been safer in their homes?
No. He knew, knew, the city would be lost in this storm, buried by the dunes that had only ever existed on the horizon.
The hand pulled him one last time, and he nearly fell again, stumbling towards the canyon wall only to be wrenched through a doorway he hadn’t seen. Into the safety of the Temple of Hengist. People shuffled and sobbed in the darkness, but the grand entrance to the chapel wasn’t nearly as full as it should be.
The Steward let go of Vinrin’s hand. He was hardly recognizable, caked in sand and blending in with all the other faces huddled together for comfort.
“My family, Maze, tell me!” Vinrin cried, tears turning to mud on his cheeks.
“Safe, young master, they are here.” His whisper sounded loud, despite the roar of the storm so close it shook the natural stone walls of this cave-turned sanctuary.
Safe… they were safe… but how many had he failed to save above? What would be left of the second-largest city in Halakon once this storm from the hells themselves passed…
Vinrin collapsed in a heap on the floor and sobbed. Relieved, and grieving.
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